High-demand, bestselling titles meet the immediate needs of a large group of patrons. They’re the sparkly gold dust that attracts attention and draws in readers. But beneath that top layer of new titles are the “midlist” titles – the majority of all published works. In this group is where emerging authors, alternative and esoteric titles, and a much broader selection of works live. These are the titles chosen by libraries focused on providing a rich collection that encourages readers to look beyond the “shiny” titles.
public libraries
Josephine Community Libraries: Providing Real Community Value
By Kate Dwyer
Josephine Community Libraries (JCL) increased its Gale database usage by 230% over previous years. By using public presentations with a ‘how to’ delivery style, JCL’s librarians are able to meet people where they are on topics they care about.
Under the umbrella of The Expanding Opportunities Program, funded by A Library Services and Technology Act, the mission of the program is to increase information literacy in Josephine County, Oregon, in the areas of employability, education, and entrepreneurship. The grant provides a full-time staff member to educate community members about the modern library available at their fingertips.
Read moreJosephine Community Libraries: Providing Real Community Value
Help Rose’s Gardening Knowledge Bloom with Mobile Friendly eBooks
By Kim Martin
Meet Rose, the avid gardener She loves getting outdoors, working in the soil, and seeing her efforts take root, grow and bloom. Well, to be honest, she’s fairly new to gardening… and has lots of questions. She seeks information to inspire her, as well as inform. Her friends are gardeners too. Some are serious master gardeners even and they are stumped from time-to-time and need reliable resources to turn to.
Do you have patrons like Rose and her friends who are looking for practical and authoritative guidance on gardening, landscape, and horticulture?
Read moreHelp Rose’s Gardening Knowledge Bloom with Mobile Friendly eBooks
Historical Fiction Recommendations from Joyce Saricks: New and Popular in Large Print
Forget the “Columbus sailed the ocean blue” mnemonic devices and dusty history books. If you want to experience history with dimension and humanity, turn to historical fiction.
Read moreHistorical Fiction Recommendations from Joyce Saricks: New and Popular in Large Print
Librarians Overcome Distance and Tradition with GVRL eBooks
Terry Beck, the Information Services Manager for Sno-Isle Libraries north of Seattle, knows firsthand how to deal with logistical nightmares. Beck is responsible for serving approximately 697,000 people in two counties across 21 community libraries. To complicate matters further, Beck lacks a central or main library location from which to work and was quickly running out of room for reference materials.
“We don’t have one great big place,” Beck bemoaned. “We knew we needed to grow our reference collection but we had no room for additional print materials.”
Read moreLibrarians Overcome Distance and Tradition with GVRL eBooks
Moving from Gatekeeper to Gardener: An Introspective On Librarianship
By Jamie LaRue
I believe that librarianship is at the threshold of transformative change. Some of that change is society-wide. Some of it is specific to libraries. In recent years, I’ve spent a lot of my professional time exploring and talking about three key trends. Together, they make up my platform as a candidate for ALA president.
Read moreMoving from Gatekeeper to Gardener: An Introspective On Librarianship
Fiction, Schmiction. How About Some Reality?
Some readers crave fiction. But a growing number of readers are hungry for nonfiction. In fact, a recent analysis of circulation data from libraries around the country revealed phenomenal growth of circulating nonfiction over the last 20 years. Why? Well, here are two possible reasons:
Public Libraries Across the U.S. Find Reinvention and Value through Innovative Education Program
By Kristina Massari
Public libraries across the country are finding innovative ways to deliver value to their communities, including presenting high school diplomas to adult residents through Career Online High School, an accredited high school completion and career certificate program. Career Online High School is now available at more than a dozen libraries from coast to coast, with several launching this month, and has graduated its first library students.
Wanderlust Lives! Where in the World Will Your Patrons Go?
By Tina Creguer
Okay, so maybe the Wizard of Oz’s Dorothy has a point: there’s no place like home. But, for many people, there’s nothing more invigorating than being on the open road and exploring new places.
According to the U.S. Travel Association, Americans took 2.1 billion person-trips* in 2013 for both leisure and business. That’s a whole lot of travel! 78% of those trips were for leisure purposes; 22% for business. The association also reports that trip planning sources have shifted over the last several years, with social media and mobile devices being used more often.
With members of your community looking to electronic resources to support their travel planning, what resources do you provide to support their need for adventure and exploration?
Read moreWanderlust Lives! Where in the World Will Your Patrons Go?
Public Libraries Get a Boost with Targeted Marketing and Data Analysis
By Kristina Massari
New Analytics On Demand Apps Improve Outreach and Provide Insights to Multi-Branch Systems
Public libraries face challenges demonstrating their value to the communities and stakeholders they serve – just 22% of Americans say they know most or all of the services provided by their public library. To help libraries overcome these barriers, Gale, part of Cengage Learning, has added three new applications to Analytics On Demand, the first affordable big data analytics solution for public libraries. The new apps, Marketing Action (for Patrons and Non-Patrons) and Branch Insights, help libraries deploy targeted direct marketing programs to current and prospective library users, as well as better understand how existing patrons are interacting with individual branches across a system.
Read morePublic Libraries Get a Boost with Targeted Marketing and Data Analysis