Providing service at the point of need is a growing emphasis for service providers on the network. Why is there not a searchbox for the library catalog available on every library homepage? It would be nice to have it elsewhere also, but surely it should be at least be very visible on the library’s own website.

Libraries and library studies
I wrote this piece on libraries and possible educational responses as part of a longer contribution on the informational disciplines and the iSchool. A principal goal was to suggest that libraries present interesting and challenging research and educational questions, which cross disciplines.
Lorcan Dempsey
14 min read

Information: a brief schematic history
In a piece on the informational disciplines and the iSchool, I sketched this very schematic and informal overview of information, broadly construed. My focus is pragmatic, related to library interests. I consider several current issues, including the 'apotheosis of the document' in an AI context.
Lorcan Dempsey
20 min read

So-called soft skills are hard
So-called soft skills are important across a range of library activities. Existing trends will further amplify this importance. Describing these skills as soft may be misleading, or even damaging. They should be recognized as learnable and teachable, and should be explicitly supported and rewarded.
Lorcan Dempsey
12 min read