There's a new library blog in town and I'm a so happy and honored to a small part of it. Leadership is a topic of great interest to me, So when Kevin King asked me to participate as a contributor, I knew it was a blog that I would be interested in not just writing for but learning from. In order to lead, we must constantly be growing and learning. From the site description: 

My very first post is about the value of failure, and you can check it out, here.

Happy hump day to all my fellow workers out there. Here are a few fabulous favs from the internet.

• This first one is for all you Illinois librarians out there. If you know of a librarian or a library doing something innovative, you should nominate them for an ILA award. See the full list of award options here.
• The #librariansasteenagers hashtag is simply brilliant. See all of our field's awkward glory, here. And consider adding your own pic!
• Speaking of awkward, teenage years, Rainbow Rowell's post on Dear Teen Me is pretty brilliant. Read it, here.
• Who doesn't want to be happier? Some of these things are easier said than (not) done but Lifehacker still has a list of stuff that is making you miserable. Read about what you shouldn't do, here.
• 451 Degrees is a student-run banned book club in Chicago. And it is so brilliant. Get inspired, here.

Have a wonderful week!

The week got away from me but I still have some awesome and totally inspiring links from library-land and beyond. Time for some link love!

• Over on Gizmodo is a pretty darn thorough explanation of the mega flaws of digital copyright and some thoughtful ideas on potential fixes. Check it out, here.
• Are you looking for a library job or prepping for an interview? This interview question database is AH-MAZING. And if you recently interviewed, consider submitting your questions to help others. Read all about it, here.
• This link made the rounds on all the big social networks for various reasons. I found it incredibly inspiring. R. David Lankes contributes so much to this profession. Read his thoughts on the rock star dilemma, here.
• Looking to jump into Young Adult lit but not sure where to start? Stacked has you covered. Seriously, it's a great resource. Reading about reading, here.
• Book Riot explores one of the major tenets of readers' advisory: never apologizing for what you love to read. So stop doing it and read this awesome article, here. 

Happy Thursday, and enjoy reading!

Here are a few links from library-land that have me feeling all happy and motivated.

• On Library Hat, Bohyun Kim talks about the evolution of designing a sign. Her post actually inspired me to re-design some of my own book display signs! Read it, here.
• Along the same lines, this handout revision on Library Design Share gave me goosebumps. It is that awesome. Read it, here.
• Skokie Public Library announced on Twitter that you can now view the details of their building on Google Maps for Android. SERIOUSLY! View it, here.
• While not directly library-related, this piece on Lifehacker about flexibility in the workplace really stroke a cord with me. A moderately flexible cord. Check it out, here.
• Somehow I missed this excellent Backtalk piece in Library Journal, published in December, about the value of books in the library. It is so logical and a wonderful read. You can read it too, here.
• And finally, Library Journal is slowing rolling out this year's class of Movers & Shakers. One of my favs so far is Audrey Barbakoff, an adult services librarian, who runs book-related programs on a commuter ferry in Seattle. So rad. Check out her award, here.

Happy Wednesday, and happy reading!

There is a new tumblr in town and I'm in love with the concept. It is called Thank You, Librarian, a creation of the librarians Valerie Forrestal and Emily Clasper. This tumblr is a platform to thank librarians who...well...need thanking because they inspired or helped you in some way.

Check out my contribution - a thank you to Dr. Michael Stephens, my very first professor in library school and mentor. 

http://bit.ly/13UgNZ6

While it may not be a banana slicer, it comes from the heart. And it feels good to thank one of the people who helped me so much.

Now it is your turn. Who can you thank? Check out the tumblr, Thank You, Librarian for details.