Outdated Technologies??

Earlier today at the CE Forum 2010 in Denver, we were talking about using e-readers and how some libraries have been implementing that technology into their collection development plans. Now, tonight I am reading a blog that list 11 technologies that are destined to be discontinued -- soon. Among those are fax machines, landline phones and -- wait - e-readers. Check it out at the Committed Sardine blog... just don't get too comfortable usin any one technology!!

CE Forum Day 1

State reports included a wide range of continuing education resources for all areas from literacy to technology and leadership. A Tech 2.0 Panel presented information about tools and personal learning networks including exploring Skype and Netvibes -- more info on the CEForum Wiki look under Forum 2010 Resources. Overviews and user reviews were presented on web conferencing tools: Elluminate, Adobe Connect, GoToMeeting, and Yugma.

Josephy Sanchez from Red Rocks Community College, presented an engaging talk about e-readers and cutting edge technology -- How 2.0 technology is really based on the same philosophy of libraries. How does that impact library services, policies and procedures.

CE Forum 2010

Sharon Morris and Michelle Gebhart have done an outstanding job of organizing the 2010 CE Forum. A wide variety of extra curricular activities after a day full of focusing on continuing education for librarians. Thanks a bunch.

Today we did a meet and greet at the State Library which is in the Department of Education building, then moseyed over to the Brown Palace to check in and clarify the schedule for the next couple of days.

Some of went to Lucky Strike for Bowling while others ventured into other areas of Denver cuisine.

Getting Permission

At our last SPLAT meeting we discussed work-life balance issues, the culture of libraries and the future for attracting library staff. While we immediately gravitated toward why working in libraries may not provide an individual with the ideal work-life balance, we did recognize that it is a personal responsbility also. This led to several creative ideas such as library job swaps, sabbaticals for library staff, and others.

Of course the first question is how does one initiate that? My comment was that it takes conversations -- and I think you will find that David Lee King's two posts on Getting Permission and Help Others Get Permission provide great food for thought and potential action!

What is SPLAT? Special Projects Library Action Team -- a grassroots, statwide crow's nest -- keeping tabs on the pulse of trends and technology for Idaho libraries and library staff!

Training Resources

I have just published a list of web-based training resources for anyone who either works in a library -- and/or uses a library. There are some exceptional resources for information literacy for those school librarians in search of the perfect tutorial. You can access this list via WebJunction Idaho.

ALA Conference 2010

Now that the dust has settled, and I have returned to reality -- I have had an opportunity to put my ALA notes together. You can read them at Shirley's Notes.

Some of the highlights include Frontline Advocacy Toolkit; Libraries and the National Broadband Plan; Library Services to an Aging Population; Cutting Edge Technology-Based Services; Learning Roundtable Showcase; Poster Session; Emerging Leader Projects; US Public Libraries and e-Government Services; Library Support Staff Certification Program; and the Unconference!

You can find my notes on Midwinter here

ALA 2010 Advocacy

Frontline Advocacy is a new resource for all librarians -- the key is that anyone can be an advocate for libraries, regardless of your position. Thanks to the vision of ALA President Camila Alire, there is now an online toolkit for anyone to develop advocacy skills for libraries. She charged attendees at the Friday afternoon pre-conference to conduct at least two frontline advocacy trainings sometime durin 2010.

Check out Advocacy University at http://www.ala.org/frontlineadvocacy

ALA 2010

Unconference ALA ... about 50 librarians met to unconference -- six topics were selected to discuss and present a 5 minute summary of the discussions. Topics included Digital Divide, Change, Mobile Web, Service Trends and Employment.

I was involved in the Change discussion -- stages of change, how to create change, proactive change, and change is slow. Overall summary is that change does take time, flexibility, consideration of needs (staff, system, end-users), and conversation. It is better to be looking to the future and trends, identify ways to initiate change in order to create change that works -- not just change because an event requires it.

Tech Trends Midwinter ALA 2010

This is a great hour-long overview of the what did and didn't happen at ALA Midwinter in Boston in January 2010.  Four techys give their 10 minute overview with a few Q&A's.  You will hear about
www.thecopia.com -- a new social e-book platform
www.blioreader.com -- a new ebook platform designed for the visually impaired

Mobile Discovery Tools:  MyLibrary, Polaris Mobile PAC, OCLC/Red Laser, Library Thing/Local, SyrsiDynix BookMyne
Augmented Reality -- what it is and how it might be used by libraries
Discovery Systems
Failing to Win -- a cultural shift in viewing failure as a part of success, rather than a negative
Finally, flexibility, deconstruction, serendipity, and community as growing trends in the transition of the library world as well as the world as a whole.
Two final apps:  Foursquare and GoogleBuzz

Get your favorite beverage or snack and enjoy!  Listen

Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation

The Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation is one of Idaho’s oldest and largest charitable foundations. The Foundation provides over four hundred fifty scholarships to Idaho students at community colleges, technical colleges and universities every year. The Foundation also funds nonprofit organizations throughout the State of Idaho through a competitive grant process every year, strengthening our communities and the state as a whole.

Current Application

User Experience -- Not Just a Trend

Steve B in his blog Designing Better Libraries states "... that user experience should be at the foundation of what drives the library to deliver memorable and unique experiences, and that it must become a core guiding strategy for the present and future."

Unlike technology tools and applications (eg., texting, e-books, blogs, email, etc.) which keep changing at a mind-numbing rate, User Experience (UX) is here to stay.  People are here to stay.  And the focus of the library should be on the UX -- this is what brings 'em back -- creates sustainability -- and generates library supporters.  This is one component of a business model that can be adopted by each and every library into their strategic plan and daily work flow.
 
Create a UX that meets the needs of the community.  If it is a quiet place to study and learn ... then create that.  If the community needs a social place to congregate, then so be it.  This will require the library staff to be very much aware of their community as well as flexible to incorporate the right combination of UX.  Be sure though it is the needs of the community that are being met and not just what library staff "thinks" the UX should be.  Definitely a challenge ... however, libraries are up to it!

User Experience

User Experience as presented by Jesse James Garrett is captured in Lori Reed's blog post on the Learning RoundTable Blog ... I loved the piano staircase! When I was at ALA Midwinter in Boston this week .. I didn't encounter the conversation of user experience too much...seemed to me the conversations still focused on the tools ... not the users... mmmm.... How can you make a routine task fun for your library users?

Simple Advice

On the Learning RoundTable blog, Marianne Lennox posted some basic advice on customer service. Here are her ten points -- go to the blog post to read it all!

1. Greet every customer
2. Be aware of non-verbal clues
   
3. Listen
   
4. Restate the problem or question
   
5. Be Empathetic
   
6. Provide alternatives to “No”
7. Reserve judgment
   
8. Get (back) to them as soon as possible
9. Follow your gut instinct
10. Thank them for using the library

Nothing earth-shattering or magic -- just common sense and everything our mothers tried to teach us!

Friendships and the world of social networking

William Deresiewicz posted an interesting overview of the evolution of friendships from ancient times through to today's world of social networking in Faux Friendships
published in this weeks Chronicle of Higher Education. He begins with "We live at a time when friendship has become both all and nothing at all." and then explores how friendships have evolved, their societal value, and how today's social networking world has diminished its value. Good reading -- good discussion topic.

My Journey to Library World

The Library Routes Project is intriguing ... and what a great opportunity to contribute... so here goes!

Once upon a time ... oh wait that's another story! My journey begins a long time ago in another lifetime, when I was finishing my college degree. My best friend was staying at the University of Idaho to complete her masters in library science, while I was going forward to be a teacher and "save the world!" However, there was a niggling that started at that time in my brain -- and it kept saying -- library -- library!

I had always been interested in the library and as a young girl had helped my Great Aunt, off and on, at the public library. But still I was young and eager to get going so I did. I taught home economics in a small town in Idaho for about 4 years -- which was a great experience as I created and implemented a new program for grades 7-12, as well as encountered the joy being a coach for girls basketball and volleyball. It was here I met my first husband, and soon after we were married, moved to central Washington state, where I taught school for another 11 years. And interestingly, all that time, there was still the niggling -- library -- library!

In 1986, I took a year's sabbatical from teaching to start my own business and explore the world of technology which at that time was quite quaint! I was fascinated by creating my own programs and the ability to do desktop publishing! This led to the opening of a small writing and editing service. I did this part-time, while teaching full time for a couple of years, then part-time on each job for a couple of years, and finally took the plunge to be on my own, full time. This was a gratifying experience and for the next 15 years my focus. Still, there was that niggling -- library -- library!

One day during this time I returned to the public library for some research and discovered the disappearance of the card catalog! Yikes! I had been so proud of myself for mastering the search tool. I was greatly saddened -- as well as frustrated by the electronic monstrosity that now seemed very daunting!!

A few years later, as fate would have it, I was single again and found the desire to have a "regular pay check". This time I paid attention to the niggling -- library -- library! A part-time, evening circulation position at the local community college opened -- I applied and was offered the job! What excitement! Finally, I was going to be working in a library. Well, the flood gates opened, I blossomed -- and the journey began in earnest!

After working in that position for a short time, the head circulation position opened -- I jumped in with both feet. I was learning and growing in my knowledge about the inner workings of the library and in seventh heaven! I integrated my customer-focused service adopted in my previous career pathways into the new daily routine. Next the cataloging position was available -- once again I jumped into this one with the same fervor as the other two.

Now in my early 50's, I decided it was time to take the plunge -- librarianship is where I need to spend my remaining productive years. So I researched online ALA accredited degree programs and made my choice! Within two years I had a degree and a library job that is utilizing education and business skills that I have acquired over the years. As Continuing Education Consultant for the Idaho Commission for Libraries, I am responsible for ensuring the Idaho library community has access to a virtual buffet of professional development opportunities to meet their current and future needs.

On one hand there is a small sadness for not taking the step sooner -- however, on the other hand, this is such a great time to be a librarian. The opportunity to be a change agent, rather than the one who has to change -- is truly invigorating.

Transparency & Libraries

An open conversation between Jan Klerk Librarian at City Library of Haarlem Netherlands and Michael from Tame the Web -- talks about the key elements of a transparent library:
1. open communication
2. adapting to change
3. scanning the horizon

And that Library 2.0 comes down to a philosophy of service built on
1. constant change
2. participatory service
3. mindful evaluation

Go to Tame the Web to read more...

Social Technologies & Libraries in 2010

A great blog post by Michael Stephens provides thoughts from both inside and outside the library community as to the future of social media technology. Summarized Michael made the following three predictions from the library community perspective:

1. Social media policies will become more prevalent
Because it is not going away anytime soon, Michael recommends that every library either create and/or refresh its social media policies. His advice includes " work from examples from all realms and take no more than three meetings to hash out the policy and send it on. Things will be changing too fast to meet for weeks or months."

2. Evaluation will come into its own

Take a step back and see what's working and what's not. Drop things that don't and add ones that do. Some key things to consider during the evaluation process: the newness of the tools, the varying degrees of use by library users and staff and the time/resource saving involved.

3. Libraries will become community leaders in teaching social tools

Those libraries that have taken the step to offer Learning 2.0 or integrated social tools into their services are position to take the next step which according to Michael is—educating governing bodies and their community of users.

See Michael's blog post for further insights.

Learning to Change ... Changing to Learn

This is a great 5 minute video that provides a lot of food for thought... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tahTKdEUAPk

So while thinking of librarians as gate-openers ... how does that impact how we learn to change... and change to learn.

Are we willing to be surprised by discovery of new tools and ideas?

How can we incorporate those new tools and ideas into our lives?

Will we be analytical yet open-minded as we adapt to new ways of learning?

How do you learn? Where do you learn? Why do you learn?

Gate-Openers

A great article about the changing role of librarians, From Gatekeepers to Gate-Openers, by Steven Bell, can be found in August/September Issue of American Libraries (p. 50). Steven encourages those working in libraries to see gatekeepers as a limited role: making information accessible. When we could be opening the gates, moving from "creating access to resources to creating meaningful relationships with community members." He goes on to express the importance of delivering as well as designing the meaningful experience. I encourage you to read this article and then go forth and design and appropriately deliver a meaningful service! How will you be a gate-opener?

Lifelong Learning

5 Tips for Lifelong Learning

Posted by mgullett on Sep 7, 2009 on Northwest Central and in Success, August 2009. Excellent suggestions!!!

1) Seek out a mentor – look for someone who exemplifies the lifestyle that you admire and wish to emulate and plan to adapt some of his or her strategies for success.

2) Accept constructive criticism – When someone offers you a suggestion for improvement or reveals holes in your plans, don’t get defensive. Evaluate the input and be grateful for the alternate point of view.

3) Enroll in continuing education – Whether building skills for your industry or your hobby, taking a class can broaden your mind, help prepare you for new endeavors and remind you that you don’t know it all.

4) Join a community -Find a community of people who represent your direction and goals. Join their regular meetings and forums.

5) Ask questions – Even if you’re the boss, don’t be afraid to admit that you still have some things to learn.