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Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Library Services Bus
“Bad libraries build collections, good libraries build services, great libraries build communities.” – R. David Lankes, Director of the School of Library & Information Science, University of South Carolina “If you build it, he will come.” Any person of a certain age will recognize this quote from “Field of Dreams” (1989) starring Kevin Costner. His…
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Building on a Legacy
As we close in on the end of Black History month, which honors the remarkable achievements of African Americans, let’s pause to recognize the impact of just a few Black technology pioneers: Garrett Morgan, Marie Van Brittan Brown, James E. West, Frank S. Greene, Dr. Mark E. Dean, Dr. Shirley Jackson, Otis Boykin and Gladys…
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Inclusion Infusion: A Spotlight on Pottstown Regional Public Library
Recently, I visited the Pottstown Regional Public Library and was extremely impressed with their Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) efforts to support the needs of their community in the face of shifting demographics. During my visit, the Youth Services Department was buzzing with Spanish-speaking families seeking books for their children. Melissa Velez was interacting…
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The Importance of Basics
My favorite professional influencer to follow is Mychal Threets. He absolutely, unequivocally gets IT – the fact that the most important role of a library administrator is to build (and sustain) community within their service area and, dare I say it, beyond… … which is exactly why I have a seemingly irrational, yet deep-seated animosity…
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Considering Your Digital Presence
With the arrival of the holiday shopping season, I’ve found myself looking at a lot of websites lately. Like many people, I do most of my gift-buying online—and what I’ve noticed is that the retailers I’m most drawn to are the ones with the best websites: the ones that are easy to use, are eye-catching…
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The Power of Connection
Recently, HSLC staff members attended the annual conference of the Pennsylvania Library Association and as I reflect on our trip I keep coming back to one word – connection. Connection and, more importantly, quality connection, is an important aspect of any business and in particular the business of libraries. Networking isn’t just about collecting business…
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Policy vs. Procedure: Why It Matters
Confession time. I take umbrage with Ben Franklin’s assertion that, “Honesty is the best policy.” Not that I have a problem with honesty – I’m a big fan of it, in fact. Huge. My issue is with his use of the term “policy.” It would seem that ol’ Ben faced the same challenge that most…
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Welcome to HSLC!
These days I tend to view everything as Pre-pandemic and Post-pandemic, and I am sure I am not alone in doing so. While we have not totally recovered from COVID-19, its severity has lessened to a point that we can begin to consider the lessons we learned by experiencing it. This is especially important for…
