Welcome to my new home page. All the information, posts, and media from the old site are here. I’ve condensed from a homepage and blog, to just one site.
Let me know if you have any suggestions or comments to make it better.
Barbara Stripling for ALA President
I have had the privilege of working with Barbara Stripling on projects likes KidsConnect, as a member of her dissertation committee, and now as a fellow faculty member. In all of those encounters I have been impressed by her thoughtfulness, dedication to the profession, and ability to lead. That is why I want to encourage my readers to vote for her to be the next ALA president.
Barbara sees deeply into issues and is dedicated to brining positive transformation to our profession and the communities we serve. She has shown a near superhuman ability to navigate a politically charged city government in her role as Director of School Library Services in New York City. She has shown an aptitude for scholarly research that is a welcome addition to my university. She has an unwavering passion for children and the role of school libraries in K-12 education.
I can think of no one better suited to head ALA. Please join me in supporting Barbara.
Visit Barbara’s Website: http://www.barbarastripling.org/
Atlas Wins Award 2012 ABC-CLIO/Greenwood Award for the Best Book in Library Literature
Immediate Release
Mon, 02/27/2012 – 09:48
Contact: Cheryl Malden
CHICAGO – “The Atlas of New Librarianship” by R. David Lankes has been named the winner of the 2012 ABC-CLIO/Greenwood Award for the Best Book in Library Literature. The award, which is given annually by the American Library Association, will be presented at the association’s Annual Meeting in Anaheim, Calif., in June.
The book was co-published by the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL), a division of ALA, and The MIT Press. In his book, Lankes articulates a new purpose for librarianship: “The mission of librarians is to improve society through facilitating knowledge creation in their communities.” He envisions a profession based not on books and artifacts but on knowledge and learning which are created through conversations. The innovatively structured text, graphics and accompanying website are designed to stimulate further conversation about the field of librarianship.
The Award Committee praised the book for its unique visual map of ideas and their relationships to theory and practice. One committee member declared, “It made me think critically about our profession and our future…. I was taken out of my comfort zone and that was a good thing.” Other members praised the Atlas as “challenging,” “complex,” and “exciting both in its ideas and its design.”
Describing the book as “rich in optimism,” Kathryn Deiss, ACRL content strategist, said that “The Atlas of New Librarianship” creates “a platform for vital conversations about the future of librarianship.” The book’s unusual format presents more than 140 Agreements (statements on aspects of librarianship) and visually represents the threads that connect key ideas.
R. David Lankes, PhD, is a professor at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies and director of its library science program. He also directs the Information Institute of Syracuse (IIS), a research center and think tank. Lankes was the provocative speaker for the Midwinter Conversations at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Dallas.
The members of the ABC-CLIO/Greenwood Award jury were: Chair, Susan E. Searing, Library & Information Science Librarian, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; June L. DeWeese, head of access services, University of Missouri at Columbia; Jasmine Y. Posey, training services librarian, Greenwich (Conn.) Library; John C. Sandstrom, head of acquisitions, New Mexico State University; and William Newbold Schultz, Jr., catalog librarian, Appalachian State University.
About ACRL
ACRL is a division of the American Library Association (ALA), representing more than 12,000 academic and research librarians and interested individuals. ACRL is the only individual membership organization in North America that develops programs, products and services to meet the unique needs of academic and research librarians. Its initiatives enable the higher education community to understand the role that academic libraries play in the teaching, learning and research environments. ACRL is on the Web at http://www.acrl.org/, Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ala.acrl and Twitter at @ala_acrl
About MIT Press
The MIT Press is the only university press in the United States whose list is based in science and technology. This does not mean that science and engineering are all we publish, but it does mean that we are committed to the edges and frontiers of the world–to exploring new fields and new modes of inquiry. We are a major publishing presence in fields as diverse as architecture, social theory, economics, cognitive science, and computational science, and we have a long-term commitment to both design excellence and the efficient and creative use of new technologies. Our goal is to create books and journals that are challenging, creative, attractive, and yet affordable to individual readers.
THE MIT PRESS | 55 Hayward Street | Cambridge, MA 02142
About “The Atlas of New Librarianship”
For more information about “The Atlas of New Librarianship,” visit http://www.newlibrarianship.org.
To purchase “The Atlas of New Librarianship” visit http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=12560
The ABC-CLIO/Greenwood Award for the Best Book in Library Literature Award will be presented at the ALA Award Ceremony and Reception, Sunday June 24 at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif.
More information about the ABC-CLIO/Greenwood Award for the Best Book in Library Literature including how to submit a nomination is available on the ALA website.
Lankes Elected to ALISE Board
I have just been elected the Director for Special Interest Groups for the Association for Library and Information Science Education. Thanks to all those who voted for me, and my fellow “electees.”
Circulating Ideas
Steve Thomas has just posted an interview with me on Circulating Ideas:
http://www.circulatingideas.com/2011/09/episode-seven-r-david-lankes.html
If you are tired of hearing from me, you should check out the podcast. Steve has done an outstanding job collecting interviews with some great folks.
Killing the Library Quickly
A few weeks ago I did the Keynote at NELA and it was received very well, including a very thoughtful blog post by Agnostic, Maybe. I needed to create shorter more pithy version for the iSchools webpage, and so edited it down from an hour to 25 minutes. I thought it might be useful to others, so here it is:
if you want the longer version with more jokes, ums, and New England references you can find it here. Also, due to popular demand I should be able to post a transcript of the original this week.
Lankes Appointed as Dean’s Scholar for the New Librarianship
From Dean Liz Liddy, Syracuse University iSchool:
“I am pleased to announce that in recognition of Dave Lankes’ outstanding contributions to the evolving field of Library Science, I have appointed him to the well-deserved position of Dean’s Scholar for the New Librarianship. Through his writing and speaking about what it means to be a librarian in this day & age, Dave has increased the scope and potential of the field, and has even further improved our very positive reputation in ways that are difficult to measure. Please join me in congratulating Dave for this well-deserved honor.”
Remembering Joe Ryan
I learned yesterday that a close friend during my Ph.D. program had passed away. Joe Ryan and I were doctoral students back in the nineties and I owe him so much. He took a kid fresh out of an undergraduate program, and taught me how to survive in a Ph.D. program. He taught me how to write (he published my first vita hit – a book review in Internet Research), how to be edited (“I edit the words, not the person), he even gave me fantastic travel advice (“All you will ever see of the world is the inside of hotel rooms, taxis, and airports if you don’t force yourself to walk around”). He even helped me buy my first suit for a gig in DC. He was always there with advice. He always had something useful to say.
He also did a fair bit of inspiring my passion in libraries as a former librarian himself. He would tell the stories of packing books into the car of his trunk to circulate to the local neighborhoods.
Some of you may remember Joe and his work on Internet policy, the NREN (National Research and Education Network – true story we co-coached a school wide softball team for the School of Information Studies called the NRUNs), and his close work with Chuck McClure on library evaluation and broadband adoption.
After I started my job as a faculty member Joe and I didn’t talk much, and for the past few years not at all. It is unfortunate that only with his death do the “what’s going on with…” and the “I should call…” lines take on real urgency in the form of regret. I will miss Joe, and now I will always miss the opportunity to re-engage with him. I owe Joe a lot, and his passing is a very sad day.
Nice Interview in the Dallas Observer
This article was from an interview I did with the Dallas Observer about my upcoming testimony for the Dallas City Council:
We need police to keep us civil, we need firemen to keep us safe, we need parks to keep us connected, and we need libraries as places to preserve our dreams.
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2011/06/preserve_our_dreams_council_to.php
Lankes to Participate in Salzburg Global Seminar
I have been invited to be a part of the Salzburg Global Seminar “Libraries and Museums in an Era of Participatory Culture” which will be held in Salzburg, Austria in October. The session is being convened jointly by the Salzburg Global Seminar (SGS) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
From the seminar description:
Abstract
As key stewards of our culture and heritage, libraries and museums have traditionally enjoyed, and to a great extent still do enjoy, a unique role and special responsibility within societies around the world. But as economic disruptions and rapid technological innovation have brought about dramatic societal changes, libraries and museums, too, are being forced to revisit and rethink their own roles and responsibilities within these changing societies. The 21st century indeed poses perplexing challenges, but at the same time offers intriguing new opportunities for libraries and museums. It is a critical moment for leaders within libraries and museums to reflect creatively and strategically about the role and place of their institutions in an era of participatory culture and to recognize and seize the opportunity for reorientation and reinvention.
Building on the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) initiative The Future of Museums and Libraries as well as on past museum and library sessions convened by the Salzburg Global Seminar, this session will bring together approximately fifty leaders, advocates and constituents of libraries and museums, cultural and educational policymakers, cultural sector researchers, representatives of library and museum education programs, technology experts, sociologists, journalists, and library and museum association representatives to debate the changing roles and responsibilities of libraries and museums in their societies. The participants will consider the following key areas: societal changes that are shaping the future of museums and libraries; collaboration; education and training; communication and technology; sustainability; value and values. Together, the participants will develop a set of recommendations for libraries and museums to meet the new challenges posed to them in this era of participatory culture. The recommendations, in turn, will be shared with the larger library and museum community worldwide.
This session is being convened in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services in Washington, D.C.
SALZBURG GLOBAL SEMINAR
The Salzburg Global Seminar is a unique international institution focused on global change—a place dedicated to candid dialogue, fresh thinking, and the search for innovative but practical solutions. Founded in 1947, it challenges current and future leaders to develop creative ideas for solving global problems, and has brought more than 25,000 participants from 150 countries and regions to take part in its programs. The Salzburg Global Seminar convenes imaginative thinkers from different cultures and institutions, organizes problem-focused initiatives, supports leadership development, and engages opinion-makers through active communication networks, all in partnership with leading institutions from around the world and across different sectors of society. To learn more about the Seminar, please visit www.salzburgglobal.org
THE INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES
The U.S. federal Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of governmental support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute’s mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national and international levels and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.