Public Libraries Leading the Way
“Public Libraries Leading the Way” was a regular column (2019-2025) in which library technologists from public libraries highlight a technology-based innovation or approach to problem solving.
2019
- The Democratization of Artificial Intelligence: One Library’s Approach, by Thomas K Finley (Frisco Public Library)
- Online Ticketed-Passes: A Mid-Tech Leap in What Libraries Are For, by Jeffrey Davis (San Diego Public Library)
- On Educating Patrons On Privacy And Maximizing Library Resources , by Thomas Lamanna (Cherry Hill Public Library)
- VR Hackfest, by Chris Markman, M Ryan Hess, Dan Lou, and Anh Nguyen (Palo Alto City Library)
2020
- Google Us! Capital Area District Libraries Gets Noticed with Google Ads Grant, by Sheryl Cormicle Knox, Trenton M. Smiley (Capitol District [MI] Public Library)
- LibraryVPN: A New Tool for Protecting Patron Privacy, by Chuck McAndrew (Lebanon [NH] Public Libraries)
- Intro to Coding Using Python at the Worcester Public Library, by Melody Friedenthal (Worcester [MA] Public Library)
- Harnessing the Power of OrCam, by Mary Howard (St. Clair County [MI] Library System)
- A Collaborative Approach to Newspaper Preservation, by Ana Krahmer and Laura Douglas (Denton [TX] Public Library)
- Journey with Veterans: Virtual Reality Program using Google Expeditions, by Jessica Hall (Fresno County [CA] Public Library)
2021
- We Can Do It for Free! Using Freeware for Online Patron Engagement, by Karin Suni and Christopher A. Brown (Free Library of Philadelphia)
- Utilizing Technology to Support and Extend Access to Students and Job Seekers during the Pandemic, by Daniel Berra (Pflugerville [TX] Public Library)
- Service Barometers: Using Lending Kiosks to Locate Patrons, by Will Yarbrough (Chesapeake [MD] Public Library)
- Delivering: Automated Materials Handling for Staff and Patrons, by Carole Williams (Charleston County [SC] Public Library)
2022
- Gathering Strength to Combat Access Inequality: How a Small Rural Public Library Supported Virtual Access for Public School Students, Staff, and their Families, by Julie Lane (County of Prince Edward [Ontario, Canada] Public Library and Archives).
- The First 500 Mistakes You Will Make While Streaming on Twitch.tv, by Chris Markman, Kasper Kimura, and Molly Wallner (Palo Alto [California] Public Library)
2023
- Virtual Production at Cloud901 in the Memphis Central Library, by David P. Mason and Alan Ji (Memphis [Tennessee] Public Library)
- Community-Driven Programming: Offering Coding and Robotics Classes in Your Library / Mary Carrier (Mohawk Valley Library System in Schenectady, New York)
- Automating the Diversity Audit Process / Rachel Fischer (Cooperative Computer Services, Illinois)
- Reorienting Collection Analysis: Cost-Effective Item-Level Analysis and Machine Learning in Public Libraries / Ross Hanney (St. Joe County Public Library, Indiana)
2024
- How Libraries Can Foster a Vibrant Local Music Community, by Joshua Smith (New Orleans Public Library, Louisiana)
- Making Magic Happen: Building and Launching a Reader’s Advisory Kiosk, by Kara Reuter (Worthington Libraries, Ohio)
- Activating Our Intelligence: A Common-Sense Approach to Artificial Intelligence, by Dorothy Stoltz
- How Kilgore Memorial Library Fostered County-Wide Collaboration through One Shared Calendar, by Deb Robertson
2025
- Intergenerationally Accessible Makerspaces: How Carroll County Public Library's Exploration Commons Serves Our Local Senior Population, by Ian Trawinski, Lisa Picker, and Andrea Berstler (Carroll County Public Library, Maryland)
- Ready Year One: Lessons Learned During Our First Year in Virtual Reality, by Dalton Bennett (Paul Sawyier Public Library, Kentucky)
