Emerging Librarian

So, there's a lot going on right now...

2011-11-05T08:47:00.002-06:00

It's such a cool time right now...

I've pretty much finished purchasing items from our BTOP PCC grant. (Just a few final things like nook covers and a new switch for the network.) NOW, I get to do all the fun stuff like creating in-house procedures and training. I am definitely looking forward to the training - the staff is literally chomping at the bit to get their hands on our new Nooks, iPad and Kindle....

I'm getting more into screencasting and video making... We'll soon be able to offer instructions on many of our services right from our website, making the library accessible 24/7.

And then, fundraising. There is a big push at MPL to focus on our debt shortfall in this next year - and here I am, trying to raise extra funds for Overdrive. Looking heavily into the new Amazon Prime and Kindle deal to see if this can be of benefit to our library...

Many other things going on - but must go now and bring coffee home. It is Saturday morning, after all!

SW Days 2011 - Session 1: Videooohs and Ahhhs, Paul Betty

2011-09-22T10:47:00.002-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/edu - reliable information from Ivy League and other unversities and colleges.

Playlists in YouTube (and then subscribing to channels)... For instance, on a Harry Potter fansite, they could create a playlist of all the HP trailers, and place that on their site. You can rearrange your playlist at any time, and even add special notes to videos in the playlist.

In filter and explore, you can search other people's playlists on your same topic - one way to find new related videos.

To play only certain portions of a video - (start at a desinated point in the video)

add to the URL: #t=03m22s

Looping a video - add & loop=1

A thirdparty option for creating playlists: embedr - ex: http://libguides.regis.edu/ED205

Can be a little slow at times...

Video Content Creation: Screen Capture (desktop)

Jing = instant screenshots and screencasts!!! FREE!

When you use jing, you automatically get a free screencast account (free hosting for the jing screencast)

Jing + Screencast.com http://www.techsmith.com/jing/ (a free version of camtasia)

Screenr - Screen Capture in the cloud - screencasts for Twitter. You can add captions throughout the video.

Screencast-o-matic.com, another screen capture in the cloud.

Both of these let you download in MP4 format (a good choice moving forward).

HTML5: the tag

HTML5 defines a standard way to embed video in a webpage, using a element. Support for the video element is still evolving.

You need a browser that supports html5 to use the video element!! (Latest version of Chrome, Firefox, IE9)...

http://diveintohtml5.org/video.html

html5 - supported video formats: .mp4, .ogg (open source), WebM (google)

"
!DOCTYPE html>

HTML5 Multiple video test

Your browser does not support the video tag. Click here for a list of browsers that support HTML5.

/HTML>

Note: ALWAYS list the mp4 player FIRST - iPad 2 users - the iPad reads only the first source src. sigh.

A great, FREE, video format converter.... Can create to ogg, webm, etc...

www.microvideoconverter.com/

ANTS - ANimated Tutorial Sharing Project : http://ants.wetpaint.com/

eRate Success Stories

2011-08-26T11:07:00.003-06:00

DeLilah Collins, Co Dept Ed
Mary Vernon, Marmot Library Network
Sheila Henry, Rocky Ford Public Library
Mindy Kittay, Anythink - Rangeview Library District
Sandy Messick, La Junta Woodruff Memorial Library

Every dollar counts... it's money in your pocket!

Mindy has been doing this for awhile, and her hardest part is coordinating with IT for new purchases, kind of looking into a crystal ball!

Sandy doesn't have that problem, as they are a smaller library, and she is the entire department!

anythink is integrating their tech plan into their strategic plan...

What is the hardest part of eRate?

Sandy says that is is ALWAYS hard at the beginning. she is continually confused with allowable cost, and how to work it in to her future budget. the forms can definitely be intimidating, but the forms are simpler than they were even a few years ago.

Mary says that it is hard to predict the future, and that a real tech plan is necessary.

Mindy has multiple years going on at once, and it's hard to keep track of.

Any advice for new eRaters?

Sheila says that getting your schools info asap has made everything so much easier.

Mary says to get your things turned in early if possible.

Mindy says to document, document, document. She keeps all emails together in one place. All forms in another binder - there CAN be an audit process.

Sandy has folders for everything for each year, and a list of important numbers. She keeps good relations with the finance department, because they will have to get her their billing statements, etc.

Funds for eRate Manager, used by the State - it keeps track of everything for her and can generate the BEAR form for her. there are different tools available to help you manage your information.

Mary collects the bills throughout the year, and applies for everything all at once.

Christine Kreger noted that the eRate year is different from normal library years (Jan-Dec) - eRate is July through June, and your tech plan MUST be for a whole eRate year, or they can deny your funding.

DeLilah mentioned that if you have RFPs, just do them at the same time that you do your Form 470.

Training this fall - dates not scheduled yet, she will be working with the BTOP trainers to train her to train!! she will come to our area, but it would be appreciated if there were multiple libraries in attendance... Durango doesn't do it, Dolores hires a consultant. Bayfield does it - call Joannie and ask if Cortez does it.

What's New with E-Rate - DeLilah Collins

2011-08-25T15:04:00.003-06:00

CRN - consultants registration number
SPN - Service Provider Number

For priority 1 services, you don't need a tech plan; however, you need on for priority 2 (such as building new infrastructure, etc.

Eligible Services

Leased dark fiber eleigble for discount. Support as priority 1 from any provider. On your property.

Web hosting
Add blogfing and discussion boards are now eligble

GPS of any kind are not eligible.

CIsco smartnet - some of these warranties, etc are eligible.

For CUPS, you must have a internet safety policy, as well as educational items that cam go in the actual policy - you DON'T have to teach classes.

Read paragraph 20 regarding how an entity that doesn't already have this policy, and what must be done to use it for CIPA (public meetings, etc).

Gifting

You cannot accept ANY gift from a service provider. Also, no trainga, either. The training must be hosted by a non-provider.

Collins_d@cde.state.co.us 303.866.6850

The BEST Keynote - Jim Duncan

2011-08-25T13:15:00.003-06:00

The economy is like a bucking bronco - libraries are have to put on our spurs and jump on!

Libraries are the 1 of 3 places in a community that offers internet connectivity to users.

Over 30 million visits in Colorado Libraries last year.

We'll be talking a lot about Technology planning - some people love planning... some are more.. instinctual. But planning helps in all aspects of projects.

"Chance favors the prepared mind"... visioning, thinking, planning.

The best conference is like a brownie - some will take a bit, some will nibble crumbs, and some won't like chocolate-y goodness.

We're not serving faceless masses... the only way for lib to stay relevant is to meet the demand at the individual level.

What is is with libraries that differentiates us from other entities. We work with people. with ever person comes a story.

Ask your members - What's Next?!? The library can help you get there.

BEST Conference, August 25 & 26, 2011

2011-08-25T10:31:00.002-06:00

I'm here in Breckenridge, CO and raring to go! Several friends and esteemed colleagues are here, and I'm about to head down to check-in/registration.

I'll be live blogging the event, so you can get my [quick] notes here!

Innovative Millennium Search Widget Code

2010-11-23T11:55:00.005-07:00

After trying unsuccessfully to obtain Search Widget Code from Innovative Interfaces for our Millennium ILS, today I sat down to figure it out - or die trying!

We have had our Millennium ILS for three years now, and for the last couple of years, I occasionally do a search for this code. Absolutely nothing comes up. Many web 2.0 companies nowadays will give you the option to copy the 'Embed Code' (think YouTube or SlideShare), and Voilà! your new-found widget works.

So, today, instead of doing a random search, I actually decided to call Innovative directly. When asked where I could find the Embed Code for a search widget, the very nice customer support person said "Millennium does not support code written for use outside its' OPAC; you might try the users group!".

I of course then asked why Innovative does not provide embed code for their own product, and her response was, "I'm not quite sure." When even the employees wonder why their company doesn't offer this, it is pretty sad!!

As directed, I visited the Innovative User's Group website, and searched the archives (something you can do even if you don't pay to join the group) for 'search widget code'. I immediately stumbled on several search widget conversations, and found enough code to come up with our own - turns out, it is a simple HTML form.

<form action="http://205.201.213.234/search/X"; name="mainwebcatalog">
<select name="searchtype">
<option value="X">Keyword</option>
<option value="t">Title</option>
<option value="a">Author</option>
<option value="d">Subject</option>
</select>
<input name="searcharg" type="text" size="25" title="Enter your search query." />

<input class="searchBtn" name="submit" type="submit"value="Search" />

<br /><a href="http://205.201.213.234/search/X" title="External link" target="_blank">more search options</a>

</form>

There are more things that you can add to this - I also found code for Popular Searches and more. At first, I struggled with the very first link; when I did a search, it would take me to our OPAC - the main page, not one with results. Turns out, I needed to add 'search/X' after our catalog's domain ["http://205.201.213.234/search/X"].

I'm about to add it to our website - all I've had is a link to connect the two. I have also seen some libraries that insert the OPAC directly into their website, and that is next on my agenda.

At this time, I have added a tab to our Facebook Page called "Search Catalog". Sweet.

MPL has Received a BTOP Grant!!

2010-10-11T10:31:00.000-06:00

Finally, a project that will get me blogging!!

The Mancos Public Library has received notice that we have been awarded grant monies to total $23,571 for new technology in the Library!

Earlier this year, February to be exact, we were notified by the Colorado State Library (CSL) that they were organizing a state-wide opportunity to apply for a federal BTOP grant for Public Computing Centers in Colorado. The Mancos Library District was identified as a district that has a low income population, as well as low Broadband/Internet opportunities, and would qualify to apply for BTOP funds through the CSL grant.

While at the Annual Colorado Association of Libraries Conference (#CALCON10), I spoke with Sharon Morris, CSL, and she informed me that the State BTOP grant came through! As a result of their efforts, 76 libraries in the state will receive a total of $3.3 Million for technology!

We will find out more information in the weeks ahead, and I look forward to sharing this information, and the process, with you!

Butterfly is Now... - Colorado Library Marketing by Debbi MacCleod and Sharon Morris

2010-04-22T15:08:00.003-06:00

This marketing push is NOT to encourage more people to come to the library - it is to increase awareness and support of libraries, so that when voting time comes, voters make the correct choices come voting time.

What's Next ?!

1600 small businesses launch every month in Colorado. Many of those get their start at the library.

Business? Libraries!

(other text: Business planning books. Market research articles. Rules and Regulations websites. Sources of funding and loans. Information experts available to assist.)

With 7.3% of Coloradans unemployed, many of those are searching for their next at the Library. Jobs? Libraries!

This year, more than 26% of Colorado's high school seniors failed to graduate. Many of the ones who succeeded had an advantage: a quality Library.

Literacy? Libraries!

(They had a photo of four children - one of which failed to graduate)

This year, __% percentage of Coloradoans travel every year. Audiobooks, Chilton Auto Manuals, Travel Guides, etc.

Travel? Libraries!

In the OCLC study (from awareness to funding), it was shown that there is no difference between people that use the library, and don't use the library - also, there is no difference between the people that vote or don't vote for libraries.

This campaign is trying to shift people's perceptions of libraries. "Whatever is next for you, libraries help get you there!"

Campaign Rollout

The first year will be spent rolling out to the internal affiliated audience - getting the word out to Library staff, our volunteers, advocates, so that we all understand what the campaign is all about.

Next year, we can take the work that BHAG has done, and focus on rolling this out to external audiences.

4 Different Audiences

Internal/Affiliated

generate awareness and understanding of the campaign,
ensure consistent messaging delivery,
inspire to become ambassadors

Influencers (these are community 'influencers')

Strengthen perception of libraries,
build interest and engagement in campaign,
promote advocacy of libraries.

Decision/Policy Makers and General Public

Increase 'top-of-mind' awareness and relevancy of libraries,
shift perceptions,
prompt increased support and funding of libraries

Campaign Funding - have done initial contacting with the Colorado Foundation to let them aware of this. With the economy, this has not been greeted with enthusiasm. They would like to create a task force of people that can write grants for this funding. They will start writing in the next couple of months. Plan B, if no success with state-wide funding, that they will start regionally - a more of a 'grass roots' effort.

Campaign Website: http://www.whats-next-libraries.org/ (Not up now, hopefully this summer.)

This is a public awareness campaign, so when money is obtained, they will use different treatments of the main message. (Wyoming message was Libraries Bring the World to You. Their treatments were the mudflap girl, the windmill, etc.)

At this point the What's Next ?! is just a skeleton, they may fool around with the font, colors, etc. Tomorrow is the deadline for graphic designers to submit their design of the What's Next ?!

Libraries now can start using the What's Next ?! text right now! Use it in everyday speech, make a display in your library, etc.

Eventual success of this campaign is to have more pro-library measures be passed. Over time, improving people's perception of libraries, more donations, etc.

The logo formats will all be on the website - jpg, eps, etc, for libraries to use in many different ways.

CLiC 2010, Dan Lawrence on 'Grant Writing: Tips, Tricks, and the Deep Six'

2010-04-22T13:20:00.003-06:00

Goals of this Workshop:

Identify key people, processes, and structures to have in place before starting to write (or not write) a grant;
examine key sections of a grant app, w/an emphasis on SMART objectives;

http://preventioncolorado.org/clic10/

Some General Funding Trends

Moving from funder to investment approach
fewer, but larger grants
continuing to fund current grantees
not as many grants to small organizations, but more to consotria of small organizations
suggesting diverse funding sources (e.g. matching or fund raising requirements)

Before you commit: Read, read, read!

Read for guideleings, check due dates, # of awards, average size of grants, eligibility.
Reread: for any technical requirements of application, preapproval guidelines, needs for letters of support, etc.
Reread: for narrative content.

Tips for Getting Started

Impose a structure on the process early
organize a planning group, layout some tasks and get volunteers
work backward from due date to rough out timeline of deadlines (wyou will be behind)

Sample Scoring Guide - 100 pts.

Minimum Responsiveness Criteria (required)
Narrative (30 pts)
Capacity 5 pts
Action Plan 30 pts
Evaluation Plan 10 pts
Budget 25 pts

B. Narrative
Summary: Get attention and state your case
Needs Statement: define the problem (data)
Gaps: current lack of services or programs in area
Program Description: must match funder priorities, address your problem, be directly related to action plan

C. Capacity

aka: why you can trust us with your money
who we are
how we're qualified - e.g. history, governing structure, mission, primary activities, relevant partners, audiences, and services.

D. Action Plan

Use language of the strategies endorsed by funder (logic models?)
goals and objectives reflect those of funder
create a timeline that makes sense
activities should be specific and in chronological order
all activities relate to objectives

Goals vs. Objectives

Goals: Objectives

Broad Narrow

General intentions precise

intangible tangible

Abstract Concrete

Can't be validated as is Can be validated

Goal: Community members understand the value of libraries to their lives.

Objective: by june 30, 2010, 50% of the community will be able to name 3 primary library services

Objectives

Describe the steps toward accomplishing a goal

show priorities

provide targets for progress and accountability

SMART Objectives

S=Specific (who? What?)

M=Measurable: It tells you How Much change is expected

A=Achievable: It can be realisticall accomplished given current resources and constraints

R=Realistic: It addresses the scope of the plan and proposes reasonable action steps

T=Time-Phased: it provides a timeline indicating when the objective will be met.

Activites

Things you're going to do to make sure you accomplish the objective

Examples:

Convene advisory committee to discuss community perceptions of the library

(Example: Activity -- Implementation Timeframe -- Measure of accomplishment -- job title of person responsible)

E. Evaluation Plan

How will you asses what you're

F. Budget

Complete budget sheet if provided
Budget Narrative

Personnel
Direct Operating
Contractual
Travel
Indirect (if allowed)

Double-, triple-, quadruple-check numbers match between budget sheet and narrative!

The Four P's of Preplanning

Processes
Permission
Planning
People

Processes

Read up on Grants and writing process
Grants for libraries; neal-schuman, 2006
The only grant-writing book you'll ever need, 3rd ed.; basic, 2009
grant writing for dummies, 3rd ed.; Wiley, 2009

Permissions: Know people, processes and rules for grants for your library

Who is allowed to work on grants?
How can you recommend a new project?
What are your board/municipal/etc. processes for approving or receiving funds?

Planning

'Evergreen' file (documents and boilerplate)
Concept Paper
Funding Development Plan

People

Library Director / Leadership
Staff and Board representatives
Grant Coordinator
Community Advisers
Researcher
Writiers, editors, proofers
Implementation team
Subject matter experts
partners

Researching Grant Opportunities

See Locating Grand and Funding Opportunities on pg. 6 of handout

Free basics training and access to databases at Foundation Center Cooperating Collections. See: http://foundationcenter.org/collections/ccco.html

Questions? danl@rmc.org

Library Day in the Life, 2010: Day 1

2010-01-25T22:40:00.005-07:00

Our library and community is a very small rural community... We do it all, none of us have MLSs, and we are all part time - including our director.

I do a lot from home.... Today, that's where I am! So, you'll also be hearing some of the other things I do during the day while I work from home - MAJOR multi-tasking!

Morning Email Reading and Responding

Second Life SLL Promotion - LibNet and Alliance Library Google group

Sent out a letter from the Parents Committee of the school

Talked on the phone to my sister and mother

Made some oatmeal and watched Monsters vs. Aliens with Mr. 3.

Worked on our HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning)system's remote connection. I and two other staff members log into the system computer each day to check for any alerts within the entire building system. We need to do this each day for the first year of operation of our new green library building.

Wrote and submitted Library News article to our local paper, Mancos Times.

Spoke with the Snow Shoveling team we hired to clean the 3 feet of snow from our rooftop and garage.

Made up weekly menu and created a grocery shopping list.

Began presentation background work for CLiC Spring Workshops. Sent email to my three other co-presenters. (4 presenters!? Yes, sounds like a lot, but we're doing a half-day session in a computer lab... Our very hands-on session will provide 4 avenues for our attendees to learn!) We will be presenting on the new Colorado Libraries 2.0 Project - which is a new state-wide program to teach librarians how to use and teach their patrons about web 2.0 tools (similar to Helene Blowers' 23 Things.)

IMd in Facebook with a patron, and answered their questions about posting pics in FB.

Picked up Mr. 5 from preschool and went grocery shopping.

After that, I was pretty much in family and Mama mode...

CALCON09 Session Notes: Presentation - Matt Hamilton of Boulder Public Library

2009-11-25T16:29:00.004-07:00

Matt Hamilton - Cloud Computing... Web-Scale... Oh my! Will OCLC Eat Me?

OCLC wants to get all libraries across the us on a the same server system to make things easily accessible. e.g. it's easier for google to add a server to their conglomorate, as opposed to a single library adding a complete system for the same effect.

Spending a lot of money trying to reconcile disparate forms of data. Cloud computing can be done on a local level, but mainly global. We want to have open data standards. For the use of soa, to wrap these pieces of data in metadata, so that it is easily recognizable.

Cloud Computing can be compared to a lump of clay or playdoh; break off a small piece, do your thing. If you need a larger piece, break that off. When you're done, put it back in larger lump so that it's readily available for the next project.

Nick Carr - "The Big Switch", book

Cloud computing is instantly scalable. You expand, and just pay for what you use. In the future, we hope to only pay for the variable costs.

Amazon has web services (AWS). Securely bridge your IT infrastructure to the AWS cloud. Cloud sites, cloud files, cloud servers. Koha ils system, LibraryThing, already using amazon's services.

http://www.opencloudmanifesto.org/

OCLC = Facebook, We and our catalogue/data = Lil Green Patch

OCLC Web-Scale Management Services
cataloging and aurthority control
worldcat local
worldcat local quick start (free if you already have a subscription to another oclc product)
inventory control (circ, license management, acquisitions, reporting/business intelligence)

CALCON09 Session Notes I: Keynote - Lee Raine of the Pew Institute

2009-11-25T15:11:00.004-07:00

Lee Raine - New Information Ecology

Friday, 20 Nov 09 - Opening Keynote

Talked about Twitter

"Tweckle" - to abuse a speaker only to twitter followers

2000

46% adults use internet

5% get broadband @ home

50% use cell

0% connect wirelessly

<10%>

= slow stationary connections built around my computer

2009

77-79% adults use Internet

63% get broadband @ home

85% use cell

54-56% connect wirelessly

2/3 of all use cloud

=fast mobile connections built around outside servers and storage

47% adults own laptops - up from 30% in '06

How digital tech has changed things for your patrons and their networking behaviour

Variety of information and sources of information grow
Velocity of information increases and smart mobs emerge (Howard Rheingold, Clay Shirky)
Venues of intersecting with information and people multiply and the availability of information expands to all hours of the day and all places we are (nielsen company)
People's Vigilance for information changes in two directions 1. attention is truncated (Linda Stone) 2. attention is elongated (Andrew Keen; Terry Fisher) (Andrew Keen: The Cult of the Amateur - book)
The Vibrance and immersive qualitites of media environments makes them more compelling places to hang out and interact - metaverse roadmap project 1. virtual worlds, 2. mirror worlds. 3. augmented reality (most vitality right now)
Valence (relevance) of information improves - search and customization
The Voice of information democratizes and the visibility of new creators is enhanced. Identitiy and privacy change

31% of adult internet users have rated a person product or service online

social networks become more vivid and meaningful. Media-making is part of social networking. 'Networked Individualism' takes hold. Barry Wellman

A Virtual Meeting for Colorado Association of Libraries

2009-09-02T10:49:00.001-06:00

CAL SLIG will be holding a meeting at its new Second Life location on Etopia Prime Island next Tuesday, 8 September at 8pm. We will be discussing future events/meetings/programs, as well as what needs to be done in preparation for the CAL Annual Conference.

After the meeting, the owner of the Etopia Islands (who happens to reside in Boulder in RL!) will be giving us a tour of the islands and a bit of history and the purpose of this vibrant, green sustainable community.

So, put on your avatar, and come join the fun at CAL's Sustainable Living Library! SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Etopia%20Prime/69/181/24 (Note: Log into Second Life before using the SLurl).

MPL is Moving!

2009-06-04T09:13:00.008-06:00

It has been hectic at my library, to say the least, for the last couple of months. Construction of our new library has been wrapping up, and we've been in this whirlwind of excitement; final touches such as organizing the new coffee station, ordering a parking sign for hybrid cars, deciding where artwork is to be hung, and realizing that the drop-down screen in the meeting room was not installed, have been up and forefront in all our minds.

It's Really Happening!

What we kinda forgot is that we're really moving! And I have a feeling that it won't feel very real until next week, when our current location has closed.

Our last day is the 6th of June, which makes me very happy to be the head staff person on Saturdays. We are hoping to have patrons, volunteers, and staff members to stop into the library to say goodbye and to remember the good times we've had in the building.

Saturday is also our last day of 'life as we know it'. The three weeks that we will be closed are already planned out and packed full of transitional duties. We will be moving all the items over, of course; we'll also be re-arranging furniture, organizing new workflows, and adjusting to all the change.

The 'Transition Team'

For this, we've created a 'Transitional Plan' of sorts. The first week we will be packing up, and formulating further plans for any new things that arise. The second week will kick off with a Community Moving Party - including our District's people in the process (and also giving them a 'sneak peek' of the new building).

For most of the staff, the rest of the second week will be a frenzy of deciding what to put where; for me personally, I will be learning our new technology infrastructure, installing new hardware and software, and creating new systems. My position, with regards to individual workstations, will essentially double.

During this week, we will also be conducting personal interviews with all staff members, essentially gathering information on any ideas they may have, as well as documenting any concerns or struggles that they may have with the moving process. The 'Transition Team', the Director and two staff members, will review these interviews and respond to staff individually.

The last week of the closure will focus on training and settling in. We will be going over any new procedures that will be created as a result of being in a brand-spanking-new building.

Mancos Public Library will reopen at it's new location on Tuesday, 30 June.

It Doesn't End Here

And, according to our conversations with other librarians that have moved to new libraries, the hecticness and insanity that accompanies any building project will not end that Tuesday; it will just change to a different level. We'll all be discovering all the changes that come along with anything 'new'.

So, the 'Transition Team' will not disband the moment of opening. We will be talking with staff throughout the first year, or as long as it takes, and responding to any fear or anxiety that may come along with working in a new place.

We're hoping that by creating a dedicated team for the transition will revitalize the staff and help them to know that they are valued members of our overall MPL team.

How have your libraries handled transition?

Photo: Staff and Family Signature Beam
Credit: Jack Stuart, Jaynes Corporation

Virtual Program Streamed Live into Real Life

2009-05-29T22:33:00.005-06:00

I am excited to say that CAL's Sustainable Living Library, located in the virtual world Second Life, is hosting a green workshop on Photovoltaics - and I'll be able to extend this great program to MPL patrons!

The workshop will focus on the basics of solar electricity and how it applies to reversing the damage done to our environment due to human activity. The presenter, Phil Friedman of Solar Energy International (SEI), has been working in the solar electricity field for years, and is currently an online instructor for SEI.

You can find out more information about the program on the Sustainable Living Library's blog here.

While attending the program, helping with any technical difficulties, and answering questions about CAL's Second Life Library, I will also be streaming the program live to the Mancos Public Library's patrons in Real Life.

This is a perfect example of the benefits that virtual worlds have to offer. To learn about the ins and outs of Photovoltaics from a respected green industry worker and instructor, we won't have to drive the 350 miles to Denver - we'll be able to enjoy and learn in our small, rural area.

Photo: Patrons in CAL's Sustainable Living Library in Second Life
Credit: Plautia Corvale

Tech Tuesdays - Personalization and Connections

2009-04-10T09:06:00.006-06:00

For about six months or so, I've been spending one hour a week with patrons and their technology questions. Technology Office Hour, a one-on-one session, was developed in an effort to customize, streamline, and personalize the learning process. In the past, I had struggled with some computer classes, and how to 'deliver' information that was well-paced, personal, and relevant to each individual. Classes were small, and attended by such a variety of ages and ability; it seemed that no matter how I described the session content, the attendees were so disparate that I wondered if I was really helping them as much as I was able.

The Power of Personalization

One thing that all my students have in common is the desire to learn through doing. Many times classes evolved into purely question and answer sessions, and I realized the value of a question that is answered specifically - seeing someone's eyes light up with understanding and excitement always won out over any doubts I may have had over class format.

The Beginning

During a normal workweek, part of what I do is answer 'short' questions from patrons. While I was able to help most of the time, there were many times that I wished I could just drop what I was doing, and devote more time to what they needed.

I discussed this feeling with my Director, Patsy Smith, and she gave me the go-ahead to 'set up shop' at our special use computer, and start giving weekly, personalized, one-on-one sessions. Patrons were then able to come in and ask any computer or Internet question, and I would do my best to help.

Not knowing what to expect, I did no publicizing, except for a notice in our weekly paper and word of mouth. I expected patrons to come in on a first-come-first-served basis, but it quickly evolved into people calling ahead for reservations.

Recently, I have expanded the program to two 45 minute sessions per week, and am booked on average about two weeks in advance.

It Works Both Ways

The benefit really is in the personal attention I give and receive from my students. I've found that they are less intimidated by the computer when I sit next to them and interact as we go. I've had a huge range of questions and abilities walk through the door; some are hardly familiar with the mouse, and most of the session consists of gently reminding them how many times they are to click on something and general navigation. Others that have questions about specific websites or software have been the most fun for me, as oftentimes I am hearing about a product that I was unaware of in the past.

But both types are teaching me as well. I am beginning to sense what types of learning styles people have, as well as how hard or lightly I need to push students to learn more.

Connections

I know that I will continue to learn and to be challenged by my students. It is truly enjoyable to see someone 'get it'; but this has evolved into something deeper. While I am still able show my passion for technology and helping people, my students have opened up to me, and can reveal their passions as well. Learning, sharing experiences, connecting with each other's excitement - it doesn't get any better.

Photo: Thank you, Perfecto Insecto.

Embracing Facebook, Or, How I Learned to Love the Bomb

2009-03-24T09:26:00.005-06:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about the Internet and mobile computing. Many declaim the fact that we are turning into a society of people that are always on, always connected. A Facebook friend recently mentioned that he had been thinking about new generations of people that would grow up this way; he wondered what that would be like, how it would change their lives to be always in touch with everyone. All.the.time. Forever.

And this thought is mentioned other places, as well. In a recent article, NY Times columnist Peggy Orenstein writes about "Growing up on Facebook", and the way that this first generation of kids 'growing up on Facebook' is changing the way people become adults. There are no hidden secrets in this process; kids now won't have a time of anonymity to become who they will be in the future. But won't it be so interesting to find out how much more people can become when they have the ability to communicate easily?

Communication = Connectedness

Isn't that the point of life? It's not how much money we have, not the fame or status we have, not the sheer numbers of virtual friends we have, but the quality of our communication and the deep connections that we make.

You can't make deep connections on the Internet, right? Ha! What did people do in the age before trains, jet planes? What did they do before they could travel and see their friends and acquaintances face-to-face on a regular basis? They wrote. Long, long letters. They wrote about their thoughts, their feelings, their politics - but they also wrote about the banal, trivial things of everyday life. How the weather was that morning. How little Johnny skinned his knee and needed a lot of comforting before he calmed down.

The only thing different about our communication today is the instantaneousness of it all. We no longer need the lengthy, one sided monologue of old-time communication.

The Quality of Communication

Shouldn't we always be listening? This is what the Internet, and therefore, places such as Facebook or Twitter allow you to do. Yes, we may not need to know that you've just ordered a pizza, or that you're bored and can't find anything to do.

Get over it. That's not really what these places are about.

You learn to skim; you laugh a bit, then move to the next. But when you learn the value of comments, whether it be on a blog post or on a twitter update, or commenting on someone's Facebook status - this is where the value begins.

I'm better at writing. I always have been. School was wonderful for me - I soaked up all that knowledge - but it was the inbetween times where I was frequently miserable. The times outside of the structure, where we met with each other, on the playground, at our lockers, waiting for the bell to ring for class to start. Adolescence can be a terrible thing; it can turn a happy-go-lucky book reading nerd into a self-conscious, painfully shy, feeling like you're going to die if anyone notices you, book reading nerd. I luckily made it through, and emerged into my life-shaping twenties. I started to become the person I always really was.

Then Came the Internet

Back in the mid-nineties, I joined my first RP community. I had friends all over the globe - Australia, England, and of course, from various United states. All of these fun, intelligent, quirky people found their voices on the Internet. And I started listening.

Almost 10 years later, along comes Facebook. I started slow. Found some professional connections, local connections. Then I found a friend from High School. Mind you, I didn't go to my 10 year reunion; why would I? I hated those people. But this Facebooking, this new way of communicating, slowly and invidiously invaded my 'new life'. I continued the listening that I had learned through roleplaying. And I learned to comment. Weeks, and then months passed, and I was commenting like mad. I was communicating. And all of a sudden, I realized that I love all these people!!

What the Internet Really Means

Living is all about the communication, the relationships. The interwebz allow you to do that - constantly.

You can be frivolous or sarcastic. You can have a blast. But you can also find help and advice. You can reach out. You can help others.

People talk about information overload; what they forget to say is that you can stop. Take a breather. Facebook will be there when you get back. The times that we are with others only makes the alone time more delicious.

The detractors of social media may not take the time to understand it, and that is a shame. What is this world if it weren't for the connections we make here?

25 Random Things About Me Meme

2009-01-30T17:42:00.003-07:00

I was tagged with the Meme on Facebook, but I may as well share it here, too!

That 25 Thingie Thingie Share

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. (Unless you don't really want to.)

1. Just to get it out of the way, I'm a Google Apps whore. Obviously not in the literal sense of the word; at least I don't think that I've compromised any of my principles to use Google... Or, have I?

2. Until I got my iPod for Christmas, I never really understood the whole iPod silhouette dancing commercial.

3. Even though I haven't had an iPod before, I have not bought a physical CD in the last 5 years. iTunes works just as well on a computer, and the ability to purchase one song at a time instead of a whole album is incredible. I'm also slowly turning all of my old music into digital format.

4. I am a Bookworm. Always have been, always will be.

5. I love living in a small town. I walk to work, the grocery store, the barber, the post office. If I have to get in a car for anything, I get mildly disgruntled.

6. My family has earned "The Best Family in the World" award. A more loving group of people I could never hope to encounter in my wildest dreams. And hey, all people are dysfunctional, so get over it already.

7. I believe that eating organic and living healthily should be a right, not a privilege.

8. Probably the only thing I miss about not living close to a city are the CONCERTS. I've been going to huge venues to see bands since elementary school. I've seen Madonna three times; slept in line overnight to get a friend Def Leppard tickets (no, not for myself!), traveled around the midwest for as many Grateful Dead shows as I could (I even got 2nd row once, and have the pictures to prove it!), rocked to Jimmy in the VIP section, got into a 5 car pile up on the way to Lollapalooza, and still managed to make it in time for Pearl Jam, danced to Squirrel Nut Zippers in Denver on the night my husband and I got together, got backstage passes to see Widespread Panic in Berkeley, and even got to meet Chris Isaak after a show in Boulder. Currently unsurpassed concert highlight: jumping up and down for two hours straight at an Ozzy Osbourne show (best concert ever!).

9. I have the two greatest kids in the universe. No. Really. And I'm enjoying every moment of it. Learning to take several deep breaths in a day can be a good thing.

10. My favorite Star Trek captain is Jean Luc-Picard.

11. I don't like to follow rules; however, I don't especially like to break the law.

12. My two favorite punctuation symbols are the comma, and the semi-colon; I admire the writing style of Jane Austen for exactly that reason, as she could write entire paragraphs, indeed, entire series of paragraphs without using a period, except where grammatically correct.

13. I love to dye swaths of my hair blue or pink. Purple is a color I've been considering recently, although I have heard that it fades to an icky sorta silver color. Hmmm, that could be fun.

14. My totally anal, "line-everything-up-in-perfect-order and don't let anyone touch it" side constantly wars with my "oh my god, I totally hate cleaning, and what's a few dust bunnies anyway?" side. It. is. a. constant. battle.

15. During 4th grade, I completely and absolutely missed the point of career week. On a recently rediscovered school paper, when answering the question of, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" - I wrote down "a vegetarian".

16. I mark time as B.W.2. and G.T.T.E. (Before Web2.0 and Getting to Total Efficiency).

17. Growing up with the Jetsons and Star Trek definitely left its mark. Sometimes, when I hear of a new invention, or advance in science, I think, "Hey, didn't we already have that?".

18. I have a passion for leisurely eating, cooking, and wine. Nothing too complicated, because my kitchen motto is: "I love to cook with wine; sometimes I even put it in the food". Was so happy to finally find this on a magnet, and I still believe that it was custom made for me without my knowledge.

19. I, Avatar: a true believer in the personalization of the avatar, I am an advocate for learning, enjoyment, and socialization in virtual worlds of any kind.

20. Two books have recently helped to change my life for the better: Clear your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston and Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath. Karen has taught me the value of unobstructed spaces and how clutter can affect your everyday life. As recommended in the book, I have now given away 80% of my clothes. Remaining clutter zones: basement and garage. Tom points out a very simple truth: Why struggle so hard to improve the things we may have no talent for? By working on our strengths, and partnering with others that have the strengths of our weaknesses, we can go much further.

21. I have voted in every single presidential election since I was 18. Before Obama, I have never felt such a strong connection to a candidate. Yes, We Can! However, I also realize that the president can only do so much - the country is run by Congress, too. Please keep the spirit alive by keeping up on the issues and writing to your Senator or Congressperson. Once again, Yes, We Can!!

22. This has always been my favorite number. Also, 2, 4, and 11. Sensing a theme here?

23. Four years ago I stumbled into the perfect career. Like many 'librarians', I never thought of working in a library before. I also have the position best suited to my strengths and tastes. As Technology Manager, I am able to combine my love for books, learning, and technology of all kinds. It gives me chills to think of the library, and how I narrowly almost missed my calling. Once my children are in school, I will be going back to school for my Masters in Library and Information Science.

24. A long-term goal of mine is to get to a financial position where I can travel more with my family. I was lucky enough to have parents that placed an emphasis on travel and broadening horizons by experiencing different cultures. I want my kids to have the same, while also being lucky enough to reside in a small town.

25. I can play Fur Elise (by memory) on the piano, and the first two pages of Moonlight Sonata (with music). Wow, Beethoven had a wide reach. I love how he wrote tiny notes in the sidebars for lesser pianists than himself. Wish I had the drive to practice more, and maybe someday I will. The piano is a very personal thing for me, so don't ask me to play for you. It. won't. happen.

26. I just can't stop at 25 things. Please refer to #11.

27. I hate shopping, specifically clothes shopping. I spend way to much time picking and choosing; by the time I get to the dressing room I usually talk myself out of buying anything.

28. I've had way too much coffee this morning. Time to stop and get ready for a beautiful day. I love life!!

Creating Balance

2009-01-29T22:23:00.003-07:00

I've taken a bit of a hiatus - a withdrawal into my homelife, if you will. My kids are growing up too fast already, and it is a bit scary that almost everything seems to be moving faster on a daily basis. Learning to take a deep breath and put things in perspective is a good thing.

Once I gain passion for something, I am all over it. My two biggest passions are my family, and my work; creating a balance for both without feeling guilty is one of my aims for '09. Another goal is me. Sounds a bit strange, but I truly forget to take some "alone" time - I've realized that the only time when I am alone is on the walk to work. And I only live two blocks from the library.

While at work, I'll be striving to be more effective, and while at home, I've created a schedule to work less. I'll let you know how my "me" time all shakes out. Suggestions welcome.

Off 'da Shelves @ MPL

2008-12-10T13:16:00.003-07:00

Taking an idea from Tony Tallent at the Boulder Public Library, MPL has started selling our VHS videotapes right off the shelf!

We've advertised in our local Mancos Times, as well as posting flyers in the library. Already we've sold quite a few, and are so happy to be selling 'off 'da shelves' - much less work for us, and I think it's giving our customers a 'thrill' to be grabbing all these items...

CAL SLIG Now on Colorado Association of Libraries Website!

2008-11-21T09:34:00.006-07:00

I cannot believe that I haven't posted anything yet on the new Colorado Association of Libraries Second Life Interest Group (CAL SLIG). I guess when you're busy in the middle of something, it can still slip under the radar.

My co-presenter at CAL '08, and friend, Eileen Dumas, and I have been working on forming a new Second Life library; in addition to creating a new library beneficial to Second Life residents, we wanted this library to be a way for Colorado librarians to become more involved in Second Life.

The first step was to formulate a library concept. With so many Colorado libraries (including my library, the Mancos Public Library) building green buildings, and no libraries in Second Life currently of this type, 'green' was a natural fit. Eileen and I worked on a mission statement for the library, and the Sustainable Living Library was born.

We then needed to explore a way to excite interest in the project amongst Colorado librarians. After speaking with a few librarians, we were pointed to Martin Garnar, then the President of CAL. I had recently met Martin at a Town Hall meeting, so I felt comfortable 'cold calling' him. He was wonderful, and enthusiastic about the project. He recommended coming to the November Board meeting and presenting a proposal to start an Interest Group.

To start an interest group, a statement of purpose needs to be drafted, explaining what the benefit is of forming the group. Also, a petition with 8 signatures of CAL members needs to be attached. Being scattered all over the state, getting the signatures posed a problem at first, but we finally ended up with 15!

At the board meeting, our proposal was greeted by much excitement. Some people even wanted us to further our scope into other virtual worlds! It was discussed that if this initial project is sucessful, a Virtual Worlds Division of CAL would be considered.

Voting was conducted, and the board returned an unanimous vote in favor of forming the Second Life Interest Group. I just found out today that SLIG now has it's own page on the CAL website. We're official!

CAL Leadership Institute

2008-11-20T09:09:00.005-07:00

I'd like to share a bit with you about the new Colorado Association of Libraries Leadership Institute. In it's inaugural year, 25 Colorado librarians were chosen to participate in this year long program. A co-worker of mine from the Mancos Public Library and I were lucky to have been chosen for this Institute. Over the course of the next year, we'll be making 4 trips to Denver, and participating in virtual sessions in between. We will be learning about Colorado librarianship, and how to take part as a leader.

Our first session coincided with the CAL Annual Conference. Pat Wagner, of Pattern Research, led the first session, and was amazing. While I've met Pat before, I have never attended any of her talks or workshops. She created three group activities, the first of which began the 'bonding' process with all of the members. Her energy, examples, and stories made the workshop content easy to understand and fun! This was a great way to start the Institute, and the group activities were a fun and informal way to meet and learn about the other members.

Our member group has a wide range of experience, education, come from all types of libraries and have many different job descriptions. What's better, everyone is excited to learn and get the most out of the Institute. I've already had several conversations with some of the other members, and we've all found common ground. The networking opportunities alone make this Institute worth it.

And our Leadership Institute Task Force members - not only are they a great bunch of smart and fun people, they are all library leaders themselves! We will have a lot to learn from them in the next year.

Something I love about the Institute is our online group Ning. It is a wonderful way to communicate with the other institute members. Most of the members are many hours away by car, so in the times in between face-to-face workshops, I can still chat with them about Leadership topics and other things.

Another thing that I love, is that I'm in this with a co-worker, Charlene Swansen. Being from such a remote area of Colorado, we have someone readily available to discuss the Institute; we can really talk in-depth easily, and quickly bounce ideas and thoughts off each other.

Here is a picture of our Leadership members, taken on the day of our first session:

Jessamyn "Librarian.Net" Blogger at CAL Annual Conference

2008-11-16T11:23:00.007-07:00

Last week I had the pleasure of hearing librarian, blogger, and techie Jessamyn West speak at the CAL annual Conference. She spoke about open libraries; how through using Web2.0 tools, libraries are creating a culture of transparency and what this means to us and our patrons.

She was a very entertaining speaker, and got some non-tech people revved up about what 2.0 tools they could implement at their libraries.

And, I even got to meet her afterwards! :-)

She has posted the notes and slides from the keynote on her blog, Librarian.Net.

Jessamyn, thanks for coming to CAL!

Cell Phone Fail

2008-11-16T08:05:00.011-07:00

Well, for the first time today I attempted to transfer pictures taken on my phone, to my computer. I've never had a phone that takes pictures (Remember: Rural), so I've never had the joy of transferring pics.

Joy?!? Total FAIL.

Here's Why:

No USB - What?!?

Phone does Not Automatically Save to Micro Disk - I went through the process of taking out my micro SD card, putting it in the larger SD adapter, finally found the removeable memory... No pictures! Duh.

No Mass Move - There is no option on my phone to move pictures to the micro disk all at once. You. must. move. each picture. individually. Ouch.

4 Pics to a Screen - I have 157 pictures on my camera (Yes, I have been procrastinating, my bad.). To remove the pictures, one by one, I must scroll through Multiple screens of 4 pictures each. Double Ouch!

TIME! - It took me about 1/2 hour to transfer 23 pictures. Wah.

Attention Drain - I'm used to multitasking. I Deal. But with the image to card transfer so labor intensive, I'm working with just one hand. I get distracted. This is not a good thing.

No Dating of Images - Again, what?!?

Enough of the rant. Now that I have gotten this far with the pictures, I have to put them to some use. *Sigh* ;-P

Photo: Thanks, CNET!

ALA Tech Source Interview

2008-11-13T14:26:00.009-07:00

I was recently interviewed by Tom Peters for the ALA Tech Source Blog. Tom and I are working together with other librarians across the globe on a 'green' sim project in the virtual world of Second Life.

This interview, however, focuses on my real life library, Mancos Public Library, and our Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) building project.

As Tom points out in the article, it is a wonderful thing when Second Life [and all social networking sites] gets us out there and communicating with other librarians and people that we may not usually meet. Living in a remote rural area, networking is naturally limited; the Internet is a crumbler of those barriers.

Long live the Interwebs!!!

Please read Mancos PL Builds Green to hear more about MPL's journey through building a green library.

My Upcoming Activities at CAL '08

2008-10-29T13:35:00.006-06:00

Gearing up for several events at the Colorado Association of Libraries (CAL) Annual Conference has me speeding around in a blur!

Besides collaborating on a presentation for the conference (Everybody Needs a Second Life!) with Eileen Dumas of the Aurora Public Library, we are preparing a proposal to the CAL board to start a Second Life Interest Group (SLIG). The general buzz behind the scenes sounds good, so we are very hopeful. Eileen and I are starting a new model for a Second Life library - a state association backed library! As far as we know, there are no other state library associations out there owning their own virtual world library. Also, within Second Life, our library is a new concept. The Sustainable Living Library will focus on all things 'green' and sustainability. While there is one sim in SL focused on the environment, and various exhibits scattered around, there is no one library focused on sustainable living.

If the Interest Group is formed, CAL will be partnering with the Alliance Library System of Illinois and TAP Information Services, a library consulting firm from Missouri. CAL, Alliance, and TAP will be working together to form the Emerald City sim, and entire island in Second Life devoted to all things 'green'. The Sustainable Living Library will find it's home on Emerald City, and will be the main library on the sim.

Exciting prospect!

While in Denver, I will also be participating in the inaugural "CAL Leadership Institute" (CALLI). 25 CAL members were chosen for this year long institute; sessions will be held in person and virtually. Wo0T! This makes it possible for participants like me in a rural area (8 hours away from Denver) to attend and benefit. The first session begins the day before the conference. Looking forward to learning and meeting all my fellow CALLI members!

And if that ain't enough, I'm actually going to have to squeeze in attendance at the various conference sessions... lol

National Gaming Day @ MPL!

2008-10-10T02:24:00.003-06:00

At the Mancos Public Library, it has been decided to participate in the ALA's National Gaming Day!

Currently, we have a Dungeons and Dragons club that plays the game weekly in our meeting room; however, the library has not hosted any kind of gaming event for our community.

We're really looking forward to participating in the National Gaming Day event on Saturday, November 15. We will be playing games at two venues, the Library and the Mancos Community Center, from 10 am to 3 pm.

Games to be played tentatively include:

Twister

Monopoly

Akoha

Various card games, and

a Second Life demo!

I am really excited about this event. For a while, I've been trying to go beyond the Dungeons and Dragons gaming, but I hadn't quite figured it out. Once the ALA NGD was announced, I formulated a quick proposal, and everyone said yes when I presented the idea at our weekly staff meeting.

To organize the day, we are collaborating online, on our staff portal. All interested staff will list what game they would like to host, and any other ideas or comments that they have about the project.

Photo: Thanks, ALA!

CAL's Durango Days 2008 - Second Life @ Your Library

2008-09-21T09:23:00.008-06:00

Lights were dimmed, chairs were adjusted, and the fun began! In a little over an hour, fellow librarians and I explored the basics of the virtual world Second Life, as well as the role of Libraries in SL. This great group asked a lot of questions and stimulated some good conversations.

This presentation also turned out to be my first "paid" gig. Upon registering, I received my nametag and an envelope containing a Starbucks gift card! Thanks, CAL, this is really a treat.

Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, or are interested in joining us to create a Colorado Library presence in Second Life. You can view my presentation slideshow on Slideshare.

2008 Durango Days - Second Life @ Your Library

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: second life)

Chrome as Feng Shui

2008-09-07T14:54:00.007-06:00

The thing I like best about the new Google Chrome is it's sleekness. Very subtle. Very feng shui.

Highlights:

Combined Seach and Address Bar - Called the omnibar, type in a web address to directly visit a website OR type in search terms for a Google search page. Benefit: One place to go for two tasks, less clutter in the top toolbar.

Minimalist Toolbar - Just a few buttons along the top let you do everything you need. Benefit: Less clutter on the top means a bigger viewing screen.

One Click Away from Your Frequent Pages - Whenever you open a new tab, instead of seeing a blank page,links and page views of your top visited pages appear. Benefit: Open a new tab, and click where you need to go! No need for multiple 'home pages'.

Yes, I miss my add-ons. Especially my Fiend Feed Google Reader and Twitter tabs, and my Delicious/Diigo buttons. But the overall minimalist design and the built-in features of the browser make this a browser one to keep; less distractions and ease of use will increase the good energy in your happiness corner.

MPL Staff Portal

2008-08-27T10:48:00.008-06:00

Well, I noted within one of my Reference Renaissance write-ups that I was inspired to create - and I have!

Last week I officially launched the MPL Staff Portal. Here is a blurb from the main page of the site:

"This portal is for us - the staff, to keep up on changes happening around the library. Please add this site to your favorites and check back often! (You can also subscribe to portal changes - once subscribed, you will receive email updates.)

All of our library staff information will be posted on this portal - if you have something to add please lets us know. This is a work in progress; please explore the portal, post announcements, make comments, etc."

Development

I developed the site with Google Sites; so many of us at the library have Gmail that I knew it would be easy to limit access to gmail invites. Now, I just have to train the reminder of staff! I created accounts for a couple of complete tech newbies, letting them know that they can change their password at any time if they'd like. We are also forwarding our library emails into our gmail; this makes it easy for all staff to keep up on different email accounts in one place.

A Place for Staff to Share News

The Staff Portal has different pages for many aspects of library information updates, and this is especially important for our library, as we are all part-time - many of us do not see some staff except at the weekly staff meeting.

I created different pages for the following categories:

Circulation,
Technology,
Official Library Announcements,
Policies,
Original Forms,
a Staff Directory,
Employee Info,
Databases,
and even a 'Happy Hour' discussion board where we can share non-work related items.

Setting up the site was easy; I made a few mistakes along the way (the 'delete page' button is a good thing), and finished up with a great template with which to begin.

Staff Interaction

Some of the pages were straightforward, and I needed little or no input to set up. Obviously, the tech page (my department) was the easiest for me; I created a place for tech announcements and places for staff to ask questions and report equipment problems. Some pages, like Circulation, are a different story. I have an idea of what circ staff may need; however, since this is a staff site, the Circ Manager will be working with her staff to create content for the page.

RSS Notification

A great benefit of using Google Sites is the ease with which staff can receive notice of changes and additions to the site. Google enables RSS page subscriptions and site subscriptions; at this point, staff is required to subscribe to the entire site. Once subscribed, staff receives email notifications - with the entire text included! Some staff that were leery of having to learn 'one more thing' are happy that they don't have to visit the site all the time. Once the Staff Portal is 'old hat' and the staff is used to getting instant announcements, more of the staff will want to visit the site and interact with comments and posts.

Wiki Format

In the initial stages, our site is more static, and I will be working with the different departments to physically post content. However, Google Sites also has the capability to act as a wiki. Depending on the permissions enabled, participants in any Google Site can 'Collaborate' or 'View'. Collaborators have the ability to create new pages and edit all content - just like any other wiki. Viewers can read all content and make comments on it.

I'll Keep You Posted

Our Staff Portal is obviously in the beginning stages. I'll be making periodic posts to let you know how everything is going!

Colorado Town Hall Meetings: Durango

2008-08-24T11:46:00.001-06:00

Town Hall Meeting
21 August 2008
Town Hall Meeting Wiki

Introductions

Martin Garnar, President, Colorado Association of Libraries (CAL)

Valerie Horton, Executive Director, Colorado Library Consortium (CLiC)

Gene Hainer, Director, Colorado State Library (CSL)

Introductions were also made by all attendess. Many different libraries represented: Mancos, Dolores, Durango, Bayfield, Cortez. Many different positions: directors, staff, friends of the library, board trustees, advisory boards, fundraising committee members...

What we came to the meeting to find out: We also went around the room and listed our thoughts on what we’d like to accomplish at this meeting.

• Future of libraries,
• Downloadable music consortia,
• Cooperative purchasing,
• Networking,
• What is the state is up to?,
• Coordinating a state-wide ILS,
• To be informed,
• Want a new focus,
• How the 3 entities work

Overview of the three entities

All their goals: explore overlap and the uniqueness of the 3 entities, explore challenges and opportunities, work for libraries

CAL

Martin read CALs mission & vision statement. The three main parts of their statements are:

1. Advocate for quality library services (lobbyists),
2. Support access to information (work w/lobbyists, intellectual freedom,)
3. Professional development (school, public, academic, special libraries).

He also spoke of the Colorado Leadership Institute.

CSL

Gene explained that there is a state library in every state; not all are the same, for instance, some are connected to different entities within the state. Colorado State Library is a unit within the Colorado Department of Education, and has been since the inception of the Colorado Constitution. Office of State Planning and Budgeting – this generates the discussion about how we can get money for libraries, the discussion then goes to the Joint Budget Committee. This was how we got money for the AIRS database package. They are involved w/legislation, but they don’t do most of the politicking – CAL does. Initiatives start locally, and then libraries change. They also consult for school and public libraries, including youth, technology consultants, and have historical newspapers, and their own ILL system.

State-wide ILS update: Jim Duncan of CSL and others formed a state committee: looked at Georgia Pines model (open source Integrated Library System [ILS]). They put out a white paper about a month ago; a second small committee has now been formed to deal with issues that this paper brought up. About the time of publishing of the white paper, BCR held a summit in Idaho about an open source ILS. CSL is now working with BCR to hold a Colorado summit to take this process to the next level – a small in-state summit in the works.

CLiC

Valerie spoke of how they value the success of libraries through consulting, conferences, continuing education, and cooperative purchasing. They also help libraries save money – even help individuals save money! Recently they helped a librarian save a lot of tuition money by finding her a certificate course on Web Junction that had cheaper tuition than the online university that she had originally registered for. Their regional consultants helped answer 10,000 questions from libraries last year.

Valerie also talked about the Red Feather Lakes success story. The library is in such a remote area, that they could not get on a regular courier delivery for ILLs. CliC helped them find a solution, and now an outside blood draw courier also delivers their ILL books. The ‘blood and books’ courier!

What Works

Attendees all spoke of our successes, such as:

• An afterschool reading program,
• Several new library buildings,
• $20,000 LSTA grant through CSL,
• Successful home school program,
• $500 ALA/PBS grant received through Second Life,
• Renaissance Faire with over 3,000 attendees,
• Successful storytimes.

Gene pointed out that no one said, “We checked out 6,000 books last month”; our successes are all about the people.

Challenges, and What would help you?

We all spoke of our challenges, and the CAL, CliC, and CSL representatives responded:

• Getting votes to approve a bond issue in this time when libraries are considered “passé” because of technology
o Valerie spoke of an OCLC study done to see what gets bond issues passed. CliC is working to get this study ‘out there’ in an effort to increase the number of passed bond issues. This study will teach us how to speak to our communities and motivate them. You can find the study on the pb wiki.
• Workshops are costly in this time of economic downturns
o BCR has free Friday forums…
o Also, nothing wrong w/getting local people together and having brown bag lunches – free event to teach ourselves,
• In our community, the middle and high school no longer have a library
o CAL is working on this crisis w/lobbyists – about half of the school districts in Colorado do not have school libraries
• Lack of board training
o CLiC can provide trainings

One attendee suggested using Camila Attins (sp?) and her star power to bring attention across Colorado.

Where do you want to be in 2020?

We broke into groups of 2 or 3 to discuss the future of libraries in southwest Colorado. Here are the ideas:

• Coordinate a strong Regional group – training, resource sharing, nurturing mutual respect between all library workers, enhancing the personal aspect of libraries,
• Regional high-speed internet access available across ALL rural areas; Benefits: distance working, distance education,
• Delivery of databases in one desktop (federated searching), as well as offering services that people want,
• Community center – more broad-based teen/YA and all age groups,
• Bridge to new technologies, other organizations, arts and culture,
• Cultural center, outreach, community gardens,
• Ways to use buildings in new directions,
• Meeting the needs of users that cannot come to the libraries.

Joannie of Cortez asked: What will happen when Referendum C & D comes out?
• Savings Account For Education (SAFE) CAL is researching all angles of the referendums. They are hoping to be a supporter… Hoping that this will help all communities…

How do WE get there?

• Be stronger; we are getting to the point where all our building projects will be completed,
• Increase networking opportunities, build on current SW efforts,
• Getting a marketing person in, increase marketing (hire locally?),
• Encourage extended sessions with other boards,
• Find ways to get the community to see “us”,
• Create more opportunities for people to work,
• Directors meet and talk about what we need and talk about regional issues and successes,
• Build a community infrastructure so everyone knows what is going on and is better informed,
• Increase casual interaction opportunities,
• Hold “unconference” (free, informal conference) session in SW,
• Boards work with community leaders – communicate regularly,
• Say thank you for successes – tell how it’s going,
• Work together for cooperative purchasing, network and find out these technology opportunities.

Informational Listserves:

• CPLD listserve – valuable resource for the directors
• SW Listserve – great resource for all library workers

Please contact CLiC for information on how to get to these listserves.

We ended the meeting with a +/ Δ session for the meeting itself:

+/: thank you for coming, good time (not too short, not too long), good communication, good energy of presenters AND attendees,

Δ: (Somehow I think we skipped this part. :)

Contacts:

Martin Garnar: mgarnar@regis.edu , 303.964.5459
Valerie Horton: vhorton@clicweb.org , 303.422.1150
Gene Hainer: hainer_g@cde.state.co.us , 303.866.6733

“Victoria Needs…” A Funny Meme to Try

2008-08-20T11:27:00.000-06:00

"It’s easy. Just Google “Yourname + Needs” and copy out the first ten instances of the phrase." Thanks to UberNoggin and her mom for this fun little game.

1. Victoria needs major traffic overhaul
2. Victoria Needs A New Boob Job Tour
3. Victoria needs miracle-maker
4. Victoria needs a loan of 2500 soles
5. Victoria Needs Wind Power
6. Victoria needs more medical school places
7. Victoria needs a permanent fighter
8. Victoria needs a new everything
9. Victoria Needs a Room Mate
10. Victoria needs to wake up already

lol, pretty comical.

Reference Renaissance - Session IC - "Counting on Reference..."

2008-08-09T14:15:00.000-06:00

Counting on Reference: Click It, Tick It, Track It
Chair: M. Kathleen Kern, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

The Transformation of a Reference Statistic Tracker into a Management Tool for Reference Services

Indiana University began designing a reference portal in 1998. They wanted an in-house system to track all reference questions, as well as keeping statistics. Over the last ten years, this ‘portal’ has morphed into a myriad of uses and benefits the entire library in many ways.

This particular section of this session was inspirational for me. During the presentation, I envisioned IU’s reference portal as a MPL staff ‘online meeting place’. Here is an excerpt from my notes:

I believe that I can develop something like this for the library, as an online meeting place… Create different sections based on the standard staff meeting agenda. Definitely need email RSS feeds, so that once someone makes an update – EVERYONE gets the updates!!! Also – I can track tech questions, and put the answers on the site, so everyone knows the resolution. A place for questions and answers for the circ desk/general library.

I’ll let y’all know where this idea takes me…. 

Indiana University Reference Portal

• Along the top, links to: ref stats, record of actual ref ?s, ref home (ref website), and desk log.

• Along the side there is a bar with person, phone, chat, IM, Email options, as well as a place to put equipment problems.

• A smaller bar under top bar with others, including library policies

Indiana University – Administration

• Administration backed the development and provided resources; mandated deployment and minimum usage for all units
• Management pushed for adoption; carried out customization w/in units; provided training.
• Important for supervisors to provide a culture of creativity and innovation

Despite the success of the Reference Portal, we still have to REMEMBER to click the buttons and enter the questions!

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Beyond Tick Marks: Capturing meaningful info @ the Reference Desk

Luke Vilelle, Hollins University, Roanoake, VA lvilelle@hollins.edu
Candice Benjes-Small, Radford University, Radford, VA cbsmall@radford.edu
Eric Ackermann, egackerma@radford.edu

Mr. Vilelle and Ms. Benjes-Small each described the process they went through to get a quality and inexpensive reference desk statistics tracker.

What’s wrong w/tick marks?

• Limited info
• Labor intensive to count
• Difficult to find trends
• Didn’t tell us what we wanted to know

Software Considerations

• Affordable (FREE!)
• Installation concerns
• Customization
• Information accessibility
• Ease of use

Mr. Vilelle: Zoho – like open office – more like google docs, b/c everything saved online!! Zoho Creator – is a database application.

Nothing is hosted on their servers!

What if Zoho goes down? They had paper forms available – but it never went down in ten months, so they have trashed the forms.

Ms. Benjes-Small: Lib Stats

Implementation Considerations

• Decide what you need to know/collect: track what you’re doing? Track the questions that you are answering?
• Scope: Are you ready to find out the truth?
• Keep the form usable: give options but don’t want form too long; web access a must (access from desk, office, etc)

Staff Considerations

• Who will monitor/review it?
• What will s/he do with the information?

Getting buy-in

• Decide which desks will be participating
• Talking to people: supervisors as well as staff, be prepared to handle accusations of spying
• Offer training
• Aim for critical mass, not 100%; circulation students not consistent

Results

• Importance of IM service
• Staff training and accountability
• Technological questions: Hollins was less than predicted; RU was higher than predicted
• Collection Development purchases
• Track interactions with particular users

The Case of the Personal Contact

• In-Office questions
o 114 transactions recorded (in office; direct pnhone, email or IM): 8.8% of all questions
o 76 re transactions recorded: 11.4% of all ref questions

The case of the Disappearing Referral

• Since they are tracking, they are noticing missing referrals to the reference desk from the front desk. Patron never makes it!

Happy Conclusions

• Helps build community among reference desk staff
• We all learned from reviewing others’ entries
• Software use is growing at both institutions: use by other departments, adding comments option

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Even though I knew that the second day of the conference started a bit earlier, it didn’t sink in until I was officially late for the morning! I missed this section of the session:

“Click It, No More Tic It: Online Reference Statistics

UNM University Libraries created an online statistical form that collects reference statistics into an Excel database. This presentation will describe the planning, pilot project, implementation, and evaluation of the online statistical database and how it applies to staffing, collections, acquisitions and other uses.

Presenters: Paulita Aguilar (did not attend), Zimmerman Library, University of New Mexico, Sue Awe (did not attend), Parish Memorial Library, University of New Mexico and Kathleen Keating, Zimmerman Library, University of New Mexico, NM
Paulita Aguilar is an Assistant Professor and the Indigenous Nations Library Program Curator for the University Libraries at the University of New Mexico.

Kathleen Keating is a Professor and the Coordinator of Reference Services for the University Libraries at the University of New Mexico.”

Directly from the Reference Renaissance site, http://www.bcr.org/referencerenaissance/schedule_details.html#day1d

Reference Renaissance - Session IIIC - "You Bought It, Now Sell It!"

2008-08-08T18:30:00.000-06:00

You Bought It, Now Sell It! Creating a Reference Renaissance in the Public Library by Merchandising Collections and Services (Panel)

Karen Long, Adult Services Reference Librarian, Farmington Public Library, NM

Ms. Long spoke of how to promote library services; specifically, she spoke of a program her library has instituted, “Ask!”, a virtual reference service. It was great hearing Ms. Long's presentation (and to meet her afterwards!); the Farmington library, while in New Mexico, is only one hour away from Mancos, and I have a library card there. I was able to tell Ms. Long that I have seen and was familiar with the "Ask!" program. I'm looking forward to using some of her merchandising tactics in our library.

Identify your Reference Services

• Face-to-face
• Telephone
• Email correspondence
• Instant messaging
• Eliminate unnecessary words, have a fun image – one that will be remembered

Branding your Logo

• Reference desk
• Web page
• Reference web site
• Human signs – (logo pins for staff)

Promoting Internally

• Demonstrating a service live is more active and memorable
• Daily show announcements and weekly trivia prizes for staff
• Give incentives
• Let your staff give away something free to patrons: Cordmen (plastic man you can wrap your earbuds around) that had different Instant Messaging (IM) clients information, including the library’s IM usernames, were handed out by staff to patrons

Promoting externally

• An announcement in the monthly email newsletter to teachers
• Make it about them
• Patron newsletter
• Radio spots
• Prime Time (free dinner to attendees for sitting through library meeting) and Rotary Club demonstrations provide incentives to use library services

Summary

• Know your audience – Keep it simple!
• Meet your patrons at their point of need (they waited ‘til finals week to promote the reference service – just when they thought people might need it!)
• Show the functionality of the service and how it is relevant
• Demonstrate the service rather than just telling about it
• Provide incentives to use library services
• Reinforce/revisit your promotion

Karen Long, Adult Services Librarian, kblong@infoway.org
Farmington Public Library

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Creating a Reference Renaissance in the Library by Merchandising your Reference Collection

Bernadine Goldman, Assistant Library Manager, Bernadine.goldman@lacnm.us
Lizzie Eastwood, Reference Librarian, Ej.eastwood@lacnm.us
Los Alamos County Public Library System, NM.

Ms. Goldman and Ms. Eastwood thought “out of the box”, and created a reference section unlike any other! No more Dewey Decimal system! Reference by keyword! Their new reference section has beautiful reference resources arranged by theme, and displayed attractively. Another neat feature of this new arrangement was the strategic placement of signs listing related websites.

When Ms. Goldman and Ms. Eastwood created their new reference section, they did not change the ‘location’ of the books in the system. This created some havoc, as some books were replaced in their original location in the stacks. A simple solution (and not too time consuming, as their reference section is small), would be to create a new system location, such as “Reference Special Collection”, and make sure that they change the location of all moved items.

Ms. Goldman’s excitement about her project was palpable, and brought a great energy to the presentation. She said a couple of times during the presentation, “If people don’t like it, we’ll just move it back to the old way!” I feel that for innovation to happen, sometimes you need to go out on a limb and just do it! Thanks, Ms. Goldman, for a great presentation!

I found it interesting that in the keynote presentation, David W. Lewis referenced the advent of mass printing and how it started the process of alphabetizing – going away from themes… Is it possible that the Internet is bringing us back to a more organic way of information organizing with keywords and tagging?

Their Goals

• To make all users of the reference collection aware of available resources, all in one place.
• To rearrange the physical collection to reflect the way people are thinking – in a “keyword” format (the internet search engine factor).
• To integrate the different types of reference material formats by placing signs and lists of online websites

Arrangement of Presentation

• Books – These are still being published, many are gorgeous, authoritative, and expensive – however, only a few get used.
• Reference E-Books – Available 24/7, remote access, keyword searchable, still expensive.
• Online Databases – EXPENSIVE! However, they are much more up to date, with more information, and easily accessible.

Why Don’t Our Online Databases Have Higher Usage?

• Require training of patrons & staff
• Sites keep changing
• Have to remember they are there
• Which one is best for what information?
• Have to ‘sell them’ to the staff
• The need to prioritize marketing

Merchandising the Complete Reference Collection

• Reference material is now all in one place
• Organized it the way people think (tagging – which keyword would get the greatest hits?)

Rearrangement of the Reference Collection

• Didn’t abandon Dewey entirely
• Put subject signs up on the end of shelves
• Brought subjects together (some of these had multiple Dewey numbers) – aging; health; weapons; environment; culture; jobs; literature; quotations; writers; history; travel; famous lives; genealogy
• Alternated high and low shelving, with displays on low shelves (had to half the original number of displays, because patrons are using the low tops as a table for work use).

Websites

• Accepted Internet as part of the collection
• Went through all the RUSA Best Free Reference Websites lists
• Checked that they are all still operational

More Merchandising

• Designed a new brochure with the RUSA best reference websites – will add to website shortly
• Large display shelving brought books out into the open – they found ppl stopping to read books for even 5 minutes, b/c they were displayed nicely and were attractive.

Reactions from Staff

• Mystifying to those who spent a lot of time learning Dewey (had to type up a list for the staff)
• Liberating to staff to know there is more than one way to view the information universe
• Empowering to staff to know they can contribute too
• Learned much more about the book collection, and hope to learn more about the online resources, too
• Acknowledged that it is nice to have a ‘vibrant’ collection
• Like the website/e-book lists close to books
• Loved the displays

Reactions from Patrons

• They’re noticing the reference collection
• “You’ve doubled the value of the library!”
• Lots of interest in the websites
• Much more browsing of beautiful reference books, some of which they have had for years - unnoticed (they effectively introduced reference books as a form of recreation as well as for information)

Lessons Learned

• Budget – manageable, very low budget, just a few purchases, and time spent
• Remember your marketing person!
• Staff time (rearranging the collection; learning new arrangement – be flexible; giving tours of collection to other service staff – circulation)

What Now

• Keep the arrangement for at least a year and see what happens!

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Group Discussion Questions (after the presentation):

1. What are some of the effective ways of dealing w/internal roadblocks to new promotional initiatives?
2. How can we keep staff of different generations up to date and trained on all our resources to they can market them?
3. How can public library reference staff market service to four generations of patrons?
4. How can we budget and allocate limited staff time during marketing initiatives?
5. How can we demonstrate the usefulness of a 21st centure public library reference collection to modern day patrons?
6. How can we best teach computer and information literacy skills to patrons in a way that meets their needs?

Reference Renaissance - Session IIB - "Okay, This is Just Too Weird:"...

2008-08-08T15:54:00.000-06:00

"Okay, This is Just Too Weird:" Identifying Outreach Opportunities in Facebook (Panel)

Panelists:
Christopher Bloechl, Gelman Library, The George Washington University, Washington DC
David Bietila, Gelman Library, The George Washington University, Washington DC
Elizabeth Edwards, Gelman Library, The George Washington University, Washington DC

On Facebook, the fastest growing demographic is those 25 yrs & older; with universities now having so many older students makes this a trend that the panelists cannot ignore! Mr. Blochl, Mr. Bietila, and Ms. Edwards studied their students’ use of Facebook, created individual librarian’s profiles on Facebook, and made recommendations for other libraries regarding Facebook.

In 2006, 55% of teens who use social networks have used Facebook or MySpace; 48% of those use these sites daily or more often. Is this a way to reach out to our library users?

The George Washington University Library is a major social hub for students on campus. They currently utilize Instant Messaging (IM), Email, and Web learning modules.

In 2007, they implemented “The Librarian is Your Friend” campaign on Facebook. Most library instruction is done in conjunction with a freshman writing program. Those students were encouraged to friend the library liaison working with their section.

Research Questions
• What role does technology play in our students study habits?
• What role does Facebook play in students’ lives in general?
• What can the library do with Facebook?

Research Team
• Two librarians
• A recent anthropology graduate student (thesis on Facebook). The graduate student was able to get less biased answers and helped them gather better questions.

Part of their interview questions asked students how their recreational use of Facebook affected their study habits and academic life.
• What sort of information would you expect/want to find on a librarian’s profile page (social or practical)?
• How would you feel if a librarian “friended” you?
• Under what circumstances would you feel comfortable “friending” a librarian or accepting a librarian’s friend request?

Literature vs. reality (150 survey respondents)

Literature told them that students use institutions sites/portals because they have to – but spend time on Facebook because they want to.

• Most of their students are members of Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn.

• 78% use Facebook more than once daily

Literature told them students use Facebook to maintain existing relationships or friends they cannot see in person.

Literature told them ‘when asked if Facebook serves any academic purpose 54% said that it did not’.

• Students said that they communicate about assignments (68%), arrange study groups (61%) communicate about academic interests (47%).

• Students see Facebook as a break time (reward or distraction) from studying.

Literature told them students recognize that it is easier to communicate with professors electronically but they are hesitant to do so for a variety of reasons.

• Students aren’t really interested in communicating with the library through social site.

• “If you needed help with your research or had a question about the library, would you feel comfortable communicating through Facebook with a staff member about it? Most didn’t really have a good view on this. The students felt better about communicating with librarians than with faculty.

• “How do you feel about university staff having Facebook profiles?” Most students were either comfortable, or didn’t care about library profiles. Most did NOT like the idea of having faculty on Facebook.

Literature told them that individual librarian profiles lets students identify their librarians as approachable individuals.

• “What features on librarians profiles would interest you?”
o Student responses: 60.6% - study suggestions & research advice;
o 55.8% - information about and access to library resources;
o 26.9% information about the librarian as an individual;
o 15.4% - librarian’s social interaction with other members through wall posts;
o 13% had no interest in librarian profiles.

• “How would you respond if a librarian friended you?”
o Student responses varied, but most participants expressed varying degrees of discomfort.

Literature said that librarians could be on Facebook to be where their users are.

o Most students can find librarians or faculty on Facebook to be creepy/intrusive.

Recommendations:

• Recommend creating an institutional, formal-looking library fan page that students and librarians alike can join.
• Strike a personal/professional balance: include picture and subject expertise; however, don’t clutter page w/too many applications.
• Friending: students are much more likely to friend librarians if they interact with them in person. Use research appointments and reference desk interactions as resources for building Facebook relationships.
• Many students said they were inclined to use Facebook’s library applications. So putting these things out there can let your users see them – and they even might use them!
• The panelists are creating an application to let study groups schedule a reserved place in the library for their study session.
• A book recommendation application on librarian’s profiles appeals to many students; it occupies a middle ground between professional and personal spheres; and it fits into students’ common expectations about librarians.
• Many students are unaware that librarians are on Facebook: most students who were aware of the program at Gelman University had seen signs; successful advertising will play on things meaningful to students.

Avoiding Facebook Faux Pas

• The Wall (don’t post things on your own wall!);
• Notes (use for mini-blogging);
• Messages (personal);
• Poking (don’t poke students).

Research

• Talk to your patrons
• Your own research will have the most applicability for you.

Epilogue – Up to the present…

• Research was done at a particular moment, while Facebook continues to change
• Changes in Facebook: new interfaces for web and iPhone; changing demographics (older users increasing, 17-25 are still preponderance of users); greater commercial saturation of Facebook (marketing tactics for use of Facebook have been codified; more outside organizations making themselves known)
• Dynamic environment (may become more friendly to librarian involvement; libraries may be able to make their presence the norm).

David Bietila – bietila@gelman.gwu.edu

Elizabeth Edwards – Edwards@gelman.gwu.edu

Gelman's Facebook Fan Page

Some questions asked by conference attendees:

Why duplicate your library’s website with a Facebook Fan Page?

• Panelist’s Answer: The RSS news feed feature, more exposure can be good exposure, ability to implement features through the use of applications – features that are harder to get onto your website (e.g. Meebo, other widgets), 99% of their undergrads are on Facebook – but not 99% of those students visit the library website.

Fan pages? What are they?

• Panelist’s Answer: More of an informational page as opposed to a profile page. They are available through the advertising feature at the bottom of the page.

How do you market your fan page?

• Panelist’s Answer: They have not marketed it yet; in the future, however, it will most likely be built into the context of other marketing.

Reference Renaissance - Session ID - Understanding Our Users

2008-08-08T11:33:00.000-06:00

Understanding Our Users - Psychological Dimensions (Competitive Papers)
Chair: Mary Krautter, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

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Women’s Ways of Information Seeking

Presenter: Beth Strickland, University of Colorado at Boulder, CO

This presentation explained the ways that women tend to gather and evaluate information. Ms. Strickland did not offer ways to improve the process, rather, she would like to offer her study as a basis for others.

Her research methodology was an interdisciplinary approach; she used technology studies, psychology studies, women and gender studies, and LIS research.

The main questions of her research were: How do diverse users approach information seeking?, How do they approach and use technology resources differently?, and, How do women’s experiences and construction of knowledge affect the way they approach technology?

Ms. Strickland compared men’s and women’s searching styles:

• Gendered styles of computer searching
o Boys dominate computer use, and want to master programs and features from the “top down”
o Girls prefer working together and are more reflective. They learn from the “bottom up”

• Men: Scan and collect many results and revise search. Men feel in control of their searching.
• Women: Read results, collect fewer results, and return to previous sites and results. Women have more of a personal connection with the information, but do not feel in control during the searching process.
• Men are 5 times more likely to study computer science and IT
• Only 16% of women are computer professionals

We need to move from a “what” to a “why” approach – challenge approaches which place a priority only on data.

Ms. Strickland explored a study by 4 feminist psychologists (mid 1980’s). They found that women come to understand the world via epistemological perspectives.

Study Recap:

5 Stages of Intellectual Development

1. Silence: In this stage, people see things in black/white; information is not personal (no introspection, don’t learn from personal experiences); authority is considered bad, but is relied upon. People in this stage do not trust their information seeking and evaluation abilities (IT people are all-knowing). These information-seekers need guidance.

2. Received knowledge: In this stage, authorities are still all-knowing, but are also helpful sources of truth. Knowledge is gained by receiving input and not constructed by the individual. Listening is key for people in this stage, and they can learn through instruction. On their own, they can find information, but all information is ‘fact’. No critical thinking takes place, and they depend on information professionals to evaluate the information for them.

3. Subjective Knowledge: In this stage, authority comes from the individual - they may not believe information authorities. These people evaluate information via a lens of intuition. People in this stage appear to be inconsistent in their means.

4. Procedural Knowledge: People in this stage think that opinions are sources of truth to authorities, and move from ‘how’ to ‘why’ in their thinking. To them, there are no information authorities, because all information has the potential to be true.

5. Constructed Knowledge: This stage uses critical thinking, and people can combine new information into their existing knowledge structures. They are able to create original knowledge. These individuals think that truth is subjective, so therefore, authority is subjective. Information authorities may or may not be biased. These individuals have the greatest potential for learning a comprehensive set of permanent information literacy skills.

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Reference as Teaching: Breaking Barriers for International Students

Presenters: Yusuke Ishimura, Ph.D. Student, McGill University and Megan Fitzgibbons, Humanities and Social Sciences Library, McGill University, Canada

In this presentation, Mr. Ishimura and Ms. Fitzgibbons explored the challenges of international students and their barriers to searching for information. They also explored what librarians can do to help these students. International students are becoming more and more prevalent in the US: 1985 (300K) – 2005: (500K) International students. These students come mainly from Asian countries.

• Students’ Challenges: Insufficient assistance, lack of knowledge.

• What can librarians do to help? (Learner-Centered Teaching)

Learners’ Perspectives

Mr. Ishimura and Ms. Fitzgibbons reviewed McAlpine’s model, 'Designing
Learning as well as Teaching’, which emphasizes learner practice. In this model, the teacher gives guidance and provides background to the learner’s existing knowledge. The teacher is engaging and informing. With practice of the student, the amount of necessary teaching decreases. The teacher needs to practice summative assessment – the instructor assesses the learning and knowledge of the student.

Barriers Encountered
The presenters gathered information from different international students. They found that communication difficulties were student’s largest barriers. International students ideally would like to have a librarian who speaks their language; in transitioning from their native language, students are basically quiet and use choppy English, and they have a fear of making mistakes. Often times they use a different communication system in their culture. In libraries, they rarely approach librarians (who have a negative image), are skeptical of help, lack of awareness of services, and have gaps in library skills and knowledge.

Solutions to Communication Difficulties

Barrier: Language difficulties
Solutions: Good attitude, empathy, sensitivity, patience, avoid baby talk, jargon, make a positive first impression, write down key points, rephrase if needed, basic understanding of country customs and body language (e.g.: cupping your hand to your ear to make students speak up may not be understood, and leaning forward may be considered aggressive).

Barrier: Non-verbal Misunderstanding
Solutions: Combine verbal and nonverbal signals, observe students’ reactions and match behavior to their needs.

Barrier: Negative View of Librarians
Solutions: Be approachable and listen!, observe students emotions, reactions.

Barrier: Confusion about Reference Interview
Solutions: Follow up to check understanding, avoid “litanies of facts”, give students time to think.

Barrier: Lack of Knowledge of Services
Solutions: Use handouts, don’t make assumptions about student s knowledge.

Barrier: Different Library Skills and Knowledge
• Searching Abilities: Keyword selections may differ from what we use, spelling errors, difficulty in using the online catalogue, which is only available in English.
• Classification: Students may not understand Dewey Decimal System or the Library of Congress system
Solutions:
• Searching abilities: explain search techniques w/ practical examples, facilitate practice, provide searching technique handouts (time saver!). Also, suggest a search engine, such as Google, in which students can search in their own language.
• Classification Systems: demonstrate shelving order, explain how to browse. Don’t make assumptions that they know how to use the library.
• Unfamiliarity with organization of information in libraries: point out key resources, provide feedback on searching, explain expectations for using scholarly sources.

Conclusion

Mr. Ishimura and Ms. Fitzgibbons have developed a formula for more effective communication between librarians and international students. The formula is to: recognize the barrier, recognize the cause, identify teaching model phase (see McAlpine’s model), and utilize best practices. Librarians can recognize specific barriers and apply related solutions.

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Balance of Power and Negotiation of Meaning in Virtual Reference

Presenter: Mary Kickham-Samy, Ph.D. Student, Old Dominion University, Norfolk VA and Librarian, Macomb Community College, MI

Ms. Kickham-Samy studied the levels of power sharing between librarian and student in virtual reference (VR). She used as her community of inquiry model ‘Garrison, Anderson and Archer’.

She explored the difference between community posting boards and virtual reference, and found that they were very similar. However, there is one big difference: Virtual Reference – 1 Librarian and 1 Student – is that a community?

In her research, the literature showed that a virtual reference librarian hesitates to instruct; however, the student is most likely willing to be instructed. Some students are willing to accept a librarian’s information and then terminate the VR session; other students want more of a partner – the librarian then works with and leads the student to higher levels of thinking.

Measurement of VR session effectiveness – Did the VR Librarian:
1. Ask the student about number of sources?
2. Show the student a useful source?
3. Recommend search terms?, and
4. Check that the student found the needed information?

4 main points in review of literature:
1. Students are open to instruction
2. The librarian wants to provide instruction
3. Students want to learn thinking on their own
4. Virtual Reference sessions are conducive to power sharing.

Questions and Findings

• Is there a parity of info sharing?
o No, librarians engaged more than students in her study.

• Does the number of questions asked by the lib, the student, or both parties combined, affect the quality of session?
o No, the number of questions by student does not affect the length of the session.

• Does the intensity of the student-lib engagement predict the lib assessment of the quality of session?
o No, no relation.

Qualitative study

• How do the librarian and student work together?
o By comparing the power of words and language of the different parties, Ms. Kickham-Samy found that these variables can affect the sharing of power.

Conclusion

Librarians have a stronger presence in a Virtual Reference session. A strong teaching presence is good because teaching techniques can help empower students to become independent learners.

***************************************************************************

****For more information, you can view the schedule and presentation power points here.

Reference Renaissance

2008-08-01T11:43:00.000-06:00

I will attempt to blog the sessions I attend this week at the Reference Renaissance conference. This will be my first attempt at conference blogging, so please, bear with me!

I'm looking forward to the conference, and especially thank CLiC, my sponsor at the conference (I was one of three scholarship winners!).

Literature in Second Life

2008-07-17T12:50:00.001-06:00

The librarians are at it again - gearing up for the latest round of conferences focused on introducing attendees to educational places/builds in Second Life.

Last month's Stepping into History conference was successful and introduced attendees to Babylonian and Renaissance themed sims, as well as a 'Virtual Harlem' and 'Land of Lincoln'.

In August, attendees will venture to Literature themed sims, and find such fascinating builds such as a reading of Poe's 'The Raven' in a dark, spooky house in the sky, and a recreation of scenes from Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland'. For more information and to register, visit the Stepping Into series site.

Google Adds New Searching Algorithm

2008-07-01T00:47:00.000-06:00

Wow! Google has announced the addition of a new algorithm to their searches - they now have the ability to search text in Flash!

This is great news for web developers - instead of having to create regular text information as backup to Flash pages, they will now be able to solely integrate text into their Flash...

You can read Google's blog post here.

Slide Show of Second Life Presentation

2008-06-05T10:30:00.001-06:00

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Second Life Presentation

2008-06-04T10:31:00.000-06:00

I presented an introduction to Second Life to the Southwest CO Librarian's group on Tuesday. There were twelve librarians in attendance, and I enjoyed presenting very much! They all seemed interested in SL, and asked great questions.

I gave an overview of what Second Life is, and then spoke about things librarians can do in SL. We then did an in-world demo (and got logged out by a sim reboot just as we were starting to dance with another avatar!), and I wrapped up with some real life statistics on Second Life.

All in all, I was pleased with the presentation and how it went. Nervous beforehand turned into an adrenaline rush afterwards which lingered 'til I went to bed. :)

Way Cool - First Interplanetary Library

2008-05-25T11:54:00.000-06:00

You can't get more rural than Mars, can you?!?

From Resouce Shelf
May 25, 2008 at 7:28 am · Filed under Libraries and Librarianship, Science, Search News

First Interplanetary Library Will Land on Mars

The Planetary Society’s Visions of Mars DVD aboard Phoenix will land on Mars on May 25, 2008. This first of NASA’s Scout missions is led by Principal Investigator Peter Smith at the University of Arizona. Attached to the deck of the Phoenix lander, the DVD includes a collection of 19th and 20th century science fiction stories, essays and art inspired by the Red Planet, as well as the names of more than a quarter million inhabitants of Earth.
…
Visions of Mars – the first library on Mars – contains materials that represent 20 nations and cultures. Visions of Mars includes works by The Planetary Society’s co-founder Carl Sagan, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Kim Stanley Robinson, Arthur C. Clarke, Percival Lowell and many more.

Source: The Planetary Society

Photo Credit: BlueDharma

Experimenting with Diigo

2008-05-24T12:22:00.000-06:00

I've just signed up for Diigo, a true social bookmarking tool in beta. It takes the social aspect of bookmarking a step up from del.icio.us, and has an interface similar to other social sites, such as Facebook.

You can do the traditional social things such as finding friends, seeing what they bookmark, send messages, etc. An aspect of Diigo that I'm looking forward to using is the annotation feature - you can highlight text on the bookmarked page and make notes/comments on the highlighted area. From the social end, you can see what others have annotated on their saved bookmarks, share, and I believe, make comments on others annotations.

Cool! I'll share more once I have a little time to experiment.

Peace, Love & Wifi

2008-05-09T09:10:00.000-06:00

Peace Love Wifi (free) - Decatur, GA

Originally posted by Tame the Web by Michael Stephens.

The Future of Computing

2008-05-06T06:40:00.000-06:00

Energy savings, time savings, the possibilities are just beginning for the Memory Resistor. A Reuters article explains that the new electrical circuit does not accept electrical flow blindly - in any amount or direction; the memory resistor (memristor) "remembers" the direction and the amount of electrical flow.

Its impact on computers could be revolutionary. The memristor could eventually replace DRAM and upon start up, a computer would remember where it was when shut off.

Just think - no boot times! I imagine this would be rather like turning on and off a light switch; instantaneous computing!

View the whole article here.

Can We Look This Up on the Internet, Mama?

2008-05-01T00:19:00.000-06:00

In an amazing article, "Gin, Television, and Social Surplus", Clay Shirky talks about how our culture is evolving in the way we spend our spare time.

It starts with the fact that over the last century, people have gained "free time"; before industrialization, most folks just struggled to survive. About the same time, TV came around - so what did most people do when they were not working? Of course, we watched TV.

But along comes the Internet, and people started spending time there, too. And now, Web 2.0 has started a trend of interaction, as opposed to the static "just throw it at me" of web 1.0.

He charts the time of people's television habits of the last century (couch potatoes!), and compares it to the "consume,... produce..., share..." mindset of today's average internet user. And then goes on to challenge traditional media to say why this change would not be beneficial.

He ends the article with something that reminds me of my own childen:

I was having dinner with a group of friends about a month ago, and one of them was talking about sitting with his four-year-old daughter watching a DVD. And in the middle of the movie, apropos nothing, she jumps up off the couch and runs around behind the screen. That seems like a cute moment. Maybe she's going back there to see if Dora is really back there or whatever. But that wasn't what she was doing. She started rooting around in the cables. And her dad said, "What you doing?" And she stuck her head out from behind the screen and said, "Looking for the mouse."

Here's something four-year-olds know: A screen that ships without a mouse ships broken. Here's something four-year-olds know: Media that's targeted at you but doesn't include you may not be worth sitting still for. Those are things that make me believe that this is a one-way change. Because four year olds, the people who are soaking most deeply in the current environment.... just assume that media includes consuming, producing and sharing.

It is true that while I grew up with the Jetsons and Star Trek (one way media), and keep waiting for all those cool innovations to come along, my sons are experiencing some of them now! And like the girl in Clay's article, they are not just content to sit and wait to see what the TV will throw at them. Case in point: My three and a half year old runs into the room where he knows I'm working. He waves the little dinosaur toy he has been playing with at me and says, "Mama, what is the name of this one? Can we look it up on the Internet?" So, I use up some of my "spare time" to do as he requests. The answer? A Dimetredon. Now, I've even learned something!

Photo Credit, Floresita.

Free Librarianship E-Books for One Year!

2008-04-10T13:22:00.000-06:00

Attention Librarians, and Library Science students and faculty!

The company ebrary is offering free access to their Library Center for one year, in support of U.S. National Library Week 2008 (April 13-19).

From their Press Release: “ebrary is dedicated to serving the needs of the library community, including the next generation of librarians,” said Christopher Warnock, CEO of ebrary. “We are pleased to participate in National Library Week by providing access to a selection of relevant e-books that we hope will provide additional knowledge that students, faculty, and librarians can use today as well as in the future.”

The ebrary Library Center includes books on a wide range of library relevant topics, with wonderful titles, including: Globalization, Culture and Social Capital : Library Professionals on the Move, Digital Libraries and Multimedia , and Glut: Mastering Information Through The Ages.

Register to receive complimentary access for one year.

The Pursuit of Happiness and Advancement

2008-04-09T15:18:00.000-06:00

I am interested in how technology can help my patrons. In the smaller sense, how technology can make their lives easier and fun. In a larger sense, how technology can help them advance themselves - without having to leave our rural area. This blog will contain information about what we are doing at our library to help our patrons, as well as what other libraries are doing. I will also be exploring libraries and education in the virtual world, Second Life.

Photo Credit, emdot

CLiC Spring Workshops - Customized Search Engines

2008-02-26T23:45:00.000-07:00

Customized Search Engines at Your
Library
Paul Betty

CLiC Spring Workshops - Outreach & Marketing

2008-02-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

Outreach & Marketing to New Audiences
Bonnie McCune,
Panelists: Annette Choszczyk, David Nelson, Marianne
North

CLiC Spring Workshop - Better than a Band-Aid

2008-02-26T14:15:00.000-07:00

Better than a Band-Aid: Government
Health Resources in the 21st Century
Jamie Walker

CLiC Spring Workshop - Colo

2008-02-25T16:15:00.000-07:00

Colorado Library Innovators: Closer
than You Think
Sharon Morris, (Panel Moderator) with Becky Johnson,
Anne Knipe, and Nancy Trimm.

CLiC Spring Workshop - Integrating the Right Technology for Your Library

2008-02-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

Using Your Head: Integrating the Right
Technology for Your Library
Presenters: Jim Duncan and Debbi MacLeod

CLiC Spring Workshop, Library 2…OH!

2008-02-25T10:15:00.000-07:00

Library 2…OH! Now I Get It: Practical
Applications of 2.0 Tools
Presenter: Shelly Drumm