Libraries like books! It’s kind of our main brand identity!

So, if your library had the chance to share books freely with your community members, it might be a good idea to jump on that!

The Evanston Public Library is partnering with Baker and Taylor to share books around their community. They have set up four hot-spots, that provide access only to the B&T website. Books can be freely downloaded there – no library card necessary.

Check out this article excerpt from Tech Soup for Libraries for all the information. (Click here to get the entire article!)

What the Heck Is a Digital Pop-up Library?

by Amy Hooper

“In Evanston, Illinois, four new libraries have appeared. Except that they look nothing like libraries and everything like, well, posters with instructions to access a Wi-Fi hotspot. Because that’s exactly what they are.

“How can a Wi-Fi hotspot anchor a library?” I hear you ask. My thoughts exactly. So I did a little digging and found … not a lot. It seems that these strange but rather clever libraries are still a relatively unknown phenomenon in both the tech and library worlds.

How a Digital Pop-up Library Works

What I did find out is this: Evanston, Illinois, Public Library is one of a dozen or so libraries across the country to offer the public access to digital pop-up libraries. Baker and Taylor, a Follett company, is making this possible through their early adopter program. The pop-up libraries are mobile hotspots that only allow users to access one website: the associated library’s e-book collection. Once users have connected to the hotspot and accessed the website through a URL indicated on a poster, they can download an e-book straight from their browser. While they are reading, users will see a pop-up window where they can enter their contact information if they would like to be contacted about getting a library card. At Evanston Library, digital materials are made available for a week with no fines or fees involved.

Their Purpose

The purpose of a digital pop-up library is to attract new patrons. “We were intrigued to reach people who aren’t using the library for whatever reason,” says Timothy Longo, access services manager at Evanston Public Library. This is reflected by a promotional video on the Baker and Taylor website, which states the aim of the pop-up libraries is to “extend the presence and brand of your library throughout the community.”

Digital pop-up libraries seem to be especially geared to cellphone and tablet users — because like it or not, the world is going mobile. Research shows that 77 percent of Americans now own a smartphone, over double the 35 percent that owned one in 2011. This growth is reflected in almost all age groups and demographics in the U.S. And on top of that, an increasing number of Americans, particularly the younger generation, are getting their news on mobile devices.”

(Yes, that number is exact. It’s been fact checked, and I feel pretty confident in it.)

I have not been at all (AT. ALL.) subtle about how much I love libraries and our entire profession! And I have found yet another example of what an excellent place this is.

Check out this outstanding story of four library staffers in Wyoming, who upheld the dignity of our profession by engaging in the team sport of pig wrestling!

Librarians vs. pigs: Pig wrestling draws a full crowd

“By Mark Davis

What’s more fun than watching four librarians run after a greased pig on a nice July evening?

When Powell Branch Library Public Services Manager Maggie Sullivan posed the question to her co-workers, they couldn’t come up with excuses fast enough. But they were quickly roped into entering the 2019 Park County Fair pig wrestling competition. Sullivan targeted fellow librarians Brianne Schaefer, Rosie Gillette and Kathy Andersen as teammates.

“I received a text that I was part of the team,” Andersen said.

Unwilling to sensibly walk away from the challenge, the four scholarly ladies decided on an appropriate team name: Loco Librarians. Then they made some shirts and, true to their profession, began to research the prospects of making a single basket in a game of pig basketball in the middle of thousands of gallons of bentonite muck.

“We’re taking this pretty seriously,” Sullivan said. “Mostly we just watched videos on YouTube.”

Not wanting to give away their secrets to possible spies prior to the epic match, teammates were tight-lipped about their plans while they waited their turn in the arena of mud in the main grandstands. They were slotted to be the grand finale of the night’s battles. But as the juniors warmed up the crowd, Andersen admitted they were a wee weak on strategy. “Mostly those two [Schaefer and Gillette] are going to do stuff and the two of us are going to yell and then fall down,” she said.

Sullivan lost a shoe early in the 60-second round. Refusing to quit and determined to get a hold of the slippery swine, she quickly brushed off her wardrobe malfunction and rushed the pig. But it was just too fast. Schaefer probably had the best chance to slow their nemesis. Sullivan called Schaefer the team’s most valuable player. “Brianne was a 4-H kid growing up and had more experience,” she said.

But the pig led to the left, then juked right and Schaefer lost her footing, falling against the fence.

As the buzzer sounded, the Loco Librarians were unable to score in their allotted minute. But they weren’t the only team flailing Tuesday night. Out of the 38 teams that entered, only six were successful — and not one team in the largest, intermediate class was able to score. The slippery pigs had the speed and squeal advantage, as well as vastly greater experience in the mud.”

Click here to get the rest of this story!

What cool stuff is going on in your library????