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Archive for the ‘Library partnerships’ Category

Offering digital content by community creators

Posted in Content creation by libraries, Library innovation, Library partnerships, Public libraries, tagged , on December 29, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Libraries of many kinds have for years been collecting, preserving and in turn offering, in digital form, content provided by people and organizations with whom they have a connection.  This post features two libraries that are connecting with local musicians to record their work which can then be streamed from the libraries’ websites.  Both the Santa Cruz Public Library and the Iowa City Public Library  have launched online streaming that enables their card holders to access the work of local musicians, free of charge.

Santa Cruz’s collection is called SoundSwell, which as a name is a great combination of concepts!  Iowa City’s Local Music Project may not have the same catchy name as Santa Cruz, but the initiative is equally “sound”.  (OK, enough with the puns!)

Projects such as these are excellent examples of how libraries have a valuable role to play in community development in the digital age.  By collecting, curating and offering access to locally relevant content (all very traditional activities for libraries), using accessible digital tools, these and other libraries are supporting artistic, cultural and economic activity right where they live.  Congratulations!

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Seattle Public Library and the election in Washington State

Posted in Content creation by libraries, Library partnerships, Public libraries on October 28, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Photo credit: bridgeandtunnelclub.com

The Seattle Public Library is running an online voters guide and checking facts on a range of issues in the Washington State and Federal elections.  Hurray for them.  Their site is called the Living Voters Guide.  It covers some hot-button issues including same gender marriage, legalization of marijuana and charter schools.

A recent blog on the Seattle Times website had a headline calling this a risky experiment, but valuable  and describes how it works and some of the issues that have arisen for the librarians supporting this resource.  I disagree with the headline and the characterization of this as being risky.  This is exactly what our profession should be doing, particularly because we can assess, evaluate and curate information sources so well.

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BTW, as you can see I have taken an extended break from blogging here.  I’m now focusing on getting back into it on a more regular basis.

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Surrey opens iconic new City Centre Library

Posted in Library as place, Library partnerships, tagged on September 26, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Surrey's City Centre Library

The new City Centre Library in Surrey officially opened on Saturday, attracting hundreds of people to the ceremonies and the day’s entertainment.  The iconic 77,000 sq. ft. building is a key element of the city’s new city centre.  Under construction right next door is a new city hall and a performing arts centre.  Just a block away is a busy transit hub and Simon Fraser University’s Surrey campus. The strategic location of the new library will enable all kinds of important partnerships that support learning and innovation in a city that is an emerging powerhouse on the Canadian and global stage.

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Surrey Libraries to open City Centre flagship

Posted in Library as place, Library design, Library partnerships on July 31, 2011| Leave a Comment »

The growing City of Surrey, east of Vancouver, Canada is charting a bold new future by investing in new capital projects, the development of a clean energy hub, establishing new business incubators, strengthening partnerships with local post-secondary institutions and the board of trade, and eliminating outdated city regulations and processes.

The centerpiece for Surrey’s new city centre will be a new 77,000 square foot library, next to a new city hall, and just a block away from Simon Fraser University’s local campus and a large hub for public transportation.  The City Centre Library was designed by the award-winning architect, Bing Thom.  An official grand opening ceremony set for September 24th.

This development will be a great example of how the presence of libraries have a positive impact on downtowns, commercial areas and neighborhoods.  Such impact is an important factor described in “Making Cities Stronger: public library contributions to local economic development” a report published by the Urban Libraries Council in 2007.

Even prior to the opening there strong evidence of the benefits of the partnerships emerging from Surrey’s economic investment plan and its new city centre.  For example, SFU’s Continuing Studies program has agreed to offer a wide range of courses at the City Centre Library.

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