Carrie Smith

1 month ago | americanlibrariesmagazine.org | Cass Balzer |Carrie Smith

When the old Medford (Mass.) Public Library (MPL) opened in 1960, sustainability wasn’t even part of the conversation. By the 1990s, the facility already felt outdated and inefficient, with an old heating system, a flat roof that turned into a shallow pond with every storm, and few features that would help conserve energy. “The lights were either on or off,” MPL Director Barbara Kerr jokes.

Jul 1, 2024 | americanlibrariesmagazine.org | Carrie Smith

“My twin sister and I were the only Muslims in our school,” said author Sarah Mughal Rana. “My daughter was told that you can’t be Black and Muslim at the same time,” said author Khadijah VanBrakle. “I come from an Iraqi Shia background,” said author Huda Al-Marashi.

Jun 30, 2024 | americanlibrariesmagazine.org | Carrie Smith

What is the right amount of data to share with vendors? Who sets the defaults? And, at a time when most users have already opted into corporate platforms that aggregate and share data for profit, is the cat already out of the bag when it comes to protecting users’ library data?

Mar 1, 2024 | americanlibrariesmagazine.org | Carrie Smith

How do you archive a robot? This is the question that Kathleen Donahoe, robot archive processing archivist at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) Libraries in Pittsburgh, and a team of archivists, roboticists, and preservation experts seek to answer through the Robotics Project, which launched in 2019. “There are just so many layers to how a robotics project comes about, and each has its challenges,” says Donahoe. CMU’s archive is not just robots.

Nov 1, 2023 | americanlibrariesmagazine.org | Carrie Smith

All signs pointed to Philip Espe joining the Marines. The 34-year-old comes from a long line of military family members. But he also had a calling in music. Espe studied clarinet performance, earned a master’s of music in orchestral conducting, and directed community and youth orchestras. He used those skills when serving as a youth services associate at D.C. Public Library, gaining a reputation as the “Storytime Guy,” playing instruments and singing lively, multilingual songs.