Director's Spot

The User Experience

2010-05-07T14:07:00.000-05:00

The second article by Aaron Schmidt on the User Experience appeared in the March 1, 2010 Library Journal. The title was “Learn by Asking.”

The concept here is that user interviews can help librarians to see their patrons as people and to learn what motivates them to come or not come to the library. A simple survey will give you information but only from those who use the library or choose the complete the survey. Non-users or those that do not respond are never heard from when the library is seeking to change or add services.

Mr. Schmidt provided simple steps in conducting user interviews. They are:
1. Identify a problem
2. Recruit Interviewees
3. Conduct the interview
4. Transcribe the interviews.

Approaching data gathering through interviews takes time and some skill but the information gathered is worth the effort. Try it!

Classic Cars

2010-04-01T14:33:00.001-05:00

No I don’t have a classic car but if you have a car club or car enthusiast in your community or family tell them about this free database. The title is “Classic Car Database”. You may wonder just how I learned about this gem of a site. Well it came in the mail; you know one of those letters that look like advertisement and a generic library name address label.

What this site has is specifications for American cars manufactured between 1910 and 1975. There are also dealers in classic cars and parts, museums, and car clubs listed on the site. I took a quick look even though what I know about classic cars would fit in a thimble, even I could find information. So the next time someone wonders how many cylinders a certain car had or what type of brakes or even did it come in red. Check it out at ClassicCarDatabase.com.

User Experience (UX)

2010-03-24T09:01:00.002-05:00

User Experience (UX)

The January 2010 Library Journal had an article by Aaron Schmidt titled “The User Experience.” His focus was on user experience design. He included three aspects of design: interaction design, information architecture, and visual design. Visual design” deals with the surface characteristics of an object or document.” This is the color of the carpet or the shape and layout of the circulation desk. Interaction design is the “process of creating how something behaves and how people must behave to engage it.” Think workflow, how people navigate through your library when you think about interaction design. Information architecture (IA) is about “organizing and structuring data.” In libraries this is often used in designing web page layouts and how they are labeled.

Whether we know it or not, we are the designers of our library services and use all three of these aspects in the work we do every day. How well are we doing? Not sure just what this all means? A series of articles on User Experience are planned for Library Journal. The first two are online at the links below. Want to read more about design? A list of books accompanies the first article.

January Library Journal Article

March Library Journal Article

Tax Caps

2010-03-16T17:00:00.000-05:00

Tax Caps are nasty things. They are passed in counties and people think their taxes will not go up. But they do and they don’t understand why. For those taxing bodies under the caps such as villages, townships, schools, and libraries they are frustrating to work within. Over time tax caps can erode the ability of a taxing body to levy enough funds to run their operations. How does this happen?

When the county clerks figure the amount of money that is being raised, all of the tax rates are combined into one pot. Unfortunately, not all tax rates are equal. Retirement taxes have an unlimited tax rate. For instance when IMRF payments go up, the library taxes for the entire increased amount. Recently some IMRF rates have gone up as much as 8% or more. When you can only increase the total levy amount by 5% or the cost of living which ever is less and an expense such as IMRF goes up, libraries and other taxing bodies have a problem.

Here are the numbers as an example. If the total tax rate is .22 and the IMRF portion of that goes from .03 to .08 that means that when you had .19 to spend for the rest of the budget you now have only .14. If you take away building and equipment .02 then only .12 is left. The corporate rate goes down and the money available for salaries, utilities, books, etc. goes down. Where you may have had the base rate of .15 for a library you are now at .12 and that is even below the Per Capita rate requirement.

What can a library do when this has happened to them? They have been fiscally responsible, tax conservatively and still there is not enough to keep the building open and staffed. There is only one option and that is to go for a referendum to raise the corporate tax rate. This is very hard to do but is the only way a taxing body can survive under tax caps.

If your library is in a tax cap county what can you do? First stay aware of the assessment figures in your area. If there is new growth, be sure to levy enough to capture it. Once lost it is lost forever. Second always ask for the maximum you can and a little more to be sure to capture all the tax money that is due to your institution. Even libraries not under tax caps should be sure that they are levying amounts that will return the full tax rate level. Third, speak to the county clerk and see if they will let you decide how to split the money between the various taxes. Fourth, if you don’t understand what is happening, ask questions of the county clerk or your library attorney.

Library Buildings

2010-03-12T12:14:00.000-06:00

As a member of the Illinois State Library Construction Grant Committee, I have seen a troubling pattern in the grant applications. Libraries are asking for money to do repair and replacement of building infrastructure such as painting, new roofs, new carpet, new HVAC systems, tuck pointing, etc. All of these items routinely must be redone or replaced. Yes some of them are big ticket items; however, I feel the library should be planning on how to replace, update or repair these things with their own funds and not rely on grants.

There are two reasons for this. The first is that the Library Trustee is responsible for the planning of library services and maintenance of the library. If they let the building fall into disrepair, then they are not meetings their responsibilities as a trustee. The second reason is that grant funds are hard to come by and may not be available in the future to do this type of work on a library building.

A better way for libraries to approach this issue is from the beginning when a building is first remodeled or built as a library. Look at all aspects of the building, what is the life span of the furnace, 20years? The roof is it 15 years? Carpet, paint, parking lot what is their life span? Make a list of all these items and more, computers, printers, or furniture. Once the list is made create a schedule of when the work or replacement will be done and an estimate of the dollar amount that will be needed.

Now the Library Board must look at the finances of the library. Do they have enough to operate the library and meet community needs? Is there any extra money that can be set aside for the future? If not, how can the library accumulate the funds? Do they use all the taxing authority they have such as the .02 building and equipment tax? Have they created a Special Reserve Fund where unexpended tax dollars can be saved for future improvements? These questions need to be a serious discussed at a board meeting.

If is fine to go after Grant funds but to rely only on grant funds is not wise. Library Boards and Directors must plan for building improvements just as carefully for the library as the y do for their own home or business. Don’t delay, start the discussion at your next board meeting.

Americas Regional Council (ARC) First Meeting

2010-03-05T08:34:00.002-06:00

At ALA Mid-winter the Americas Regional Council of OCLC had its first meeting. It began with the following brief presentations.
Every Member has a Voice—New Ways to Communicate with OCLC by Patrick Wilkinson, Chair, OCLC Americas Regional Council
New Governance Structure by Jan Ison, President, OCLC Global Council
Engaging the Membership by Jay Jordan, President and Chief Executive Officer, OCLC
The Value of the Cooperative by Larry Alford, Chair, OCLC Board of Trustees (Note you have recently received a mailing from OCLC that contained a printed copy of Larry’s remarks. I hope that you did read it as it is important information to know and understand as OCLC Members.

There were three breakout discussion groups: Record Use Policy, The Cooperative’s Shared Values and Social Contract, and Emerging Technologies. Reports from the individual groups were given to all the attendees followed by a brief question and answer session.

You can view video of each of the sessions by going to OCLC Americas Regional Council page. I encourage you to do so.

The next meeting of ARC will be the annual meeting. This will be held before ALA in Washington DC. The dates are June 24 & 25. You do not have to go to DC to be a part of this as you will have the opportunity to attend virtually.

Changes in Library Automation Landscape

2010-03-01T16:38:00.002-06:00

If you ever want to be entertained, educated and frustrated all at one time, then attend one of the RMG Consultants Seminars at an ALA Midwinter. Rob Magee, is the president of the company and his name should be familiar to RPLS LLSAP members as he helped RPLS and the User Group with the RFP when we went to the Horizon system. What Rob does is bring the presidents of various automation vendor companies to be on a panel. They he has a coupled of featured speakers and a couple of commentators.

The companies represented were:

Auto-Graphics
Equinox
Ex Libris
Infor
Innovative Interfaces
LibLime
OCLC
Polaris
Serial Solutions
SirsiDynix
Sky River
TLC
VTLS

The presidents when they were introduced were asked to talk about what the key focus of their company. Improving patron experience, discovery of resources, link resolvers, serving the libraries community, and management services moving to the cloud were some of the answers. SirsiDynix President Gary Rautenstrauch was the one who said, "Improve patron experience and to held libraries cope with budget challenges."

The Seminar lasted for three hours. Those vendors in established firms put down the efforts of libraries like Orange County and the Lyrasis consortia who are venturing into the creation of their own products via open sources software. The speakers stated that the features the librarians and users wanted were not available and the vendors did not seem responsive to developing those features. The vendors felt that they really were listening to their customers and responding. Definitely a disconnect. Also in general the vendors were not receptive to what OCLC is doing in this area.

One of the comments that came from the audience was this,
“Libraries need to look at what their value is and make the
library key, important, indispensable to the user”

I agree with this comment. The best, whiz-bang automation system will not make a bit of difference if we as librarians do not take to heart that statement, know our values and make the library indispensable to the user.

2010-02-26T11:03:00.000-06:00

Do you have a Friends group that is looking for a fund raising idea? One of the vendors at ALA Midwinter was a company called N’Take. They have bags of various sizes, designs, colors, etc, that are also “green” bags.

I talked with the salesman and he indicated that these bags are very reasonable. They sell well to the public and can be great money raisers for libraries. They had various samples at the show, one of which I brought back with me. Look at their website and you will see quite a variety of styles. They have seasonal bags, backpacks, wine bags(that hold from 1-6 bottles of wine), and much more.

I know I feel like a “bag lady” many times because when I go to conferences I come back with at least one bag and often 5-6 bags. I noticed that some of the other vendors were giving out bags that looked as if they could have come from this company. I have many bags but I always seem to pick up more and these are environmentally friendly a big plus. Check them out.

Peep Culture

2010-02-25T13:58:00.001-06:00

I posted about the new Privacy initiative of ALA and wrote about Hal Niedzviecki’s presentation. I thought you would like to know what he said. Below are some points that I jotted down during his speech.

People are alone—we put our selves out there so we are not alone
We want people to know we exist
Corporations and government look at privacy as a commodity
We are angry when people make money on our information
We need a new conversation about privacy
People seemed to have accepted monitoring of their actions by cameras
We are morally complicit when we watch a video of another persons fall or accident
There is value of not knowing.

One story he told was about when he threw a party for all his friends on Facebook. He invited them to come to a bar at a certain time to meet each other. Only one person came. The Facebook “friends” did not come because they felt that they already knew him. Hal stated this in response “What you think you know, you don’t really know”

What do you think about the peep culture?

2010-02-10T17:22:00.001-06:00

The Office for Intellectual Freedom at ALA has begun a new initiative on Privacy. It kicked off the Choose Privacy campaign and the announcement of Privacy Week May 2-8, 2010 at an event during ALA mid-winter in Boston. A room full of librarians heard author Hal Niedzviecki give a “thought-provoking talk on how the digital phenomenon of "peep culture" is affecting our ideas about privacy, individuality, security, and even humanity today.” It was a very interesting presentation. Afterwards Hal signed copies of his book The Peep Diaries: How we’re learning to love watching ourselves and our neighbors. Yes I stood in line to get my free book. I have started it and it is an interesting read.

To learn more about Privacy Week and this initiative go to privacyrevolution.org. If your library wishes to participate in Privacy Week, ALA has posters, bookmarks, buttons, and a resource guide available for purchase. The privacy revolution website also has badges and banners that you can down load to your website for the week.

2010-02-04T17:44:00.001-06:00

I walked the ALA exhibit floor several times over the conference period, looking at all the products, asking questions and picking up information. One time I was a search and find mission concerning the topic of RFID. Another time I had specific questions for a vendor. Then there are those times when I walked by a booth and something caught my eye. What follows are items that did just that, caught my eye.

The first two are similar but also different in their approach. Both of these products will scan books, documents, photos and then convert them to formats that you can download onto a jump drive and take home. The first is the e-Scan, Self-Service Bound Documents Scanner. It is by iimage retrieval, inc. and they say it is, “Digitizing made easier & easier.” To learn more about this product go to their website. The second was called the Bookscan Station made by CCP Solutions, Inc. They claim it’s now simple to scan, save and share book pages, documents, photos etc. Their literature also said, eco-Friendly – no paper, toner or drums. Check out this product at the CCP Solutions website.

Do get tired of using flip charts? Do you have a chalk board that has seen its better days? A new product from Demco may be the answer. IdeaPaint will turn any flat surface into a marker board, even a table top. Paint a wall, or an old chalk board and suddenly you have a hub of creativity and collaboration. The cost for water-based ideaPaint to cover 50 square feet is $174.99. To learn more go to demco.com and type ideapaint into the search box.

ALA Mid-Winter

2010-02-03T17:10:00.001-06:00

ALA Mid-winter was held in Boston January 15-19. There were all the usual numerous committee meetings and business meetings that have to happen to keep the association running. There were presentations, the exhibits, author talks, receptions, and the highlight the announcement of all the children’s book awards.

I am a member of two ALA committees the National Library Week Committee and the Campaign for America’s Libraries Committee. One of the tasks of the ALA committees was to review the draft strategic plan of ALA and give feed back on is ALA focusing on the right strategic goals and how we saw our committee in the draft plan. This was a very interesting discussion.

I attended two ASCLA (Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies) sessions one about possible changes to the governance structure of the group. The other session was a consortial managers discussion of issues that are impacting the management and survival of consortia in the U.S. This was a lively discussion with representation from New York, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Utah, New Jersey, Nevada, Florida, and Illinois.

There are other meetings that I want to report on and my findings in the exhibit hall. More over the next few days.

Authors, Authors, Authors

2009-12-10T09:39:00.001-06:00

One thing about the ISLMA conference you will see and hear from many authors. You will hear authors not only at the author breakfasts but in sessions. I attended the Author Awards Breakfast and heard Ellen Hopkins author of Crank the winner of the 2009 Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book award and Kevin O’Malley the 2009 Monarch Award winning author for Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude. They were interesting and spoke from very different perspectives. This is to be expected as one wrote an edgy teen novel and the other a picture book. However, both had words of wisdom for librarians.

Another session I attended was titled “First Books, An Inside Look: Debut Teen Lit Authors Discuss Why They Write About Severed Arms, Missing Parents, Drugs, Sex, and Talking Cockroaches.” With a title like that how could you resist? The authors were Cynthea Liu, Daniel Kraus, Susan Fine, and James Kennedy. Each spoke of how they started their writing career and what inspires them to write the stories they do. It is reassuring to know that there are young authors out there writing books, different types of books for the teens of today.

AASL Standards

2009-12-04T09:29:00.001-06:00

I knew that new standards had been released by AASL but I had not studied them closely. Ann M. Martin presented a session on the “Standards for the 21st-Centruy Learner” There are four areas under which they have identified Skills, Dispositions in Action, Responsibilities, and Self-Assessment Strategies for students to use for each standard.

The four standard areas are:

Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge.
Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge.
Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society.
Pursue personal and aesthetic growth.

If you want to learn more the entire standards document can be downloaded.

Library Education Alive in Illinois

2009-12-04T09:27:00.001-06:00

This year there were five alumni receptions at the ISLMA Conference.

Illinois State University that as begun a school library certification program
University of Illinois with their Graduate School of Library and Information Science
Dominican University with its MLS program
Northern Illinois University has a program to obtain the Library Information Specialist Certificate
National-Louis University that has started a program towards certification

Looking for classes and certification? Check out these universities.

GLBT Literature

2009-12-02T14:15:00.001-06:00

Finding just the book for teens, especially those that are dealing with gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender issues is often difficult. Michael Cart and Christine Jenkins presented an overview of titles that include these issues in them. They reviewed books from 1999 through 2009. Many titles on their list were not discussed. There were so many to cover in just one hour and the list contained over 2000 books.

The trend in books is that the main character is male by a 2 to 1 margin, usual, white, middle class and dealing with issues of coming out. In their discussion they pointed out the books where this was generally not the norm. If looking for a list of books look at the Rainbow List from ALA. It is an annual reading list of books for beginning readers through 12th grade that validate same-gender lifestyles, including portraying GLBTQ (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered or questioning) characters in a realistic and prominent manner.

While this is a subject difficult for some of us to deal with we need to be award of what is in the literature so that we can guide students to the most appropriate and best that is out there on a topic.

WIU and Technology

2009-12-02T14:13:00.002-06:00

Western Illinois University provides professional Development online and onsite in several areas of Technology; from Smart Boards to Podcasting, Microsoft Office Suite to Internet Safety. They have many classes to choose from and at affordable prices.

Summer 2010 you can join them at Camp Tech-a-nada where you can learn to use the most current technology tools for student learning. The exact dates are Aug. 3-4, 2010. You can learn 9 CPDU’s from 16 different sessions.

Want more information check out their website.

ISLMA Exhibits Report

2009-11-23T09:17:00.001-06:00

Looking for an author to come to your school check out the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators? The Illinois chapter has a Speaker’s Directory. It is broken down by areas of the state, Chicago Area, Northern Illinois, and Central and Sothern Illinois. For more info go to their website.

Speaking of writing, The Illinois First Amendment Center has many resources for teachers on the First Amendment. Among those resources are teaching curriculum, Tips for starting a school newspaper, a Freedom of Speech Poster Contest for grades 9-12 with a deadline of January 3, 2010 and a High School Newspaper Context with a deadline of March 1, 2010. Learn about the center and their materials at their website.

Do you have books that are falling apart and need repair? Do your students or administration produce information that would best be presented in a binding? The answer to these questions may lead you to a machine called Cover One. Central A&M schools have one and love it. Check it out at their website.

Technology anyone? You all probably know about the Illinois Learning Technology Purchase Program (ILTPP). The purpose of the program is to develop partnerships with suppliers to make available quality hardware, software, and peripherals to Illinois K-12 educational facilities. Catalogs are printed in April and October and are mailed to all K-12 schools, libraries, RPOE, and LTC’s in Illinois. Want more information check out the ILTPP website.

ALA Planning Forum

2009-11-18T10:38:00.002-06:00

The Illinois School Library Media Association Conference was held in Springfield Oct. 29-31. For the next couple of weeks I will be sharing with you the information I gathered and learned about when attending the conference. As I have come to expect it was a jam packed conference with great sessions, good exhibits, great speakers at the meal events and so well organized everything ran seamlessly. Now on to the first session I attended.

How often do you get a chance to tell ALA what your needs are? Your answer might be, " not often." Those attending the recent ISLMA Conference did have that opportunity. Ann M. Martin the immediate Past President of AASL was there to hear what school librarians had to say. Ann posed four questions for the librarians to respond to.

What are the most important things that ALA can do to help you as a librarian or member?

What are the mot important tings ALA can do for libraries?

What are the most important things ALA can do for the public?

What are the most pressing/most important issues facing libraries and the profession?

If you had been at that session how would you have answered those questions?

Illinois Author’s Luncheon Oct. 9, 2009

2009-11-16T16:22:00.001-06:00

This is my last post about the ILA Conference, Next will be ISLMA

Vicki Myron, Author of Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World was the speaker at the Author’s Luncheon ILA traditional final event of each conference. First I must say that I am NOT a cat person and I did not know if I would really enjoy the luncheon or not but I did. I had read the book and it was OK. I found it fascinating how the town folk came together not only in support of Dewey but in support of each other and the continued existence of the town. Vicki was recovering from a cold but persevered in giving us a look at Dewey and an insider’s view of publishing a book that no one tells you about till you do it.

Next up for Dewey is a feature film starring Meryl Streep and yes, Vicki said she will have a small walk-on role in the film.

StoryTubes

2009-11-11T14:26:00.002-06:00

A project of the Gail Borden Public Library District, StoryTubes is a contest for students Kindergarten through twelfth grade. They can make a video by themselves or with a group about their favorite book that lasts 2 minutes or less. All the information about the contest can be found at their website. There are links to help you under the “How do I…?” tab.

You may wonder why I should bother. Well the Gail Borden Staff say, “This program used kids’ interest in technology and the Internet to promote reading. Learn how research supports the StoryTubes goal by reading the 2008 Kids and Family Reading Report

The winners of the contest are added to the website. You can view and share them with your students. They are funny, creative, and a great way for students to share their excitement about a book. If students do not want to be part of the contest, this is still a very easy and exciting way to introduce technology to the students. Check out StoryTubes.

To see our own Paula Lopatic from Vespasian Warner PLD, Clinton participate in a StoryTube done during the conference session click here. At that same site you can also view the entire PowerPoint presentation given at ILA.

Lobbying for Libraries in D.C.: What’s Hot and the Obama Difference

2009-11-06T14:24:00.002-06:00

First, I want to say that Emily Sheketoff is one smart lady. We could not have a better advocate for libraries in Washington.

Here are the key nuggets of information I heard.

Libraries are the first responders for people needing information.
Advocacy is education. I know some of you think advocacy and lobbying are the same, they are not. Think of advocacy as educating the elected official about libraries.
When you are an advocate, you are putting a face on a public policy issue.
Statistics are nice but not as good as a story. As an example you can say “The library is the only place in your community for 50% of the people to have access to the internet.” But when you tell them, “Residents of my community have to wait two hours to access the library computers.” That is a story that has impact.
Prepare before talking to the legislators or their staff. Have key point you want to tell them. Be specific in what you want them to do. Give them specifics if they cut a program this is what people lose. If the library goes away services go away.
Always thank them for what they do to support libraries, for their time to talk with you , and tell them you are watching them.

My advice to you is to not be afraid of being an advocate for your library. If you and your board or administrators don’t do it no one else will!!

From the ILA Exhibits (part 2)

2009-11-03T16:35:00.001-06:00

There was a small glass room sitting in an exhibit booth as I walked by and I had to stop. Was it something for cell phone use, a time out room? I did not know so asked. The glass room was a representative sample of a product called Genius Architectural Walls. These are glass or panel walls that can be set up with no construction, taken down, moved or reconfigured.

They will not be the answer to every building problem but it is an interesting concept to provide office space or meeting room space that has the potential for reconfiguration with out construction costs.

To view a photo gallery of Genius wall applications visit this website.

From the ILA Exhibits

2009-11-02T09:21:00.001-06:00

I spent some time in the exhibit hall. One stop was at the Renaissance Learning booth. You may know this company as Accelerated Reading (AR). Now I am not a big fan of AR, but many of our schools do use it and we had one new librarian that needed training so I stopped to see what they had online. There is training available www.renlearn.com click on the training center, then professional Development.

Now I should note that the program itself is not a bad program but my concern is that the program is not being used as it was designed. This is an incentive program, not a reading curriculum. As an incentive program it is not appropriate to limit students to narrow areas of reading levels or to require earning so many points that the students are burnt out on reading.

If you are at a school where staff has not been trained in the proper use of AR or AR is being used inappropriately, I suggest that you go to the training center on the website and see where training is being offered. Good Luck.

Transformation in South African Libraries

2009-10-29T16:07:00.000-05:00

Another session I attended at the ILA Conference was titled “If It Doesn’t Hurt, It’s not Real Transformation”: Rebuilding South African Library Services in the Aftermath of Apartheid.” The speaker was Peter J. Lor, from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, former director of South Africa’s State Library.

The work to rebuild library service in South Africa was a long process and continues today. It was interesting to hear how the librarians came together to form new library associations and new library services. There were two points he made that I want to share. The first was that to do this work together they had to have inclusiveness, consultation with others, patience, a building trust, and understanding personal chemistry. The second; process is important to the outcome. This means that if you do not spend time having a good process the outcome may be flawed or much less effective.

Wow another post where transformation is talked about.

Library Cooperation in Illinois

2009-10-26T08:33:00.001-05:00

Library cooperation, at least in Illinois is something many librarians take for granted. At the ILA conference there was a presentation titled “The Changing Face of Illinois Library cooperation.” The speakers talked about the cooperation that is facilitated through consortia and library systems. The past couple of years have seen changes in these organizations some from the economy and others by because of changes in rules of operation.

David Carlson, SIU-C stated that Cooperation as a shared value does not come naturally and is not without work and communication. Successful cooperation required leadership and some risk taking.

In the next few months you will be hearing more about cooperation in Illinois. November 9th ILA is holding a “Summit on the Future of Illinois Library Cooperation.” I don’t know what the outcomes of the summit will or if the outcomes will transform library cooperation in Illinois. I will let you know.

Transformative Experience@your library

2009-10-23T08:16:00.001-05:00

Omar Wasow, the keynote speaker at the ILA Opening General Session could have used the title of this post as the title of his presentation. I expected Mr. Wasow, a digital native, would talk about the uses of technology in the library and what will come in the future. Instead He spoke of the library as a gathering place, library as a public park for your brain, library space as the heart of community, and library as a transformative place for those who use them.

What struck me was that this message was very similar to the message I had heard last summer at the OCLC Symposium from speaker Joseph Michelli; I blogged about that presentation on July 10th.

A few years ago I was at a presentation given by Steven Abrams and someone asked how he picked out from all the information he scans the things to really watch. He said when he hears something three times in a short period of time, that’s when he takes a deeper look at it. I have taken that to heart and when finding myself hearing something two or three times I take note of it. The transformative experience and libraries is one of those topics.

Mr. Wasow made one statement that I want you all to think about. I’ll paraphrase; Librarians should celebrate the reading experience (a transformative experience), and not be so concerned with materials management.

Now, look at your library and its services. Does it provide a place where people can think, have an opportunity for self-directed learning, and transform themselves?

Spanish Resource from the Government

2009-10-06T16:11:00.001-05:00

This past week I received in the mail some posters in Spanish announcing GobiernoUSA.gov. This is the official government website where the Hispanic public “can get all the information they need about immigration, employment, health, education, and other government services and benefits.” This website is free and in Spanish. If people have questions about the site they can contact Marangely Rodriguez at (202) 501-1794 or marangely.rodriguez@gsa.gov.

For your English speaking patrons needing government information send them to USA.gov. Here they can learn about social security benefits, government jobs, and federal, state, and local government information.

Criticas

2009-09-24T12:11:00.001-05:00

LJ, Library Journal and SLJ, School Library Journal have announced that Criticas book reviews have resumed online. To find them go to www.libraryjournal.com/criticas for the latest coverage. They also have an e-alert you can sign up for.

Criticas reviews adult and children’s Spanish-language titles. When the print edition was stopped, readers asked for these reviews and LJ and SLJ have listened.

Professional Media

2009-09-24T10:37:00.002-05:00

As a director of a library system, I rarely read reviews of general fiction or non-fiction for adults or children. We don’t buy in those areas. However, I always look at the reviews of under the professional literature or media heading.

In looking at the September 1, 2009 issue of Library Journal I noticed that the reviews of Professional Media and now “Web-Only.” Just go to www.libraryjournal.com and look under Reviews/professional Media.

I took a look and the reviews are there just as they were in print. I looking at the ones for Aug. 15 there was a book titled Searching 2.0 by Michael Sauers. The only reason I mention this is that I have been in Plinkit committee meetings with Michael and did not know he was writing a book.

Oh the small world of librarianship.

How does your library rank?

2009-09-21T13:59:00.001-05:00

For years libraries have been comparing themselves to other libraries. There have been several ways that libraries have been ranked. The Hennen rankings and most recently the LJ Index of Public Library Service 2009 are two such rankings for public libraries. It does not mater what algorithm is used to determine the ranking or which outputs or inputs are used. There are always fine libraries that do not make it to the top of the ranked lists.

Does it mater where your library falls in a ranking? Maybe to the Mayor or the board but does it really mater to the patrons that come into the library on a daily basis. Not really. They want service and service is what you should give them. The support of the community for the library is one of the best gauges of success not some arbitrary number ranking.

That said, if you really want to compare yourself watch what factors you use. Libraries have differing levels of population in relation to their income. Compare yourself using both factors. You will be surprised to see different libraries on each list. The Bibliostat tool that public libraries use to report annual library data can give you quick and easy access to comparison data.

What I find more helpful and interesting if for a library to compare themselves against themselves. Take the same statistics and see how they compare over 5 years. Are they going up or down.? Do they reflect a change in the community, staffing, income? This type of comparison can be much more meaningful for a library that comparisons with others who may or not be like you.

Strategic Planning

2009-09-17T16:42:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I went to UIUC GSLIS. That is University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign Graduate School of Library and Information Science. I was asked by my friend Nancy Gillfillan to teach a session of her library administration class about planning. I have done this for her 5 or 6 times. Each time I have presented this information I had new information or I focused on the information is a different way.

Overall the presentation went well. There were 25 students in the class. They seemed engaged in the topic and asked some very good questions.

Why with my schedule, do I take the time to teach this class? First I know the topic pretty well and can bring a practical look to a sometimes theoretical topic in library school. Second it keeps me up to date on the process being used for planning. And third but most important it allows me to give back to the library profession. I have an opportunity to have a little impact on the future generation of librarians.

If you have an opportunity to teach a class or present at a program; don’t say no right away. Think about it; share your expertise with others. It’s a good thing.

Farm Progress Show 2009

2009-08-28T15:02:00.000-05:00

Next week is the 2009 Farm Progress Show (FPS) in Decatur at Progress City just north of the Richland Community College Campus. This will be the fifth FPS where Rolling Prairie and its member libraries have participated. As I write the FPS Committee is busily placing labels in the hundreds of books donated by member libraries. These paperback books will be given away during the three days of the show. What does that label say? “a gift from your Illinois Library.”

Preparing for the FPS is a daunting task. It begins nearly a year before the show and starts with RPLS asking librarians to serve on a planning committee. The committee helps plan the booth, plan fund raising activities to pay for the booth registration, helps organize volunteers to work at the booth, solicit paperback books for giveaway, and numerous other tasks.

Monday, we will be setting up the booth, then Sept. 1, 2, & 3 librarians will greet Farmers, FFA members, Agribusiness folks and kids at the booth. We will have free books, raffles and other giveaways. By late Thursday afternoon, the books will be gone, the booth taken down, packed up and moved back to RPLS. All involved will be exhausted but excited about all the people they will have met and the stories they will tell us about their home library.

Kiki

2009-08-24T09:29:00.000-05:00

What is kiki? It is a magazine for girls ages 8 and older. When I look at the magazine I think of girls in grades 4-8th grade. It contains articles on fashion, business, health, girls from other parts of the world and more. The girls in the magazine are real girls, not models. There is no advertizing and it won the Mom’s Choice 2009 Magazine of the Year award.

I often hear librarians say they are looking for a good magazine for preteen or early teenage girls. Well this just might be the magazine for them to look at. There are 4 issues a year for $26 but they are a jam packed 80 pages of good stuff. Want to see sample articles go to their website.

Science for Libraries

2009-08-20T16:39:00.003-05:00

One of the Poster Sessions at ALA was entitled “Educating Einsteins without Evaporating Your Budget”. It is a website that brings together web science resources and a link to a portal where you can save your own favorite sites.
As you know science resources can be expensive. Tracking quality sites on the Internet is time consuming. This resource was part of an LSTA grant and is geared towards New York requirements but there are many resources that teachers and librarians in other parts of the country can benefit from.

If you would like to go to the Science for Libraries site click here.

The creators of the site were Alaina Cauchie, alaina.cauchie@gmail.com and Kelly Sanders, KSanders1214@aol.com. If you have questions email them.

More than a Paycheck: Creative Benefits Packages for Libraries

2009-08-17T08:12:00.001-05:00

In tight budget times libraries are looking at ways to provide benefits or a positive work culture environment to attract and maintain quality staff. This session looked at 100 + ideas that libraries might be able to use. Some of the ideas I had heard before and others took a different focus. Some would work for any sized library and some were geared for the larger library.

The program was broken down into areas. The first was Culture and one presenter spoke of a quality of work life survey she had done with the staff. There were nine areas from management, communication, empowerment, etc. This gave them feedback on areas where problems might exist. The first time the survey was done it was used as a baseline for the library. It will be repeated every three years. One caution, be prepared to listen to what staff say and be willing to do something with the information gathered.

Other areas of the program covered Life-Work Balance, Staff Development, Staff Recognition, and Health and Welfare. One suggestion was for when there is a big project, such as migration to a new automation system or moving to a new building that staff be allowed to talk about the process. Celebrate the event but also allow staff to respond to these questions on a white board or flip chart:

What I will miss from the old system or building (a mourning response)
What am I uncertain about.
What I am looking forward too.

Giving leave time to vote, donate blood, or attend school conferences were new ideas that would be easy for a library to institute and help staff to feel more a part of the community. Pat Conley Director at Washington County (MN) Library talked about a program she tried once and will try again. It was a way for staff to rotate between locations.

If you would like to see the handouts click here, once at the page scroll down to the title More than a Paycheck on Sunday at 3:30 PM.

Harlequin Publishers

2009-08-14T09:35:00.001-05:00

Harlequin Publishers announced the launch of a website for librarians at the 2009 ALA conference. We are familiar with all the romance series that they produce but they have other lines as well. There are action, historical, nonfiction and a new just begun Harlequin Teen.

While this is not the first choice of reading material for some library customers we owe it to those that do enjoy good escape reading to know where to locate it. Check out the library website and the main Harlequin site. There are many things to see there.

Library Security and Safety

2009-08-10T11:44:00.001-05:00

Saturday, July 11 at 10:30 PLA sponsored a session titled “Effective Safety and Security Practices in Today’s Public Library.” This was a large room and it was standing room only. Handouts were gobbled up quickly; thank goodness ALA and all of its divisions have put them up on the webpage.

Bryan Oliver, Safety & Security Manager, Richland County (S.C.) Public Library had these points when dealing with disruptive behavior:

Remain calm, be confident, speak in a relaxed tone, pause , Breath, and think before responding.
Listen carefully to the Patron’s question or complaint then used active listening to paraphrase the Patrons concern as precisely as possible.
Do not debate, Do not negotiate and Deviation from policy should be avoided. Be consistent in your responses.
Don’t fight, walk away if a patron displays anger or request assistance from other staff.
If justifiable, make an exception if you have the authority
If exception can not be made, explain the policy or Code of Conduct clearly. The Code of Conduct is your SHIELD!

Take these steps when confronted with disruptive behavior. If the situation warrants, you may ask the Patron to leave. If they do not and the incident escalates, call a supervisor, security, or the police to escort the patron from the premises. The last step is to let other staff members know who was ejected and why. They may wait and try to return.

Andrew Sanderbeck, Consultant & Trainer, The People-Connect Institute had this to say during the presentation—

Ensure equitable treatment for all patrons.
Deal with problems as they happen, so that the problem does not escalate.
Ask yourself are the library policies supportive of the staff and what authority do they have. Look at a behavior intellectually and not emotionally.
E + R = O this translates to Events + Response = Outcome When there is an incident, how your respond will determine the outcome. Will a patron have a positive or negative view of the library?

This is a topic of interest to all. Violence seems to be on the increase partly due to the stress of the current economy. The full house at this presentation testifies to the interest and importance of this topic.

Academic Integrity

2009-08-06T15:27:00.003-05:00

Helping students at all levels to understand the importance of doing their own work on projects is a topic of ongoing discussion between faculty and librarians. Attempting to stamp out plagiarism through narrowly focuses presentations has not seemed to work. In the ALA poster sessions I visited with a librarian from Miami University in Oxford Ohio who developed a tutorial to address this issue. The impetus was a faculty study of the issue of academic integrity at the University and their recommended to establish an online tutorial to reach out to first year students.

The result was the establishment of Miami eScholar whose components include:

A series of readings divided into five modules
Self-check exercises in each module to help students gauge comprehension
A final quiz consisting of 19 questions
An option to print a certificate of successful completion for students who answer at least 15 or the 18 questions successfully.

eScholar addresses all aspects of creating high-quality research and not just plagiarism. The concepts covered are:

defining information needs
finding, and evaluating resources
citing and ethical use of information

Miami eScholar was implemented in two of their six academic divisions. 97% of students completing the tutorial were able to answer 15 of the 18 questions on the final quiz successfully. Over two/thirds of the students answered one to three of the questions incorrectly indicating that the content presented in eScholar is not second nature to them.

The two year pilot of eScholar had successes and challenges. Feedback from the pilot period has been integrated into revisions that will be available Fall Semester, 2009 plus a new video-based version.

For more information on this program contact Eric Resnis resnisew@muohio.edu, Kwabena Sekyere sekyerk@muohio.edu, or Rob Withers witherre@muohio.edu.

Reluctant Readers

2009-07-30T12:45:00.002-05:00

While in the ALA Exhibit hall, I was attracted to a booth with colorful books at the Orca Book Publishers. They specialize in books for reluctant readers. There are three groupings:

Orca Currents Fiction for Middle-School reluctant readers (34 titles)
Orca Soundings Fiction for Reluctant Teen Readers (57 titles)
Orca Sports High-interest sports novels for ages 10 & up (22 titles)

The books are very attractive and look like any other paperback a teen would read. The titles in the Soundings collection are Accelerated Reader selections. The Soundings and Currents collections also have free teachers’ guides.

If you have been looking for books to peak the interest of your reluctant readers check out these titles at Orca Book Publishers.

George and Joan Continued

2009-07-29T17:50:00.002-05:00

Joan talked about a sign outside a library; unfortunately I did not get the name of the library, but the sign read, “Free entry for the incurably curious.” Isn’t that a great statement? I wish that every library would welcome the incurably curious to their libraries. Are you welcoming to those who enter.

Some tips on how to interact with the library customer for a more positive result. The first was to stand next to the patron, side to side not face to face, when you go up to them in the stacks. It is easier to get them to talk to you and believe it or not they say you can get more interaction between you and the customer that way.

The second is when talking you will be doing information triage, deciding if the customer can continue independently or need more direct help from a librarian. Can they use the self service check out? Often when a customer comes to the library and they are unfamiliar with it they watch what other people are doing for clues on where to go or how to act. Good clear signs can help them navigate.

Next what is the outcome of your interaction with the customer? Show them that you care and are interested in their success in finding what they need.

Lastly, follow-up. When a customer goes independently to the stacks, or a database, check in and find out, how it turned out. Did they find what they were looking for?

Librarians should be focused on making the patron feel successful when they come into the library. Treat them as smart and independent people, respect and remember their preferences, find ways to say yes to their request.

Joan spoke of a vision statement for a library and again, I don’t know what library. It was, “A thriving community where wisdom resides.” If we treat the patron with respect and compassion, I think our libraries can be places that thrive and where wisdom resides.

Learn more about George Needham and Joan Frye Williams at their website.

George and Joan

2009-07-24T13:27:00.001-05:00

The ASCLA Presidents program features John Frye Williams and George Needham. The theme of their presentation was “Revitalizing the Library Experience.” They focused on how to provide the customer with the service they need. Here are some nuggets of information.

As Librarians we tend to focus on what we do in the library and not on What the Customer needs or wants. Instead we should always focus on the customer and what they need, what they want, and ask ourselves, do we know them?

We value the privacy of our patrons but have we “chosen ignorance in the name of confidentiality?” We do not talk to the customer and ask how they are doing; instead we say we can not know about you because it is private. However, if we are to help the patron, we need to build a relationship with them and that means talking with them and learning about them.

Many of our customers use the library independently with out mediation of staff. Do we set them up for success or failure? They should not have to learn our library jargon. Policies should not hinder the patron’s access to information. Use them as “tools and not rules” when dealing with patrons. Think of library services as layers. The time a patron has will determine how much help or instruction you give. A busy mom wants to borrow a book from another library, the librarian handles the request. At a later point in time the same mom has more time to spend in the library because Johnny or Mary is at a play date. This is the time to show her how to go
online and request a book by her self.

Oh and we must remember that much of the library experience customers have takes place outside of the library. So when they come in is the library welcoming, clean, neat, and well signed. Does the staff welcome the customer or do they “look at the patron as a walking work load.”

More on what George and Joan said next week. Learn more about George and Joan at their new website.

The Hubbub

2009-07-21T10:25:00.002-05:00

If the title of this post did not intrigue you I don’t know what will. The Hubbub is a party that the staff at the University of Kentucky libraries holds as a library orientation event for freshmen. Stacey Greenwell of the University of Kentucky and Alice Wasielewski of Eastern Kentucky University presented this idea during a poster sessions held at ALA.

For two hours freshmen come to the library where they have food, play games, win prizes and a great time. 2008 was their second Hubbub and it was a rousing success. It is a great way to get freshmen into the library in a friendly and fun way. They move furniture around so there is plenty of walking space. They need it as in 2008 they estimate over 750 student attended.They are planning for the 2009 Hubbub.

To learn more about their program, read Stacey’s Blog, the July 12th post. There are photos of the Hubbub on flickr. This looks like a very fun activity that would be easy to duplicate at other colleges and universities or even on a smaller basis for high school freshmen orientation.

Libraries and Autism

2009-07-17T17:13:00.002-05:00

One of the events that I attended at ALA 2009 was the ASCLA Presidents program. Besides a speaker, they presented awards. The ASCLA/KLAS/NOD award went to a project titled “Libraries and Autism We’re connected.” This is what they say about the award on their webpage.

"This national award, co-sponsored by ASCLA (Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies), the Keystone Library Automation System and the National Organization on Disability, is presented annually to a library organization chosen for its exemplary service to people with disabilities. It recognizes an innovative and well-organized project which successfully developed or expanded services for people with disabilities."

There is a website that the project developed for the project. The home page talks about the project and the publicity and awards it has received. Other resources on the page are—

A video that can be used in staff training to help them understand Autism and give them information on how to better serve individuals with autism and their families. The video is just over nineteen and a half minutes.

There is a page of resources that can be used to communicate with people with autism.

The Links page leads you to resources such as books, organizations, and websites.

On the Expand your Knowledge page there are blogs and newspaper or magazine articles about autism.

Autism is a spectrum disorder that affects individuals with a wide range of symptoms. Approximately 1 in 150 children are affected by Autism. Our libraries need to understand this disorder and be able to serve these children and their families. Study the information on this website and share it with your staff. Provide training to staff on autism awareness. Make your library welcoming to all.

OCLC Symposium

2009-07-16T15:10:00.003-05:00

OCLC Symposium Friday July 10, 2009 Chicago

Keynote speaker Joseph A. Michelli, PhD, did his homework before speaking before a room full of librarians at the Symposium. He had read and studied the OCLC research report “From Awareness to Funding.” He cautioned that for libraries the future cannot be “more of the same” but that they need to connect with users through a transformative experience.

The library needs to learn what is relevant to the patron in their wants, needs, & desires. Listen to the patron and treat them as if they were important. The experience that they have at the library needs to transformative, one that allows them to learn and change.

Transformative drivers are those things you can do to create EBS, experiential based services. One is to begin by making the staff have a transformational experience as employees, treat them well. This starts by designing the employee experience from their selection, orientation, and reviews where we ask “How are we doing at helping you do your job?”

We need to build loyalty and engagement with the patron. To judge this, ask these questions. How satisfied are you with library services? How likely are you to continue to use these services? How likely are you to recommend them to a friend or relative?

The library needs to move itself from

Informational > Transformational
Institutional > Infrastructure
Nice > Necessary
Past > Future
Altruism > ROI

One example of customer service comes from the Ritz-Carlton a very simple approach – described as the three steps of service:
1) Offer a Warm Welcome (look up, smile and/or greet the person)
2) Fulfill the stated and unstated needs of the guest (be attentive to and observant of the patron)
3) Provide a fond farewell (say good-bye or come back soon)

If you want to learn more about Dr. Michelli check out his website. He has written three books The Starbucks Experience, The New Gold Standard, and When Fish Fly.

Nancy Pearl & Reader's Advisory

2009-06-09T09:44:00.004-05:00

I had the pleasure on Monday, June 8th to hear Nancy Pearl speak. It was great. The topic was reader’s advisory, a session at the Institute for School and Public Librarians at Bradley. Key points I learned from Nancy—

Reader’s Advisory is not about recommending books but suggesting books.
Give readers three books, one just like or close to the one they just read, one that is similar or pretty close to what they just read and one that is a stretch for them such as non-fiction on a topic or setting of the book just read.
There are four doorways to enjoy fictions books: story, characters, setting and language.
Asking the reader “Why they liked the book” gives you an idea of which doorway appeals to them.

“I could not put the book down,” they were attracted to the story.

“The main character was so quirky I loved them,” then they are attracted to characters.

“I felt as if I was there,” setting is key to their enjoyment of books.

“This book had such beautiful descriptions,” then they like the language.

I now have a deeper understanding of why I love certain books and I have some new books and authors to read. I can’t wait to begin.

Summer Reading

2009-06-02T07:30:00.001-05:00

Summer reading is on my mind today.

I read a post from Library Link of the Day that talked about summer reading and its importance to kids. The post came from TwinCities.com. That’s right the twin cities as in Minniapolis/St. Paul. They give some facts then many suggestions on how to help your child to keep the reading and writing skills they have in May so that when they start school in September they have not lost ground.

Soon there will also be a summer reading suggestion list from me on the RPLS Front Page.

Happy reading!!

Bibliographies & Citations

2009-05-22T15:29:00.000-05:00

I don’t know about you but every time I have to create a book list or bibliography, I dread it. What style of citation should I use? Will I get the punctuation right? I just want to get it done and move on.

Now I know there are websites where you can put in the information and at a click of the mouse it is put in citation form but now I have an easier way. WorldCat. That’s right the OCLC online catalog of books, articles, DVD’s and more. There is a Cite this Item link in the record of materials found in WorldCat through First Search.

If you search through the WorldCat.org public website you can also get a citation. When the specific item you searched for is displayed look just at the top of the record are links to cite, print, email and more. Click site and you can choose from five difference citation styles--APA. Chicago (Author-Date), Harvard, MLA or Turabian

Check it out the next time you have to make up a list of books

Intellectual Freedom

2009-05-07T14:29:00.001-05:00

I have been meaning to write about the recent death of Judith Krug. She was the director of the ALA office for intellectual Freedom since its founding in 1967. She died April 14, 2009, a great loss to the library community. Judith helped trustees and librarians when they were facing a challenge to materials placed in their library’s collection.

Intellectual Freedom is a core principle of the library field. It is probably the toughest one to up hold. Each year many books are challenged by parents or groups for a wide variety of reasons. They range from sex to witchcraft, violence to language and many, many more. Authors are often confused as to why a particular part of a book is being challenged? When I think of the loss of Ms Krug in juxtaposition with some of my recent readings on the topic of intellectual I had to write.

The first thing I read was the book by James LaRue, The New Inquisition : understanding and managing intellectual freedom challenges. Jamie, in his book, examines the reasons why books have been challenged at his library. He has found that they fall into specific categories of child development. Jamie also gives the librarian some samples of the letters he has written that explain to the parent why a book is being retained by the library. I feel this should be required reading by every librarian in a public or school library. (By the way RPLS has a copy in the professional collection.)

The second piece I read was an article from the February 2009 School Library Journal. (And yes I know I am behind in my reading of professional journals.) The title of this article by Debra Lau Whelan was “A Dirty Little Secret: Self-censorship is rampant and lethal”. The article speaks to the self-censoring that school and public librarians do when a book is controversial or has is about a topic or issue they are uncomfortable with. The librarians are reacting in fear and expectation of a challenge. Pat Scales, president of the Association of Library Services to Children sated in the article, “If you reject a book just because of its subject matter or if you think that it would cause you some problems, then that’s self-censorship. And that’s going against professional ethics.”

I encourage you to read and think about the issue of Intellectual Freedom.

Legal Information for Illinois Residents

2009-04-13T10:30:00.002-05:00

Recently I received in the mail a notice about a web page designed to help Illinois residents with Legal Information and help. That site is www.IllinoisLegalAid.org. According to the information I received the website features:

A Powerful search engine
Over 3000 legal articles
Instructional videos
Court forms
Step-by-step instructions
Referrals to helpful legal organizations.

On the site you can fine information on…

Divorce, child support, paternity, domestic violence
Social Security, Food Stamps, Unemployment
Landlord/tenant, evictions, foreclosures
Small claims, security deposits
Guardianship, wills, Medicare/Medicaid
Consumer debt, bankruptcy, identity theft.

Check out this site it was designed to provide free, reliable legal information to Illinois residents with civil legal problems.

I'm Back

2009-04-07T13:54:00.000-05:00

I'm back, at least part time.

If you have missed me on this blog it is because I had a knee replacement on Feb. 26th. I have been concentrating on recuperation. Along the way, I have been tracking email, doing exercises, and reading.

The book I am reading now is by James LaRue and is titled “The New Inquisition: understanding and managing intellectual freedom challenges.” I am finding it very interesting and enlightening. I think it should be required reading for all students in an MLS or Library Media certification program. Jamie does not look at challenges to library materials or services as adversarial but as an opportunity to promote the mission of the library. It is a book that makes you think while guiding you in developing policies and strategies to use when a challenge to materials arrives on your desk at the library.

Borrow or buy a copy for your library and have all staff read and discuss it.

Advocacy U

2009-02-20T10:00:00.000-06:00

ALA has a new initiative that is geared to providing tools, training and resources to library advocates. At Advocacy University, you will find the information you need to achieve real advocacy goals in real situations at a local level.

Currently at Advocacy U, you will find—
Add It Up: Libraries Make the Difference in Youth Development and Education. This tool brings together the research and statistics that have been conducted in many states. With this information, advocates can make the case for libraries at every stage of youth development.

Advocating in a Tough Economy Toolkit gives talking pints, statistics, and data to help make the case for your library. There are strategies to help focus public attention and generate support for your library. Additionally, there are tips on how to connect with decision makers.

During these tough economic times, it is more important than ever to tell your library’s story to those that use and support the library and to those that don’t.

Virtual Meetings 2

2009-02-12T15:16:00.001-06:00

While Monday I reported frustration with the virtual OCLC Members Council meeting, I am happy to report the next two days of meetings went much smoother. I had some problems with sound but there was a backup Phone alternative that I used.

One thing we found is that on Tuesday, we were discussing some contentious issues. As members we only had chat as a way of communicating. The questions and responses were quite thoughtful and also respectful. More people seemed to be contributing, partially because there was no public speaking. Bottom line we had a good discussion and exchange of ideas.On

Wednesday, the presentation was on “What Makes Virtual Organizations (teams) Work Well? “ The idea of face-to-face meetings and when they are appropriate and when not was questioned. There are definitely times when it is imperative to have those face-to-face meetings. However, much time can be saved by using virtual methods of holding meetings for routine types of activities. Several people commented that because we had met face-to-face before, we knew each other, had a sense of who the person was and a level of respect and trust had been built. Because of this that conversation by chat on Tuesday was able to be successful.

Bottom line virtual meetings can work but, it takes effort on the part of attendees to make them work. Virtual meetings work better if there has been a face-to-face meeting prior to the virtual one. More virtual meetings will be in my future and in yours.

Virtual Meetings

2009-02-09T16:42:00.001-06:00

This morning I had an interesting experience. The OCLC Members Council met virtually using the services of Learning Times.

Before the meeting there were tech checks and orientations that did not mean the meeting went smoothly. I had problems with sound and was told to log out then back in. It worked but when I had to do it a second time I exceeded the limit on the room so I missed about ½ of the first hour of the meeting.

Luckily for the breakout meetings of Service Groups there was a new login to try. All went well, and then the meeting was closed about ½ ways through. Logging back in, the meeting continued. However, as chair of the meeting, it was frustrating, not knowing if I could get back in and what would happen if I didn’t?

Well, after two hours the meeting was over and they put up an evaluation form, which I filled out.

Tomorrow and Wednesday we have virtual meetings again. I will let you know how they go.

Exhibit Ramblings

2009-02-06T17:00:00.000-06:00

Three online products I found interesting

The Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus Think of a root systems and words at the ends of roots to visualize how they are related. They are also in Spanish and there is audio so you can hear the words pronounced. Might be a product schools would be interested in.

Need information on different countries of the world? Have you heard about Country Watch? This online database provides information on socio-demographic, cultural, historical, economic, political, environmental and more about the 192 countries and also non-sovereign nations that make up our world. They have real-time, full-text news articles from the countries and a map gallery. This is an interesting product, which all libraries might want to look at.

And finally a product called SimplyMap from Geographic Research, Inc. They have combined demographic, business and marketing data into a user-friendly interface. Choose a location and click on the choices of data you want. This is a powerful tool.

OK that is all from ALA-Mid-Winter. Next week another topic.

ALA Mid-winter Sessions.

2009-02-05T08:57:00.001-06:00

Those of you who have not been to an ALA mid-Winter conference may not realize that it is quite different from the Annual conference. This is where the work of the association takes place. All the various divisions of ALA, the numerous committees, and Vendor user groups/presentations are what make up the conference. There are very few if any sessions presented by librarians on what they have done. There are also fewer author appearances though authors are there.

While at the conference I attended the 19th Annual Presidents’ Seminar: The View from the Top put on by RMG consultants. Rob McGee, the consultant who helped us in the RFP for the Horizon migration puts this together. The title of this seminar was Starting Over: Re-Inventing the Integrated Library System and the Library Automation Industry. I won’t pretend that I followed everything but I did usually know the terminology used. There were representatives from 12 vendors including SirsiDynix, OCLC, Polaris, Lib Lime and more. Plus featured speakers Helen Blowers, John Blyberg, Marshall Breeding, and Wes Trager. Interesting to hear what they say and to watch the faces of the presidents of vendors in reaction to what others are saying.

I also attended committee meetings that work with the Public Information Office of ALA. They do the PR for the Association. Such as the @ your Library campaign and National Library Week. There were two committees of ASCLA, ICAN (the groups for people who work in consortia such as RPLS is). One was on Delivery and the other ILL. It is interesting to hear what others are doing, to learn that you don’t have the problems of others, and to meet people who are interested in the same topics as you are.

OK, one final post coming on Exhibits then on to another topic.

More news from the Mid-winter Exhibit Hall

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If you are a public library looking to remodel or add to the Children’s area of the library, check out the Burgeon Group Interactive Learning Spaces. They create early literacy toys just for libraries. They are based in Phoenix. Their motto PLAY FULLY™.

Looking for a way to provide music to your library patrons without the hassle of CD’s or cassette’s? Take a look at the NAXOS Music Library. They feature the “World’s largest collection of streaming Classical music”. They also have choral, Jazz and World Music with new releases added daily.

Book Repair. A simple easy way to glue the spines of books comes from Cover One. This machine repairs paper back and hardback books, and binds periodicals. They offer a free 20 day trial.

Scheduling staff can become a headache. Frontline Placement Technologies has a product “Aesop” that can ease the process. It provides paperless scheduling, desk scheduling, employee self-service, and quarterly system updates. This service is available 24/7 via the internet. Check them out.

Don’t worry I have more to share from ALA Mid-winter. Stay tuned.

From the Mid-Winter Exhibit Hall

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School Librarians remember a resource for librarians and teachers called Marco Polo? It has been redesigned and is now called thinkfinity.org. It is a free resource for librarians, teachers, students, and parents. You will find lesson plans, websites, activities, games and more. Check it out.

I saw a new book on the Holocaust titled Hidden Letters. It is a book of 86 letters and postcards that a young Jewish Man wrote in 1942 in the Netherlands. There are extensive annotations, many photographs, maps and other documents. This book is not just about Flip Slier but a history of the Holocaust in Holland. It is a large book and each letter is reproduced and translated. From Star Bright Books the cost is $35. Visit the Hidden Letters website for a peek inside the book.

The book that almost didn’t get publishes. The Lexicon: An Unauthorized Guide to Harry Potter Fiction and Related Materials by Steve Vander Ark. From RDR Books The Lexicon is now available. The authors were at ALA selling and signing the book.

Do you have readers who need print in a font size larger than that found in regular large print books? Check out the Company Read How You Want. They call themselves a customized book source. If you are looking for alternative formats of books for your visually challenged patrons. This is a company to investigate.

ALA Mid Winter Conference

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Having never gone to this conference it was a learning experience. I attended several committee meetings and spent time in the exhibits visiting with new and old vendors. The most exciting part of the conference for me was the press conference where all the Youth Media Awards were announced. As books were announced there was clapping from the crowd and for some awards whoops and hollers. You can view all the award winners at ALA

I now have a long list of books to read and to purchase for my granddaughter.

Over the next week, I will post information about my other activities at the conference and news from the exhibit hall.

I stayed at a bed & breakfast Inn while in Denver, the Castle Marne . I was spoiled by their hospitality!!

Welcome to my blog

2009-01-12T12:04:00.000-06:00

Hi, this is new venture for me. This blog will not replace the Director's Desk post on the RPLSweb page. This blog will be used to post interesting information I find, to talk about books I have read, and updates on attendance at conferences, OCLC meetings, etc.

I will be attending ALA Mid-winterConference to be held in Denver, Co at the end of January. I am looking forward to the conference as I have not been to a mid-winter confernece before. I am not however, looking forward to the flight: Bloomington to Detroit to Minneapolis to Denver and this in January.

OK keeping this short for my first post.