UCM, LIS 5322 : Introducing myself

For Fall 2025, I am enrolled in LIS 5322, Information Sources and Services, through the University of Central Missouri’s online graduate program in Library and Information Science. Here is a video introducing myself to classmates.
https://youtu.be/9zMwTV0Pi-Y

The First State of Being (eBook preview)

Each year, the American Library Association honors the most distinguished titles among children’s and Young Adult literature. This year’s winner of the John Newbery Medal is Erin Entrada Kelly, author of The First State of Being.

I Must Betray You (eBook preview)

Presenting … First-chapter Friday, the eBook edition. This month’s selection features I Must Betray You, by Ruta Sepetys. (My student-group book club, University of Central Missouri, is reading it this semester with discussion to take place in March.)

LIS 5804 : Haiku and reflection

For my first week of studies in LIS 5804, The Public Library, I was to write a haiku in response to a photograph in Robert Dawson’s The Public Library: A Photographic Essay.

UCM’s OverDrive collection

Screen capture: UCM’s OverDrive collection

I’m a dedicated user of the Libby app, which allows me to browse the OverDrive collections of local and regional libraries. Today, I added one more library to my Libby app: the University of Central Missouri and its James C. Kirkpatrick Library. Today’s post on the JCKL blog had information about UCM’s OverDrive collection: more than 1,400 e-books and 150 audio books currently available.

LIS 5250 : Variety of formats for library collection

Citing the American Library Association’s “Selection and Reconsideration Policy Toolkit for Public, School, and Academic Libraries,” Kerby (2019, p. 26) tells us that library collections must “Include a variety of resources in physical and virtual formats.” And among its shared foundations, the American Association of School Libraries (2018, p. 98) likewise emphasizes that “The school library provides a collection of resources and materials in all formats.”

LIS 5250 : Do I jump on ‘non-print bandwagon’?

As part of my studies for Week 5 of LIS 5250, I was posed the question of whether I would include digital resources at my library.

Read-alouds and audiobooks offer similar benefits

A while ago, I came across some observations I really like, from Jim Trelease with The Read-Aloud Handbook. Those observations came to my mind during a discussion of audiobooks for LIS 5250.

LIS 5250 : E-books in libraries

In my readings for Week 4 in LIS 5250, I focused on electronic books, or e-books, in libraries.

What formats will library include?

In my ideal library, books will continue to have a place in the library collection. But even there, “books” are not limited to the physical-codex format: eBooks, audio books, read-along story videos — all can all fall within the auspices of a library collection, as can DVDs, CDs, and research databases.

LIS 5100 : Digital collections in libraries

Among “Discussions” this week for LIS 5100, Foundations of Librarianship, I responded to a post concerning a fully-digital future for libraries.

‘Find books here!’ with bookmarked resources

SRCSA students, staff, and families: Explore this collection of bookmarked resources for finding and reading books (plus a collection of Google Slides for several of my read-alouds). To get started, navigate to the landing page for our school library catalog, via https://santarosacity.follettdestiny.com/

OverDrive: more than 274 million titles loaned in 2018

In 2018, libraries loaned-out more than 274 million digital resources through the OverDrive platform. That’s according to a post dated Jan. 9, 2019, via The Digital Reader. The post cites statistics from an end-of-year report released by Rakuten Overdrive. “The company now supports over 43,000 libraries and schools worldwide, including 65 public library systems that each loaned over 1 million digital books to readers in 2018.”

OverDrive, record year in digital lending

This past year set a record for library digital lending. OverDrive reported that among libraries around the world, more than a quarter-of-a-billion titles were circulated. Not only that, but “Libraries hit individual milestones as well.” In the United States, Canada, Singapore and New Zealand, 58 library systems surpassed 1 million eBook and audio-book checkouts in 2017.

e-Publishers discriminate against library users

American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression:
Slide image for Banned Books Week

In time for Banned Books Week, American Library Association president Maureen Sullivan spoke out on a systemic barrier: three of the world’s largest publishers — Simon & Schuster, Macmillan and Penguin — refuse to provide access to their e-books in U.S. libraries.