NYM--not your mother's--LIBRARY

code4lib NW 2011 LINKS

2011-07-05T13:34:00.000-07:00

https://sites.google.com/site/code4libnorthwest/past-conferences/code4lib-nw-2011
Thanks Shirley!

Bibliotherapy brochure

2011-06-28T01:05:00.000-07:00

Found at ebookbrowse.com

Bibliotherapy presentation

2011-06-28T00:57:00.000-07:00

Found at ebookbrowse.com

Book reviews (aka personal reading experience) to share or not to share

2011-06-27T23:03:00.000-07:00

As book talk burgeons online, readers and librarians have more pointers to follow, or not, than ever before

Since Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was published in 2008, it has received 1,561 consumer reviews on Amazon, averaging four of five stars. LibraryThing has registered 682 reviews, putting Tattoo among its most-reviewed books, with observations ranging from a top-ranked "gut-wrenching" to "what's the hubbub?" Over on the blogs, Bookbitch and LJ reviewer Stacy Alessi (www.bookbitch.com) offered a rave, writing that "every twist and turn is completely unexpected." But the Elegant Variation's Mark Sarvas did no more than signal that the book looked promising--even as an irate reader of his blog posted a comment huffing that Tattoo was "poorly written, poorly constructed, and, I hate to say, poorly imagined." Oh, and New York Times book critic Michiko Kakutani moderately derided it, allowing that the main characters were "interesting enough to compensate for the plot mechanics."

Over the last 15 years, the book review landscape has changed seismically. Reviewing is no longer centralized, with a few big voices leading the way, but fractured among numerous multifarious voices found mostly on the web. In turn, readers aren't playing the captive audience any more. Undone by economics, many traditional print sources have been shuttered or, like the formerly stand-alone Los Angeles Times and Washington Post Book World review sections, either collapsed into the rest of the paper or moved entirely online. The New York Times Book Review is still standing but is half the size it was a few decades back.

Meanwhile, book talk thrives on the web, with eager readers thronging LibraryThing and Goodreads, trading recommendations on Facebook and Twitter, and pushing their own reviews on Amazon and barnesandnoble.com. From the most casual forums to rich and rigorous sites like the Millions (www.themillions.com), reviews are energetically spun out, then tweeted, rated, challenged, and otherwise subject to endless feedback.

Beginning the conversation

Pointedly, a chunk of this conversation comes not from critics picked expressly for their expertise but enthusiasts who may or may not be the best adviser you could find on a particular book. The more careful among us will point to their cheers, tears, and bashes and wonder, "Are those really reviews?"

Others could care less, countering that reviewing was always supposed to be an intellectual conversation and the real exchange has finally begun. As they'd argue, the current range of voices in the reviewing arena can only be good, promoting books, conversations about books, and connections among readers, bringing a much wider spread of material into play than can be covered in traditional review sources, print or online. The sheer numbers voting for or against a particular title can be illuminating. "On balance, I trust Michiko Kakutani a lot more than any single LibraryThing reviewer," acknowledges LibraryThing founder Tim Spalding. "But given a choice between her review and 100 LibraryThing reviews, I'd usually take the latter." In the end, says New York Public Library's Miriam Tuliao, today's richness not only satisfies readers' hunger but "ensures that there will be a diversity in what is being published."

Whether print or online, traditional or consumer, a review is now as likely to treat an obscure sf gem or specialized political treatise as the latest literary masterpiece, reflecting a broadened book market following readers' interests.

The big sources still review a focused bunch of high-power books, and they have reach. As Free Press senior editor Amber Qureshi notes, "A fantastic review on a personal blog will not have the same impact on a book as a tepid one in the Christian Science Monitor, online or print."

But while the New York Times Book Review, the Los Angeles Time Book Review, and the Washington Post Book World once pushed sales, now it's as likely to be Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, and People. "That's the New Reviewing Trifecta," says EarlyWord's Nora Rawlinson, who also cites the book power of NPR. "They deal more with books that will appeal to general readers and seem to have an interest in making books happen."

With the book market more fragmented than ever, with so many voices echoing through our heads as we consider what to read next or purchase for patrons, with our almost fetishistic resistance to being told what to think, no one critic today can speak for us, and certainly many can't even speak to us. But even as we ditch the concept of authority, even as we say that every voice should be heard, even as it seems that every voice is getting heard, at least in cyberspace, it's apparent that, in fact, not everyone's a critic.

Anyone can blog, or post a consumer rating or review, or register an online comment, but, famously, not every blog is bearable reading, not every consumer review insightful, not every comment exactly what's needed to nail the book. Some judgments are worth more than others; the question is how we judge.

A question of authority

In print or online, traditional reviews still offer something unimpeachable while consumer commentaries have the verve and single-mindedness to do something that traditional reviews cannot. The two coexist comfortably because they fill different needs. Will the latter come to replace, or at least supersede, the former? That's anyone's guess, but one thing is certain: today's raging stream of voices has radically altered the idea of reviewing, with huge consequences for book culture itself.

The traditional review has always been defined by the idea of authority; presumably, the book has been assigned to a reviewer who has some knowledge of the subject, is sufficiently versed in the literature to make valid comparisons, and embraces the obligation to write an unbiased and closely reasoned assessment for a broad audience. What the reviewer knows--and knows how to communicate--matters. As arts and travel journalist Terry Trucco sums it up, "While I'm happy to read a review by Paul Krugman of an economics or political book, I don't particularly want him weighing in on the ballet or cooking or, God forbid, fashion."

The golden ideal of the authority-driven review has been challenged by the conversation the Internet facilitates, where special interests are pursued energetically. A blog offers an impassioned reader's personal slant, and a consumer review is perhaps an informed read and perhaps a stab in the back by a jealous competitor. Anyone can post, and an opinion is just an opinion until you start winkling out the depth of understanding behind it. But most book talk on the web isn't trying to emulate work by seasoned critics. It's a different beast entirely, generally striving for conviction rather than objectivity, advice but not hierarchy; the goal is ultimately participation.

The problem with love letters

For librarians, spending public money and conscious of the need to defend purchase decisions, the I'll-do-it-my-way stance on the web can be problematic. "Most, but not all, consumer criticisms read more like love letters or, at the other end of the spectrum, screeds," says Shawna Thorup, Fayetteville Public Library, AR, which obviously makes them troublesome for collection development.

Of one high-profile consumer reviewer, always suspiciously over the top, Alessi bitingly observes, "Would anyone seriously into books even look at her reviews? The woman reads several books a day and loves, loves, loves them all. Ridiculous."

Blogs and consumer reviews haven't entered official collection development policy--yet. But they're useful stopovers in the book hunt, especially in niches not covered by the biggies. Bookbitch Alessi can't see her library system relying on Amazon reviews for nonfiction, though "perhaps there is a little more leeway with fiction, especially if there is no authoritative or conflicting review."

Kim Garza, Tempe Public Library, AZ, agrees. "I have often used reader reviews online when I am not sure about something," she says, "but I approach them carefully."

Karl Helicher, of Upper Merian Township Public Library, King of Prussia, PA, puts the whole thing in perspective: "For years, we have bought books recommended by customers, and choosing books on the strength of a public review is really no different." In the end, that sense of connection may preempt authority.

"I would expect a traditional magazine or newspaper review to be more objective than a blog or patron review, but that doesn't necessarily make it better in my eyes," says LJ fiction reviewer Sally Bissell, South County Regional Library, Estero, FL, herself a thoughtful blogger. "I have also read some wonderful, from-the-heart blog posts that speak to me as a reader and as a buyer."

Angelina Benedetti, King County Library System, WA, is even more emphatic. Reflecting on patrons miffed that she's not up on crop circles or urban chicken farming, Benedetti says, "To your question, 'Where has the authority gone?' I ask, 'How authoritative was anyone anyway?'"

Digging for gold

Respected authorities can have holes in their knowledge, turn out sloppy work, fail to read the book, engage in logrolling, grind their axes vigorously, or "play out old grudges in the review pages," as Oxford University Press publicity director Purdy grouses. And amateurs can write persuasively, from a fund of knowledge, about their favorite books. The problem has always been and still is figuring out who to trust.

Whether for reading pleasure or collection development, concrete advice on how to sort through all this free-fall book talk is hard to come by. Beyond their favorite sources, readers turn themselves into critics, taking a prove-it-to-me stance while continually looking for reviewers or blogs that steer them "toward good reads and away from bad reads time and time again," as Purdy puts it. However, the pervasive anonymity of the web can make following standout writers a challenge, so dedicated readers focus on what grabs them, cultivate an ability to spot fakes and grandstanders, and recognize that some subjects (e.g., genre fiction) are better treated by committed amateurs than others (e.g., history).

Falling back on glam sites like the Huffington Post (www.huffingtonpost.com) or The New Yorker's Book Bench (www.newyorker.com/arts) is definitely a cop-out. "I've learned as much from a 'small' review as I have from a 'big' one," says Free Press's Qureshi, "and, having written myself, I know better than to be snobby about my sources."

Fortunately, this is not entirely a do-it-yourself project; the Internet provides built-in help for the free-for-all it has fostered. As the like-minded gather to discuss favored topics, connections are built and sensibilities acknowledged; friends can help filter out which books, reviewers, and sources are tops. Says LibraryThing's Spalding, "The New York Times gets Stephen King or Christopher Hitchens to review books in part because we know them well enough to care about their opinion. Well, I care about my friend Ben more than I care about either of those fellows. The same applies when you don't know the person, but you see that they share very similar tastes." Trusting your buddies isn't a new idea, but it's amplified infinitely on the web.

In making judgments, one can also look at the writing itself, which can be wipeout brilliant but is just as often messy and unreasoned or simply uninformative and routine. "Overall, I have mixed feelings about decentering (and usurping?) traditional voices because I value good writing and thoughtful analysis," says Stephen Morrow, an LJ fiction reviewer and composition professor at Ohio University. What consumer reviews and most blogs lack is an editor, not only to correct those pesky typos but to question dubious assertions and assure coherent thought. As Morrow smartly sums it up, "There's no editor to ask, 'You have some wonderful thoughts on deep-sea diving and the War of 1812, but what do you think of Cormac McCarthy's book?'"

Yet, Morrow, who like many of us finds himself of two minds on this subject, also values the raw energy and engagement of a writer unleashed. "Bloggers go for broke," he explains. "They can be original and tremendously funny or satirical because they have no one to stop them from saying stuff like, 'Nicholas Sparks is just phoning them in.'"

Beyond the traditional review, you've got intimacy (or something that feels like it), you've got sharp personality (read LJ reviewer Terry Hong's Smithsonian BookDragon blog, and you know she's whip-smart, charming, and not to be crossed), and you've got a populist voice ("I don't feel like I have to have an advanced degree in literature to understand the reviewer, as is often the case with The New Yorker," says Morrow). Since it's embarrassing to mislead an online friend or follower, you've also got brutal honesty, though, of course, scrupulous attention to standards of truthfulness mark more traditional writing as well. And, finally, you've got some good ideas; says Spalding drily, "It's a myth that online reviews are written by idiots."

An expanding forum

Book coverage may be seeping from newspapers, but authority-driven reviews aren't lost. From Kakutani's work to the professional, prepublication commentary in LJ and elsewhere, they're integral to today's robust book talk wherever they appear.

"I now write for both print and online formats, and with that combination, my readership is in the multiple millions," notes book reviewer Jane Ciabattari, president of the National Book Critics Circle. "Before, I'd venture my reviews reached the population of the cities whose newspapers I was reviewing for, plus the magazine/literary quarterly audience." That's exciting.

The mix of review types endures because different readers use them differently. Some read reviews to determine what book to pick up next, others to decide what to purchase for patrons or customers. Some want to be part of a conversation for the sake of conversation, others to contribute to that conversation so they can see their names on the screen (why else would anyone want to be the 1,562nd commenter on Larsson?). Some want to learn about the subject, others simply to be entertained or to confirm impressions of a book they've finished. Some, like Qureshi, are editors seeking "to identify our audiences better and publish to them"; others are librarians like Fayetteville's Thorup, who would never use consumer reviews when leading book club discussion because, after all, "All the members have consumed the book and have their own opinions."

That's for now. What about the future? Those in the younger demographic don't have the habit of looking up to anyone when deciding what to read or see or absorb through their earbuds, depending instead on their cohorts. As Morrow notes, "Most of my students aren't reading book reviews at all, print or online."

Will they learn to depend on reviews like Ciabattari's? A few years back, credentialed reviewers might have despaired, but they're emerging from a prevailing sense of gloom to embrace the future. "We're at an exciting juncture," says Ciabattari. "The conversation about books has been growing exponentially because of the viral nature of social media and the many ways in which formerly print book publications are exploring the use of literary blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and so forth." In the heady, freewheeling environment of the web, readers have many options. They will join the conversation in their own way, whether online or mobile, drawn by something new or hot or intriguing that's just a click awa

Bravo Encore ILS Overlay Crosses Platforms Seamlessly

2011-06-01T13:34:00.000-07:00

EncoreWithSirsiDynix.pdf (application/pdf Object)
Multnomah County Public Library is currently beta testing this product and, from a patron user point of view, looks to be very successfully.

Public Libraries News: Privatized libraries

2011-05-17T20:14:00.000-07:00

Public Libraries News: Privatized libraries: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Public Libraries News: Tally by Local Authority

2011-05-17T20:12:00.000-07:00

Public Libraries News: Tally by Local Authority: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

"The Hybrid Library"

2011-05-06T17:12:00.000-07:00

"Society’s increasing reflexivity is a challenge, not least for the public library. The Enlightenment project is based on the fact that armed with our sensibility we move higher and higher up the ladder of development, whereas the reflexive society cannot give us the recipe for what truth is. The universal truism has given way to the realisation that everything might be diff erent. Not even art, which in modernity was considered the very peak of cognition, is today able to create a common horizon, but tends rather to become a reflectory workshop or a laboratory for new forms of selfknowledge. Here it becomes a tool for development of self-identity, because the self, too, has turned into a reflexive project combining personal and social change.

The public library has,as an institution, been hit by this reflexivity in concrete demands for readjustment and change. It manifests itself in the idea of the hybrid library which is a reflection of an amalgamation of the virtual and the real library and of the many new hybrids between libraries, cultural centres, museums and knowledge centres.

The very concept ‘library’ can in the reflexive society be described as a competence centre within the field of culture and knowledge, rather than as the publicly available organised collection of books from which it has originated." http://www.splq.info/issues/vol35_4/05.htm

Professor VJ: Playgiarism

2011-03-04T20:14:00.000-08:00

Professor VJ: Playgiarism: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

MOBYLIVES » The benign piracy of libraries vs. Harper Collins

2011-02-28T22:41:00.000-08:00

MOBYLIVES » The benign piracy of libraries vs. Harper Collins: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Bertelsmann Foundation´s International Network of Public Libraries

2011-02-03T18:34:00.000-08:00

Access thru Google Books
Published in 1999. Comprehensive overview of libraries from an international POV.

Kudos Colorado

2011-01-28T15:42:00.000-08:00

http://bhagcolorado.blogspot.com/

Check Out Toronto's Living Breathing Books

2010-12-29T16:49:00.000-08:00

excerpted from Human Library story by Paul Gallant, Toronto-based freelance writer
City Building, Diversity, Research and Innovation In comfy green chairs in front of a massive and sunny window overlooking Bloor Street, several different conversations are taking place between pairings of strangers. A CBC journalist is telling someone about the stories he's covered. A Tibetan Buddhist monk is talking about his journey to Canada and about the importance of peace.
Considering the size of the system -- it's the world's largest public library -- and the diversity of people who use it, the TPL eschews a one-size-fits-all approach. (Or throwing large sums of money at things -- the Human Library project cost about $5,000). Each branch has an array of materials in languages that reflect the population of its neighbourhood.

"People think of libraries as places where you're shushed, which can be intimidating, but we work hard to make it welcoming," says Aikins."In our feedback from the Human Library event, we found that a good portion of users heard about it from social media, "in the least personal, most mediated way, they found a way to have a very personal experience."

Netherlands Library Incorporates Best of Retail Design

2010-10-27T17:59:00.000-07:00

Simple Brown Wrapper Says It All @ Strode's College in Surrey Banned Books Display

2010-10-21T16:10:00.000-07:00

LSSI monopoly betrays public trust

2010-10-19T18:00:00.000-07:00

Excellent editorial from Nevada County in January 2010:
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Much of the information gleaned from “Privatization/Outsourcing Report for the Dartmouth Public Libraries, 2008.”
Dartmouth ultimately voted against library privatization. This report can be viewed at: www.dartmouthpubliclibraries.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/privatization-report-december-2008/pdf
Pertinent facts regarding privatization include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Privatization is a very new phenomenon (first tried in 1997), and there have been no studies of long term effects on library performance.
• Of the 9,198 public libraries in the U.S., only 13 are currently being outsourced to private enterprise (interestingly, several weeks ago the number of privatized libraries was listed as 14, so one library system may have opted out of privatization).
• All of the 13 contracts mentioned above are with one private company, Library Systems & Services, LLC (LSSI), thus establishing a clear monopoly. Historically, monopolies have been shown to not operate in the public interest, and do not result in either cost savings or improved service.
• As a private non-corporate business, LSSI has no obligation to report financial records, thus depriving the public from knowing their profit margins and priority of expenditures.
• Of the 13 library systems currently experimenting with privatization, not one have done so in order to save money. In fact, there is no evidence that library privatization is less expensive than continued public operation.
• There are several hidden costs in transferring library operation from the public to the private sector. These include but are not limited to: Loss of volunteer hours and donations from both individuals and local businesses; cost of studies and implementation to transfer from the public to the private sector; costs of possible litigation by unions, private individuals and/or other groups contesting transfer from the public to private sector (as happened in New Jersey where LSSI's contract was nullified by the state supreme court); the need to provide competent oversight of private operation, which necessitates some type of “contract management” provided by the county; possible cost of reverting to public operation if the county is not satisfied with LSSI's performance of library operation.
In light of these facts, certain concerns arise over the effects of privatization:
• There is a clear conflict of interest in the public's need for expansive library services and the profit motive of LSSI. The expressed fear in the Dartmouth study was that understaffing and reduction of services are means by which LSSI might maximize profits at the expense of quality service.
• no one in our local library system has had experience with privatization, which puts our otherwise excellent County Librarian at a clear disadvantage in administering such a radically different type of operation.
• Censorship is a clear danger in a privatized library system. If private business, for example, has a vested interested in any political issue, there is a danger that specific books would be excluded from distribution while other, more partisan, materials were not. This would turn our libraries into political tools for special interest groups.
By definition, public libraries are nonpartisan. Their mission is to provide a wide range of materials for citizen to consider when confronting issues vital to our democratic system. Please note, this is not a political issue. We all would lose a vital arm of democracy if libraries came under the control of any political agenda.
• Government intrusion into the lives of citizens would become much more likely if libraries were privatized. In recent years, it was public librarians that led the resistance against attempts by the FBI and other federal agencies to gain access to the circulation records of readers. Political conservatives in particular should be adamantly opposed to privatization, on this point alone.
For some reason, our county administrator, Rick Haffey, has proposed library privatization rather than explore other options. Recent letters to the editor have offered several alternative suggestions for continuing a high standard of public library service.
Moreover, creative methods might well be found to resolve this issue if the county administration would proactively seek to maintain our long tradition of public operation, rather than pass the buck to private enterprise.
Many thanks to William Larsen of Nevada City

Uninformed Local Government & LSSI Questionable Marketing Tactics

2010-10-05T15:10:00.000-07:00

Reference Library Journal article

(Here’s LSSI’s press release. Here’s coverage from the Los Angeles Daily News, which refers to the company as “LSS.” And here’s coverage from the Santa Clarita Valley Signal.)

As one commenter on the Times article stated, “The city ignored the 99% of citizens who showed up in support of the LA County library and pushed this change through in record time.”

Another stated, “Local residents are preparing a multi-pronged court attack against the City Council’s decision to take over ownership of the libraries and to sign a contract with LSSI.”

[As of 7:00 am Eastern Time on September 28, there are 599 comments which reference, When LSSI Comes to Town, with nearly all critical of LSSI and the concept of private management.

In contrast with LSSI’s pledge that it rehires most of the existing employees when it gets a contract:

LSSI CEO Frank Pezzanite’s ignorance is mind-boggling: “A lot of libraries are atrocious,” he told the Times. “Their policies are all about job security. That’s why the profession is nervous about us. You can go to a library for 35 years and never have to do anything and then have your retirement. We’re not running our company that way. You come to us, you’re going to have to work.”

Pezzanite comments suggest he's never even read a library policy. Anyway, his insulting remarks should be enough to make any librarian currently working for LSSI that has worked in non-LSSI environment give notice. The sad truth is that his attitude is probably shared by the local government decision makers to whom he sells his anti-union one trick pony.

eBooks & libraries conference 2010

2010-10-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

eBooks: Libraries at the Tipping Point Online Conference
R. David Lankes Closing Keynote
Lankes wanted to start with a thought experiment. What would happen if when we bought our next device, $10 was added to the cost and that went into a universal author’s fund and you could download any book any time? Would this be a good thing for libraries? Would it be a good thing for librarians? Those are two different things. For libraries, it would allow people to get access to information anywhere any time. The value of libraries is the librarians, not the warehouse of stuff that we have. (Sarah’s comment: We know that, but the general user perception is that libraries are books, so if we no longer have books, won’t it will be hard to maintain community support and funding without a major overhaul of our public image?) We have seen a huge disaggregation of content. Content is being ripped and remixed into different places — an explosion of data. We see the disintegration of profiteering on content too. One doesn’t, and hasn’t historically, made a lot of money off releasing a music album. You make money off of touring and merchandising. Same with books. The real threat is that people have the perception of libraries as a mausoleum of stuff. He also promoted the term “members” instead of users, customers, or patrons. eBooks make Lankes cranky. He only reads fiction in eBook format. What makes him cranky is that the current implementation of hardware and software is so boring. Book virtual interfaces made to look like wooden bookshelves are boring. “Stop!” says Lankes. He sees such potential in eBooks but we’re ignoring the possibilities of what could be. eBooks aren’t solving the real problem: access to information. When we move books to a different format, there’s a problem. Traditional terminology becomes a metaphor. We append prefixes like “e” to traditional terms, but that doesn’t always translate conceptually. If we look at reading the first thing we have to realize is that it should be a social and conversational experience. Part of reading is processing language, turning words into concepts and images in your mind. Some people believe reading to be quiet and contemplative, but Lankes challenges that assumption. While reading is an isolating physically, mentally it is extraordinarily social — how we choose what to read, our pre-conceptions before reading it, how we feel about it and what we share about it afterward… We can organize books and electronic content in all sorts of ways, allowing for hyperlinking and cross-referencing and community suggestions, not just “the librarian’s way.” If we aggregate the unique individual connections, is there a commonality? Yes. We definitely don’t want the “every book’s an app” model that has started with the iPad. We need to get back to the idea that book creation is part of a knowledge creation process. The idea of authoring and reading is merging as tools make it obvious that there is an ongoing conversation. Why annotate text only with other text? He says that librarians are key to sense-making, production, distribution–all steps of knowledge creation. Just as we are authors of our own mobile experiences through customization and apps, we should be authors of our own eBook experiences. Multimedia, chat and other communication, and other functionality will benefit the creation and consumption experiences. Libraries need to stop waiting for others to figure this eBook challenge out. This is our problem and our opportunity. We need to stop waiting for publishers to figure out the eBook model of the future – it’s like waiting for heroin addicts to develop the methadone of the future. He asks the million dollar question: Why aren’t libraries building a unified eBook platform? We need to stop buying from vendors and simply accepting what they give us. We need to add our existing added value in our expertise, our passion for knowledge. He encourages us to stand up for our users’ rights and innovate. Librarians are not consumers or customers. We are participators and so are those we seek to serve. “Lead!” he says.
eBooks: Libraries at the Tipping Point Online Conference
Kevin Kelly (Wired CEO) Keynote
The web as we know it is only 7,000 days old. Early prognosticators thought that the web would be TV, only better. But what we have is a multi-device, multi-author, hugely connected infrastructure for communication. There are 2 billion people linked up via the web. With eBooks, we have the same problem — we’ve guessed that eBooks would be books only better. But Kelly says that what’s coming is very different. Our entire environment is saturated with screens–in airplanes, on the sides of buildings, mobile devices, computers, etc. It’s important to recognize that the eBook is therefore part of that multi-screen environment. We lean forward to use our small screens and lean back to use our big theater-style screens. Where do eBooks fall into this? 2 billion YouTube clips are viewed daily. This is a much larger audience than book readers. As people we need to parse, index, browse, search, manipulate, annotate, re-sequence text…and have it be ubiquitous. He sees the same thing happening with video and other images. A move from orality to literacy happened with the printing press, and now we’re moving from literacy to what Kelly calls “vizuality.” One media platform, blurred lines between media: TV, books, music, blogs, websites, magazines, radio, etc. We don’t want to get stuck on screens being rigid — we’re already seeing flexible screens. We can think about all of these devices that we have, which are windows into a single set of content in the cloud. We and our devices are part of the cloud…it’s not a separate entity. We create content for it and interact with it. All types of things that people said they’d never share are being shared: shopping purchases, locations, health records, travel plans, personal genetics, eating patterns, and work histories. As we move into the cloud, our content moves away from being a single file to being a stream which is tagged. We are shifting from new page creation on the website (which has already peaked) to streams of content on Twitter, YouTube, and other sites. If we think of books as a long-form stream, how does that change how we think about the future of the book? People expect everything to be “always on,” everything to be available all the time. iPads are one of the most popular media for kids because they don’t have to type. Futuristic displays use gestures and interactions instead of keyboards and mice. Kelly introduced the idea of a “watchful eBook” — one that tracks your eye movements and responds accordingly. Lastly, he brought up the issue of the eBook “copy.” The only value is that which cannot be copied. If you want an old copy of National Geographic you can search for it and find a download for a slow download for free or a quick download for a fee. If you want it personalized, that would carry a cost. If you want to be sure that a piece of software, that requires a fee. Or if something that was sent by a creator that you want to be a patron for, you pay them a fee. Charge for different formats optimized for your accessibility needs. But don’t charge for the thing itself. Basically, he’s advocating for free eContent but charging for added-value services.
eBooks: Libraries at the Tipping Point Online Conference
eBooks and the Library User Experience
Josh Greenburg, Jean Costello, Aaron Schmidt, and Michael Bills – moderated by Rebecca Miller
Josh Greenburg started by talking about standard user stories for physical books — you find a book from the library catalog at home, see that it’s checked out, click on a button to place a hold and then you wait. Or if you’re lucky and it is available, a mechanical and physical process starts and the book makes its way to whatever site you choose to pick it up at where it goes on a shelf and waits for you. You might have to stand in line to check it out and then you have access to it for only a limited period of time. eBooks have the same holds issues, but there is no physical transferral of the book from place to place, and no lines to wait in, no need for the user to go into a specific physical place, no real need to have due dates (if there’s no DRM and limits). And in a lovely way the need for fines goes away too if the eBooks don’t have due dates any more. But this is all a Utopian dream. eBooks have a lot of speed bumps. They’re usually, in the physical world, designed to slow people down so they don’t hurt themselves or those around them. Speed bumps for eBooks slow people down, but not for their benefit or the library’s benefit–solely for the publisher’s benefit. Things to think about: What are your goals for eContent at your library? Do you have a fixed cost or do you subsidize rentals? What type of collection do you want? What does this look like for the user’s experience? What speed bumps are you going to put into place in the experience?
Jean Costello spoke as a patron who took public libraries for granted for a long time, but her library was threatened with closure. She learned how much she loves and treasures the organization, and now blogs as The Radical Patron. She asks questions that are probably easier to ask from outside the organization rather than from within. Book stores are cash-strapped and rethinking what they do and offer as their primary business model. The real primary changes are digital content companies: Google, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Publishers have, as a result, become outsiders to the emerging publishing paradigm. Leaders in the publishing industry recognize the tipping point and rethink their alliances and values. What she sees from libraries is that we look at eBooks as “just another technology to contend with, to be adopted but not fully embraced.” (Sarah’s comment: Heck yes, that is totally true for most libraries.) Will the public’s association of books with libraries translate to the eBook realm? Are publishers looking to bypass libraries as an outlet for digital media? Are we aware of this threat? Libraries are really focused on “collection.” Content is so fluid that we need to stop thinking about content as a commodity, a thing to own. She thinks we’ll see passionate readers and cultural institutions create enhanced versions of public domain works, self-published authors forging new ways and terms of distributing their work, and that news and magazines will be seamlessly and fluidly consumed on the fly. Readers advisory will be wrapped around content automatically — look at the recommendation engines in Pandora or Netflix as a potential model. The library user has little motivation to use the library. Any sub-set of content within a world-vision of complete access to everything everywhere will be seen as insufficient. There are many ways that libraries can add value. They need to get past library culture and self-conception and the conflict of values they often have with the vendors. We also need a strong representative to negotiate with the various stakeholders in the legislative and publishing industries. But what do we have in libraries? Libraries have widespread public trust and we need to start using that in new and creative ways.
Aaron Schmidt then took over the discussion and said that the eBook ship has sailed and we are not on it. Years back we had arguments about whether VHS tapes should be in our collections and a whole paid industry sprung up while we were arguing. DVD checkouts make up a large percentage of checkouts in libraries but many people still don’t know that we do that. We have experimented with eBooks a long time ago before the general public was even interested in them — in the early days of the eBook Readers (oh yeah, the ones like the Rocket that failed). We’re used to providing library customers with difficult to use resources (think about your database page). Library patrons should never have to see the word Boolean logic. DRM doesn’t work. Determined users get around it, and all it takes is one ripped copy to open the floodgates for pirating. And there will always, always be one ripped copy no matter what DRM you put in place. All that does is stymie usage by law-abiding, EULA-abiding people. The e-experience should not try to mimic the print experience – that is a failure waiting to happen. Users are accessing eContent on their mobile devices. Apple, Amazon, and Google have changed the game. Better readers will make reading more enjoyable. We don’t want libraries to become mausoleums for dead books. Libraries should stop being like grocery stores (lots of stuff on the shelves) and more like kitchens (easy convenient access). We need to concentrate on our most important asset — the people in our buildings, the library staff, and train them to provide a good user experience for our users with digital content.
Michael Bills talked about enhanced eBooks through Blio (free eBooks platform in development) — text-to-voice, video, annotations, links, etc. eInk devices have proliferated, but the type of content that can be delivered to those devices has been constrained. Blio provides full color enhanced content, interactivity, multiple viewing modes (2 page, 3D, thumbnail), is device-neutral, works on smaller and larger screens, and has a much deeper content catalog. The Book Industry Group sees that people still read eBooks dominantly on computers, with the kindle in a close second. Mobile devices like smart phones come next, ahead of other eReaders like the Sony Reader or the Nook. What could be brought to eBooks that consumers would pay more for? Blio actually has 80% of the extras that consumers said they’d pay for.
eBooks: Libraries at the Tipping Point Online Conference
Ebook What-Ifs: Issues that Impact Scenario Planning
Me (!), Bobbi Newman, and Matt Hamilton + moderated by Josh Hadro

Questions about specific eBook scenarios were posed to us. Here’s what we talked about. Twitter hashtag to follow the conversation during our session was #ebookswhatif

Question: What if there is a Google Book Search terminal in every library?
I tackled this question first. The Google Book Search settlement, if approved, will let every public library building have access to a terminal with access to the Google Books orphan works collection (in copyright but out of print), and academic libraries get access through terminals as well. If there is a terminal in every library, not a darn thing will change. For academic libraries, most of what was scanned has the most potential for people doing research on academic topics. The academic libraries got more flexibility on the number of terminals and the types of access. For public libraries, the question is: how useful is that scanned material to our users? For special libraries, same thing – that material is not highly useful. School libraries didn’t factor into the settlement at all, which is very worrisome. Having one terminal per building with access to something very specific is hearkening back to the days of the single-purpose CD ROM stations. People think of information as ubiquitous and think of everything as being everywhere. A single-use terminal won’t be very helpful to people very much. Plus there are restrictions on what you can do with the books (printing, copying, search, annotations) depends on how much the libraries paid Google for the extra privilege of accessing the information. This means an inevitable inequitable set-up in different libraries. I just don’t think a Google terminal will get used in our public library. There is no information in the settlement about the user access data and user privacy, but Google would have sole full access to it, which is worrisome. ALA and other groups also worry about how much providing good access and printing/copying will cost libraries. I think that some libraries would not participate in this project based on the privacy issues alone. But a lot of people don’t worry about their privacy. Up to 15% of what Google scans can be excluded from this collection at their discretion. What would Google choose to exclude? I think that the cost issue will be the limitation. Google has not told us how much they will charge us to allow people to print or download, money that we have to collect ourselves and then split the money between the Books Registry and Google. The unknown cost issue is frightening.
Bobbi agreed that privacy is a concern as well as space. A computer whose sole purpose is to access Google Books is not likely to be useful to her users. It becomes a customer service issue when a computer stands unused.
Matt agreed that the material in the collection is not something that his users will be drawn to use. They don’t see demands for these types of books that are more academic and esoteric.
Question: What if the price of eReaders drops to zero?
Matt tackled this one first. The price of eReader are dropping drastically. What if the device is thrown in for free with the purchase of a certain number of eBooks? This would result in a flood of cheap eReaders into the market. Can libraries meet demand and utilize this quick influx to the market? Matt thinks it’s incredibly likely that this is going to happen, whether the publishers are subsidizing it or that it’s a contract-based vendor subsidy. For many, this seems like a possible death knell for libraries. A world with free or nearly free eReaders and cheap or free content subsidized by advertising. The democratizing role that public libraries play, our commitment to intellectual freedom, makes us more relevant than ever. If we see free eReaders we may not see a lot of change in demand for our collection, which would create a complacency in library staff that is dangerous. Over time, will we see generations of kids who first learn to read on electronic devices and use them for textbooks and homework? Will paper books become more of a rare and exotic item? New formats combining text with multimedia should be something we consider too. Libraries should assert our values of universal access and intellectual freedom into the emerging standards of the cloud and future technological and legal developments. ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom should be bending the ear of the FCC and other government agencies who are currently giving away the public good to corporations to destroy. Libraries could be the tax-funded space for data and form the infrastructure that helps our local communities share data. There has to be a public good component.
I chimed in and said that there is huge potential for demand increasing with a zero barrier to entry for eReader technologies. With that huge, and fast, an increase our library would not be able to meet eBook demands. The questions of format, different device platforms, and the technical support staff would be asked to perform would be a problem. We are ill-equipped to handle this kind of change so quickly. We’re ill-equipped to handle any change quickly, really.
Then Matt agreed that the differences in format and devices are a huge barrier for libraries. It’s a huge physical challenge to get each staff member to have hands-on experience with all the various eReaders and formats.
I agreed and said is it possible to have enough of these eReaders to give everyone enough time to learn on them? The libraries would get the free eReaders at the exact same time, or likely after, the public got them. We would therefore end up giving some bad service because we’re unprepared to meet these needs. Another issue would be bandwidth – if we’re trying to download a whole bunch of eBooks simultaneously, our infrastructure could not handle it.
Question: What if the DRM issue went away tomorrow?
Bobbi got this question. DRM is a huge frustration. Every eReader, platform, and format combination has a different set of challenges. No device that allow for library eBook use allows for direct-to-device lending yet. So, what if the Librarian of Congress declared 3 years from now that libraries are given huge leeway with regards to copyright and DRM? A lot of what prevents users from using library eBooks with their chosen devices is the DRM. The clunky experience at the library makes people turn to the direct paid consumer products instead. If DRM went away, demand for our eContent would increase by huge amounts. There would be a bandwidth impact here too. A lot o the library’s policies about in-library computer access would need to change too to more easily allow for access to downloadable content. Even if DRM went away, how does that affect the patrons who already tried accessing the collections and had negative experiences. Patrons expect that the Kindle and other eReaders will work with library eBooks. Libraries have to be the ones to break the news to people that our eContent won’t work with their devices, which is beyond our control. But we sound like the bad guys.
I agreed that we would see an unprecedented increase in demand, but without DRM that increase in demand would at least be a good thing. The first time experience with library eBooks is often bad. Our stats show that we lose a lot of first-time users of our eBooks — they don’t come back. Maybe they would come back if access was easier. I gave up too and turned to a Kindle app on my Android phone. Comparing my experiences with that to my experiences with library eBooks is distressing.
Bobbi replied that the eAudioBook process is a lot smoother, but the eBook process is a lot harder…largely because of connecting to a computer and go through the more cumbersome process. Also, since you can’t download most eBooks in most libraries within most libraries, we have to break the news to them that we don’t allow downloads in the library. (Sarah’s note: this is a policy that libraries need to change.)
Matt sees the same thing where he works too. If DRM went away, doors could open for ways to deliver services in libraries.
eBooks: Libraries at the Tipping Point Online Conference
How eBooks Impact Libraries, Publishers & Readers
Brian Kenney, Barbara Fister, Eli Neiberger, and Steve Potash
Eli Neiberger started out the presentation and is freaking brilliant. Let me say that again. Eli is brilliant. Libraries can’t disassociate themselves from format. We’ve fared through other outmoded technologies and formats over time, so looking at those changes might help us move forward with eContent. Those who survived the crash of vinyl are thriving. Vinyl sales have tripled recently. But the 8 Track was a transitory technology. They were successful as a convenience format, but were quickly replaced with something much more convenient – the cassette tape. He even talked about candles as an outmoded format, but we still use them for ceremony and atmosphere. Same with gaslamps. The built infrastructure to support this technology in communities were able to be converted and built-upon to support future technologies (electricity, etc.). The typewriter is outmoded and it disappeared except for those who use it as a symbol or to make a statement. At the same time, the descendants of the typewriter (physical and virtual keyboards) still use the same format. Movable type technologies from printing presses to modern printers changed the same way. Will the future of the Book follow the model of vinyl (niche, statement-driven, small) or 8 tracks (outmoded and laughable)? The model of the candle or the gas lamp? The model of the typewriter? Will someone who has a book collection look as eccentric as those who have typewriter collections? Or is the future of the eBook like movable type? Is the eBook the future of text distribution? If so, libraries are screwed. The copyright lies with vendors and copyright owners, not with the users and consumers of the information. The value of library collections are rooted in the worth of a local copy. The locality of a copy is relatively meaningless now with the advent of the web. The notion of a copy loses its embodied value when there is no difference between transmission and duplication. That might change, but right now it creates a huge problem. Most people will soon have internet access in their pockets. The idea of owning a copy of media will be baffling to future generations. Why have a local copy? Access when needed from “the stream.” Using the library is likely to remain an inferior experience for digital content because of DRM and selection of content, as libraries are not able to buy everything in digital format that individual consumers are. The circulating collection itself is a technology that has become outmoded. The internet and the digital distribution of content has made this happen. The peak of physical circulation has already occurred. We need to pay more attention to digital circulation of content. Libraries used to actually be for storing and providing access to the content from the community, to protect and ensure access to local records and unique items — not bestselling romance. We need to re-center on that purpose. Why not make the library the publisher? A platform for the community to create and store unique data? Everyone is a publisher. But everyone agrees to restrictive terms for accessing digital content every day, and there is not a groundswell of support for change to this. Libraries need a fair use exemption to allow us to lend digital content. But more than anything, the circulation of content is a dying method of distributing content. We need to prepare for that.
Steve Potash, the President and CEO of Overdrive, spoke next. Potash says that his company’s work with libraries has been “a journey.” eBooks are now in 2/3 of American libraries, up from 38% in 2005. Circulation of eBooks went up 73% from 2009 to 2010. He wants library subscribers to know they will get a good return on investment for the books they buy from them. They’re releasing more information on their updated mobile apps and a new mobile user experience that enables first time users on the web to go to the library app and see books and with one click read the books. (I’m glad to hear they’re simplifying the mobile apps, because they are currently unusable, imho.) He also noted that they’re adding DRM-free epub format books too (also good). They’re adding open access to Project Gutenberg and other free eBooks through Overdrive’s interface as well. Today they offer over 70,000 eBooks under the LEAP program (Library eBook Accessibility Program) through a partnership with Bookshare. (This is free to libraries, so if you’re not using it, check it out.)
Barbara Fister spoke next very briefly. The publishing industry is facing some huge problems in that they’re trying to allow for an antiquated business model that doesn’t really work for digital content. The use of publishing text books and eBooks and trying to make money, don’t sign anything that won’t let you share content.
eBooks: Libraries at the Tipping Point Online Conference
Ray Kurzweil Keynote
Kurzweil is a legend and it was fascinating to listen to him. The reality of information technology is that its growth is exponential. But our intuition about the future is linear in nature. This causes us problems in predicting the future accurately and being able to prepare for it. We’re at a point where eBooks in libraries are real.
We will experience 20,000 years of progress in the 21st century, if today’s rate of information technology change continues. Information technologies double their price performance over a single year. Moore’s Law, baby! Communication technologies, biological technologies, are all increasing. The size of the internet in terms of bandwidth usage and pages hosting is exploding as well. Kurzweil predicts that we’ll put screens into our eyeglasses and view screens at any magnification we choose, looking at eContent, augmented reality applications, and web content.
U.S. education expenditures have increased exponentially too, which Kurzweil connects to more of an investment in training on technology. (I must disagree with him on this. Schools have very poor technology investment in general. And expenditure increase has not seen any connection to increase in performance or graduation rates, so throwing more money at the problem won’t help. We need to fundamentally change our approach to education.)
People are still asking for more text-to-speech capabilities, books read aloud to them, and more flexibility. He demo-ed Blio, an eBook Store with a million free eBooks: http://www.blio.com. It’s out for the PC now, and they’re building iPhone & iPad, Android, and Mac versions now. Looks a lot like other eBook Stores with covers, reviews, publisher info, etc. Downloading the book preserves the original format, page by page — anything with a rich graphical format benefits from this. You can preview pages, turn the pages and they flip as with a printed book, use reference tools, magnify, etc.
There needs to be a social compact that people will respect intellectual property rights. The technical means to break them exists, but the respect to not break them is the key. Kurzweil stresses that “it’s not cool to take intellectual property without paying for it.”
The graphs from Kurzweil’s presentation on the evolution of many things can be found at http://www.KurzweilAI.net/pps/KurzweilPowerPoint/

E-books taking off at Vancouver public libraries — and they carry no late fees

2010-08-21T23:11:00.000-07:00

E-books taking off at Vancouver public libraries — and they carry no late fees: "
Article of interest but comments are even more useful for libraries considering lending ebook readers.

Canadian librarian leads worldwide digital revolt for free knowledge - thestar.com

2010-08-21T21:44:00.000-07:00

Canadian librarian leads worldwide digital revolt for free knowledge - thestar.com

Jason Griffey in Library Technology Reports 8/10

2010-08-20T15:39:00.000-07:00

"When it's possible for you to read text, click a link to a video, and then leave a comment correcting something about the original text, your relationship with the consumption of media has changed. "
"Digital distribution that separates the content from the form allows producers to create different keys for each person who happens to buy a copy of the content, which limits the usage of the content in ways that should make libraries and librarians uncomfortable."
"DRM is, in a manner of speaking, treating paying customers like criminals. It prevents legitimate customers from doing what they want with their content while doing absolutely nothing to the people who acquired the same content illegally. The music industry finally realized this, and it's my belief that book publishers will do the same. I'm hoping that it doesn't take another decade for it to happen this time around."

Ways to Share List Longer & Longer

2010-08-18T16:04:00.000-07:00

(Sorry the copy and paste wouldn't add the hyperlink.)
Bookmark & ShareX List of Social Networking Aug2010
.netShoutout
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2 Tag
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7Live7.com
A1‑Webmarks
Add.io
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All My Faves
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Baang
Baidu
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BiggerPockets
Bit.ly
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Bookmarked
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ideaREF!
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Bookmark & Share

You know you're a 21st century librarian when...

2010-08-11T18:45:00.000-07:00

http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/blue-skunk-blog/2010/8/8/you-know-youre-a-21st-century-librarian-when.html
After seeing this month's American Libraries Direct article/link, I had to add my own version.

Last week on "vacation" I was exploring Book Passage, reknowned Bay area book store and author haunt in Marin County, when I was struck by how I could catch up on a bit of collection development whle browsing. I posed my somewhat strange idea to Nick, BP staffer behind the desk, and he gave me the OK.

I proceeded with what would be the 21st century librarian's vacation photo album: snapshots of books that I soon ordered upon my return to work. Sitting at my desk, browsing through my photos (ahhh...fond memories of book flaps coupled with anticipation of future reading extravaganzas) while typing titles and authors into Baker & Taylor.

As we move into the world of Android barcode scanners and QR code applications on phones, I think of the all the time saved and improved quality of collection development that is now at our fingertips. And it blows me away. After a bit of practice with Android, I'm going to see if I can make make my next vacation an even more efficient collection development experience.

Watch out Powell's!!!

City library considering book-dispensing kiosk at Union Station - thestar.com

2010-08-09T19:59:00.000-07:00

City library considering book-dispensing kiosk at Union Station - thestar.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

How eBook Catalogs at PL’s drive Publishers Sales

2010-07-18T02:55:00.000-07:00

IF
How eBook Catalogs at PL’s drive Publishers Sales
THEN
Let's use this as leverage when negotiating for collection development.

Metaweb - Connect your site to the web's best sources

2010-07-18T02:10:00.000-07:00

Metaweb - Connect your site to the web's best sources: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

I can't wait. Soon we'll be able to get rid of our expensive ILS and let Google tell us if we have a book and if it's on the shelf.

Google Buys Metaweb - mediabistro.com: WebNewser

2010-07-18T01:45:00.000-07:00

Google Buys Metaweb - mediabistro.com: WebNewser: "

Librarians really are going to need advanced skills to stay relevant. (Why did I put that in future tense?) We need them yesterday.

Ryu Murakami to Release Novel Directly Through Apple iPad - Japan Real Time - WSJ

2010-07-18T01:25:00.000-07:00

Ryu Murakami to Release Novel Directly Through Apple iPad - Japan Real Time - WSJ: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Hurray! The novel as multimedia has arrived. (I can't wait to see what this looks like for librarians.) Brooks from NYT recently playing on McLuhan's "The Medium is the Message" says the "The Medium is the Medium." If we weren't already confused enough...

He makes a strong argument for EFF: " It could be that the real debate will not be books versus the Internet but how to build an Internet counterculture that will better attract people to serious learning."

The OtherLibrarian's blog about professional & librarian as oxymoron

2010-07-03T15:27:00.000-07:00

My response as follows:
I haven't read all the replies yet, but one thing comes to mind as a distinguishing factor when I explain to others how I differentiate professional from para-professional and it doesn't really have anything to do with the list mentioned here. I was one of those who pooh-poohed the idea of MLIS while working in a library as a page with master's degree in literature at minimum wage. After receiving my MLIS, of course, I had a different take on the whole thing. Making more money was a big incentive for supporting getting the degree for me, but in getting the degree I made a commitment over and above the one I had prior to the degree. I made a commitment to consider the role model associated with the title, a commitment to supporting lifelong learning not only for myself but for everyone, a commitment to not make assumptions but rather "look it up" (research) and provide supporting statistics when possible. I could go on, but suffice it to say that with the "commitment" to the field came the "professional" standing, not just the degree. For para-professionals, being a librarian (one who works in a library) is often about a "job" rather than a vocation. It's more like "a calling" for those that choose to make the commitment to be a professional librarian, though, as in any field, the degree is only one step of the journey. We practice our academic skill set and learn from our day to day experience, all the rest of the numbered items are of consequence only in this regard.

library director Job Trends | Indeed.com

2010-06-13T03:36:00.000-07:00

library director Job Trends | Indeed.com
Mouse over graph for good news:

library director Job Trends

Library Director jobs

Information Quotes

2010-06-12T23:34:00.000-07:00

Information Quote(s)
especially
Where is all the knowledge we lost with information?
T. S. Eliot

GoLibrary Smash Up

2010-04-01T17:22:00.000-07:00

Suggestion from Self

2010-03-27T21:12:00.001-07:00

Idea for Virtual Leadership Workshop
Difference between
Change
Progress
Growth

in reference to: NYM--not your mother's--LIBRARY: PLA 2010 Leadership Pre-Conference (view on Google Sidewiki)

PLA 2010 Leadership Pre-Conference

2010-03-27T18:12:00.000-07:00

Much thought given to why this didn't work for me.
Comments from Leadership Task Force members were that perhaps it seemed uninformative because it wasn't new to me, but that other attendees may not already be aware of simple concept of know yourself, know your community and get a seat "at the table."

I don't buy it. I wish it were possible to survey the participants to find out if this was new information. It seemed to me that the presenter must think that librarians are living under a rock if this is to be perceived as professional level insight.

I had hoped to be able to bring something back to the library leaders in my system libraries, but the learning experience was limited to the networking done at the break out tables with peers. When we came back to the larger group to share our take on the case studies, for the most part we were all on the same page. The case study was lame, in that it wasn't even a library case study. I really had the feeling that the presenter didn't care if we got something from the workshop or not. Had any work gone into the preparation? (Was obviously canned to me.) I had the sense that he thought he was doing us a favor by showing up. Maybe he was doing it for free. That would explain a lot.

One positive note is yet to be played out. Our closing exercise was to discuss with those at our table what we planned to take away with us to apply at home. My hope is that we will have an opportunity to do some social networking with each other so that we might support one another in making sense of how to lead after the pre-conference ship has sailed.

Check it out...training resources for library staff

2010-03-19T22:19:00.000-07:00

http://alalearning.org/join

PLA Preconference (background reading: Wheatley)

2010-03-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

"When an individual changes, its neighbors take notice and decide how they will respond. Over time, individuals become so intermeshed in this process of co-evolving that it becomes impossible to distinguish the boundary between self and other, or self and environment. There is a continual exchange of information and energy between all neighbors, and a continuous process of change and adaptation everywhere in the system. And another paradox, it is these individual changes that contribute to the overall health and stability of the entire system."

I like this quote, and I totally agree with her POV (what I've seen or read so far). However, none of it sounds new. Is it just me or has "new age" finally been adopted into business management strategy as as a new paradigm?

Leading at PLA

2010-03-17T16:32:00.000-07:00

NOT ENOUGH GENERALS WERE KILLED
PETER F. DRUCKER, FOREWORD IN
THE DRUCKER FOUNDATION (1996), THE LEADER OF THE FUTURE

I have been working with organizations of all kinds for fifty years or more - as a teacher and administrator in the university, as a consultant to corporations, as a board member, as a volunteer. Over the years, I have discussed with scores - perhaps even hundreds - of leaders their roles, their goals, and their performance. I have worked with manufacturing giants and tiny firms, with organizations that span the world and others that work with severely handicapped children in one small town. I have worked with some exceedingly bright executives and a few
dummies, with people who talk a good deal about leadership and others who apparently never even think of themselves as leaders and who are rarely, if ever, talk about leadership.

The lessons are unambiguous. The first is that there may be "born leaders", but there surely are
far too few to depend on them. Leadership must be learned and can be learned - and this, of
course, is what this book was written for and should be used for. But the second major lesson is
that "leadership personality", "leadership style", and "leadership traits" do not exist. Among the
most effective leaders I have encountered and worked with in a half a century, some locked
themselves into their office and others were ultragregarious. Some (though not many) were "nice guys"" and others were stern disciplinarians. Some were quick and impulsive; others studied and studied again and then took forever to come to a decision. Some were warm and instantly "simpatico"; others remained aloof even after years of working closely with others, not only with outsiders like me but with the people within their own organization. Some immediately spoke of their family; others never mentioned anything apart from the task in hand.

Some leaders were excrutiangly vain - and it did not affect their performance (as his spectacular
vanity did not affect General Douglas MacArthur's performance until the very end of his career).
Some were self-effacing to a fault - and again it did not affect their performance as leaders (as it
did not affect the performance of General Marshall or Harry Truman). Some were as austere in
their private lives as a hermit in the desert; others were ostentatious and pleasure-loving and
whooped it up at every opportunity. Some were good listeners, but among the most effective
leaders I have worked with were also a few loners who listened only to their own inner voice.

The one and only personality trait the effective ones I have encountered did have in common was something they did not have: they had little or no "charisma" and little use either for the term or for what it signifies. All the effective leaders I have encountered - both those I worked with and those I merely watched - knew four simple things:
· The only definition of a leader is someone who has followers. Some people are thinkers.
Some are prophets. Both roles are important and badly needed. But without followers,
there can be no leaders.
· An effective leaders is not someone who is loved or admired. He or she is someone whose
followers do the right things. Popularity is not leadership. Results are.
· Leaders are highly visible. They therefore set examples.
· Leadership is not rank, privileges, titles, or money. It is responsibility.
Regardless of their almost limitless diversity with respect to personality, style, abilities, and
interests, the effective leaders I have met, worked with, and observed also behaved much the
same way:
· They did not start out with the question, "What do I want?" They started out asking, "What
needs to be done?"
· Then they asked, "What can and should I do to make a difference?" This has to be
something that both needs to be done and fits the leader's strengths and the way she or
he is most effective.
· They consistently asked, "What are the organization's mission and goals? What constitutes
performance and results in this organization?"
· They were extremely tolerant of diversity in people and did not look for carbon copies of
themselves. It rarely even occurred to them to ask, "Do I like or dislike this person?" But
they were totally - fiendishly - intolerant when it came to a person's performance,
standards, and values.
· The were not afraid of strength in their associates. They gloried in it. Whether they had
heard it or not, their motto was what Andred Carnegie wanted to have put on his
tombstone: "Here lies a man who attracted better people into his service than he was
himself."
· One way or another, they submitted themselves to the "mirror test" - that is, they made
sure that the person they saw in the mirror in the morning was the kind of person they
wanted to be, respect, and believe in. This way they fortified themselves against the
leader's greatest temptations - to do things that are popular rather than right and to do
petty, mean, sleazy things.

Finally, these effective leaders were not preachers; they were doers. In the mid 1920s, when I was in my final high school years, a whole spate of books on World War I and its campaigns suddenly appeared in English, French, and German. For our term project, our excellent history teacher - himself a badly wounded veteran - told each of us to pick several of these books, read them carefully, and write a major essay on our selections. When we then discussed these essays in class, one of my fellow students said, "Every one of these books says that the Great War was a war of total military incompetence. Why was it?" Our teacher did not hesitate a second but shot right back, "Because not enough generals were killed; they stayed way behind the lines and let others do the fighting and dying."

Effective leaders delegate a good many things; they have to or they drown in trivia. But they do
not delegate the one thing that only they can do with excellence, the one thing that will make a
difference, the one thing that will set standards, the one thing they want to be remembered for.
They do it.
It does not matter what kind of organization you work in; you will find opportunities to learn about leadership from all organizations - public, private, and nonprofit. Many people do not realize it, but the largest number of leadership jobs in the United States is in the nonprofit, social sector. Nearly one million nonprofit organizations are active in this country today, and they provide excellent opportunities for learning about leadership. The nonprofit sector is and has been the true growth sector in America's society and economy. It will become increasingly important during the coming years as more and more of the tasks that government was expected to do during the last thirty or forty years will have to be taken over by community organizations, that is, by nonprofit organizations.

The Leader of the Future (1996) is a book for leaders in all sectors: business, nonprofit, and
government. It is written by people who themselves are leaders with proven performance records. It can - and should - be read as the definitive text on the subject. It informs and stimulates. The first section of this book looks at the future of organizations and examines the role of leaders in the emerging society of organizations. The second part of the book gives vivid accounts of today's and tomorrow's leaders in action. It then turns to look at leadership development strategies, and it concludes with some powerful personal statements from effective leaders.

This is a book about the future. But I hope it will also be read as a call to action. I hope that it will
first challenge every reader to ask, "What in my organization could I do that would truly make a
difference? How can I truly set an example?" And I hope that it will then motivate each reader to do it.
Peter F. Drücker - Claremont, California, October 1995
Continue to Chap 1 – The new Language of Organizing and its implications for Leaders

2010-03-17T16:27:00.000-07:00

Yuba County Library - Pull: The Power of the Semantic Web to Transform Your Business

2010-02-12T17:06:00.000-08:00

Yuba County Library - Pull: The Power of the Semantic Web to Transform Your Business

2010-02-12T13:43:00.001-08:00

Chat to my CyberTwin online now!

PULL

2010-01-09T07:28:00.000-08:00

Just started David Siegel's new book, Pull: The Power of the Semantic Web...
Have been thinking a great deal about information, reading, books, internet, libraries, knowledge management basically. I'm finding that I am not reading books less these days, but with computers and the internet, I'm reading a bit differently.

I'm reading in both medium simultaneously. I'm broadening my reading experience by in-filling from the web. It is a brave new world with lots of scary big brothers and uncle sams looking over our shoulders, but it's a world where governments will be more transparent along with our personal lives. As with most things, we've got to take the good with the bad and make the most of it.

Back to PULL. Here's one of the ways I'm reading these days, I guess we could call it reading for future reference. (In the not too distant future, I'm sure this blog post exercise will become unnecessary as all the links from the book will be made available as part of the publishing package. But until then, here's the wysiwyg where "structured data comes out of the deep web and onto the open web, forming the foundation of the semantic web."

sciencecommons.org
ARTstor.org
McMaster.com
NIN.com
rhapsody.com
LiveLeak.com
crunchpad.com
jolicloud.com
freebase.com
semantic-mediawiki.org
instedd.org
thepowerofpull.com
commonapp.org
LarKC
Cyc
umbel.org
viaf.org
id.loc.gov
neighborrow.com Zoe member of readers anon???
onix.com pub format
zillow.com
transparensee.com
adaptiveblue.com
zantaz.com
daylife.com
autonomy.com
healthline.com
microformats.com
seamless.com
siri.com
delicious-monster.com
goodguide.com
dpreview.com
linkeddata.org
grainger.com
superpages.com
youtube.com/watch?v=voAntzB7EwE
xbrl comp lang
fpml comp lang
rubee new rfid
Dvorak keyboard
jolicloud.com
optimus maximus keyboard
crunchpad.com
liveleak.com
yammer.com
revolutioncard.com
ibm.com/think
fairtax.org
iousathemovie.com
y-t-c.com
e-patients.net
monitor.creativecommons.org
digital signatures
Ambient Findability Peter Morville
identityblog.burtongroup.com
srmsblog.burtongroup.com
identityblog.com
dataportability.org
mismo.org
trulia.com
streeteasy.com
dwellicious.com
ambient intelligence
3ds.com
legalzoom.com
hResume microformat
voice.google.com
inames.net
w-41.com
spime.com space + time (sterling, b)
widetag.com
gsi commerce

Web 3.0 = context Semantic web Get used to it. It's upon us.
Except for content metadata or format metadata. Intended use of data or content can determine designation.
Web 3.0 = smart data or metadata: maps, menus, manuals, receipts, invoices, catalogs...etc. The only thing that isn't metadata is content.

"...if you're not findable, you're not relevant. ...Bot to be relevant, you'll have to make a difference in people's lives." Peter Morville

"...the solution to the overabundance of information is more information." David Weinberger

"In a time of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the future." Eric Hoffer

Today at the gym, in the sauna, young woman reading an ebook on her iphone. Welcome 21st century readers, this twit's for you.

Foggy Brain Day

2009-11-06T11:44:00.000-08:00

Library Journal Oct09 "Have We Created a Monster"

2009-09-29T12:10:00.000-07:00

We librarians live in a nonprofit world founded on a belief in serving the common good. Trusting by nature, we have yet to learn how to protect ourselves when doing business in the competitive world of information brokering. Businesses supposedly price according to the old adage "Charge what the market will bear." As purchasing librarians, we are the market, yet we have allowed the cost of databases to get completely out of hand. The time has come for the market to correct itself—with a little help from us.

In 1993, the year I started working in libraries, there were reputedly 284 locations on the entire World Wide Web. Within a few years, over 170 million domain names were in use. Between 1998 and 2001, when I was lucky enough to have my first directorship in a small library in Pennsylvania, spending on subscription databases had increased from $17 million to $50 million a year. Fortunately, Pennsylvania had instituted a program called AccessPA Power Library (now facing state cuts, see News, p. 12), which made a host of subscription databases available to libraries free of charge from the State Library. At the time, we were all aware that we needed to market our databases to the public, convinced that they were not being used simply because the public did not know what was available.

Usage-based pricing

Back then, the advantages of simultaneous users, remote access, and freed-up shelf space had us all giddy, and we allowed anticipation of usage to define pricing. We accepted the idea of billing based on population or number of patrons, even though we had no usage statistics to show whether this made sense economically.

Now that we have these statistics, we must ask whether the original pricing model makes sense. Perhaps a pricing mechanism based on actual usage would be better, especially as rumblings are being heard about the need to increase database usage, cut database budgets, or both. By looking at current usage statistics, rather than projected usage, we could see more easily whether we could justify the expense of a particular database.

If we insisted on making usage statistics the focus, so that pricing reflected actual demand rather than what we hoped to achieve, we would be doing due diligence—and reducing upfront costs. Certainly, vendors would then have to take a more active role in promoting their products to the public. Database publishers would have to recognize that while there are costs associated with access and updating, they are saving on printing costs and cannot indulge in price gouging. (Are we subsidizing the costs of print with our online subscriptions?) And both vendors and pubishers would have to recognize that we are now beyond the need to price by expectation—the results are already in.

Supply and demand

How closely do we follow web page statistics, much less individual database stats? Probably not as much as we should. In our defense, maybe the technology for measuring these statistics was not there before, but why didn't we ask for it to be created? And why aren't we demanding that it be used now? Of course, vendors might be reluctant to volunteer this level of support; it could mean lower fees for their products. But, as the market for these databases, we would save.

At the moment, there is no meaningful relationship between database supply and demand in the library world. We have created the demand for products that we helped produce. We are effectively testing the products, but our vendors often capture information from our tax-supported programs or projects, use it to create new products, and then turn around and resell these products back to us. No question, there's "learning by doing" here for publisher, vendor, and library, but we aren't being smart about our contribution to the process and the need to fight for what serves us best.

Subscription-based vs. general

Maybe we are trying too hard. Often a patron comes into the library wanting a simple answer for a simple question, and we bombard them with a range of resources. Given a choice between vertical, specialized databases that are subscription- or fee-based and horizontal, general databases or search engines, we opt for the former under the assumption that they alone are authoritative and can be trusted. But as more information becomes available for free, this argument holds less sway.

Right now, librarians are essentially marketing often unknown products to the public, but shouldn't our mission be simply to provide these products, not create a need we have no hope of filling? And shouldn't the cost of these products be based on actual demand? In classic McLuhanese, the quality of the massage/message can only be determined by the receiver. What kind of deals have your sales reps been offering you recently to renew? Do you think that this has been out of generosity and good will? Or perhaps we are seeing a crash of the authoritative database market comparable to the current fiscal crisis, giving us an opportunity to reinvent a world where information just wants to be free.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Weed them and weep...

2009-09-11T23:41:00.000-07:00

Today, while undertaking the gargantuan task of getting the shit off the shelves, many thoughts clamored for attention. One of the most electrifying was considering that I am taking an active part in defining "the new world order" (for lack of a better turn of phrase at the moment.)

Whereas, only a brief time ago books were kept on library shelves for content, we are instead entering the arena as a browsing venue. I was pulling things off the shelves and throwing them on the floor. (We were closed so I was alone listening to the trees falling in the forest.) Books that have been securely assured of a space in some instances for 20 or 30 years were now tossed into a heap.

The name of the game is changing beyond limits of my imagination. In the simplest terms, I am getting rid of books that are tired, worn and/or dated in order that our patrons can see the forest.

Our circulation has been sickeningly low. For six years I've poured everything that I am into turning that around. Even with usage doubling and tripling, I'm still embarrased at the numbers. As I am making my way through the 160,000 volumes in our library, I now envision the tripling tripling and even quadrupling as our collection becomes smaller and more inviting.

One glimmering thought and then I'll see what else surfaces from the day's memory, we are feeding more on the image than the word in the 21st century library. This is a complete turn around for civilization. With the internet, computers, and the tendency toward identifying according to iconic, rather than an alphabetic vocabulary, we are participating in "herstory" (read The Goddess Versus the Alphabet by Leonard Shlain.)

Viva la revolution!

Library Journal Article on "Self Service Library"

2009-08-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Susan Kantor-Horning on an article well-done . I know this article is a little overdue (pun intended) but that's on par with the whole project. In Yuba County at our Wheatland location, the GoLibrary has yet to offer uninterrupted service for more than 3 weeks running. The good news is that the problems these days are minor, usually a book/box is stuck. The bad news is that it means a 30 minute trip for someone to go out to the machine and back in order to un-stick it.

For those interested, I wanted to add a vendor to the list mentioned in your article. mkSorting has designed and created a state of the art version of book dispenser and it would seem mkSorting intends to beta test the machine before bringing to it market. We have heard from the vendor that they anticipate their machine to be ready for release before the end of the year.

ARRA's auras

2009-08-10T22:03:00.000-07:00

Figuring out what's up with the fed funds potentially out there for libraries, is like pppp'ing in the wind. Funding will go mostly to commercial applications and we will be tasked with providing the markets, then training the markets, then providing free access to the well-trained markets. We must play the knowledge management card in order to take a stand as the great equalizers in the middle of the great divide.

How to? See Movers & Shakers 2009

2009-03-16T18:11:00.000-07:00

ALA 2009 Movers & Shakers 2009

Widget Test

2009-03-12T16:54:00.000-07:00

Top Ten Library 2.0 Minimum Requirements

2009-02-10T14:59:00.000-08:00

http://otherlibrarian.wordpress.com/2007/01/19/my-top-ten-library-20-no-brainers-for-public-libraries/

Blocked Again

2009-02-09T13:14:00.000-08:00

http://www.gnu.org/manual/manual.html
I was going to post this on twitter but our IT department blocks it because of "adult language."
I've been blocked earlier today because of items that are "proxy" related, specifically this seems to include anything that has a tiny URL. I have a list of blocked items that I'm continually adding to in hopes that eventually it will serve as a back up support for libraries' increasing need for "social networking" tools and availability.
The above link that I started with here was not blocked, fortunately. It may be of interest to making lists of free software and free software documentation (manuals.)
Check it out!

Widgets & Gadgets & Blogs, Oh MY!

2009-02-04T17:32:00.000-08:00

ALA workshop reminded me of how little I know and far there is to go to be Web2.0 (L2) savvy. It seems as if all I do these days is create new free accounts with no time to use them, apply what I learned or often even remember the password to the latest addition to what is cascading into a torrent of "It's all about ME" resources.

Fun as it all is, has been and will be, the only thing that keeps me taking the learning curve at 90 mph is knowing that somewhere along the way I'll be able to make it more manageable for someone else. The choices are multiplying like bunnies (have you seen Bob Stupel et al's Everything Web 2.0? I found it on Sacred Cow Dung as "the List," but it's been distributed all over the web. (It's so amazing, I just linked to twice just in case you weren't tempted by the first one.) I believe this list has been growing since 2006.

Forget about the 43 things, the list is 43+ printed pages of things for us to learn & play.

GoLibrary Slowly Gaining Speed

2009-01-12T12:56:00.000-08:00

Finally it looks as if we have a product that is working. For months we have been running back and forth to the machine, every day or every other day or sometimes more than once a day, to troubleshoot technical problems. Our patrons in Wheatland have more or less given up on the thing and we are now starting from scratch in terms of generating public interest. But hey, that's why they call it beta testing.

To outline the project briefly, Yuba County Library was invited to participate as the rural beta test in an LSTA project put forward by Contra Costa County Library. The California State Library was aware of Yuba's lack of remote area access for patrons and knew that we were looking at technological solutions in order to address our growing needs for services. In fact, given our ongoing budget constraints, our strategic plan continues to place a heavy emphasis on technology due to the need to keep overhead costs to a minimum. The cybrary concept continues to be the template we use when considering appropriate use for our local impact fees.

With over 600 square miles of service area and a population of just over 70,000, Yuba County Library's one facility in Marysville along with a 32 foot bookmobile are grossly inadequate to meet the needs of our residents. So, when we were asked to be involved in testing a book dispenser that was purported to require a minimum amount of staff time to maintain and very little overhead costs, we enthusiastically agreed.

According to the vendor of the book dispenser, Distec from Sweden, all we needed was a location, a dedicated high-speed internet connection, SIP2 integrated ILS and RFID on books to be circulated from the machine. Sounds simple, right? From my recent experience I might concede that it would sound simple to those who are already knowledgeable about SIP2 and RFID technology or to those who did not have a clue about either, into which we fit firmly in the latter category. Eventually, we were to cobble together a crash course for ourselves with CCCL's gracious tech support.

Because of our determination and commitment to the project, we folded in a system migration and upgrade to our already ambitious planning. Actually, this was an essential piece of the puzzle, as our library had been piggybacking on our local community college's outdated ILS since automating in 2000. In order to minimize the costs, we stayed with the college's vendor, SIRSI, and were one of the first libraries in California to take advantage of their new SaaS, being hosted on a SIRSI server and running the enhanced version of SIRSI.net. The enhanced version was essential as without it we would have had neither the visual reinforcement of book covers, nor the added summaries/blurbs for patrons making their selections from the machine's simple touch screen interface.

In our innocence, which is always a good excuse for not knowing, we didn't realize how long it would take to complete the requirements for the SIP2 agreement. Our SIP2 was straightforward and was added onto our migration contract, but because Distec did not yet have a third party SIP2 agreement with SIRSI, or any vendors in the country for that matter, we were placed in the role of facilitating theirs as well as our own. Distec was quite dependent on us for contact information as their experience with U.S. ILS vendors was in its infancy. How much help we were able to offer them was limited, unfortunately, as we were in our own infancy in relation to having our own, independent ILS. This dual novice status was later to cost us, as we were unable to come up with alternatives to a customized report from SIRSI to allow books to be downloaded into the Bokomaten. Our County IT department suspected that we could probably create the report ourselves, but there just wasn't time.

Here I should briefly mention that, going into the project, we had pitched the grant as requiring minimal County resources. What we were faced with in relation to getting the machine to work was quite a different matter. So, anything requiring time from our County IT department was monitored very closely in order to be kept to a minimum. In fact, most of the players agree, the reason CCCL was able to have a functional, hassle-free machine months before us was due to their access to in-house tech support.

One non-technical challenge that came as a bit of a shock to both libraries was the box size limitations. The Bokomaten, having been designed for a European market, was designed for boxes and slots--into which the boxes would fit--according to standard European publishing sizes. For anyone familiar with U.S. publishing, you will know that there is quite a wide range of sizes for books in this country. Doing collection development according to size of book was certainly not something our professors would have recommended or taught us in library school.

After eliminating according to size and thickness, there was an added delimiter regarding inclusion of cover pictures associated with the record. For the remote access patron, title and author would not be enough to compel browsing by GoLibrary users. We determined that having the book cover, or graphic plus a blurb, would be critical for successful presentation of the books available in the machine. Small independent press titles or titles with older publication dates are examples of the kinds of materials that might not have enhanced content available. We learned the hard way to check for the enhanced content before selecting a book to add. We were forced to de-select many items, initially prepared for the machine, because we did not want anything in the book dispenser to be limited to just text. In some instances we resorted to showing a picture of an edition of the book other than the one that was actually in the machine for this reason.

Communication in a dot.com world was definitely the key to the success of this project. Communication between techies and non-techies has become a pet area of research for me, as a result of this project. I found fascinating that, in many ways, it was no easier communicating with our IT department down the street than it was Distec's IT staff on the other side of the world. Though our own IT staff were charmed with the whole idea of an automated book dispenser, and were ready and willing to put it on the fast track for us, time zones and other demands on their time made it difficult to get the two groups of tech specialists to communicate directly. Communication problems on both ends were likely a result of a bottleneck caused by my lack of technical expertise, since I had to play intermediary, sharing information between techies with only a very simplistic understanding of the concepts behind the data I was passing between the two groups.

Since completing the grant project, I've learned that this is a common problem for tech and nontech staff and techs admit that explaining the whys and wherefores or teaching someone to use the product they've created is the least-liked aspect of their jobs. I am learning more everyday about the growing need for specially trained individuals to function as go-betweens across the two worlds. Government is reported to lose millions of dollars annually due to this "communication disconnect.

"Fortunately, we had good mediators in CALIFA, a membership based California library service consortium, who was assigned by the State Library to negotiate the contract and deal with shipping the machine from Europe, both huge undertakings in their own right. And, as I've mentioned already, Contra Costa Library's knowledgeable IT staff were very gracious in taking time to explain many of the fundamentals to their less sophisticated grant partner.

Library tech staff or librarians with strong tech backgrounds will be the knowledge management experts of the 21st century and along with this expertise will come a universal mechanism for crossing the tech/nontech language barrier, but in the meantime, please be sure to add learning tech-speak to your list of things to do in your spare time, if it’s not what you’re already doing the major portion of your time.

The project was all engulfing for over a year and timing for everything had to be at warp speed. I've heard that this is known in techie land as "a death march project." If you deal with tech projects often then you're probably familiar with the insane expectations and deadlines that define your mission goals and objectives. I've certainly gained a great deal of respect for those working on the tech side of things and now have an inkling of the pressure they endure as a part of their day-to-day responsibilities. We, as librarians, are in a unique position to appreciate the multiple levels of tech-speak literacy and fulfill our role as one of the more likely mediums between the literate and "illiterate," or "still learning" masses.

Forever and a day...

2008-09-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

GoLibrary final grant report will be turned in tomorrow. Stage one completed, we now move on to getting it right in the wash. Problems continue with no solution in sight, though we do have a meeting set up with Sweden next week. Maybe we will get a little closer to our service goals now that some of the deadline pressure is off.
On another note, a recent conference in Sacramento hosted by the Association for Small & Rural Libraries has me thinking about the social networking phenomenon in libraries and how we get there from here. I heard a funny joke once about a New Englander giving directions and the punch line was "You can't get there from here." The line stays with me, though I have long forgotten the joke, and puts me in mind of local government IT departments and libraries as we try to break through to the otherside of IAAM (it's all about me) services.
At the Sacramento ASRL conference last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending a presentation by librarian.net blogger, Jessamyn West, and asked her at the end if she could recommend sources for selling points for social networking to local governments. She suggested www.libsuccess.org a best practices wiki that I had heard of but was not really familiar with. I had no idea that there would be so much good stuff at my beck and call. I've been going through the wiki a little bit at a time, instead of jumping right into an answer to my IT question, and I keep getting distracted by things to learn about and explore.
If there are any librarians out there who still question the validity of wikis as sources of information, they must immediately check out (ha!) this site.
Anyway, where was I, regarding the IT dilemma and social networking. We have recently upgraded our web site at my library http://library.yuba.org (though it has only a portion of the changes I had hoped to include, it's still better than it was. Oh, yeah, and there are errors as well, so your continued patience is requested.) So, I had planned to join the social networking phenomenon and post this blog on our web page as the director's blog. I was motivated especially due to the need to promote our GoLibrary grant progress. (See previous posts.)
I discover indirectly, as no one has contacted me directly about the matter, that I was revealing too much information regarding the county's network and could be exposing us to hackers. OK, I thought, I'll take those bits out, no problem. But now the word is that we must take the matter to county counsel because of the no advertisements rule. Fine, is my response. But, actually, if we are going to go that route, we need to first take it to the Technology Review Committee for recommendation. By the time we get the go ahead, libraries will no doubt be heralding Web 3.0 and the blog will be obsolete.
So, I'll keep making notes of my progress on the front lines of introducing new and untried means of informing the community, whether of librarians or library users, and be satisfied that the process of jotting it down serves as a means of letting off steam if nothing else.

GoLibrary Grant Deadline

2008-09-22T23:37:00.000-07:00

As the end date for our GoLibrary grant approaches, I have had an opportunity to slow down enough to evaluate our current state of chaos. We have continued to have communication difficulties, which translate as technical difficulties "please stay tuned" for overall evaluation. As I was composing an email to our contact in Sweden as my last act of another jam-packed day, I got into a discussion with my fellow project implementer about how we can get some results on the ongoing problems we're having.
Ultimately, I came up with the following conclusion: we're all going too fast. Every person on the project has a mind that works faster than the norm and we're all under deadline, so we're going even faster than our normal rapid clip. Consequently, we communicate in fits and starts and often in frustration and exhaustion. As an obvious result, we are not being clear and concise like good librarians should be. We haven't organized, numbered and classified like we might have had under more sedate circumstances.
The categories we have come up with are simple: ongoing, new and old problems.
We'll assign numbers to each and refer to them in communications so that we can all be relatively certain we are talking about the same thing.
We have been keeping a spreadsheet with an account on dates the machine has been down and reasons or error messages documented to the best of our abilities.
But we had not taken a deep breath and had not broken each problem into specific steps (in writing) about what happens with each occurence. We are now doing this with ongoing and new problems.
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Regardless of distance or language, I think we are finally going to get some results based on this new procedure for documenting succinctly and comprehensively.
I kind of see this as a foreshadowing of what will be in the future of libraries.
We will have translation software (see Second Life) and gadgets galore, socially networks will become an integral part of our personality so that we are "mental hives" more than worker bees.
And I can learn from my own mistakes and yours as well or at least refine my mistake making abilities, if nothing else.

GoLibrary Launch August 25th

2008-08-26T11:41:00.001-07:00

Net 2.0 Training Link

2008-06-20T12:42:00.000-07:00

If you're interested in what librarians are talking about when we talk about Library 2.0, Net2.0 or Web2.0, i.e., social networking, here's everything you ever wanted to know (and more) in one self-training spot.
http://yclibrary.pbwiki.com/YCL%20Training

Not yet ready for prime time...

2008-06-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

"If it's not one thing...," according to Roseanne Roseanna Danna, we would be rolling in clover. We have the machine installed, the network works, books are in their plastic boxes, special promotional library cards have been ordered, the sign has been designed and the community is chomping at the bit. But we still have a few kinks to work out. Right now, we are stymied by the RFID reader, which worked perfectly well until we had to relocate the admin PC onsite in order to have it on the same network as the machine. According to our Distec technician, we are supposed to be able to remote in to the admin computer from the library via PCAnywhere in order to "marry" the books with the RFID tags. But, so far that's not happening. We've involved County IT staff who says it may be a language formatting problem. I continue to work at keeping lines of communication open between the experts and am confident that by the time I get back from ALA next week, they will have solved all the problems without me. Or, we might be right where we left off, but hey...as long as we're not going backwards "IT's PROGRESS!"

2008-06-20T11:40:00.000-07:00

Bokomaten GoLibrary ARRIVED!

2008-04-27T17:30:00.000-07:00

Pictures will follow, but for now...
All I can say is Whew.

A Campbell's Can and a String

2008-04-17T16:05:00.000-07:00

I can't decide if the better analogy is a soup can and a string or the "telephone gossip game" for the level of communication that is going on these days. The Bokomaten is shipping tonight, says Distec in Sweden, No, says our IT security person who has just spoken with the Distec contact in Italy where the machines are being built and shipped, It's not shipping this week. It's going to go through customs in New York, says the customs official who was tracking a smaller parcel (our RFID reader) that shipped earlier. It's going through Washington Dulles and then customs in San Francisco, says Distec. I'm thinking things have to go through customs at port of entry, but whatever, as long as it's coming. Our admin services asst. director says They're cutting the hole in the building tomorrow (Thursday, today) so it can be installed because it's the most convenient day for the contractor. No, it's being installed next Thursday, according to admin services staff.

We're not getting the boxes that the books have to go in until the machines arrive. (Everything is being shipped together.) We did receive the RFID tags on Monday so we'll be tagging the books as soon as staff can fit this into to their already overloaded schedules. (We're short one of our 10 staff members due to catastrophic sick leave. She's fine BTW, and will be back Monday.)

So the books still have to be downloaded into the machine somehow via a SIP2 connection with SIRSI that we've paid for with our migration to SIRSI.NET that we started in January, especially to be able to make this thing work most efficiently. (We had been in a compromising position of piggybacking on the local college's server since 2001.) But we've never used SIP2 and Distec hasn't used SIP2 in the States yet though they have the 2nd party agreement in place. (That was an interesting exercise in communicating all on it's own, sort of like the one just described but with Sweden and SIRSI and us in the middle.)

Anyway, we're down to the wire now. GoLibrary bokomaten is due to arrive sometime between now and next week (hopefully) and budget is due tomorrow (BOS presentation next week.) 3rd quarter LSTA grant report for the machine is due end of the month. Oh yeah, and I should also mention our HR department has finally worked us into their schedule of doing job analyses for the entire staff.

If anyone reads this other than another librarian, they are probably thinking, She must be nuts... but someone in the biz is more likely to think, So what else is new...a day in the life. And they will realize simultaneously that I'm likely just hitting the high points of next week's schedule. On one hand it makes me think we're ALL crazy, and on the other hand it makes me feel all warm and gooey inside to know that our professional tag line could easily read "Multi-taskers Are Us."

Learning Curves, Bumps & Rolls

2008-03-04T15:53:00.000-08:00

Long time no post, but that is as expected given the workload these days. Our project is moving forward with many delays and cross-communications. Everyone is sick of the talking and planning phase and wants to see this machine in action. Unfortunately, we still have a long and winding road.

Because Yuba County's unit will be a built-in we have had to go through the bid process with a contractor in order to make modifications to the building, i.e., cutting a hole in the wall. IT has coordinated the installation of high speed cable for internet access to Distec, Sirsi.net and our administrative computer here in house.

One of the most confusing pieces to date for me has been the RFID tags since I've never been in a library that utilizes this technology. I've been getting some help from Contra Costa County Library on what to expect. I love the way librarians like to help each other learn. We want to share what we know with anyone willing to take us on. This is the reason a project like this is do-able for a small library like ours. Going from mechanical drawings such as those provided by the vendor to a finished product, such as the one above, may have resulted in a few bruises to the ego every time I've had to admit my ignorance, but every time I ask one of those stupid questions, there has been someone with the patience to explain it and explain it ad nauseum if necessary.

That's why I'm doing this blog: Any one who can benefit from my bumps and rolls is welcome to a boost around that circuitous learning curve.

Asking Questions on the New New Thing

2007-12-19T18:05:00.000-08:00

We have been fortunate in our grant project to have Califa, a non-profit library support organization, involved as purchasing agent and overall co-ordinator. Califa created an online FAQ repository to help us organize our questions remotely. Califa staff member Susan Kantor-Horning traveled to Sweden her first week on the job, to see the product in action and establish lines of communication between California libraries and Distec. Though this was helpful, asking questions about a product that no one knows much of anything about was a long and winding road away from an exact science. We also found that who asks the question makes a great deal of difference. A left-brain linear thinking engineer type person talks about things in a way that's foreign to a right-brain wholistic thinking generalist, such as myself, and vice versa. Both sides have added new words to their vocabularies, though I think "thingy" might have had a somewhat convoluted translation process into Swedish. More than one Abbot and Costello type "who's on first" conversation could have been overheard between myself and Susan as we endeavored to determine "neck," "wall," and "side" dimensions. Translating height, depth, width into inches from metrics wasn't so bad but "one-hour" California fire safety building codes to a European vendor have not been part of my everyday experience as a small library director.

We don't have all the questions yet, but we are are on a roll and answers zero and one their way crossing the Atlantic, New York's Westchester County, and all the states in between at a rate that some days feels like sitting in bumper to bumper traffic and others is less traumatic than pulling teeth. Of course, don't forget to confound the whole process by holiday shopping and vacation season. Will we be up and running by February? Hold onto your toques.

Bokomaten in California

2007-12-17T18:43:00.000-08:00

Hi Tech Vibe with Low Tech Functionality will be offered through the Yuba County Library's Wheatland location for a new concept in libraries: GoLibrary, or Library on the Go, if you will, being the name chosen to promote the service in California.

This new service has yet to be offered in the United States, though Westchester County NY bought the machine from ALA in DC this past summer but hasn't made it available to the public as of yet. Contra Costa County Library in California initiated the LSTA grant project in which Yuba County Library was invited by the State to participate as the beta test site for rural libraries.

The project has been hyper with deadlines swooshing past like road signs in warp speed. Distec the company responsible for the product design is in Sweden and has yet to establish networking partnerships in the States. A major part of our time so far has been spent in coming up with the right questions to ask.