Carolyn Davidson Brewer explains how to diversify your collection and reach more segments of your community by including non-reviewed materials.  She has some tips on how to identify materials worth purchasing when a review is not easily available.

As technology has advanced, security has become more difficult to control.  Jesse Ephraim, Director of the Roanoke Public Library, discusses things librarians can do to help ensure their patrons' security, anonymity, and privacy.

The Summerglen Branch of the Fort Worth Public Library has strong book clubs for both fiction and nonfiction readers.  L. G. Swift and Laura de la Taz share some of their techniques for keeping their book clubs fresh and active.

Carolyn Davidson Brewer shares some tips about the TexShare Databases, including the difference between the Internet resources you find with a regular search engine and the peer-reviewed, editorial-controlled material in the databases.  Carolyn gives advice about which databases to start with and how to learn the search interface for each one.

There are things a library can do to become more environmentally responsible, without having to move to a new building.  Carolyn Davidson Brewer, Assistant Director at NTLP shares ideas for libraries seeking green alternatives.  For more information, see www.greenlibraries.org.

NTLP board members Barbara Chayer, Pat Jefferson and Ken Haas share ideas about how libraries can interact with today's active senior citizens.

Lesley Daly, Director of the Wichita Falls Public Library, describes the library's Book Club To Go collection, which provides materials for a book discussion club packaged as a kit that patrons can check out.  Each canvas bag contains multiple copies of one title, plus other materials for the discussion group.

Yoko Matsumoto is Literacy Coordinator for Arlington Reads,  a literacy program of the Arlington Public Library. In this interview she shares the history of how the program developed and some advice for communities planning to start their own literacy programs.

Carolyn Davidson Brewer from NTRLS has some helpful suggestions for libraries wanting to update their reference collection and offer the best service to their patrons.

Nell Callison from NTLP talks to Richard-Michael Manuel, Assistive Technology Navigator for Easter Seals North Texas to get an introduction to different kinds of assistive technology.  He discusses finding funding assistance to make the technology affordable and the "People First" language that is preferred when working with individuals with special needs.

The Decatur Public Library has a most successful Teen Advisory Board.  Director Cecilia Hurt Barham, along with two members of the Decatur TAB, talk about how they created it and what it has accomplished.

Patrick Heath talks to Nell Callison from NTRLS about how to help government entities and the public become aware of the value of the library, in ways that go beyond quantitative data.  Patrick Heath, the 2009-2010 President of TLA and Mayor of Boerne 1987 – 2007, will be keynote speaker at the Library Supporters Conference in Fort Worth on January 31, 2009.

Now that federal and state government agencies have moved many of their services online, people often use public libraries for Internet access in order to get information or fill out forms.  Consequently, libraries need enough public access computers and trained personnel to meet the demand.  Suzanne Sears, head of the Government Documents Department for UNT's Willis Library, discusses the issues public libraries can face when trying to serve this growing need. 

Pat Wagner from Pattern Research, Inc. is an educator, trainer, and consultant for libraries of all kinds.  She recently gave a workshop for NTRLS on how to design library services and programs to appeal to the Boomer generation.  Here she talks with Nell Callison about the different kinds of Boomers, how to design services targeting their needs, and how to market your programs in order to reach this audience.

     In 2004 Eva Martin, now a librarian at Fort Worth Public Library, co-authored an article examining crimes committed in and around libraries in Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico.  In this interview she recounts cases where a library provided not just the location of the crime, but also the alibi, the source of information for planning the crime, or a community focal point  for services that were used in the crime. 
 
     She recommends that librarians be aware of patron behavior and document anything strange.  She also refers to the advice of Carolyn Davidson Brewer on how to handle potentially violent situations at the library (see the article at the NTRLS website). 

    For more on this topic, see the 2004 article by Eva Martin and  Susan K. Burke. "Libraries in Communities: Expected and Unexpected Portrayals in State Case Law." Libraries & Culture 39, no. 4: 405-428.   (In Texas, you can retrieve the text of the article through the TEXShare databases.) 

Just as our libraries have to respond to changes in technology, they also have to adapt to cultural changes as the demographics of our communities shift.  In this interview Val Armstrong, manager of the Bachman Lake and Grauwyler Park branches of the Dallas Public Library, discusses ways to identify and respond to the needs of patrons in a culturally diverse community.  

Greg Anderson, President of Strategic Government Resources, Inc. was the keynote speaker at the recent Children and Youth Conference for Librarians (CYC2008.com).  In this interview he gives a brief description of the four generations that are represented in the workforce today and addresses the question of how to minimize conflict when people from different generations interact using differing value systems.

Linda Tyler Rollins offers valuable advice on how to represent your library while networking with community movers and shakers at social events. Specific topics include: where to place your name tag, being able to talk and shake hands while managing food and drink; and how to make social small talk that focuses on your library.  This interview was done in conjunction with Ms. Rollins' recent Leadership Etiquette workshop for NTRLS.

In this interview Leanna Cowan, director of the Alvarado Public Library and member of the board of directors for the Library Foundation of North Texas (LFNT), discusses the contributions of volunteers, both in library foundations and friends groups, and in libraries themselves.  Leanna also talks about upcoming events for LFNT.  Look for the LFNT table at the CYC2008 conference this August.

Maria Redburn, Library Manager of the Bedford Public Library, shares her experience using surveys, both online and printed, to gather input from library patrons.

Adam Wright interviews Carolyn Davidson and dona weisman of the North Texas Regional Library System about staff development. 

Library Consultant Dr. Mary Bushing sees customer service as a key responsibility for every library staff member.  Dr. Bushing is interviewed here by Nell Callison from NTRLS.  See NTRLS.org for information about Dr. Bushing's upcoming workshops, Customer Service for Circulation Staff, May 15 and 16 at NTRLS libraries.

Adam Wright interviews Katherine Boyer, Director of the Roanoke Public Library.  Katherine tells how she became a librarian and what has changed in the years since she entered the profession.  She has advice for students or librarians hoping to become library directors:  always be ready to learn from your colleagues!

The Ann Arbor District Library has had great success staging videogame tournaments, which can appeal simultaneously to children, teens, families and seniors.  Eli Neiburger has tips for producing these events, including soliciting advice from local experts and borrowing equipment to reduce overhead costs.

The Ann Arbor library uses a website to help organize and manage their tournaments.  You can see it at http://www.aadl.org/aadlgt .  The framework and web tools will be made available at http://gtsystem.org.

Eli Neiburger is the author of Gamers ... in the Library?!: The Why, What, and How of Videogame Tournaments for All Ages.  In March he will be presenting workshops at two NTRLS libraries.  See the Continuing Education page at www.NTRLS.org for details.

Jesse Ephraim from the Southlake Public Library discusses strategies a librarian can use for deciding to adopt new technology, learning new technology, and keeping current with new developments.

In this Librarian Live episode, Adam Wright of the North Texas Regional Library System interviews Kerry McGeath about his revolutionary practices at his library in Southlake Texas.

 

Alexis Sarkisian, a library consultant and adjunct instructor at Dominican University, specializes in Communication for Leadership and Marketing.  With Nell Callison from NTRLS, she discusses the nature of leadership, how to become a leader, and how to use communication as a leadership tool.