Category: Data

  • ILA poster session

    ILA poster session

    The three images below are the graphics created for the ILA 2022 Conference poster session presentation. You can read the full article on the Three Pillars published on this site.

  • Illinois Library Resource Sharing: the Three Pillars

    Illinois Library Resource Sharing: the Three Pillars

    Abstract Illinois libraries benefit from the core infrastructure of statewide delivery, a statewide catalog, and library cooperation in the form of consortia. Introduction Library resource sharing is an incredibly robust network that is monument to what can be achieved through cooperation of local government leadership, state library leadership, and the meticulous work of library staff.…

  • The Radical Purpose of Illinois Library Consortia

    The Radical Purpose of Illinois Library Consortia

    AbstractThe purpose of library resource sharing consortia is not understood. The proper definition is that Illinois library consortia are organized apparatus for addressing the wide range of inequity and historic racism within Illinois, while saving taxpayers millions of dollars annually. Resource sharing is the core purpose The definition of what are Illinois library consortium within…

  • OCLC Holdings Manager: a primer

    OCLC Holdings Manager: a primer

    How the library open-source project OCLC Holdings Manager came about and what it means for libraries.

  • Libraries & Leaky Data, Part 3

    Part 1 of this series provided an overview of how library user data ends up in a variety of places within your library other than just the ILS. Part 2 of the series explained how your library services communicate over the network or across the internet in a variety of insecure ways. This is Part…

  • Libraries & Leaky Data, Part 2

    In my first post of the series “Libraries & Leaky Data,” I provided an overview of how libraries are accumulating patron information in a variety of “hidden” areas of the library. I noted that if a library were to be subject to a ransomware attack, it is possible that patron information could be stolen from…

  • Libraries & Leaky Data, Part 1

    The ILA Best Practices Committee has recently been tasked with studying the issues of patron privacy around the use of printed hold wrappers in public areas. It is good to see a focus on the most obvious aspects of protecting patron’s privacy since having a patron’s full name stuck on a book in a public…

  • The Great Recession Impact on Illinois Public Libraries

    US public library usage during the 12 year window of the Great Recession show a dramatic increase between the 2009-2011 years. The Illinois public library usage in the areas of visits, circulation, and program attendance also show evidence of the Great Recession. This impact is primarily seen in the 2009-2011 years. The totals for the…

  • The Great Recession Impact on US Public Libraries

    With talk of a potential new economic recession, it seems appropriate to assess how the last recession—the Great Recession—impacted public libraries in the US. The Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) makes its public library survey data available online, and if we examine this data on a state by state basis, or as a…