Things have been a little quiet here at It's not about the books, but over at In the Library with the Lead Pipe I've just published my first article. I'd like to see more rigorous research conducted by and for public libraries, so we can really test whether we're meeting our missions. 'What we talk about when we talk about public libraries' is my exploration of the opportunities we have and the current hurdles in our way. You should read it if you're into that sort of thing.