“Inventing the Future of Librarianship” by Dave Lankes – Keynote Knutpunkt 2009, Linkoping, Sweden is worth the time.
Abstract: This presentation examines work to redefine librarianship not as a set of functions, or skills, but as a deeper mission rooted in how people learn and use knowledge.
Slides:http://quartz.syr.edu/rdlankes/Presentations/2009/RealSweden.pdf
Audio:http://quartz.syr.edu/rdlankes/pod/2009/Sweden.mp3…”
Here is an interesting and valuable post from Social Networking in Libraries titled How Social Networking Can Ruin Your Library’s Reputation:
“…Here are some things that could happen and how to avoid them.
1. Trying to use too many social networking sites to promote your library. This can confuse your patrons and staff and be too time consuming. Pick one or two and focus on these.
2. Angering your patrons. If a patron becomes angry enough or annoyed enough they may use social networking to tell everyone about it and this can end up being a nightmare.
3. Not keeping track about what is being posted on your library social networking sites. This can cause content or comments to be posted that are spammy or that are not what you would like. If you are going to use social networking with your library then you need to keep track of what is being said and posted…”
From the Librarian in Black today:
“Today our library, the San Jose Public Library, launched our new Text a Librarian service. As far as I can tell, we’re the first public library in California to offer text messaging services.
Here are the details:
The service is run through Mosio’s Text a Librarian.
Text your question to 66746 and start the message with AskSJ
The library responds to the user through the interface of our choice (web browser, email, IM, or text messaging) and the answer shows up to the customer as a text message
Customers are encouraged to add 66746 as a contact for easy future access
The library currently is answering questions from 1-6pm, Monday-Friday
The service is completely secure & private – customers are assigned random user IDs so the library staff don’t see phone numbers connected with questions
The service is mobile carrier certified, so we don’t need to worry about Verizon or AT&T blocking our number from sending messages to customers.
It’s staffed jointly with the San Jose State University Library librarians and a number of our public library staff at our main King Library and at our many branches…”
Here is a good audio and video presentation from Dave Lankes worth the time viewing titled Change Management for Connecticut Screencast which he did forf the CLA/CLC Connecticut Leadership Institute.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Noon Eastern Time, 11 a.m. Central, 10 Mountain, 9 Pacific, and 4 p.m. GMT:
Opening Keynote: The Future of User Experience in Libraries
Speaker: Nate Bolt
The User Experience (UX) primarily involves the experience of the library user, drawing from the successes and failures of human-to-technology interface design. Usability, aesthetics, community, collections and customer service are the key tenants of this user-centric service initiative. But you don’t have to have a huge staff or big tech budget. UX Expert, Nate Bolt shares ideas for free and easy Library UX improvements.
Location: Rialto
1 p.m. Eastern Time, noon Central, 11 a.m. Mountain, 10 Pacific, and 5 p.m. GMT:
Topic: Librarians in Virtual Environments: From Classrooms to Communities
Speaker: Alison Miller
Libraries and librarians have made great progress in engaging in virtual environments. We are often the first to try new things: technology, social media/networks, enhanced services, etc. Alison will share ideas and examples of successful engagement along with areas identified as needing improvement.
Location: RialtoUnconference Session: Discuss the topics and trends you want!
Discussion Facilitator: Joshua NeffLocation: Strand
2 p.m. Eastern Time, 1 Central, noon Mountain, 11 a.m. Pacific and 6 p.m. GMT: One-Hour Break Time!
3 p.m. Eastern Time, 2 Central, 1 Mountain, noon Pacific, and 7 p.m. GMT:
Topic: Collaboration 2.0
Speaker: Robin Hastings
Join Robin in a discussion of the use of cloud computing tools (Google’s Apps, Blogs, Wikis & other social networking sites) as they are being used in libraries. Learn real-world uses of these tools and discover other ways that libraries could make use of free, easy-to-use cloud computing resources.
Location: Rialto
Unconference Session: Building a Learning Culture
Discussion Facilitators: Cindi Hickey, Brenda Hough, Stephanie Gerding, Betha Gutsche, Kim Priest
Location: Strand4 p.m. Eastern Time, 3 Central, 2 Mountain, 1 Pacific, and 8 p.m. GMT:
Topic: Erin’s Hour of Awesomeness: Best Practices for Web 2.0 in Schools
Speaker: Erin Downey Howerton
Find out what Web 2.0 tools are being used by teachers around the world to pump up their lesson plans, and what learning institutions can do to help them succeed.
Location: Rialto
Unconference Session: Discuss the topics and trends you want!
Discussion Facilitator: Kaijsa Calkins
Location: Strand
Noon Eastern Time, 11 a.m. Central, 10 Mountain, 9 Pacific, and 4 p.m. GMT:
Topic: Listening to the Future of Reading: Readers’ Advisory and Audio Books
Speaker: Kaite Stover
Audiobooks have been steadily increasing in circulation for many libraries in the past five years. Patrons are beginning to demand certain titles in audio and library staff need to know how to suggest titles to avid listeners. Learn how to employ standard readers’ advisory training to promote titles to library patrons, including “how to listen to a book in fifteen minutes.”
Location: Rialto
Unconference Session: Discuss the topics and trends you want!
Discussion Facilitator: Joe Kraus
Location: Strand1 p.m. Eastern Time, noon Central, 11 a.m. Mountain, 10 Pacific, and 5 p.m. GMT:
Topic: How American Libraries Are Using Web 2.0 Tools for Marketing
Speaker: Curtis Rogers
Location: Rialto
Unconference Session: Discuss the topics and trends you want!
Discussion Facilitator: Kendra Levine
Location: Strand2 p.m. Eastern Time, 1 Central, noon Mountain, 11 a.m. Pacific, and 6 p.m. GMT: One-Hour Break Time!
3 p.m. Eastern Time, 2 Central, 1 Mountain, noon Pacific, and 7 p.m. GMT:
Topic: Beyond the Basics: Training for Technological Fluency
Speaker: Brenda Hough
Are you offering technology training for staff and patrons? Join this discussion to share ideas and interactive techniques to address varying skill levels, adapt to multiple learning styles, and deliver technology with greater impact. Provide opportunities for learners to develop skills that will help them adapt and succeed tomorrow as well as meet their needs today.
Location: RialtoUnconference Session: Discuss the topics and trends you want!
Discussion Facilitator: Michelle Boule
Location: Strand4 p.m. Eastern Time, 3 Central, 2 Mountain, 1 Pacific, and 8 p.m. GMT:
Closing Keynote: Networking Library Services: A Glimpse at the Future–Moving Library Management Services to Web-Scale
Speaker: Andrew Pace
In April, OCLC announced a strategy to create the first Web-scale, cooperative library management service, extending WorldCat Local to include delivery and circulation, print and electronic acquisitions, and license management. This highly scalable service will allow libraries to preserve the core functionality they require to manage their collections while also creating a platform on which they can better manage and evolve library workflows. Moreover, the service-oriented architecture will allow libraries to interoperate more easily with other local business process systems. Andrew Pace will give a summary of the effort, highlighting key milestones for the project and the opportunities for positive change in libraries.
Location: Rialto
Thanks to Planet Cataloging for pointing out the FREE Odyssey ILL software from Atlas Systems, Inc.:
“The Odyssey software allows sites to send and receive electronic documents to other Odyssey sites, OCLC ILLiad sites, and other vendor’s software that supports the Odyssey protocol.
Odyssey was designed with low cost, ease of use, and network security in mind. The software is a client/server application which allows the processing application to be split off from the delivery service function. This controls cost by allowing sites to expand by just adding the processing functionality to additional machines. It helps with network security by allowing the delivery service function of the software to be run o..n a server/workstation that may or may not be located in the ILL office…”
Did I mention it was FREE?
Here is part of a great post from Ed Batista titled Bad Leader! Stifling Dissent which is worth reviewing for library leaders or potential leaders:
“…Today Bret [Simmons] has a great post on how bad leaders stifle dissent:
1) Your people never see you say no. You never disagree or challenge the people you work for, so your people never learn from you how to do this with purpose. You send the very clear message that “no” is not acceptable around here.
2) People that have told you no are gone. You have systematically removed from your inner circle everyone that disagreed or challenged your policies and decisions. But that’s ok, because everyone knows they were not team players, or were disloyal or disrespectful. This is the rhetoric of conformity and exclusion.
I’d add a third behavior to this list: Failing to accept differences of opinion and pushing beyond a reasonable point to obtain uniform public agreement. Your people don’t feel free to voice disagreement because you hound them until they change their mind (or at least that’s what they appear to be doing.)…”
The message of the cross of Jesus Christ is foolish to those who are headed for destruction but we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.
As the Scriptures say,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”
So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters?
God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.
But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.
Today there is an UPDATED list of libraries on Twitter from the Circulation blog from Lindy Brown.
Thanks to Stephen Abram of Stephen’s Lighthouse for his post Why Do People Go Online for drawing attention to the Ruder Finn Intent Index research data and interactive visualization- click on image below.
From the MyInfoQuest release information:
“…Starting today, patrons of approximately 50 libraries from all over the US will be able to text a question to (309) 222-7740 and a real, live librarian will respond within minutes. The service is free of charge, but standard text messaging rates do apply. Staffed by librarians from around the country, answers are sent to cell phones by librarians in 320 characters or less, or the equivalent of two 160-character text messages…
The hours of service will be Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m…”
Thursday and Friday, August 13 and 14, 2009 beginning both days at noon Eastern Time, 11:00 a.m. Central, 10:00 a.m. Mountain, 9:00 a.m. Pacific, and 4:00 p.m. GMT:
Host: TAP Information Services
This is a free conference, but please Register:tinyURL.com/N4JMV7
OPALescence 2009 Schedule [See below]
[Please Note: More Speakers and Presentations Will be Added as We Move Closer to the Conference Dates. All presentations will be held in OPAL http://www.opal-online.org. Virtual Rooms will be assigned in August. Did you hear a great presentation this year or know of a terrific speaker? We'll invite them! Do you want to speak? Develop a panel? Share names and presentation topics you would like to see as part of OPALescence 2009.]
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Noon Eastern Time, 11 Central, 10 Mountain, and 9 Pacific:
Speaker: Nate Bolt
Topic: The Future of User Experience in Libraries
Location: TBD
1 p.m. Eastern Time, noon Central, 11 Mountain, and 10 Pacific:
Speaker: Alison Miller
Topic: Librarians in Virtual Environments: From Classrooms to Communities
Location: TBD
2 p.m. Eastern Time, 1 Central, noon Mountain, and 11 Pacific:
Speaker: Brenda Hough
Topic: Tech Training
Location: TBD
3 p.m. Eastern Time, 2 Central, 1 Mountain, and noon Pacific:
Speaker: TBD
Topic: TBD
Location: TBD
4 p.m. Eastern Time, 3 Central, 2 Mountain, and 1 Pacific:
Speaker: TBD
Topic: TBD
Location: TBD
Friday, August 14, 2009
Noon Eastern Time, 11 Central, 10 Mountain, and 9 Pacific:
Speaker: Kaite Stover
Topic: TBD
Location: TBD
1 p.m. Eastern Time, noon Central, 11 Mountain, and 10 Pacific:
Speaker: Curtis Rogers
Topic: How American libraries are using Web 2.0 tools for marketing
Location: TBD
2 p.m. Eastern Time, 1 Central, noon Mountain and 11 Pacific:
Speaker: Robin Hastings
Topic: Collaboration 2.0
Location: TBD
3 p.m. Eastern Time, 2 Central, 1 Mountain, and noon Pacific:
Speaker: TBD
Topic: TBD
Location: TBD
Here is an important video from JISC:
OPAL (Online Programming for All Libraries)
OPALescence 2009
A Free Online Library Conference for Everyone
Thursday Aug. 13th and Friday Aug. 14th
Registration is free, easy, and online: tinyurl.com/N4JMV7
Conference Wiki: http://opalescence.wetpaint.com/
Hosted by OPAL: Online Programs for All (http://www.opal-online.org)
(Psst: Sponsorships are available for as little as $250)
Contact Tom Peters for more info: tpeters@tapinformation.com or 816.616.6746
“Opalescence: The state or quality of being luminous, iridescent, and lustrous … like an opal”
An open letter to ALA about the 2009 annual conference from the Library WebHead:
“Dear ALA,
I know that you’re decent folks and have a great social conscience. That’s wonderful. But – unless it relates to things like library’s budgets being cut, better marketing & spokespeople to help libraries publicize their value so they DON’T get cut, pushing for less restrictive copyright legislation, getting database and other vendors to make their licensing more standardized and their systems less proprietary & expensive, opposing the censorship of books/information resources, (library-specific concerns… and there are plenty of them out there) – I don’t want to hear about it at your annual conference.
If members want to be involved in getting troops out of Afghanistan or Iraq or whatever, they can feel free to do so. There’s an array of organizations designed to deal with those issues (have you heard of Moveon.org?).
For as long as ALA distracts itself with geopolitical concerns that are not related specifically to the library profession, it’s taking its eye off the ball. Since there are still such huge concerns out there to contend with as the role of libraries in the future (and even whether or not there is one, let alone what it will look like), I think ALA can’t afford to spend its time on these matters.”
I tend to agree…also what’s up with Christy Hefner as the opening speaker? As ABC news’ John Stossel says, “Give me a break!!”
ALA Annual Conference was reported today in the Chicago Tribune:
“Thousands of librarians are expected to gather in Chicago starting this week for the American Library Association’s annual conference.
ALA officials say the conference comes at a time when library use nationwide has soared. But that jump in usage also comes as many public libraries face budget cuts.
Data compiled by the association show 41 percent of U.S. states reported declining state funding for public libraries in the 2009 fiscal year.
Other issues to be discussed at the conference include technology, literacy and issues school libraries face.
The conference starts Thursday and ends next week.”
*********************************************************************
A great opportunity has arisen.
Perhaps there has never been so much positive publicity in America about libraries and librarians — ironically at a time when libraries and librarians face their biggest challenges from within and without the profession.
Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero – “seize the day and place no trust in tomorrow“! This cannot be just a cliché, an eloquent quote from a bygone era, or an intellectual assent.
Now is the time to exhort our professional colleagues to daily excellence, continual development, proactive planning, and unified advocacy.
Our success or failure will not be determined by new programs or plans, more, bigger or better conferences, education reform , fiscal bailouts or the latest technology.
Success is dependent upon inclusion, relationship and commitment.
The following video discussion of Google’s book scan project on LISNews and notes that ”…James J. Duderstadt [President Emeritus, University of Michigan]…argues that academics are starting to realize that knowledge ‘should be given away to the world as a public good’…”
Why can’t non-members attend the ALA 2009 Virtual Conference FREE?
(Maybe the ALA leadership, “movers and shakers”, etc. haven’t read or agree with “The Radical Price” reality of “Free” as Chris Anderson’s new book explains).
Why is ALA still so exclusive in the age of “FREE”?
Mmmmmmmmmmm…
Tradition? Nepotism? Hubris? Ignorance?
“…Those not attending Conference in-person can register for the Virtual Conference online through the ALA Web site. The cost is $215 for ALA members, $210 for division members, $120 for student members, $145 for retired members, $298 for non-members and $215 for institutional members.
Libraries or schools can also receive the following special group rates: $300 for one to three employees; $500 for four to nine employees; and $1000 for 10-plus employees.“
I wonder how much extra it would actually cost ALA to provide it FREE?
Surely, not much.
First Lone Wolf Rant:
Are we up to the task at this pivotal time?
A great opportunity has arisen of which we have all seen. Perhaps there has never been so much positive publicity in America about libraries and librarians — ironically at a time when libraries and librarians face their biggest challenges from within and without the profession.
Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero – “seize the day and place no trust in tomorrow“! This cannot be just a cliché, an eloquent quote from a bygone era, or an intellectual assent.
Now is the time to exhort our professional colleagues to daily excellence, continual development, proactive planning, and unified advocacy. Our success or failure will not be determined by new programs, plans, conferences, education or technology.
Success is dependent upon inclusion, relationship and commitment.
Here is an interesting excerpt from Jon Johnson, Client Services Manager for Library Associates Companies / LAC (LibGig’s parent company), from the LibGIG post The Next Big Thing about Jason Cranford Teague‘s talk “Web 2.0 Applications and the Future”:
“…In the Web 3.0 world, websites will need ‘Sincerity’ as a key ingredient in terms of attracting visitors who come back and use the service, or to follow the traffic generated. Two other aspects that go hand-in-hand with ‘Sincerity’ are ‘Credibility’ and ‘Trust.’ The sites and services that have these three aspects will be the ones that are visited most and gain the most traffic. The drawback to this is the risk that people will tend to those sources that most speak to them, rather than becoming more exposed to different views and tones of dialogue, although I found surprising that he refuted the common misconception that people read what they can on the internet and take it as truth. He said that his research found the opposite is actually true, particularly with the younger generation of users. They tend to look at content and information much more skeptically than people realize, more so than any other generation. The most trusted source of information for the younger generation of Americans is Jon Stewart firs and Steven Colbert second — I rest my case.
Here is the crux of his talk: historically there has always been ‘Trusted Filters’— people or organizations that have the trust and credibility to present information correctly. Examples are parents, teachers, and LIBRARIANS; these are people who are trusted to provide the information requested in a way that is not colored and is more forthright and honest. Those networks have, over time, moved from the home/neighborhood to the media (print, radio, TV which is now too colored to be credible), to the computer (too much information to filter through). The next step will be to leverage applications like Twitter, Facebook, etc. to search out sources of information. Finding “Trusted Filters” is the next step in Web 3.0 evolution, networks of people sharing information that filter the news and information they receive and consider when making decisions.
Teague says there are applications/websites that are starting to move in this direction. Tiseme.com and vark.com are two such applications. They will take your IM buddy list and link through all your buddies to source out experts in certain fields who may best be able to answer a question.”
Judith A. Siess on the OPL Plus (not just for OPLs anymore) highlights an interesting and very importnat article/warning in her post Lessons for Corporate Librarins –and Others which is excerpted here:
“‘“When the Internet as a popular research tool began affecting the lives of librarians and information professionals and their clients, accountability for contributing to the mission (i.e., bottom line) of one’s parent organization—whether a for-profit or not-for-profit—became the most critical driver behind the survival of corporate libraries.’
Thus begins a great article by special library gurus Toby Pearlstein (retired from Bain & Co., Inc., Boston, Massachusetts) and James Matarazzo(retired Dean, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Simmons College, Boston). They outline the ways corporate librarians can—and, in fact, must—make their value known to the decision-makers in their organizations…
Read, understand, internalize, and implement the message in this article—before it’s too late for you!
Citation:
Pearlstein, Toby and James Matarazzo, Survival Lessons for Librarians: Corporate Libraries—A Soft Analysis and a Warning, Searcher 17(6):12-17,52, June 2009, available for US$2.95 athttp://www.infotoday.com/searcher/jun09/index.shtml“
Here is an excerpt from the Centered Librarian‘s post Library Websites for Mobile Devices which is worth reading completely:
“The Mobile Libraries Blog has an executive summary of the University of Cambridge’s M-Libraries: Information Use On The Move report from the Arcadia Programme. While there’s a substantial list of ways to integrate mobile devices with libraries to better serve patrons, one of the simplest things – ‘Ensuring that the library website is accessible and will resize to smaller screens…to be ready for increasing numbers of netbook users and mobile internet users in the next few years’ – may be the most difficult thing for some institutions. The difficulty is not technical, but a combination of internal politics and marketing…”
Here is a good presentation from NELINET on strategic planning in “Creating Measurable Library Objectives” relevant to everyone:
From Justine Shaffner, the Librarian is IN, comes this from her post New Roving Reference and Assistive Technology Tools:
“Back in the days when libraries weren’t quite so busy, if I didn’t have a constant stream of questions at the reference desk, I’d get bored and start trawling the stacks for people who looked confused. I was delighted when we got a tablet computer as I no longer had to drag the patron over to a PAC or run between them and my computer for call numbers and answers. Having the internet with me at all times helped a lot when I needed to show the customer searching the art books for Van Gogh’s Starry Night how easily she could find it on Google Images, but while I could see the same catalog interface as our patrons, there wasn’t a way in to the staff side of our materials database. That put a damper on my speed as quick, powerful searches and circulation functions still had to be done from the reference desk.
So I was intrigued by three of the products in the May/June 2009 issue of Public Libraries. EnvisionWare now has a LibraryPDA(TM) that can evidently do all staff side functions (plus inventory). And for those of you with a SirsiDynix ILS, there’s Horizon PocketCirc 1.0 with functions similar to the LibraryPDA but with remote access also available, so you no longer have to write down titles and barcodes while checking out books at a school, offsite program or town event.
The third product would be great not only for visually challenged patrons, but also for commuters wanting to make effective use of travel time. ReadSpeaker works with WilsonWeb’s many full text databases and converts articles into audio for immediate listening (will wonders never cease – let’s hope all our database vendors follow suit)…”
NO FEES – NO DUES – NO TRAVEL
ALL Librarians Can Support & Participate
OPAL (Online Programming for All Libraries) is planning something special:
Thursday, August 13, 2009 beginning at noon Eastern Time, 11:00 a.m. Central, 10:00 a.m. Mountain, 9:00 a.m. Pacific, and 4:00 p.m. GMT:
There is an interesting and relevant post from Jeremiah Owyang’s Web Strategy blog discussing the latest Forrester Research survey today titled Report: Companies Should Organize for Social Media in a “Hub and Spoke” Model which is excerpted here:
“I often get asked by brands: ‘How should we organize our company for social media?’ or ‘Which roles do we need’, or ‘Which department is in charge’. So for our latest report (clients can access all the details) answers just that, it has data and graphs about spending, brand maturity in the social space, which department ‘owns’ the program, and how companies are organizing.
Companies organize in three distinct models
For this post, let’s focus in on how companies are organizing. There are three basic models that I’ve observed and surveyed brands:
- The Tire (Distributed): Where each business unit or group may create its own social media programs without a centralized approach. We call this approach the ‘tire,’ as it originates at the edges of the company.
- The Tower (Centralized): We refer to this centralization as the ‘tower’ — a standalone group within a company that’s responsible for social media programs, often within corporate marketing or corporate communicaitons.
- The Hub and Spoke (Cross Functional): Like the hub on a bicycle wheel, a cross-functional group that represents multiple stakeholders across the company assembles in the middle of the organization. The hub facilitates resource sharing and cross-functional communications (via the ‘spokes’ in the wheel) to those at the edge of the organization (or the ‘tire’)…
The faster brands can realize that approaching social marketing and collaboration isn’t about technology, but about process and change management the better off they are…”
