World Book Night is April 23rd

Posted on April 16, 2012 by fomlblog

World Book Night is a celebration of reading and books which will see tens of thousands of people share books with others in their communities across America to spread the joy and love of reading on April 23. Visit the website here and the Facebook page here.

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Pop-up Bookstores

Posted on January 26, 2012 by fomlblog

No doubt many of us have witnessed the closing of small, independent bookstores in our communities – and even the biggest closing in Michigan, Borders! Maybe it’s time for a pop-up bookstore? Read the full article.

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It pays to have friends!

Posted on January 3, 2012 by fomlblog

The Friends of the Rochester Hills Public Library recently gave the library $105,000 in funds raised throughout 2011. See the full story here.

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Congratulations to Martha Ferriby!

Posted on December 13, 2011 by fomlblog

Martha Ferriby, director of Hackley Public Library in Muskegon, MI, recently won a prestigious “I Love My Librarian” Award and was honored in New York on Dec. 8. The Award is sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation, the New York Times, and the American Library Association. Ten librarians were chosen as winners and each received $5000 and a $500 stipend to travel to the ceremony, which featured Caroline Kennedy as speaker. Over 1700 librarians were nominated this year, the fourth year of the contest. Ferriby was the only winner from Michigan this year. She was nominated by members of the Friends of Hackley Library Board. To obtain more information on the contest and to read the nomination essay submitted by Friends, please go to www.atyourlibrary.org/ilovemylibrarian.

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Cutting libraries

Posted on November 28, 2011 by fomlblog

These are tough economic times for all of us, and libraries are forced to deal with deep cuts while trying to maintain top-notch services. Here’s how one California mayor described the impact of budget cuts (as quoted in the New York Times, November 28th):

QUOTATION OF THE DAY

“I don’t relish the decision, but I don’t think people are going to argue that we should keep a float when we are cutting libraries.”
MAYOR BOB FOSTER, of Long Beach, Calif., on his city’s dropping out of the Tournament of Roses parade.

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Stephen Henderson: Help get young minds into books

Posted on October 31, 2011 by fomlblog

The statistics about illiteracy are difficult to accept, much less understand. How do we get everyone to connect to reading and the gift of books? Stephen Henderson from the Detroit Free Press has a few ideas.

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The Library With No Books In It

Posted on October 10, 2011 by fomlblog

What? A library without any books in it? How might that be received? And is it really a library? (Not the usual definition of “library.”) See article.

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Recall and Engagement with Online and Print Newspapers

Posted on October 4, 2011 by fomlblog

A recent study by three doctoral students found that print news readers remember “significantly more” than those who read news stories online. This study raises the whole issue about readers’ experience while reading with electronic devices. Even Nancy Pearl, the library guru of reading, has remarked, “I read on both an iPad and a Kindle, and I don’t mind it at all. It still doesn’t feel quite like real reading to me, though, and I am still trying to figure out what it does feel like.” (in Publishers Weekly, September 12, 2011)

For obtaining “quick bits of information,” I prefer the access to online resources, but for reading, I prefer the book. However, like Nancy Pearl, I am ready to explore the online experience, to feel the difference. What has been your experience with online versus print media?

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Are public libraries doomed?

Posted on September 30, 2011 by fomlblog

Are public libraries going to disappear? For an institution that has been around for over a hundred or more years, it doesn’t seem possible. But in the age of electronic media, the Annoyed Librarian believes the possibility of the services of today’s public library continuing on in the future seems unlikely – and doomed! What do you think? I think the Annoyed Librarian may be overreacting; after all, a public library is not “just about books and other materials”; it’s a social and community connection. Read more from the Annoyed Librarian and see what you think.

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Fall Workshops

Posted on August 11, 2011 by fomlblog

The FOML Board is dedicated to the education and training of Michigan Friends. Here’s our dedication at work:

The Friends of Michigan Libraries (FOML) will be presenting two workshops in the Fall 2011.

The first, “Winning Support for Your Library,” will be on Friday, October 14, at the Southfield Public Library. Workshop and registration information can be found here.

The second, a FOML Trustee Alliance Workshop, will be on Tuesday, October 25, at the Kalamazoo Public Library, the day before the beginning of the MLA Annual Conference. Workshop and registration information can be found here.

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