Baker & Taylor and Kirkus Reviews proudly continues to support diversity and inclusion in libraries. Our partnership with Kirkus has made a great impact as we further promote our leadership campaign, Powering Libraries. Empowering Communities. Kirkus recently interviewed Kelvin Watson, director at Broward County Library, (Broward County, Florida) who is making great strides in launching creative initiatives to better connect with his patrons and the community.

With the help of Baker & Taylor’s Community Sharing Program and new Pop Up Library, Broward County is bringing awareness of the library and extending their reach in the community. Their strong partnership with B&T has given the library the opportunity to better engage and evolve while adapting to the changing  needs of the communities they serve.

Preview of article by Meghan Labrise, originally published on KirkusReviews.com :

After Kelvin Watson’s family finished watching the 1984 miniseries Master of the Game, the St. Louis, Missouri, native marched right to the nearest library, checked out the Sydney Sheldon novel it was based on, and read that 400-page book cover to cover. He was 8 years old.

“I felt very accomplished. That thing was bigger than me!” says Watson, who vividly remembers the experience 42 years later. “Reading that book made me recognize that what you check out from the library can transport you to the places you read about—I was transported to the diamond mines of Africa—and it didn’t deter me from checking out other books after that.”

Watson remained a voracious reader through middle school, college, and officer training. He served as a commissioned officer in the Army and worked in leadership roles in sales and marketing, for Ingram Book Group and Borders Group, Inc., before pivoting to a decorated career in public library service. Eighteen months ago, he transitioned from director of e-content services and strategy at Queens Library in New York City to the highest administrative position at the 11th-largest public library in the nation: director of Broward County Libraries in southern Florida.

“The theme we’ve embraced over the past year and a half is ‘inviting the uninvited,’ ” says Watson, who is one of two recently named directors at large of the Public Library Association. “The greatest value we can give the community is continuing to launch initiatives for everybody, even those who can’t, for whatever reason, make it to our physical locations.

Read full article on Kirkus Reviews’ website here.

Baker & Taylor and Kirkus Reviews proudly continues to support diversity and inclusion in libraries. Our partnership with Kirkus has made a great impact as we further promote our leadership campaign, Powering Libraries. Empowering Communities. Kirkus recently interviewed Andrew Chanse, executive director at Spokane Public Library who has proven to be a national leader in creative community outreach.

With the help of Baker & Taylor’s Customized Library Services, Spokane Public Library has been able to make great strides in better equipping the library with more efficient and streamlined processes. Last year, Baker & Taylor’s Customized Library Services ensured the materials Spokane Public Library wanted for their collection arrived stickered, stamped, and shelf-ready. The items were selected using Baker & Taylor’s carts as purchasing guides, which greatly reduced curation efforts. They also recently subscribed to Collection HQ, a suite of powerful collection management tools designed to save systems even more time.

Preview of article by Meghan Labrise, originally published on KirkusReviews.com :

Based on profession and predilection, you’d never guess Andrew Chanse’s love of reading bloomed later in life. The executive director of Spokane Public Library was all comic books until college, when a triumvirate of gateway authors—Vonnegut, Burroughs, and Robbins—led to an abiding affection for 1970s and ’80s lyric narrative poetry.

“I love James Wright,” Chanse says of the Pulitzer Prize–winning poet, widely recognized for his experimental language and style. “In fact, I have a lithograph in my office, a letterpress of two of his poems. His sense of a line was amazing.”

When it comes to experimentation, Chanse’s sensibility clearly aligns with Wright’s.

Chanse leads an innovative team of librarians rising to meet the needs of a swiftly changing riverside city in eastern Washington state—one of 2018’s “Cities on the Rise,” according to National Geographic Traveler magazine. Serving 220,000 potential patrons, Spokane Public Library has burgeoned into a nimble six-branch system that excels in creative problem-solving.

“The way we look at things here is, What’s the barrier around information or learning?” says Chanse, who relocated to Spokane from Arizona in 2013. “How can we overcome that? What can we provide?…For the business community, for example, it’s the information, the data, that isn’t at the hands or means of individual business owners.”

Read full article on Kirkus Reviews’ website here.

Visit Title Source 360 to discover Kirkus Diversity lists for your library.

Baker & Taylor and Kirkus Reviews is proud to support diversity and inclusion in libraries. We are excited to be partnering with Kirkus as we launch our new leadership campaign, Powering Libraries. Empowering Communities. Kirkus will be interviewing and featuring key Baker & Taylor customers to profile how our services and unique position as a true library advocate is helping to improve community outcomes.

The first customer spotlight profiles Michael Jimenez, County Librarian for San Bernardino County Library System who has tripled circulation despite devastating budget and staff cuts with the help of Baker and Taylor’s Customized Library Services.

Preview of article by Meghan Labrise, originally published on KirkusReviews.com :

Growing up in Southern California, Michael Jimenez went to the library just twice: once in elementary school class and once in high school, with his parents.

“It was an intimidating experience, I remember, as a kid,” Jimenez says of visiting the library with his parents, who are Salvadoran immigrants. “I didn’t know what to do. My parents didn’t speak very good English, so trying to translate with the
librarian there….” He pauses. “We didn’t go back.”

It wasn’t until college that he began to read with gusto. Two years of remedial English classes helped foster an abiding love of books, leading to a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s in library and information science.

In 2007, he began his career at the San Bernardino County Library as a young adult librarian. Just 10 years later he was appointed to the system’s highest administrative position, County Librarian. “It’s amazing what a public library can do for a child,” he says. “If they start coming when they’re young, if they attend summer reading programs, if they learn to read for pleasure, that translates directly into success in school. Had I had that opportunity when I was younger, I would have really enjoyed it. My passion in this role is being able to share that with others.”

Read full article on Kirkus Reviews’ website here.

Visit Title Source 360 to discover Kirkus Diversity lists for your library.

Amandeep Kochar, Baker & Taylor’s Executive Vice President of Public Library Sales and Technology, recently contributed to MDR’s Education blog to discuss how we can counter the Matthew Effect and other influences when it comes to literacy’s life-changing ability.

Here are his findings, originally published on MDReducation.com:

At the beginning of every new year, with a renewed sense of purpose we feel resolute and have countless discussions about improving our physical fitness, adopting healthier habits, and embracing regular exercise plans. It’s important, however, to not forget cerebral health and the importance of ensuring healthy cognitive habits and getting proper food for thought, so to speak.

But changing habits can be hard, whether it’s eating more vegetables or making more time for reading.

When it comes to reading, there’s significant evidence showing it is more difficult for some children to change habits after the third grade and improve their skills, leading to a vicious circle of frustration and ultimately resulting in school dropouts. Research also illustrates how these children who struggle with reading become further and further behind their peers, permanently limiting their future opportunity.

Read the full article on MDR’s website here.