Day 1 - Computers in Libraries 2009

This is my first Computers in Libraries and it's been pretty great so far. I think only one session was a major disappointment although I'm sure the substance of the talk can be useful for other areas in my life. Nonetheless, I was nonplussed as I sat in the Obstacle or Opportunity talk.

Like many conference attendees, I was having some issues with wireless and when I couldn't tweet or form coherent/decent blog entries, I took notes on the presentations.

Website Redesign Pitfalls - presented by - Jeff Wisniewski, Web Services Librarian, University of Pittsburgh
Bad reasons to redesign
- it's been x months/years
- boss says I have to
- boooored with site

Good reasons to redesign
- navigation is dysfunctional
- site doesn't scale
- difficult to navigate
- code is hopelessly sick
- site poor usability
- not performing based on site's goals/objectives

redevelop - high costs - open heart bypass
redesign - low costs - cosmetic surgery

Amazon 2000 vs 2009 - Take a peek through Internet Archive!

It's important to mamaintain some consistency.

Book to read: The Quiet Death of the Major Re-Launch - Jared Spool - 2003

Some people freak out over re-designs
- mitigate those concerns
- beware the vocal majority and operate from an evidence based notion.

Discovery stage
- Before we launch, we need to have a strong set of data supporting the need for redesign
- account for the assessment time and effort
- spend your money where the water is - know where your water is.
* If renovating - do the kitchen/bathroom - think where the services/highest profile/content of the library

Learn about your site before you begin
- Look where people are going in the site and where they are NOT, what pages they enter into and where they leave from
- google analytics and clicky
- Review past usability studies
- It's it's been a while - do one now
TIP - Find and document your current page rank

Get consensus on goals and buy-in
- show director/manager other library sites
- show data indicating that the site is not functioning as well.

But don't try to reach too much consensus
- design by committee = death
- Data + evidence-based practice = harmony and world peace

Planning
Is a traditional page based model best?
- CMS
- Blog
- Wiki

Don't spend too much time redesigning
- don't create an original design - copy. It's not terrible to do!

Goals:
increase google page rank
improve overal site usability
measurable increase in use of ejournal finder
measurable decrease in content update lag times
show increase in user engagement as measered by # of blog comments

Communication is key
Consider a redesign blog or wiki
- tells people about what you're doing and why
Manage expectations

Execute
usability.gov
useit.com
surl.org
uie.com

Pitfall - communicate too much (committee)
Keep looking towards evidence based info

Provide users a clear path
- define the primary functions of the site and make sure these paths are clear.
Don't reinvent the wheel (CSS, javascript)

Spend time. money and effort
- remarkable content
* Staff full of experts
- reading lists
- course based

remarkable tools
- next gen opac
- photo tagger
- assignment calculator
- fed search

cut and paste - die die die
- remarkable content - invest time in rewriting content

Design for SEO - Search Engine Optimization
URL - simple URL
page titles - descriptive
proper and consistent user of structural HTML
descriptive tags

Design with SMO in mind social media optimization
addthis.com
tag your pages
redesign w/user generated conent in mind

update robots.txt file
update analytics definitions paths/groups, etc.
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I really enjoyed: Help Your Library Be Omnipresent w/o Spending a Dime presented by Nina McHale, Assistant Professor, Web Librarian, Auraria Library, University of Colorado - Denver and Curt Tagtmeier, Adult Services Librarian and Technology Coordinator, Fremont Public Library. I tweeted most of that.
Nina - widgets (DCPL iPhone catalog app, chat widgets, etc.) While they are nifty tools, how can we share that information with others?
- Steal this code, please! Remix our source code for customized apps. Web pages, gadgets, widgets, oh my!
- A catalog search widget w/nifty code to steal is in slide handouts. We have one on our site. This is neat and useful!
- How to create tool. Decide what kind of widget code chunks you want to offer (catalog, web-based IM chat) Plan layout & generator.
- Auraria Library - Univ of Colorado has a steal this code page. The steal the code model gives people the opportunity to fiddle/tweak/improve kinda similar to Linux movement.
- Curt's mobile content .mobi slides/info is on page 38 of the conference booklet.
- http://www.mobisitegalore.com - Creates template for mobile website. Speaker mentioned that there is advertising at the bottom but users might not see that anyway since most people don't scroll all the way to the bottom of the page even/especially within a mobile website environment.
According to dotmobi website, our site doesn't scale onto the web. Will investigate creating a mobile page too.
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After lunch, I attended the Social Software Solutions for Smaller Libraries presented by Laura Crossett, Library Branch Manager, Meeteetse Branch Library and Mikael “Mick” Jacobsen, Adult Services Librarian, Skokie Public Library.
Wordpress blog as a website and utilizing Google Maps as tools for generating dynamic and meaningful content. I had initially decided I wasn't coming to this session but changed my mind forgetting the program description. I don't think it was a terrible session. On the contrary, it was more results based/less ephemeral than other programs. The notion of a blog as a website has been explored by many libraries, including Heights Libraries as we utilize a blog for our Teen page.
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Obstacle or Opportunity—It’s Your Choice! - presented by: Pam MacKellar, Author, The Accidental Librarian
I honestly did not feel as if this talk had a place at this conference. It was more of a motivational talk as opposed to looking at anything that had to do with Computers in Libraries. I felt that it was riddled with cliches and was floored that this was an offering. This talk would've been better at a state regional conference or PLA. Here are my notes:

Knowing your communities information needs is vital.

Common obstacles:
We're just a small library in a little village
our budget is too small/we don't have enough $
We don't have enough staff
I'm not a tech expert
Tech can't improve on the services we already offer
Our computers are too old
We don't have the right hardware/software
It's not a good time for new ideas when the economy is in such bad shape
We have other purchase that are more important
I don't have time to learn new tech
I don't know enough about tech
Our network is out of date.

What happens when we see mostly obstacles?
- less productive
less excited about new ideas
disengages
go through the motions
skills atrophy
environment becomes negative
valuable staff members quit and customer turn away = neg lib marketing

Reality is ever changing
We can flip a negative into a positive

When you see mostly obstacles and barriers, they become your reality
Why not focus on the opportunities?

Overcoming barriers
- stay committed
- think big
- strive for a purpose or goal
- stay in your power
- keep trying
- be fearless
- don't listen to criticism
- just jump into it
- believe in yourself

5 steps to changing your mind
1. Evaluate your own outlook
2. Identify the problem
3. Decide to change
4. Develop a guiding principle
5. Take Action

Tests to look at:
Learned optimism test - Dr. Martin Seligman's book
Optimistic movement optimism test
Human Mind Project Optimism/Pessimism Test

Materials can be found http://www.accidentallibrarian.com/CIL09

- What negative thoughts about your work situation go through your mind regularly?
- What thoughts about your work situation must you face to turn your attitude around?
- Write down one attitude you want to adjust or thought pattern you want to redirect?
- What resources do you need (to change)?

Decide to change
- Our outlook is the result of choices we make
- Your outlook/attitude is not permanent
- You can choose to change
- You cannot change someone else
- People can only change if they want to change

Develop a guiding principle
- know where you are going
write a statement of purpose
change is fun when you know what you are aiming for

Take action

Change your vocabulary
Instead of "We can't" - We can!
Instead of "I don't think" - I know
We will make enough
I'm confident
I will
Expect the best
All things are possible

Set yourself up for success
- use tech as a tool to help you meet an identified need in your community
- use free tech tools
- do something that will make a difference in lives of others
- take free webinars
- try something easy
- do something that doesn't require a lot of time and staff
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The last presentation of the day was: Continued Online Community Engagement
Rebecca Ranallo, Internet & Media Services Manager, Cuyahoga County Public Library
Clyde Miles, Chief Strategist, Optiem
Susan Conlon, Teen Services Librarian, Princeton Public Library
Jennifer Peterson, Community Programs Manager, WebJunction

Rebecca - CCPL - Continued Community Engagement
She mentioned that there is an epic struggle w/marketing and the web team. Even went so far as to say that she can't wait for the current head of marketing to retire. I was taken aback by that statement. More so when she appeared to discount the shock of my colleagues in saying that everyone at CCPL is fully aware of the feelings between marketing and the web team. I know that I sometimes say some things that are out of line but that....was beyond the pale. That was recorded. That was in public. That was an embarrassment to CCPL.
She's there to keep brand in place and keep growing w/what our customers expect

Engage a community: We trust staff to engage our customers. Transfer that trust. Rhetoric in action. Used to mgmt not always practicing what we preach. (Yowza! She was on a roll!)

There was a library Facebook page for the levy. At first, they didn't do anything else. Now, they're capitalizing on the fans and maintaining that connection. They have pages for programs on Facebook too.
Twitter - There is a branch twitter page and someone appears to have added CCPL on Library Thing Local
Let go when you can: What is tied to your brand? Where can you let go? What needs to be a system wide project? Systemwide Facebook?
Trust = Trust staff, give guidelines, provide opps to learn. Best practices = guidelines & look @ those that have come before you.
Evaluate: Honestly assess performance. Find the right person for the job. Accept it'll take time. Accept that there'll be mistakes.
It's a learning process. There are some people that shouldn't be updating the website. Find the people that have a passion for it.

Clyde Miles from Optiem:
Tools that we should be using. Most marketers are using social media as market research tools. Listen, watch, learn.
- Google alerts (set up around name, library director, etc.) Technorati for our blogs and where we are being mentioned.
- Blog comments : backtype - This is where the conversations are taking place. Social comments: yacktrack
- Discussion boards: boardtracker Type in brand, etc. Twitter - using it for search. Friendfeed! :)
SM2 by techrigy is a tool to use. Speaker mentioned there is a freeware version. Will investigate that further. SM2 - Can use for SEO. Can tell the emotions of posts? Wow. Next thing they'll do is track blood types of bloggers???!

Webjunction speaker:
- Cultivate a culture of learning. We exchange info through the library. Our role has changed as well.
- Libraries : channel for engagement. Place to build social & civic engagement. Blog post: Pull Open the Circle - http://bit.ly/d85BG
- Stewards of community resources - Webjunction is a platform for shared knowledge within an information exchange amongst libraries.

Princeton Public Library:
- Discussed a concrete event: Princeton Public Library Environmental Film Festival, an event in its 4th year!
- Don't think of community as the audience. Think of them as partners/active participants. Become organizers of events.
- What does the community want? Heck, in CLE. It's jobs, knock down those abandoned homes, how to deal w/foreclosure.
- Design public programming w/and for public participation. Plastic dress! A lady wearing a plastic bag dress from the event.
- Combine online and f2f connections to enhance community engagement. Well, nowadays that's what you do! How did they do it? (That is what kind of irked me but I did realize that she was only given 5 minutes to talk. Didn't appreciate that previous speakers were not as courteous as they could have been with regards to ensuring everyone had equal time.)
- I think that our film events could be bigger if we collaborated with community groups. Maybe base it on topic & not just the book.
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Overall, I came away with some new ideas to bring back and I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of the conference. Wow!

Computers in Libraries 2009 - Keynote

Information's pretty thin stuff unless mixed with experience - Clarence Day

Having some wireless difficulties. I'm really excited about this as my first CiL.

Lee Rainie from Pew Internet Research
- Friending Libraries: The newest nodes in people's social networks

He's explaining Twitter which is very useful for about 90% of the audience.

2000:

45 - use internet
5 broadband
50 - own cell phone

2009
75% of adults surveyed use the internet
57% - broadband at home
82& - own cell phone
62% - connect to the Internet using wireless

The ecosystem has changed:
1. Volume of information has grown.
2. Variety of information has increased
3. Velocity of information speeds up - more information is coming out you in different ways.
4. Times and places to experience media enlarge (can read newspapers on laptops, watch videos with iPod)
5. People's vigilance for information expands and contracts
6. Immersive qualities of media are more compelling
7. Relevance of information improves.
8. Number of information voices explodes and becomes more findable
9. Voting and ventilating are enabled.
10. Social networks are more vivid

- Does this just ensure that you are getting the information you think/believe/goes along with your ideals, thereby sheltering you from challenging notions? How can we serve as nodes in social networks when some people in the world think we are irrelevant?

Motivated by mobility groups
Group 1 - Digital collaborators (8% of the population)
- They lead the pack. Are always on (broadband, cell connection) -
- How to serve : Be a place that they can jack in, give them a place to collaborate and share, enlist their help in giving you coaching and feedback on tech experiments that we want to try.

Group 2 - Ambivalent networkers (7% of the population)
- They are worried about connectivity and find mobile devices intrusive. They feel obligated and always available.
Heavy student cohort - fanatic cell users/texting.
How to serve- be a sanctuary and a place where they have permission to go offline, heavy into gaming so offer a gaming haven, help them figure out online social networking etiquette and help them navigate information overload.

Group 3 - Media Movers
- Fanatic about gadgets? Missed a bit because I was tweeting simultaneously. :P
Serve: outlet for sharing creation, navigate material

Group 4 - Roving nodes (9% of population)
- Think working soccer mom or caregiver of an aging parent. Way too busy to be blogging. - More female.
Serve: Be more efficient and give access to tech so they can check in more frequently and deal with info overload.

Group 5 - Mobile newbies - 8% of population
Just got a cell phone and they are so freaking excited. Not really using it as mobile tech tool, more just a cell phone.
Serve: Teach them how to, offer tech access, tech support, they are afraid of the Internet - Teach them!

Stationary media majority - Desktop veterans
2004 was the best year of their lives.
Hrmm.... the stats started making me cross-eyed at this point. @justnathan said it best: How can libraries help net and mobile users? Educate, support, provide structured opportunities for collaboration and sharing.

Friending libraries are 5+ things
- We are pathways to problem solving information
- We are pathways to personal enrichment (serendipity in collection roaming
- We are pathways to entertainment
- We are pathways to new kings of social networks built around people, media and institutions
- We are pathways to the wisdom of crowds

We just need to find better ways to get inside social networks. I think this gives more food for thought. Just need to figure out how now..... Hrm.

ALA members, VOTE!!

This is the time of year where we elect the officers that represent the various associations and roundtables of the American Library Association. What's really cool is that it's not just one day and you can do it from the comfort of your home (even in your bunny slippers.) It's voting time!

So far:

Of the 47,268 who received email notification -- 4,414 had voted (9.34%).

Of the 7,498 who received notification by mail -- 202 had voted (2.69%).

Of the 16 sent paper ballots -- 0 have voted.

Voting started last week and I did it over the weekend. You don't have to vote all at once. You can come back multiple times.

I'm writing this entry in the hopes that there is a better turnout. I also would like to encourage people to vote for some particular candidates for Council and for ALA President.

For Council:

• Aaron Dobbs - He is passionate about our profession and has served well for this past year.
• Heidi Dolamore - She is a dynamo! I admire her constant vigilance of representing under-represented groups such as library school students.
• Reese Evenson - An Emerging Leader that noticed that I was on Council and asked, "How do you get involved in that?" She is young, vivacious and enthusiastic about getting more involved in ALA.

For ALA President:

• Roberta Stevens - Having served with her on Council, I see her as a leader that seeks to hear numerous sides to an issue and is driven to serve as a voice for younger librarians. I will freely admit that I did not appreciate Kenton Oliver's remarks regarding electronic participation. I felt that he neglected to visualize the possibilities and I feel that Roberta Stevens at least is willing to embrace them. He stated that our conferences are a cash cow. But, with all due respect, I feel that the ALA Executive Board reveres them as sacred cows, not to be tampered with. Roberta Stevens is open to change and I respect that as a candidate for ALA president. Please consider voting for her.

But most importantly: VOTE!!!!

The polls close at 11:59 P.M. CDT on Friday, April 24.

If you haven't received your e-mail ballot by March 20, please call ALA Membership and Customer Service at (800) 545-2433 (press 5) or send an e-mail to membership@ala.org. They can then send you a Web ballot.