Books for Librarians

Library Professional Development

The Meaning of the Library: A Cultural History
Edited by Alice Crawford (2015)

 

From Greek and Roman times to the digital era, the library has remained central to knowledge, scholarship, and the imagination. Generously illustrated, The Meaning of the Library examines this key institution of Western culture. Tracing what the library has meant since its beginning, examining how its significance has shifted, and pondering its importance in the twenty-first century, significant contributors--including the librarian of the Congress and the former executive director of the HathiTrust--present a cultural history of the library. (From the publisher)

Books for Librarians

Library Professional Development

The Library Innovation Toolkit:
Ideas, Strategies and Programs
Edited by Anthony Molaro and Leah L. White (2015)

Librarians describe innovations in libraries focusing more on people--either staff or patrons--than on technology. They cover innovation in terms of culture, staff, outreach, technology, spaces, and programs. Among their topics are the library's role in promoting tolerance and diversity in a university, the Virginia Tech experience in building a toolkit to craft an instruction program, seizing the opportunity for innovation and service improvement, a digital media lab in an academic library, and stepping into the story with children and young people.