Evolving Uses for Library Space

Library as Place: Evolving uses for physical locations in light of the increasing availability of electronic resources 

Dates: January 14-15, 2013. 
Sponsored by: ALA ALCTS 

Please join us for an e-forum discussion. It’s free and open to everyone! 

Each day, sessions begin and end at: Eastern: 10am – 6pm 

Description: Formerly conceived as repositories of print collections, libraries of all sorts are now providing electronic access to a wide range of digital resources. The publishing industry is changing rapidly, making fewer print options available to store in library buildings. How will your organization or institution continue to provide value for customers using the library building? 

What changes are you making to physical spaces that make accessing resources easier for differently abled users? How are you determining when to reduce shelving for print collections? What alternative uses do you foresee for those former shelving spaces? 

Please join us for an exciting and informative e-forum on January 14 and 15, 2013, to discuss how libraries of all types are adjusting their physical locations in response to the changing information environment. This e-forum will provide participants an opportunity to talk about what their libraries are doing to adjust to thinking of the library as place with unlimited potential. Librarians and technical services staff from all types of libraries are invited to participate. 
  
Register

Floating Collections: An e-forum

If you Love Them, Let Them Float!: An E-Forum Discussion on Floating Collections
November 16-17, 2010

Please join us for an e-forum discussion. It’s free and open to everyone!

With many libraries facing budget cuts and looking for more efficient ways to manage services, the option of floating collections has entered the spotlight again.  Once considered a radical approach to collection management, floating a few or perhaps all of a library’s collections is becoming more mainstream than revolutionary.  What are the benefits of this model and how does it impact patrons, library collection development, and library staff?  If you are just curious, considering moving toward this model, or about to flip the switch and set your collection free, you’re bound to find useful information for your floating toolkit in this discussion. 

What is an e-forum?

An ALCTS e-forum provides an opportunity for librarians to discuss matters of interest, led by a moderator, through the e-forum discussion list. The e-forum discussion list works like an email listserv: register your email address with the list, and then you will receive messages and communicate with other participants through an email discussion. Most e-forums last two to three days. Registration is necessary to participate, but it's free. See a list of upcoming e-forums at: http://bit.ly/upcomingeforum.

To register:

Instructions for registration are available at: http://bit.ly/eforuminfo. Once you have registered for one e-forum, you do not need to register again, unless you choose to leave the email list. Participation is free and open to anyone.

Deborah George is the Division Director of Materials Management at Gwinnett County Public Library in Lawrenceville, Ga., where she supervises Materials selection and cataloging, as well as Technical Services and Interlibrary Loan.  Deborah received her MLS from Florida State University.  Her previous positions include working as a children’s and reference librarian, as well as serving as a manager of both a physical branch and the library website. 

Barbara Spruill is the Branch Services Division Director for Gwinnett County Public Library, which has been floating all collections (except Reference materials and magazines) since 2004.  Barbara received her MLS from Florida State University and has worked with library collections throughout her career.  She recently moderated a panel presentation and virtual program -  “Adrift or Right on Target:  Perspectives on Floating Collections” at the national PLA conference  in Portland, Oregon.