Technology

In this age of Covid, I have participated or otherwise engaged in a number of Zoom meetings and webinars. Many people who might not have attempted using the format have jumped in to learn it to the best of their ability, and I applaud those efforts. So many of us can participate in classes and meetings and workshops that we would not have otherwise been able to do so if they had only been offered in person.

However, I have come across a few instances when the host could have used a little more finessing to ensure a more polished…

I’m a member of a number of Facebook groups for writers, and one topic that came up recently in one of them was how to get your book in the public library. I’ve worked at a number of public libraries, all but the most recent in collection development (buying new materials for the library and weeding out the old). I’ve also up until recently been involved with putting together programming for adults in public libraries. …

One of my favorite shows of all time is Mad Men. It scratches every itch I tend to have with my entertainment and pop culture. One of the many aspects I love about it is how main character Don Draper is so entrenched in media. Being an advertising executive, he’s producing some of that media, but I loved that the show demonstrated how into it he got. Early on we see him read bestselling book Exodus by Leon Uris as the firm is hoping to sign the Israeli Tourism board. …

I’ve been a working librarian for eight years now. I have had a love-hate relationship with the profession in that time, but I’ve learned tricks, I’ve developed my skill set, and I’ve come to appreciate more aspects of the job that I might not have when I first started. And as someone who more or less stumbled into the profession after working for over three years as a bookseller, I am always willing to share some of the things I’ve learned with people who are exploring the option of getting into public librarianship.

When I was a brand-new librarian at…

I’ve been in the book business either as a librarian, bookseller, or voracious reader my whole life. I encounter people every day remarking on how much (or usually how little) they read these days, and in January there’s more talk about their reading goals for the upcoming months. So here, from a librarian, are some tips to achieve those reading goals this year.

1. Check out ebooks from your library.

It took me a little bit to adjust to the idea of electronic books when they first started becoming a thing about a decade ago. I definitely preferred holding an…