We all love our summer reading lists, full of fun beach reading and those other books we didn’t have time to read during the school year. But in addition to the extra reading, I thought it might be fun to think up a summer doing list with some library-related activities when we have a little … Continue reading
Author Archives: Paul Lai
Staying Current on Library World News
In part, what it means to be a library professional is staying current with developments in the field of librarianship at large and not just focusing on your specific job duties at your institution. While you are in library school, this task is often easier because your classes encourage you to read and research into … Continue reading
[Hack ALA] What to Bring to ALA and What to Do
Are you ready for ALA Annual? Check out last year’s post on preparing for the conference, “Hack ALA: Professional Preparations.” For some extra advice, I asked some of my friends who have gone to ALA what attendees should bring and what they should do while at the conference. Here are their suggestions: What to Bring … Continue reading
Mapping Hack Library School
Dear Hack Library School Readers, We would like to visualize where HLS readers are in the world. To that end, we’ve created an open Google Map for collaborative pinning. Please add yourself to the map so that we can see where people live! You will need to be logged in to a Google account in … Continue reading
Praxis and the Perennial Conflict between Theory and Practice in Library Education
prax·is \ˈprak-səs\ n. 1. the actual work of a profession (as opposed to the practice of it in training situations) 2. in social work, the concept of reflexive, integrated theory and practice 3. in education, the processes of reflective experiential learning or, following Paulo Freire’s work, the combination of reflection and action in the world that leads to transformations of oppressive … Continue reading
Collaboration and the Library World
I recently went to my first conference for librarians, the Minnesota Library Association’s annual ARLD Day, and I greatly enjoyed hearing from librarians and interacting with some of my library school peers in that environment. In the keynote presentation, Jenica Rogers provided a wonderful reminder that librarians should stop accepting what people offer as the … Continue reading
