Ohio Library Council 2007 - Report

Some of this comes from my report that was sent to my supervisor. My report to my library is considerably longer. I wanted to at least share what I learned with other people. I picked three workshops that I thought were very valuable.

Look Before You Leap: Why Web 2.0 Alone Can't Save Your Library
This was presented by Laura Solomon from Cleveland Public Library and Glen Horton from SouthWest Ohio and Neighboring Libraries. The presenters discussed various Web/Library 2.0 tools and what not to do. “How to Kill a Blog/Wiki/IM service/etc.” As I took the notes, I changed it to positive as to how you can make xyz item successful. They also mentioned the positives of engaging/using these tools. You can find their PowerPoint presentation here.
The last part of the presentation discussed how to look at these tools critically; asking if this is the right tool, what are your expectations, etc. A closing note to the presentation was that even if an organization does not want to engage in this, it ought to claim the webspace/Internet space so that others do not. I spoke with Laura Solomon afterwards and noted that I did not have my bubble burst and would still like to incorporate these tools. I’m willing to do the work and even train people. I am uncertain as to the reasons for administration’s apprehension and would welcome a discussion.

"You Offer Me Nothing": Serving Next Generation Patrons
This was a very well attended workshop and I anticipated it highly. Don Yarman of Delaware County District Public Library moderated a panel discussion with Karl Jendretzky, OPLIN and Christine, a friend of Don’s. Both of these individuals do not use libraries. Their reasons varied. Karl uses bitTorrent to download videos and audio files. He stated that it’s easier to steal rather than borrow legally and in some ways safer. If a person uses audio CDs on a computer, the DRM programming installs files onto that computer which can cause damage.
Christine does not like to go to libraries because she feels that libraries are intimidating and the shelves make her feel claustrophobic. Both of them do not understand Dewey and don’t like having to go to the reference desk for help. Christine likes to read a book and then keep it. Someone suggested that if libraries were able to allow patrons to check out books and keep them for as long as they want. The counterpoint to that argument is it would potentially throw off the budget. Most people would not tell the library that they plan on keeping the book and if they did, the library would still have to figure out how many books to acquire, etc.
One thing I would like to see is faster ILL. If a person can get an item sent from a company overnight, why can’t libraries do the same thing? I understand that there are costs involved but I still find the ILL turnaround time to be longer than necessary. This is merely an observation. It’s probably not under the Hudson Library’s control based on our CLEVNET membership.
They liked the roving reference idea and had suggestions for ways to get people into the library. For people like Karl, holding a LAN party where people are playing a multi-user game together (example: World of Warcraft, Runescape). Marketing ideas: advertising on pizza boxes (flyers attached to a pizza box noting various events or services.)

You're the Expert – Share It!: On-the-job Training at Your Library
This workshop discussed ways that employees can benefit from micro learning sessions. It is important to maintain institutional knowledge along with creating opportunities for professional development within the organization. The loss of information can be devastating to an organization. Indeed, an organization can bounce back but it’s never quite the same.
Sometimes there is not enough time or funding to allow for employees to attend training workshops. The homegrown approach is definitely applicable within our organization. There are some talents that other might not have. For instance, there are those that have the ability to talk to irritable patrons/customers and to de-escalate a situation; technical proficiency, etc. These talents can be shared in brief 15 minute snippets here and there. However, there needs to be managerial buy-in in order for the employees to utilize their training time together most efficiently. The manager must be willing to allow them uninterrupted time to train.
A particular point that was addressed is whether an organization wants a body or a skills set. Anyone can fill in someone else’s shoes but in order to serve the customers in the best way possible, a certain level of knowledge is essential. Competencies established by various organizations, such as the Ohio Library Council, can provide guidelines in order to lay the groundwork for required skill sets within an organization. (OLC’s core competencies can be found here.)
I have submitted on the Intranet a discussion to see how the Reference/Adult Services department can tackle the issues of institutional knowledge loss and skill set building. It would be optimal for those to take the initiative and seek out those that would be willing to share their knowledge. However, what would stop a co-worker from approaching another colleague in the hopes of establishing a knowledge partnership? Buddying up with another colleague that may be lacking in certain areas not only will provide the worker with an opportunity for growth but it will also increase knowledge share across the board, thereby enabling and empowering employees to provide the best service possible to our patrons/customers.

Overall, I had a great time at my first Convention and Expo. I had been to the previous sectional conferences and found them to be very useful for professional development. The Ohio Library Council is a worthwhile organization for any Ohio library professional and I'm proud to be a member.

Ohio Library Council

I'm heading down to Columbus, Ohio for the Ohio Library Council Convention and Expo. This will be my first Expo since they switched to a biennial format.
I'm pretty excited to be going since I would like to be more active within OLC. I've stepped up my activity level within ALA and would like to act locally as well.
I'm going to be attending a good number of the Library/Web 2.0 workshops as well as "You Offer Me Nothing": Serving Next Generation Patrons. I am still chomping at the bit to try out anything related to Library/Web 2.0. I'd even be willing to train people. Getting institutional buy-in can be difficult in any organization. Is it worse in libraries? I'm not sure. I know that libraries ought to be at the forefront of this movement and yet so many libraries balk at just *trying* something different. If the library is an established center of a community, why not expand and strengthen that "market share" by exploring avenues where other patrons are already investigating? By no means did I wish to turn this into a rant about slow to change libraries and their bullet holes in their feet. An up and coming blog on that is exploring Library 2.0 is Library Alchemy. I've been intrigued by this since this librarian is at a major metropolitan library and it is interesting to see how it's playing out there.
Speaking of playing out, I need to head out. See you in Columbus!

Surveys: Wikipedia at your Library/Technology Access Issues

A number of surveys are being floated around and I would encourage you to participate in them, that is, if you work in libraries.
Surveys help our colleagues better assess our services and allow us to provide supporting statements for services currently used and potential future services.

I received an email earlier today regarding a survey being conducted by Duke University Libraries:

Wikipedia. Love it or hate it? We want to know how librarians are using Wikipedia. Please help us find out.

The Use of Wikipedia by Librarians survey is a research study investigating how librarians are using Wikipedia in their daily work.

Please take 10-15 minutes to participate in the Use of Wikipedia by Librarians survey at this url:
Survey link.

Additionally, the Free Range Librarian posted this to PUBLIB:

A national survey of public library computer and Internet access was mailed to public libraries early September 2007. The study is funded by the American Library Association and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and conducted by researchers from Florida State University's Information Use Management and Policy Institute, and builds on research conducted since 1994. More information on this project is available at http://www.ala.org/plinternetfunding/, including the recently released report based on the 2006 survey many of you completed.

Your participation in the survey provides public libraries, state library agencies, the American Library Association, policymakers, and others with extremely important data regarding public library computer and Internet access issues, the services and resources you make available to users (e.g., e-government, databases, digital reference, etc.), what it takes to sustain public access computer and Internet services in your library, and the impacts of such public access services on the communities that your library serves.

You may access the survey at http://survey.pnmi.com - The survey is web-based and has a total of 21 questions that will take you about 40 minutes to complete. PLEASE COMPLETE THE SURVEY BY NOVEMBER 25, 2007.

You will need your state assigned Library ID code included in the survey announcement letter you received to initiate the survey. If you have lost that ID number, you can look it up on the survey site. If you have any questions, or need further assistance, please e-mail PL2007@ci.fsu.edu.

Slam the Boards!

Librarians invade the "Answer" sites
Monday, 9/10/07--All Day
Supporting Wiki: http://answerboards.wetpaint.com

More information can be found at their site.

Librarians from all over are taking action. We're going to show that our virtual reference is top notch! Thank you to Laura Solomon from CLEVNET for posting this to the OPLIN email list and to OPLIN for posting this in the OPLIN 4cast.

I'm definitely doing this. A while ago, I started answering questions on Yahoo! Answers in hopes that my email address would clue people into the fact that I'm a reference librarian and thereby want to use the library to answer their questions. (The email address has referencelib in it.) I think this is such a great idea and hope that we can innundate the boards providing valuable reference to those that may otherwise not think to use library resources. Let's show 'em that our virtual reference skills are non-pareil!

I'd like to invite any and all interested librarians to be a little bold and have a little fun by going to online "Answer" sites, such as:

* Yahoo Answers
* Amazon's Askville
* The WikiPedia Reference Desk

(see a list of others here.)

Once there, let's answer!

I envision a day-long answer fest. Answer as many questions as you feel you can. 5...10...20...you decide. Just try to do what we do well--provide answers from authoritative resources.

...and then MARKET!

This means making it clear that this question was answered by a librarian/library professional/etc. End each answer with the mention your own library, your VR service, etc. Add the link. Mention that readers should consider their own libraries, too. Promote it to local media. Keep in mind how many people don't even realize that libraries offer reference services. Let's surprise and delight them with our quality.

I'd like hundreds of librarians to do this. Thousands? Why not?

Be clear...you'll almost certainly be helping patrons who aren't yours, but I see this as an opportunity to make the reference librarian community more visible. I'd like to see a number of us remain engaged in the answer services, on the chance that the users will have us in the backs of their minds when they have questions they don't want everyone to see. As such, I'm not expecting to see a huge "blip" in our reference/VR stats because of this. But who knows?
The point is to meet some folks where they otherwise wouldn't expect us.

What to do next?

First of all, pass this message along to anyone who might remotely be interested.
Second, this is a very informal "action," so you can just mark the date and start answering, but you may also want to visit the Wiki and put your name up as a participant: here.
While you're on the wiki, share. Think of good marketing "tags," signatures, etc. that we can use.
Most of all, visit the various answer sites, see if you need to set up an account. Try answering a few questions. A couple of us have already done this and we've already got a few "Best Answers" under our belts. See the "Exemplary Answers" section of the Wiki. Post one if you've got one!
Then, on September 10, get ready to "Slam the Boards!!"
--Bill Pardue

Huh? I have a blog?

I realize that I haven't updated this blog in months. This is an opening sentence to countless blog entries throughout the blagosphere. There have been numerous things going on for me professionally including attending the American Library Association Annual Conference in DC, trying to find my niche in ALA Council, etc.

I still find myself trying to figure out my niche for this blog. It will soon be moving over to http://infowidget.info although I think this url will still work.

In the meantime, I figured I will post some book reviews.

Couple Skills: Making Your Relationship Work by Matthew McKay, Patrick Fanning, and Kim Paleg
Communication is one of the first things to break down in a relationship. This book explores how to improve communication and cope better with the problems that spring up throughout our daily lives. Practical skills application and activities are throughout the book. Very useful and recommended.

Vaccine: The Controversial Story of Medicine's Greatest Lifesaver by Arthur Allen
This book explores the history of vaccination and the controversies surrounding public health policy and vaccine research. Also highlighted in this book are the anti-vaccine stances that are currently being debated. While it is uncertain whether the deadly avian flu virus will evolve in a way that allows it to sweep across the globe, experts are certain that it is only a matter of time before a flu pandemic strikes. An interesting and timely read!

Seeds: Time Capsules of Life and Pollen: The Hidden Sexuality of Flowers by Rob Kesseler are wonderous books. Utilizing electron microscopes, the artist is able to photograph the seeds and pollen of various flowers and plants. It is not just pretty pictures. The book relates historical and scientific information that is accessible to the average person. I came away gaining not only additional knowledge but a respect and reverance for these very small things that can shape the world, albeit with the proper environment. The beauty and symmetry of these objects illustrate how art is really in all things. Recommended!

I will post again shortly. Polemic pontifications, bookish babbling and the like.

(Un?)Fortunately I have been quite busy as of late. First off, I would like to belatedly thank anyone who voted for me in the ALA election. I am truly honored that I have been elected to serve as a Councilor-at-Large. I look forward to making a difference within the organization and have no qualms about shaking things up. While I did not expect to win with my first attempt, I'm confident that I will represent ALA members effectively. Still, wowzers!

Three issues that I wanted to chime in on:
Jackson County Public Libraries Stay Closed
Maricopa County Library - Death of DDC
Collection Development Issues in Sacramento

All of these issues go hand in hand. Some people do not want to pass library levies because "I don't go to the library, why should I have to pay?" Or "They don't have what I want anyway, why should I pay extra taxes?" Or "I can never seem to find anything when I'm in there, why bother?"

Our desire to maintain libraries' relevance in the eyes of the patron/customer should not acquiesce and confound the mission of libraries. Concurrently, I would assert that libraries sometimes take themselves too seriously.

Indeed, we must have standards and an organizational schema that enables the purchase and classification of items. I'm a fan of Dewey. Not the individual but his classification system. While I do not wish to completely abandon DDC, I feel that the general public does not know what it means. Instead of no longer incorporating Dewey in the Perry Library (Maricopa County Public Library System), I would suggest endcap signage with additional signage in the stacks. Pointing out the general topics of the DDC may prove useful and less confusing for the average patron.

By no means do I mean to diminish the importance of public libraries and wish to turn them into big box bookstores. It is very sad that the citizens of Jackson County were unable to support the proposed levy. It begs the question, what was done to rally support from those voters? How could the library have marketed its services and value to those people? How do those people view the library? Sometimes the voice of the minority is so strong that they do not realize the deafening silence around them or that the rest of the group is engrossed in other pursuits and not paying attention. I remember in the 2004 election thinking that there was no way Bush was going to win. Additionally, I was associating myself with people that were like-minded. The resounding cry heard amongst us was "We are unhappy with the way things are going under Bush. Let's elect Kerry!" Since it seemed to be echoing throughout the land, we were shocked when the majority re-elected him. Perhaps our echoes were just bouncing off of each other. Since then, I've resolved to make an effort to find out what "the opposition" is thinking.
It is unclear to me whether or not the library workers or those campaigning for the levy made attempts to reach out to the opposition. I have only been involved in one library levy campaign and admittedly it was a successful one. It may have been interesting to encounter a more fierce opposition.

This brings us to trying to please everyone all of the time. You just can't do it. In Sacramento, the director made the call to shift from a policy that stressed the importance of the classics, etc. to a more popularized approach. I'm not exactly thrilled with this but I'm willing to take a second glance at this line of reasoning. "Give them what they want!"
I could ramble incessantly about the dumbing down of our culture and how libraries are stewards of intellectual freedom and how the culture of conspicuous consumption ultimately pits man against himself but I'm not going to do that. I will state simply that the mission of libraries has never been to be a slave to our circulation statistics. We are not just about books and DVDs. Libraries provide important services. We serve the public and supply them with the resources to better themselves. However, what if they don't want to better themselves? What if they are complacent in their pop culture, instant gratification mentality? Does that mean we should be complicit? No. We just need to evolve.

I see libraries evolving every day. The shift from the notion of "library as a place" or embracing that stand alone box mentality and establishing itself as the center of the community and thereby expanding its services. Outreach librarians have the opportunity to take the library to the patrons/customers. Instructional Technology librarians can assist patrons and teach them new skills that can be utilized in the ever changing job market. Programming, the all encompassing catchphrase of Library 2.0, etc. are just examples of how we are changing.
The key is to illustrate to patrons/customers what we can provide for them. We are not simply a free Borders. We can provide so much more than that and do!
It will be interesting to see how the Sacramento Library collection development issue unfolds. As with a number of issues that I may not agree with, I will definitely be paying attention if only to further understand how libraries can continue to evolve.

Blogging Class

At my library, I have the opportunity to develop self-paced information literacy tutorials and teach formal classes to train students in aspects of information literacy and technology. Past classes I have taught have been have included Internet Skills, Email and Internet Security. I am just received the go-ahead to create an Introduction to Blogging class.
I'm pretty excited about this as I have had a number of questions regarding blogging and Web 2.0, etc. in my Internet Skills classes. In addition, the Hudson Library blog will be updated on a more frequent basis soon.
I've been blogging since 2001 and it has been exciting to see the evolution of blogging. Many people use blogging as a means to chronicle their lives while others use it as a platform of self publishing. It will be intriguing to see how our patrons will use their blogs.

Awakening from the slumber...

Tomorrow, I will be attending the Northeast Chapter Conference of the Ohio Library Council. I'm looking forward to this since I always enjoy learning new things and finding ways to enhance my skills. Another librarian will be going with me and this afternoon, we'll figure out which sessions we would like to attend. I'm leaning towards some of the management track sessions along with the marketing and technology divisions. Unfortunately, I can't clone myself in time to attend all of the sessions.

As I was flipping through the program booklet, I found a rather disturbing program entitled, "What Would Rip VanWinkle Think?" The program aims to dissuade people from incorporating Library 2.0 tools within their library. Program description: "This program will explore Ragademanndoh's 7 Principles of Library Technology and explore why your library should not have a blog, not a MySpace or a Flickr account. Participants will learn why a hand-written sign on the door is more effective than a Web page and other ways to apply Ragademanndoh's 7 Principles in your library."
Even the title invokes an image of a fumbling old man that is confused by the Information Age. To some, this may be an obstacle to service while others, like myself, see this as an opportunity for teachable moments. I encounter Rip VanWinkle and Rita VanWinkle types nearly every day. Some cannot be bothered to learn new tools while others see the benefits of and are eager to incorporate technology into their daily lives. Reaching out to both camps is important and vital to ensure that patrons' information needs are being met.

I've done a cursory search on the Internet and attempted to look Ragademanndoh up in EBSCOHost. Unfortunately, the only results for this person have been pointing to the program description on the OLC website. Who the heck is Ragademanndoh and why is s/he against technology?

I surely hope this program is done tongue in cheek. There are too many librarians that feel that we should not utilize tools of technology. I understand the fear of embracing new tools and could easily understand the perception that libraries are simply jumping on any and all bandwagons with the banner of technology emblazoned on the side. The thing is, if libraries are to remain a vital part of communities, they need to be anticipating different ways to reach their audiences. Our future Friends of the Library (and some current) are blogging and utilizing social networking tools. To borrow a few phrases from the business world, libraries need to be concerned about increasing our market share and staying ahead of the curve. While a handwritten sign is fine and dandy, it only works when the patrons are in the building.

I feel as if Jim Mann (the presenter) should read the Librarian's 2.0 Manifesto. Most library mission statements discuss providing access to materials and resources but most importantly, information is our currency. I fear that if libraries do not make the effort to reach out to patrons and market their services, we will be viewed as antiquated, provincial and obsolete. We already face this perception with numerous city and state governments that seek to cut our funding based on the thought that "No one goes to the library anymore." For some communities, that may be true and that's something we ought to change. Either way, reaching out to those patrons that do not set foot inside of our doors is essential to our survival and for better or for worse, technology and all of its mysterious trappings (social networking, blogging, wikis, etc.) aids us in that goal.

I plan on contacting Mr. Mann since this program is not offered at the Northeast Chapter Conference. I would hope that he has extensive research to back up these ideas. It seems to me that the confluence of technology and libraries are a perfect match and it boggles my mind when I hear otherwise. I look forward to hearing from him.

I regret that I have not updated this blog as often as I would have liked. Part of it is that I fear that I would essentially be mirroring and sampling news from other already established library blogs. Then again, I would be mixing in my opinion and that is pretty much what blogging is all about. Now that I have turned blogging into the hokey-pokey, let's get started.

ALA voting starts today! During these past few weeks, I should have been blogging incessantly in order to convince ALA members to vote for me for Councilor at Large. If anything, this is a learning experience for me. Even though I used to dream of being the first woman president, I haven't ever really attempted to break into politics other than the 4th grade student council representative position, an election that I lost. The lesson learned there was that if you give people candy, people will vote for you. While I'm not apt to give bribes hopes of a vote, I will give my opinion on the upcoming elections in ALA.
I'm really excited about Jim Rettig's campaign for ALA President and would be excited to work with him on the issues facing libraries, expanding our membership and looking to the future as new and exciting tools for information access and retrieval are being created. I definitely plan on voting for Jim Rettig and would encourage others to do so as well.
As for my own areas of concern that I would like to address as a Councilor, I would endeavor to bridge the gap of those that see social networking tools as frivolous pursuits versus those that see them as useful means for intellectual gains.
As I stated in my statement of professional concerns, I would like to see more members at Council sessions. For those that are unable to attend Midwinter and Annual, it would be great if the ALA were to have streaming video and later have it available in a downloadable format.
The mentoring programs are very and I strongly commend Leslie Burger's leadership initiatives. I would like to see assistance within ALA to foster local leadership programs as well as state initiatives.
As a member of the Intellectual Freedom Round Table, I would like to further embolden and strengthen those libraries being challenged by outside groups that would prevent access to information.
I would like to propose that all ALA accredited institutions are required to have practicum programs in place for all MLS/MLIS students. Too many graduates are being churned out of programs without any experience. I would propose that this would be a requirement to graduate at any ALA accredited institution. This program would be requirement as part of the ALA accreditation process.
I am also an ALA-APA committee member and would like to see ways that the ALA could create a program that would highlight what library workers do in order to demystify and enhance the status of libraries. While the ALA cannot work/lobby for library workers, stressing the importance of the people behind the libraries would hopefully help elevate what we do.

I am very approachable and open to questions. If anyone does have any questions or comments, feel free to ask. I look forward to hearing from you and I look forward to serving you as a Councilor at Large.

My name is Amy Harmon and I've started a professional blog. The topics that may spring up shall include but not be limited to: libraries, intellectual freedom, customer service, marketing, or anything else that I might think is professionally relevant.

I'm a reference and archives librarian at the Hudson Library & Historical Society. I've been here almost 2 years (April 11). I find it interesting that my anniversary date at my job is 4-11, the digits for telephone information.

I'm a member of the American Library Association and value the professional associations within of which I am also a member of: Public Library Association, Reference and User Services Association, New Members Round Table, and Ohio Library Council. I am currently running as a candidate for ALA Councilor-at-Large.

I currently read a number of library blogs, including: Meredith Farkas' blog:Information Wants To Be Free, Steven M. Cohen's, Library Stuff, Jenny Levine's Shifted Librarian and Andrea Mercado's blog, Library Techtonics. Andrea inspired me to start this blog. I've had a personal blog since 2001 but hadn't ventured into the professional blog arena. As a newbie in this realm, I hope that this blog will serve as additional information and commentary as opposed to incoherent ramblings and vociferous expressions.