As we edge into the uncharted territory of life after lockdown, these two webinars discuss what the future might hold for two different kinds of libraries.

Webcast: COVID-19 and the future of the academic library

Access library learning space

Research Information editor Tim Gillett hosts an international webcast on 18th June with Lisa Hinchliffe from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the USA, Kirsty Merrett from the University of Bristol, UK and Rossana Morriello from Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy.

Webinar: Phased Reopening of Libraries | Roskilde Municipality and Fayetteville Public Library

Bibliotheca library solutions

A live, collaborative discussion on the phased reopening of libraries in Roskilde in Denmark and Arkansas the USA on Friday 19th June 2020.

Library Freedom Project/ Medium

This article asserts that there is no place for police in libraries, and it provides a list of alternative strategies and suggestions for staff training.

MIT News

MIT could not reach an agreement with Elsevier for a new journals contract, because it did not fit within the MIT Framework to provide equitable and open access to scholarship.

Web Junction

Noah Lenstra takes a look at a successful initiative to engage patrons and families with self-led activities outside of the library.

Public Libraries Online

Patrick Lloyd argues that, as the burden on library staff increases as libraries open, the priority must be to support the mental health of staff, so that they can support patrons effectively.  

Zevy B/ Medium

The quest to provide the best UX for users of Brooklyn Public Library website. The four-stage process is described here along with helpful graphics of each stage.

Super Library Marketing: All kinds of marketing ideas for all kinds of libraries.

Too many socially disadvantaged people still do not have access to the internet. In the current climate, where services are changing daily, this article suggests practical solutions to reaching the people who need library services the most. 

Sabra Boyd/ Medium

The pandemic has highlighted inequality, and the move to digital has excluded those who don't have access to technology.  Sabra Boyd suggests that, as some of the last secular free public spaces, libraries should be given federal funding to provide smartphones and laptops to allow access for all. 

Yarra Plenty Regional Library

The Repair Cafe is a worldwide initiative to  help people repair and repurpose items instead of putting them into landfill. In this article, Yarra Plenty Libraries share their experiences of running repair cafes. 

Christopher Cox/ Inside Higher Ed

With great change ahead for academic libraries, Christopher Cox analyses trends to predict how services will change as the world returns to a 'new normal'.

Miskatonic University Press

A freedom of information request for York University Library to provide the amount spent on e-resources in 2017 and 2018 has finally been given after a lengthy battle - and it makes interesting reading. 

OverDrive

The return of the global ebook club with the audiobook version of Tim Mason's The Darwin Affair. Includes links to a marketing kit and discussion guide.

Public Libraries Singapore/ Medium

How to change your Zoom background to be your own book cover.

Journal of Information Literacy, volume 14 issue 1, 5th June 2020

A study of how games are used by academic libraries to teach students Media and Information Literacy skills, and to encourage them to use the library and its services. The study looks at how a race challenge was developed and compares results in two academic libraries in the Philippines and Kazakhstan. 

In the Library with the Lead Pipe, 10th June 2020

Nicola Andrews looks at the origins of imposter syndrome, asks why library staff are prone to self doubt. She suggests that it is not the problem of the individual, but more to do with a climate of inequality and instability in public libraries, and it is time to hold managers and institutions to account.