In our profession, we are experts at borrowing from each other, or as I put it in my 10 Rules of Basic RA Service:
8. Working together is your MOST valuable resource --both across whole staff and with other libraries
We use resources-- i.e. the work of others-- to answer questions, and no other resource is better for helping library patrons find their next good read than the work of other libraries. Why? Because no matter how big or small, no matter where they are, all of them are serving library patrons. And, the bigger libraries have more resources to help us help patrons. They have more money and more staff to create resources we can also use to help our readers.
No one is bigger in America than the NYPL. Thankfully, they are very willing to share as much as possible with their patrons, and the world, on their website. But in particular, I am a huge fan of their "Blog Channels" page.
There are over 4 dozen curated blogs available at all times on the
Blog Channels page. Some, like "
Readers Den" and "
Biblio File" are obvious but don't underestimate what you can use to help readers from any or all of these.
For that reason, I have included all of the blog channels for you to explore.
The page is worth a bookmark for when you have some down time for both an outside the box RA Service resource and to learn more about larger library issues and even musicals!
Don't worry that your library can never create so much content. Instead focus on Rule 8 and allow NYPL to help you "work together." They are happy to help and we can show our gratitude by using their content to help our readers, wherever they may live.
Explore targeted blog coverage of specific topics, programs and services across the Library.
Everything and anything to do with with film and film programs at the New York Public Library.
The history and culture of Africans and African descendants around the world.
This blog channel explores the library’s world-class and ever-growing archival holdings. We’ll examine these unique materials and the works produced by researchers consulting them. Open the box and delve into the archives with us!
The New York Public Library strives for total accessibility, no matter what our differences may be. Join us as we move down the path toward that goal.
Your one-stop shop for blog posts across the Library about books, reading and literature. Subscribe to RSS Feed.
Let the Library guide your search for employment with everything from resume help to databases to classes.
News and highlights from the world of children's literature
Resources and services for residents of the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island. Can't find what you need? Also try the Community Information Search in NYPL's Best of the Web.
There are so many new ways to access books and other digital reading matter on personal computers and portable devices. How to keep up? Library staff offer tips and tricks to get the most out of free ebooks online and our own eNYPL
Exploring adult literacy at the library. The voices and experiences of students and volunteer tutors.
Uncovering the edible NYPL in books, menus, and ephemera.
This channel highlights the opportunities and resources for teachers that are available throughout the library system. Learn more about our primary sources, professional development opportunities and student learning experiences.
Are you interested in sewing and knitting, book arts and letterpress printing, traditional crafts and the new DIY, sewists of yesterday and today, vintage-inspired design, and all things handmade? Then join in the conversation at Hand-Made. We'll share information on unique items from the Library's collections as well as details on Library events that cater to the curious crafter in us all.
We talk to patrons, authors, artists and so many other interesting people. Come hear what they have to say about libraries and reading.
Connecting you with the LGBTQ collections, programs, and expertise that The New York Public Library has to offer.
Library Stories is a video series of moving personal interviews that show what The New York Public Library means to our users, staff, donors, and communities.
Feed your brain every Sunday with the best live conversations from The New York Public Library. An eclectic mix of voices and perspectives, Library Talks features your favorite writers and the ones you’ll love next. Hosted by NYPL live event programmer, Aidan Flax-Clark.
Part of NYPL's Mission is to inspire lifelong learning. No matter your age, where you are in life or what new thing you are trying to learn, you can follow this channel to get suggested resources as well as support and inspiration.
The before and afterlife of LIVE events. Learn about speakers, get background readings, interviews, clips and more. The conversation about the conversation.
In this series, we focus on projects undertaken using research collections. We hope that other researchers will build on these projects in new ways.
Each month, a libretto of an important early American musical in a variety of electronic formats, plus associated photographs, vocal scores, and the occasional audio file.
Don't despair if you are a Boomer, or a Silent, or a Greatest — the public library is with you every step of the way! This channel covers services, programs and other items of interest for the active older adult.
Five boroughs, 300 square miles, 6,375 miles of streets, 8.3 million people... hundreds of neighborhoods. This channel covers the history, culture, people, hustle and bustle and goings-on of New York City.
With 92 locations across New York City, a lot is happening at The New York Public Library: author talks, free classes, performances, and more.
NYPL Labs is an experimental design and technology team working expand the range of interaction, interpretation, and reuse of library collections and data. Learn more.
See which books we can't stop buzzing about! Check out monthly updates about the newest and most exciting titles our librarians are reading right now.
The New York Public Library subscribes to hundreds of online databases and other information tools. This blog channel offers tips and tricks on getting the most out of online resources.
A reading series providing a major venue for emerging writers to present their work while emphasizing the diversity of America’s literary magazines and the magazine collections of The New York Public Library.
Each April, librarians throughout NYPL post readings, discussions and events celebrating National Poetry Month, a time when publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and poets around the country band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture.
Libraries are thought of as quiet places, but that doesn't mean the NYPL doesn't know how to rock out. This channel will highlight popular music found in the library's collections.
News about the Library's preservation efforts and information for those interested in preserving their own collections.
The Reader’s Den is an online book discussion group offering library readers with busy lifestyles a convenient way to connect with books and The New York Public Library. This virtual discussion is accessible 24/7.
Updates about research at The New York Public Library for scholars, academics, and researchers.
Short-Term Research Fellowships support scholars from outside the New York metropolitan area engaged in graduate-level, post-doctoral, or independent research with a demonstrated need to conduct research in the Library’s archival and special collections.
Exploring the digital space of the Special Collections Division, our work with digitized and born-digital material, and the systems that make this work possible.
The best in teen books and media.
The Librarian Is In is the New York Public Library's podcast about books, culture, and what to read next.
Travel the world without leaving your chair with these book, film and music recommendations.
In honor of Women's History Month, each March, NYPL librarians present a monthlong series of posts highlighting the many amazing women they've discovered through the print and online resources of The New York Public Library.
Information about library collections and services in Spanish, French, Chinese and Russian.
Based on the past exhibition Candide at 250: Scandal and Success, this blog traces the vectors Voltaire's book has taken through the popular and scholarly imagination.
From vintage valentines and textile patterns to fabric samples and turn-of-the-century menus from around the world, The New York Public Library holds a wealth of unexpected sources of inspiration for artists and designers.
This channel provides coverage of and context for The Duke Jazz Series and Talks that took place at the Library for the Performing Arts.
Revues and other topical popular entertainment of the early 20th century.
Librarians, curators, programmers, educators, and users share their thoughts on faith, and discuss the past exhibition Three Faiths.
This channel is inspired by the exhibition at the Library for the Performing Arts, Poet of Light: Florence Vandamm & the Vandamm Studio, which was on view from September 2013 through February 2014. The exhibition samples the photographs, key sheets and negatives are becoming available in Digital Collections.
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