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Musings on transactions and transformations

Years ago now, (2008) the international library corporation OCLC conducted a surprising study. They interviewed some 4,000 people to find out what they really felt about libraries. The issue was a weird contradiction. The use of the library was growing sharply over the past 25 years. Many patrons enthusiastically admitted “I love my library!” But at the same time, support for libraries — measured by the ability for the library to get on the ballot, or win the election when they did — was falling. The study, which was replicated 10 years later, surfaced all kinds of interesting and non-intuitive findings. Here’s the big one: library use, all by itself, simply doesn’t have much to do with support. That is, the folks who check out 40 books a week to feed the curious minds of their toddlers were no more likely to vote for a library mill levy than people who didn’t use the library at all. There was, however, a group of super supporters. They shared some characteristics that seemed important...
Recent posts

From premises to conclusion in the Age of Misinformation

I was a philosophy major in college. (Actually, I got a double major: philosophy and creative writing, with a minor in business law.) When I graduated my father asked me what I was now qualified to do. “Argue eloquently in bars,” I told him. And I have. But, in fact, philosophy is a wonderful tool to tackle almost anything. What I learned from my readings was that clear thinking comes down to three things. First, what are your premises? Can you identify them? Second, how reasonable are they? Is there evidence? How trustworthy is it? Third, can you get from those premises to a justifiable conclusion? Does the chain of your reasoning follow the rules of logic? In this, the Age of Misinformation, we see many people whose premises are not just made up but strongly contradicted by the data. Once the false problem is set up they offer a ludicrous solution. An example. Premise: “There is a burgeoning public health crisis of sexual crime and misbehavior!” Evidence: In fact, like violent crimes...

Author talk and book signing at Alpenglow

On March 12, I'll be doing a reading, Q&A and book signing (of On Censorship : A Public Librarian Examines Cancel Culture in the US ) at the Alpenglow Books, 720 Grand Ave Floor 1, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601. The schedule looks like this: 7-7:30 I read from On Censorship and talk about the book 7:30-7:45 Alpenglow will ask some questions 7:45-8 Audience Q&A 8-8:30 Book signing and socializing If you haven't been there yet, swing by. Alpenglow is a charming place with a surprisingly strong selection not only of books but of other gifts.

Making it easier for kids to love reading

In 2012 the Colorado State Library (CSL) studied how to encourage parents of 0-3 year-olds to develop daily habits of early literacy. Part of that was identifying barriers to library use. Local resident Sharon Morris (MLIS, Ph.D.) worked at CSL and was involved on the team. She spoke at our Feb. 6, 2025 board meeting and described a focus group with teen mothers. One mom said she didn’t take her children to the library because she couldn’t afford it. Sometimes they couldn’t get the books back on time. Sometimes a toddler damaged a book and it had to be replaced. They opted to stay away. The second mom said she got that. But she took her kids to the library anyhow. The programs were free. They could hang out and read there. Her hack: just don’t check anything out. The third mom looked knowingly at Sharon as if to say, “I’ve got this, sister.” Not to worry, said the mom. I check out books but I put them on a high shelf at home so the children can’t get to them. That way they can’t damage...

Being on a board: 10 tips

I think I have now sat on every side of the table. I’ve been a senior staff member giving reports to a board. I was a director working with an advisory board. I’m once again a director reporting to a statutory governing body. From the other side, I’ve been a nonprofit and governmental board member, secretary, treasurer, vice president and chair. It’s work. But it’s worth it. Like any other human endeavor, serving on a board isn’t easy, particularly at the beginning. But we all have to start somewhere and there’s no shame in not knowing how to do something you’ve never tried before. Eventually, though, we can and should learn how to get better. For those of you just joining a board, here are 10 suggestions for how to do a good job. Understand the mission of the organization . At the library, we promote literacy, the right of Americans to investigate the evidence and make up their own minds. Our job is to inform citizens and communities. It is not to protect them from things they may not...

Garfield County Libraries: Looking Forward in 2025

In the last two months of 2023, 63 library staff (and 3 of our board members) interviewed some 90 “movers and shakers” in the community. These were people representing many sectors of our community: business, civic (as in civic clubs like Kiwanis, Lions, Optimists and Rotarians), education, elected, faith-based, government (non-elected), news/media, and not-for-profit. The preliminary list was generated by our own staff. Then we sent out our people to meet with them at their own place of business. We asked them five questions: What’s your story? That is, how did you come to be here at this time in your life? What motivates you? What drives you in your life or work? As you think about your constituents (the people you represent or serve), what do you think will be their key issues over the next 18-24 months? What are your aspirations for the community? Who else should we talk to? The intent of the questions was twofold. First, we wanted to have some sense of the backstory of community l...

Your libraries in 2024

I like statistics. It matters to me how well we do and looking over the numbers helps me stay on top of change. This month, I’d like to take a look back at Garfield County Libraries use in 2024. Thanks to Jenn Cook, our technical services director, for pulling all this together. The main trend: we continue to see a sharp rise in the use of digital content. Some 75% of that use is downloadable/streaming services. Overdrive (or Libby app users) and Hoopla led the pack, coming in at a 26% increase over 2023 for the former, and 25% for the latter. Particularly interesting to me is the jump in newspaper use. NewsBank saw a 372% increase over the previous year. The Wall Street Journal jumped by 83% over 2023. (Incidentally, a personal subscription is about $500 a year. A library card is a heck of a savings!) Use of the New York Times grew by 32%. Other digital services include things like our Learning Express resource. This provides career preparation data, high school equivalency info, coll...