Introduction to Second Life

On November 6, 2007, I attended the Introduction to Second Life demonstration given by Jill Hurst-Wahl of Hurst Associates, Ltd. at WNYLRC. Jill discussed what librarians are doing in Second Life (SL): providing reference and reader advisory services, networking, supporting virtual communities, learning to use virtual space for education. It is possible to use Second Life for free; Jill has been doing this for more than a year now. I attended this class to get a better sense of how librarians can provide different service to patrons via SL and what the benefits of such an endeavor are. I definitely came away with a better sense of what the SL world can provide for librarians.

In Their Face

I just read a blog post by Karen Coombs about re-thinking the approach we librarians take in developing our library websites. I agree with her thoughts. My mission is to make sure the library is visible where our community is looking for information. One of the first things I did was request that the library's website be added as a link in the "Campus Bookmark" section in the College's course management product. Likewise for the Banner site for student and employee services. These were simple first steps to reducing the number of clicks a patron needs to do to get to the library's resources. I hope to work with my colleagues to conduct focus groups to determine how our students and faculty are able not only to use our website, but also to determine how and where they start looking for information. As Karen points out, a product to give consideration to may be LibX. Linking the College Library to the wider Web enivronment is key to easing the patron's ability to discover information.

Change or Die

Pam Sandlian-Smith referred to Change or Die: the three keys to change at work and in life by Alan Deutschman (Los Angeles : Regan, c2007) in her talk at ALA on transformation of staff, so I decided to read it. Why won't people make changes when their lives are at risk? For example, why do most heart attack survivors not make permanent lifestyle changes to insure a longer life? Deutschman believes it is because death is too hard to think about, so it is pushed aside. Doctors don't create relationships with patients that will help the patient reframe how they live to make change viable. Deutschman uses three scenarios to explain the three keys he sees as essential to making lasting change: heart patients, Delaney Street ex-convicts, and Toyota Corporation.

The three keys to change:

1. Relate. Relationship building and community can restore hope to a hopeless situtation. Mentors, partners, or leaders can make you believe you have the ability to change and encourage you to do it.
2. Repeat. You need to learn and practice new skills over time.
3. Reframe. The new relationships will help you look at yourself differently.

In conclusion, Deutschman states that instead of thinking about change as change or die, think about change as change and thrive. In working with staff, I see that this idea can be essential to changing a mindset about trying new services. Change can be positive. A good leader will build goodwill and give staff ownership of their work, giving them the latitude to try new programs or services. As the staff becomes more confident that they will not be undermined, the library will evolve (change). Sandlian-Smith's library has evolved in the past decade from a rules-oriented, underutilized public library to a vibrant community center.

Transforming Your Staff (ALA)

The Transforming Your Staff program at ALA was my favorite program. I found something valid in what each of the speakers had to say. This program was part of the Libraries Transform Communities track and was presented by Maureen Sullivan, Consultant; Tom Galante, Queens Library; Stanley Wilder, University of Rochester; and Pam Sandlian-Smith, West Palm Beach Public Library.

Transforming with Technology (ALA)

The session Transforming your Library, and Your Library's Future, with Technology was part of the Libraries Transform CommunitiesTrack organized by ALA President Leslie Berger. The speakers were Lori Ayre, Galecia Group; Casey Bisson, Plymouth State University; and Roy Tennant, OCLC.

Lori Ayre:

• Use physical spaces differently; use physical technology to create the best environment for our patrons
• Take advantage of technology whenever possible
• Different spaces for different people (e.g., teens, seniors)
• Build the Library IT department--no more "accidental systems librarians"--become tech savvy from within the library in order to get things done.
• Good ideas for physical technology: central sorting systems; self check kiosks; automated check-in; compact shelving for staff access storage areas (now available with automated retrieval systems); University of Chicago compared costs of storage options and publicly accessible shelves--public shelving is the most expensive; adequate space for staff with ergonomically designed furniture.
• Strive to provide the patron a productive (convenient) experience: home delivery of materials.; more library outlets: kiosks in malls, bookmobiles with computers for public use, book drops around town (not just at the library), option to return materials through the mail.

Casey Bisson:

• Challenges to catalogs: usability, findability, remixability.
• Google calendar can be used for events listings
• The library website is NOT a marketing tool, it is a service point. The patron is looking for information, often self-service resources.
• Commenting is essential in digitized, online collections and in the catalog.
• Don't let the library staff size stop you from trying to change things to benefit the patron experience.

Roy Tennant:

• Technology is a tool used by people to accomplish goals.
• Decision-making for application of technology: understand the needs of your users; consider your mission & priorities; get advice; how new is the technology? is it proven yet?; pilot or prototype is a good way to test something new.
• Hire the right people: ability to learn constantly (self-learners); flexible; project management experience; excellent communication skills; critical thinking skills about technology.
• Project: institutional support is essential to succeed; training and documentation; market new services.
• Every technology (except toilet paper) eventually dies. Run the numbers to analyze if it is time to end something.
• Create agile organizations: use standing committees for communication--use task forces to get work done.
• Be a change agent: being knowledgeable and connected is essential; read outside the profession; strategic partnerships (like with IT); exploit and create opportunities.
• Good characteristics for change agents: ability to think cautiously and critically about technologies; ability to listen and to empathize; ability to communicate simply and well; work to find solutions to valid objections; great sense of humor.
• Strategic learning: learn enough to get by; learn when you have a problem to solve--learn it just in time, not just in case; find someone experienced to show you 3 important things; find and use a good reference book or website.

The presenters offered some excellent advice. Technology can provide libraries with opportunities to present the communtites we serve with better service by instituting more self-service points and removing barriers from our traditional methods of service. Use Netflix as a model for delivery--I think this is a fantastic idea. I like the idea of being a change agent to implement technology and to provide the best service to our community. The bottom line is that our patrons are becoming more and more self-service oriented and the more libraries adapt to this change, the more viable we will remain as a source of information.

ALA Annual Conference

On Friday, June 22, I set off for Washington, D.C. with my colleague, Liz Evans, to attend the American Library Association's (ALA) Annual Conference. Now, this is a BIG conference--there were 28,635 people in attendance according to a press release from ALA. We had all day Saturday and Sunday to attend programs and visit the vendor exhibits. The weather was fantastic, making it a pleasure to walk between venues.

I attended the ALCTS (Association of Library Collections and Technical Services) division's Reflections on Cataloging Leadership. The speakers reflected on their own careers and made suggestions for mentoring new librarians in cataloging and technical services jobs.

• Sheila Intner, Simmons College: love your job; be a good role model; need skills beyond cataloging (budgeting, writing); work on leadership skills: teaching training; master cataloger to mentor new librarian; earn credentials that make you effective in your job; never lie; always look for the win-win--put yourself in the other's shoes; praise others; never lie; research and write about things that better your work skills.


• William Garrison, Syracuse University: To be a good cataloger, be a good reference librarian (Definitely!); take advantage of opportunities that come your way--even if you are afraid to make that presentation or attend that meeting; understanding the catalog is key to understanding how the library (and its data) is organized; teaching and mentoring is very important.


• Regina Reynolds, National Serials Data Program: Learn, volunteer, stretch, grow; be visual: interfaces, presentations, manuals, etc.; you need a vision to communicate information (inspire); accountability is essential, but values should be beneficial to the public good, not beneficial to the bottom line; organizing information ahould be fun and satisfying--be creative & enjoy your work.


• Matthew Beacom, Yale: New graduates need direction and help to become master catalogers; take advantage of "growth opportunities"; mentor and pay it forward.
• Janet Swan Hill, University of Colorado at Boulder: Take advantage of opportunitites available to you; be willing to speak up in public; publish, write, speak; volunteer to do something & get it done; care about the work, not the status.

I agree with their suggestions for mentoring new technical services librarians. I have benefitted greatly from my mentors, and I hope I have proved to be a good mentor to the interns I have helped over the past decade.

Perceptions of Libraries

On June 14, I attended a presentation made by George Needham, Vice President of Member Services, OCLC. His talk was centered around three OCLC publications: The 2003 OCLC Environmental Scan, Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources, and the soon-to-be-published Sharing, Privacy and Trust in Our Networked World.

The 2003 OCLC Environmental Scan identifies the "information consumer" as an individual comfortable in the virtual world who is self-sufficient, prefers self-service, and is satisfied with the seamless presentation of information on the Web. There is a trend toward disaggregation of content, services, technology, economics and institutions and there is an increase in collaboration and social networking.

Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources is the result of an online survey conducted in 6 countries. Libraries are still used by information seekers. The respondents trust information from search engines and libraries equally. George spoke about the role of the library and branding or marketing libraries. The role of the "civilian" is paramount. As an example, he shared two slogans used by libraries: "Save time. Get better grades." and "Ask us. We answer."
The first refers to the patron's role, while the second one is about the library.

“Libraries will continue to share an expanding infosphere with an increasing number of content producers, providers and consumers. Information consumers will continue to self-serve from a growing information smorgasbord. The challenge for libraries is to clearly define and market their relavant place in that infosphere—their services and collections both physical and virtual.”
(p. 8)

The OCLC reports are about responding to changes in the information landscape by understanding how our communities perceive libraries. Mr. Needham used the following quotes to illustrate his points:

"When you're riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount."--Anonymous.

"It is not necessary to change. Survival is optional."--W. Edwards Deming.

The 2-hour presentation was excellent.

Info Commons..Learning Commons

Ok, what do we call the library of today (and for a few days in the future)? Just like Bibliographic instruction morphed into Information Literacy and now, Library Instruction, so too now the "Information Commons" has become the "Learning Commons". Being a support services kind of librarian for the most part, I have found that the relationship I have with IT has always been essential to my ability to get my job done well and to learn from experts at the same time. The Info Commons model blends computer labs (IT) and the library space in one area. It seems the Learning Commons takes this one step further by pulling together academic support services like tutoring and writing centers in with the library and IT mix. Streamlining our digital resources is a priority, so why not streamline the student's overall experience in learning by pulling together services to facilitate learning for them in one place? Not a bad idea. Hey, you might even call that collaboration!

Balancing act or out of balance?

In Meredith Farkas' blogpost today she references another librarian's (Librarian in Black) posting regarding presence on social networking sites. She has created a profile on 7 sites and complains about not having the time to keep up with posting to all of them. Personally, I don't understand her need to create all these accounts or her need to update them constantly. Ever hear of "less is more"? I worry that many in my profession have become slaves to proving they are capable of tackling every single new "Web 2.0" toy out there. When do they take time to have a life that doesn't include working all the time? How do they get the work at their library done? Where I work there are so few of us that I have to slot in my time to keep up with emerging technology, etc.-- and I don't get to that every time I schedule it either! I still believe that work and home need separate space and time.

CIL highlights

These presentations were noteworthy for me:

Meredith Farkas spoke about building collaboration, communication and community online. Her blog is Information Wants To Be Free.

Nicole Engard of Jenkins Law Library spoke about her library's use of intranet-based blogs and wikis for project management and documentation. Her blog is What I Learned Today. See her posting about "The Future of the Catalog" presentation with Tim Spaulding of LibraryThing and Roy Tennant.

David Lee King gave an excellent presentation on Guiding Libraries & Info Pros through Change.

Just try to keep up

Steven Bell's Keeping Up website is well-known by librarians. In a recent post on the ACRL blog, Steven admits that it is even getting hard for him to keep up these days!

Day 1 at CIL 2007

The keynote speaker on the first day of the conference was Lee Rainie, Director, Pew Internet & American Life Project. See the website for interesting data on Internet trends.

I attended 4 more presentations that day. Rebecca Jones of Dysart & Jones Associates talked about Organizing 2.0. Web 2.0 is about relationships and collaborations; our organizational structures don't parallel these changes reflected in technology. A question she posed: Do we staff the organization or organize the staff? Rebecca is an excellent speaker and gave us some good ideas to think about in working with our organizations in the changing world we line in today. Her presentation is here.

CIL2007

I attended the Computers in Libraries conference in Arlington, Virginia, April 16-18, 2007. This was the first time I had attended this conference. While the content presented was excellent, the logistics at the conference hotel were terrible. There just wasn't enough space for the 2600+ attendees to move around easily. With a Noreaster' blowing for two days, it was tough to venture outside the hotel for the first two days without using the shuttle bus.

It was great to hear how other librarians are using technology and trying new things all the time. I just wish I had enough hours each day to keep up with my peers at the larger organizations. Well, I may not be able to move as fast as they do, but I can sure learn from them and adopt a few new things along the way.