Brookline.News reports the Public Library of Brookline has decided to stop charging late fees on overdue books and will wipe the slate of existing fines, saying the $10,000 a year it had been collecting is far outweighed by the value of having its three branches truly open to all. Boston stopped collecting late fees after the outset of the pandemic, then made that permanent in 2021.
Beacon Architectural Associates (BAA) is excited to announce that our client the Sherborn Library will break ground on the library’s renovation and expansion project at 11 AM, Jan 28th, 2017. Peter C. Byerly, Principal at BAA, will be present at the groundbreaking ceremony along with the general contractor, owner’s project manager and Adams & Smith Architects.
As Boston considers the closing of libraries in the midst of a recession, it may be useful to remind ourselves of the broader contributions of libraries to our neighborhoods:
Former American Librarian Association president Sarah Long
When I was president of the American Library Association in 1999-2000, I chose, "Libraries Build Community" as my theme because I felt strongly that the library always serves a special place in the community. It's not only a place to find information and knowledgeable librarians, it's also a place to be with other community members. Think of the library as a community's living room. . . . I chose, "Libraries Build Community" as my presidential theme because the library is the community's information hub and a place to gather, but also because of what happens inside libraries. Children come to story hour and adults come to programs. Library meeting rooms are places to vote or are used for local legislators' town hall meetings. In the information age, the library is so much more than a collection of books.
...at least when we're not obsessing over tabloid murder dramas:
A university president has maintained on ongoing research project, attempting to rank America's Most Literate Cities:
This study attempts to capture one critical index of our nation’s social health—the literacy of its major cities (population of 250,000 and above). This study focuses on six key indicators of literacy: newspaper circulation, number of bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment, and Internet resources.
Intellectual Freedom Committee
Massachusetts
IF Programming. IF Materials. Grey Literature.
Please look into developing intellectual freedom programming and materials for our public library reference desk department in Cambridge about intellectual freedom and grey literature.
Deflecting. Delay. Denial.
Our Reference Desk Department deflected, delayed, denied access to our municipal public documents.
Information policies. Presentation of services.
The Cambridge Public Library
http://www.cambridgepubliclibrary.org/announce.htm
We expect to welcome you to the beautifully renovated and expanded Main Library this autumn.
To prepare for our move the Library located at 359 Broadway (Longfellow School) will be closed after January 31st.
All branch locations will remain open.
The Central Square Branch will have extended hours starting February 2nd.
Updates will be made available at every branch location.
http://www.cambridgepubliclibrary.org/announce.htm
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Customers services.
Customers services at our cities' public libraries need continuing
improvement with more staff development opportunities and continuing
supervisory programs.
Teaching library.
Our cities' public libraries could be teaching libraries for the
library, archival, records management and information policy
professions in the same way medical centers are teaching hospitals
with many professional seminars and rounds as well as introducing
students to the professions, promoting the growth and development of
that interest.
Transparency.
Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners is getting feedback, comments, concerns and suggestions about the VirtCat, the Virtual Catalog http://mblc.state.ma.us/books/catalogs/vc/faq.php
VirtCat is another Massachusetts catalog people can check to extend a search for a title or author in addition to checking their local library catalog. VirtCat books and other media can be reserved online for public library cardholders and held for pickup at your local branch public library's circulation desk or reference desk.
Digital Restrictions protest photos. Boston Public Library
http://www.flickr.com/photos/makoshark/sets/721576...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/makoshark/
MAKOSHARK IS STRONG
Many people haven't yet used interlibrary loan readily available at our branch public libraries for books, audio and video not on the shelves within the immediate Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville and other Massachusetts' libraries systems.
Better software is being developed for tracking what titles library users/customers/consumers ask for.
Alternately new book suggestions, audio suggestions and video suggestions can be submitted for local branch libraries' collections.
Hints, tips and pointers for more effective use of interlibrary loan...
Branch Boston public libraries
Many people haven't yet used interlibrary loan readily available at our branch public libraries for books, audio and video not on the shelves within the immediate Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville and other Massachusetts' libraries systems.
Better software is being developed for tracking what titles library users/customers/consumers ask for.
Alternately new book suggestions, audio suggestions and video suggestions can be submitted for local branch libraries' collections.
Hints, tips and pointers for more effective use of interlibrary loan...
Branch Boston public libraries
By John Markoff
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/27/business/li...
The Boston Public Library is also interested in scanning local Boston and Massachusetts documents and is in the process of creating its own digital archive.
Boston Public Library President Bernard A. Margolis
Massachusetts
http://bpl.org/general/seniorstaff.htm
Dear Bernard A. Margolis,
Problematical library use.
Please arrange it so that permanent URLs for entries in the BPL catalog at http://bpl.org
can be referred to for letting other library users/customers/consumers
know about a book's catalog entry.
Apparently the catalog is not setup properly for convenient
referring to an entry by a permanent URL.
Several major research libraries have rebuffed offers from Google and Microsoft to scan their books into computer databases, saying they are put off by restrictions these companies want to place on the new digital collections.
[ photo by Robert Spencer ]
Bernard Margolis, president of The Boston Public Library.
The research libraries, including a large consortium in the Boston area, are instead signing on with the Open Content Alliance, a nonprofit effort aimed at making their materials broadly available.
by Katie Hafner
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/22/technology/22lib...
Review your favorite libraries critically as reviewers critique restaurants, theater, motion pictures and so forth.
How good are the usability features of your favorite libraries?...
Libraries to be reviewed, critiqued.
Orient Heights Branch Boston Public Library?...
The planning, progress and development of the new Chinatown Branch Boston Public Library?...
Massachusetts State Archives?...
Boston City Council Library?...
Our libraries will benefit by back and forth critique, dialogue about featured services.
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