Libraries

Discourses and Conversations

/ dwakimoto / 1 Comment

Happy Wednesday! I hope your day is going well because, to be truthful, the last few Wednesdays around my neck of the woods have been not very nice. Apparently, according to a friend, Wednesdays must be my good karma blackout days (kind of like frequent flier mile blackout days) since honestly, I just haven’t been able to catch a break. But I’m hoping today will be better and thought I’d share some thoughts in order to solicit some feedback on discourses and conversations because conversation always makes the day better. (And if you are only reading The Waki Librarian for libraries and technology, not to worry, we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled, nerdy fun on Friday.)

So this idea for a post came about during a two hour webinar I was recently in. And, for the record, I agree with everyone on Twitter who tweeted that webinar is a horrible word. It is. But, moving on, during the conversation one of the people made an argument that academic discourse is completely separate from discourse that occurs via Twitter, blogs, and other assorted social media. Furthermore, he said that is how it should be. Now, obviously, for anyone who has been reading this blog for any length of time probably can tell, this irked me. So I thought, hey, I’ll see what other people have to say about this matter.

For me, yes, there are differences between academic discourse and professional discourse that occurs via social media, but that doesn’t mean that there can’t and shouldn’t be overlap between the two discourses. I’m an academic and do quite a bit of research and writing in the formal, traditional academic model. It’s a very important discourse. Research is important for producing the kind of quality evidence available to use as a basis for decision-making and to further develop theory and models in our field. It is important to be able to write your results up in an article in such a way that it withstands peer-review and can be used as a credible source. No one, I think, would deny that. But it doesn’t do one lick of good just sitting in an article that few people will ever read–especially in our field which is an applied, practical, professional field. Keeping an academic discourse cloistered is silly and inhibits good ideas from spreading. I adore the intellectual stimulation of academia (and the excuse to do research), but I really don’t enjoy the concept (and practice) of academia as a world and conversation set apart from every other conversation happening in our field.

At this point, one ignores conversations facilitated by social media at one’s peril. Many bloggers, especially in the information science field, write amazingly thoughtful posts about current practice and research. I love hearing about new research articles from various blog and Twitter feeds. I have more conversations (on the whole) via this non-academic discourse than I have in academic discourses. And it is a wonderful feeling to be a part of a larger, vibrant librarian and archivist community and to learn from so many awesome people. I think the Web 2.0, social media, whatever new buzzword you want to use, community conversations can and should then influence academic discourses and research, especially in the realm of applications of technology and teaching which is one of my areas of interest. Also, it would be an error to ignore the previously cloistered academic conversations that are now coming to the web via open access projects, digital humanities projects and numerous public history projects. It’s a great big hodgepodge of overlapping, conflicting, synergistic, and even inspiring conversations happening every day online. (It makes my postmodernist, poststructuralist heart happy. Just think of all the dynamic, fluctuating discourses and evolving language usage to study!)

So what conversations interest you? What do you think about the academic and professional discourse divides? How do you integrate the various aspects of your research and practice in your work and life?

I promise, I’m off my soapbox now, but I’d really love to hear how you think the various conversations in our field interrelate, or should interrelate. I’d love to continue the conversation. And now, since we’ve been talking so much about conversations, education, and learning from each other, I thought it only appropriate to leave you with the first installment of the Vlogbrothers’ educational video week. Enjoy John Green discussing the French Revolution (I love that he says “competing historical narratives” during the introduction–yes I am that big of a nerd, enjoy the video anyway.)

I’ll be back on Friday with our regular assortment of technology and library fun.

Geeky web fun for Friday

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday! I thought today it might be nice to have a round-up of some fun and geeky web tools, you know, because it’s Friday and Fridays should be fun. (Or if you are really in weekend mode, just skip to the end of the post where you will find a fun video. Don’t worry, I won’t tell and there won’t be a pop quiz on the post next week. Promise.) So let’s get into some of the interesting and helpful stuff that has come up over the feeds lately. And yes, you can definitely use most of these tools for work in the library (or archives).

Lifehacker wrote a great post on the best language tools for geeks. A great resource to share with your library patrons and anyone in your life who loves language or is learning a new language and needs help with pronunciations.

For those of you who are inspired to get your own domain name, check out the five best domain name registrars. And for a great, fast, easy, and secure way to search for available domain names, check out domize.

Also falling under the umbrella of helpful to share with your library patrons, Lifehacker has issued its top 10 must have browser extensions: 2010 edition. This year’s edition has extensions for browsers other than Firefox making it infinitely more useful.

And while you are spinning around the web checking out the cool links above, don’t forget to head over to WebWorkerDaily to check out the article on EtherCodes: online collaborative code editing. Seems like it would be helpful, though I can definitely see it getting a bit crazy with a bunch of people trying to edit at the same time–but that happens any time there is group editing!

Oh, and in the category of not geeky per se, but just an example of good design, check out the volunteer-built website for the Lafayette Library and Learning Center (in California, not Louisiana). Not only does the Lafayette Library have an enviable physical building (I just toured the library with the San Francisco Bay Region Chapter of SLA and spent most of the tour alternately saying, “Wow” and “I’m so jealous.” It’s a beautiful space and I highly suggest a visit if you are in the Bay Area.), the library has a lovely, tranquil, and usable website. It’s color-coordinating, doesn’t use horrible fonts and there are no horrible flashing, animated GIFs. More libraries should take this simple, elegant approach to designing a usable website.

Finally, check out this great video clip from The Big Bang Theory because who doesn’t like a great big ball pit?

Enjoy your weekend, read a lot, and relax. But before I let you go, I have one last piece of information to share: it’s the Litbrarian’s birthday today. So if you are feeling in the spirit, go give him a birthday shout out on his blog or go say happy birthday via Twitter @litbrarian. That’s it for the public service announcement, I’ll be back next week with more library and geeky fun.

Pressure and Burnout in the Library

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday! I hope that you have a lovely weekend planned. But first we must all get through the last day of the workweek. And I don’t know about you, but I have been feeling a wee bit stressed lately. By the middle of the term I’m definitely fighting against not burnout exactly–more like an uphill battle against looming deadlines and lots of stress. Even if you are like me and love your job, some days it feels like “it just doesn’t pay to gnaw through the leather straps” (Emo Phillips). So today we’re going to define burnout, figure out what you can do to combat it, and then end with some Friday fun.

The wonderful Lifehacker recently published a great article on burnout and how to deal with it. Read it to get the facts about burnout (and have the ability to recognize burnout in yourself) and some tips on dealing with it (and more importantly, preventing it). Personally, I find that getting enough sleep, practicing yoga, and talking with friends helpful (saying no to pointless committee work whenever possible is definitely very helpful too).

Burnout and pressure go hand in hand, obviously. And while we can’t avoid all pressure-filled situations, we can understand 4 reasons why you choke under pressure and how to avoid them. Yes, this article is helpful even if you don’t participate in sports. Let’s be the people who are graceful and productive even under pressure because goodness knows that librarians are under enough pressure these days. What do you do to stay calm under pressure? I’d love to hear your tips in comments.

Speaking of (or really writing about) stress and libraries, check out 3 punk rock lessons for surviving 21st century library hell. I love this post; funny and informative. Take a break and read the post.

Hopefully some of the above articles will help you deal with stress and avoid burnout, but even with good advice reading about stress can be, well, stressful. So I thought we’d end the informative part of the blog with Seth Godin’s I spread your ideas because… post. It’s a great list of reasons why a person would spread information and ideas. It’s a great list of reasons why a person would try to build a community. And it’s a great list of reasons that we should consider whenever we are communicating with our patrons and thinking about services, marketing, programs, and design.

And finally, for some fun, check out this great video for Neil Gaiman’s Instructions, illustrated by the wonderful Charles Vess. (I’m almost positive I’ve shared it before, but it doesn’t hurt to share it again and the ending line is a perfect way to end a post about burnout.)

Have a wonderful weekend filled with good reads, good company, and good rest. The Waki Librarian will be back next week with more library fun.

Internet Librarian Wrap-up

/ dwakimoto

Internet Librarian 2010 wrapped up on Wednesday and it was a great conference. It was wonderful meeting people in person that I have been following on Twitter or reading about their ideas via their blogs. There were many fantastic presentations (some of which I’ve already written about) so today I just wanted to write a little bit about some of the recurring themes at the conference.

Community
One of the overarching themes of Internet Librarian 2010 was the importance of community. Whether John Blyberg of Darien Public Library was discussing how the library stayed open very late to provide people a place to go when there was a snowstorm knocked out power to most of the town, or Jody Turner telling us how getting attention for our organizations requires us to be empathetic and social, community was the strong concept that tied together much of what was talked about at the conference. I was reminded again and again of Seth Godin’s book, Tribes (excellent book, by the way) while listening to the sessions; we need to not only understand the tribes, as Mike Ridley said, but we need to become part of the tribes and make librarians integral via fostering community.

Community was also evident in the interactions among the librarians, both those physically present in Monterey and those linked in via Twitter, blogs, the virtual conference, and other social media information streams. It was great to be around so many passionate, creative, and knowledgeable librarians. I had a blast, and yes, being recognized as The Waki Librarian was one of the highlights of the conference for me (it’s nice to know I’m not sending out these posts into the abyss without anyone reading them.)

Innovation
Obviously, we come to Internet Librarian to hear about innovation and all the creative, wacky, successful (or not) projects and programs that our fellow librarians have created and implemented. It was amazing and very useful to hear about not only the successes but the failures of innovation at this year’s conference so that we can help each other move forward instead of using up our limited resources by re-creating the wheel at our separate institutions.

I hope we can all take back this spirit of innovation to our organizations and create more wonderful projects to share next year.

Design
There were many wonderful talks on the importance of design in creating an awesome user experience (UX). As a bit of a geek when it comes to design, I was excited to hear all about branding, typography, and designing both for the built environment and the online environment. Beauty is not just for beauty’s sake, but because it makes the experience in our libraries better for our patrons/users/collaborators/participants/selves. If you are passionate about design, I highly suggest checking out the Before & After magazine website for tips, tricks, and advice on design.

Mobile Web
With the Mobile Monday track, sessions and information about mobile content, resources, and design dominated much of the conference (with good reason). Mobile is definitely one technology that no one can ignore without seriously bad consequences for their organizations. I learned a lot from the sessions on mobile technologies and one of the themes within this track was that we should focus on designing and creating content for the mobile web rather than standalone apps that are specific to a device. Not only does this focus in our design and efforts save us time, but, as was mentioned in one session, more librarians can probably code for the web versus for apps. So go Team Mobile Web! (And hopefully I can get my colleagues to buy into this idea as we work towards optimizing our site and services for the mobile world.)

Conclusion
Internet Librarian was filled with wonderful people, great sessions, and more information than anyone can process in a few days. Hopefully more insights and conversations will continue to be shared even though the conference is over.

Have a fantastic Friday and a lovely weekend filled with reading and relaxing. The Waki Librarian will be back next week with more library and technology fun.

Getting to Yes with Senior Administrators

/ dwakimoto

A conversation with Rebecca Jones (managing partner, Dysart and Jones) and Frank Cervone (Vice Chancellor for Information Services and CIO, Purdue University Calumet) about what will influence administrators to okay your ideas and projects.

Assumptions are your boss:

  1. Isn’t crazy
  2. Isn’t completely clueless about technology
  3. Isn’t a trained monkey

In most cases, people are in decision-making roles because they are competent. Frank says the majority of his time is spent on issues that are university-wide issues and not specific to the library or IT.

You need to give a clear vision of what you want to do and how you are going to get there. Therefore, you need to understand your boss and his/her issues. Make your initiative align with larger goals and priorities of the organizations.

Decision-makers are individuals: each with their own priorities, communication preferences and assumptions. Figure out who are the decision-makers, what type of relationship you have with them, their priorities, and their preferred communication styles.

You also need to understand how you express yourself. You need to understand how other people perceive you. Body language is as important (if not more) as verbal communication.

“Listening is not waiting to talk.” Listening is a critical skill to use and is an active task (not to mention an art).

“You cannot antagonize and influence at the same time” J.S. Knox

Some things to avoid:

  • Surprises are always a bad thing: never blindside anyone
  • Hiding and hoarding information will not make you anyone’s friend: this doesn’t get you power, it breeds hostility, stress, and distrust
  • Cowardly lions aren’t very useful: if you don’t speak up in the meeting, don’t whine after
  • Don’t be a yes person: bring up the issues in a constructive way
  • No one wants to be around an erupting volcano: need to know how much detail to give; know your audience (also, don’t be angry all the time)

What to do:

  • Stick to objective facts: opinion undermines the whole argument, but if asked for your opinion, give it in a constructive, fact-based manner
  • Be clear: know what your objective is and what you want out of the interaction
  • Be proactive: this helps with communication issues
  • Present solutions, not problems: never go into a meeting with a problem you don’t have at least one solution to fix
  • Give options: give multiple options to fix a problem and the preferred option
  • Don’t destroy your credibility: trust is super-important
  • Follow through: make sure you do what you say you will do
  • Respect people’s time: end meetings on time; make sure everyone understands why they are there and what needs to be accomplished; don’t waste people’s time; make sure people are prepared for the meeting
  • Make others look good: this will help you get to yes on what you want to get done
  • Admit to your mistakes: get it out in the open and deal with it

If you get told no, ask what is in the way of getting to yes. Ask how you can get them to yes.

Summary
This talk was basically Communication 101 with some good tips about what to avoid and what to do when you want to get approval for projects and initiatives.

Planning & Designing for Attention: Now & Next Generation

/ dwakimoto

by Jody Turner (design and culture trend spotter)

How do we leverage people’s need to connect in order to stay vital in the changing information landscape? We must recognize the very human desire to belong to a community.

“Beauty is a great thing, but we want to be at the beginning of the line.”

Librarians are at the beginning of the line–how do we leverage this position?

We have an information glut. Librarians give value to the information because people need context and “smart” information. “Need information that will feed the soul.”

We are feeders of information to many groups/generations. Focus on humanity and balance.

New model, “Be who you are and figure out what happiness/having is for you.” People redefining who they are and what they want/what is important. “Data is the new social capital.”

New framework: Social Capital
Empathy=Innovation= 360 Degree Design
It is about culture in order to reconstruct community. People want to belong.
“I like to think outside the quadrilateral parallelogram.” (love this)

As content curators, it is about bringing people together in meaningful interactions. Everything is about connecting and community.

Trends

  • Collective Craft Intelligence: we want to come back to touch and creation (it’s a maker’s world)
  • DNA of Community: people need human community connection in order to excel
  • Knowledge Evolution: self-responsibility for learning, lifelong learning

Success for planning to get attention: from DreamCompany.dk

  • Engage the SenseMakers: they make everything make sense; use words to capture what is happening and make sense of trends for others, Trend Watching (Right/Intuitive brain)
  • Need the Factuals: down to earth, statistic-driven researchers (Left/Creative brain)
  • Innoventors: outlaw creative, innovative, stand outside and willing to take action to create a shift (Left-Right)
  • Connected Community: willing to support and amplify your vision/passion

Need a mission statement. Important because it is your center/rudder to stand tall even with all changes in the world. “Design for betterment.” There should be a transparency in your own personal message in order to have people believe and follow you. (Check out the books: Unstuck, The Art of Innovation, A Whole New Mind, Baked In, The Power of Pull)

Online Attention: 4 Basics: Story of You, Story of Us, Story of Me, and Story of We.
Trend of reductionism: Cult of Less. Minimize the amount of tech gear you have by combining functions in one gadget (i.e. smartphones).

Trend toward online education. (This is more about changing the philosophy of teaching and pedagogy, from “sage on the stage” to “guide on the side.” You don’t have to be online in order to foster lifelong learning and collaborative learning.)

Curation happens with experience and information–it’s about how you put things together in new and unique ways.

Trend: Infographics
Visualizing and displaying information in graphics–very cool.

Summary
We need to focus on humanity and balance in order to give information that is meaningful for individuals who are part of many social groups. People want to belong. Don’t market to create a need, market to create community.

Mobile Reference in a Changing Library

/ dwakimoto

The use of texting is increasing. How do libraries leverage this technology successfully? Librarians need to seriously think about starting to offer text reference service for their users.

My Info Quest
by Ann Ownes, Sacramento Public Library

My Info Quest was started by a grant and is run by librarians–it is collaborative. Texting is increasing in use, while talking on cell phones is decreasing. Goal is to be 24/7 but right now open for text reference about 65 hours a week.

How does it work?
Users send a text, Altarama translates into an email and send it to Gmail, and then send an email that is translated into a text for the user. Do not answer legal or medical questions. Gmail account for the texting service looks exactly like a regular Gmail account.

Sacramento Public Library used a QR Code on the website that users could scan and it would add the phone number for the texting service to their phone’s contacts list. (This is a fantastic use of QR Codes.)

Have created a Google Group that is active to share information among the librarians and an iGoogle Reference Workspace. Great feature of the workspace is the character counter that librarians can use to make sure that their messages are not longer than 160 characters. Also they make use of link shorteners. Use Google Calendar to see who is assigned to which shifts.

Is it being used?
Yes. Answered over 8,400 questions since launch in July 2009. Largest user group is from Oklahoma City (Sacramento is second).

What we learned

  • Text reference has the same problems as a physical library
  • we can’t assume users’ phones are web-enabled
  • it takes talent to craft a good answer in 160 characters
  • text reference fills a need and many participants will remain on a paying basis in 2011: going with a different vendor (Text a Librarian) in 2011

SMS Landscape
by Ann Schoenenberger, Kenton County Public Library

Text messaging is second most popular thing to do on a cell phone (taking a photo is the most popular), from Pew Internet study.

Businesses are creating services around texting: ChaCha, kgb (charges $1/question), Google SMS, etc.

Library options: Text a Librarian, QuestionPoint, twilio, AltaRama, Agent511, Microsoft Outlook SMS.

People want answers, not instructions or keyword searching, in mobile reference (especially with text reference).

Lots of research is coming out now on text reference. Dr. Lili Luo from SJSU is doing research into text reference so be on the look out for her articles.

People ask questions via IM and text reference that they wouldn’t ask in person. Sometimes you get goofy questions (just like at the reference desk) or rude questions. Favorite goofy question: “If a taco and a hot dog got in a fight, who would win?”

Action steps:

  • Try it for yourself (309-222-7740 for My Info Quest)
  • Help put libraries in people’s pockets
  • Encourage people to use text reference services
  • Tell your story

You can go to @smsbib to get articles referenced in the talk.

Question:

Why changing from AltaRama to Text a Librarian?
Had a vendor fair in July and listened to presentations, libraries discussed it and had a vote. They liked the interface a lot and there was the cost issue–got a great discount.

Who staffs the texting service?
Has to be someone who is not on the physical reference desk. Having a collaborative allows even smaller libraries to have a text referencing service.

Summary
Having texting reference service allows librarians to tap into an existing workflow for many young people. The use of texting is increasing so much that it would be foolish for librarians to not at least consider implementing text reference.

Applying User experience (UX) Design

/ dwakimoto

Presentation of two libraries, Darien and Eastern Kentucky University, that have successfully applied user experience (UX) design to improve services and design new, innovative services.

Darien Library UX
by John Blyberg, Assistant Director, Innovation & UX, Darien Library

User experience design is kind of a nebulous term–still discussion about what it means. UX encompasses customer service, but they are not equivalents–it is one of the experiences we need to think careful about designing.

It’s not about the content; it is about the people. (Yay!) Need to think about Digital Natives, changing relationships with technology, and changing perceptions of libraries. People are using libraries differently.

Library as place is a very important concept: library as a third place. Need to think about the design that will enable the library to be a third place by building community. It’s about designing spaces that are flexible and have the possibility to become what the users want.

Think about the space in new ways. The purpose is to build a space that allows people to be more connected to their community. It’s also about designing a space for reading, studying, researching.

Need to look at where we should be putting our resources. Play to strengths–don’t try to compete with Netflix–play to what you do well in the communities.

Build efficiencies around moving materials, making sure all patron interactions/transactions work well, and the technology works. Natural use of technology is part of user design as well. A lot of time was spent designing OPAC (created the open source SOPAC); users create profiles and can tag and review the materials in the catalog.

Signage is very important! “Signage is a pet peeve.” Darien doesn’t allow paper signage. Why do we put up signage? Because we don’t want to deal with the problem directly or don’t know how to deal with the problem. If people want signs, it goes to a study group that figure out another way to solve the problem that doesn’t involve quiet signage. Need to look at expectations and come at the problems from another angle. “Signage is almost always indicative of another problem.”

“It’s amazing what will come back to you if you trust your users.” Create an atmosphere of trust–but the latest hot gadgets don’t hurt either.

We need to see ourselves as an essential service.

We need to get rid of silos and all work together.

Darien Library’s staff is doing awesome work, but also has a huge advantage of being well-funded. However, a lot of these concepts can be applied to less well-funded libraries.

For great UX, hire self-motivated, creative, energetic people and trust them to do the work and don’t micro-manage them.

While signage is annoying, branding is essential. Need to have a consistent brand.

UX @ EKU
by Cindi Trainor, Library Technology, Eastern Kentucky University

UX is “about the pure joy of the simple things”; you know where you need to go, can find what you want, and can do what you want to do.

EKU has an Online UX team, created by combining two other technology committees. Have as much Public Services representation as possible because Public Services actually interacts with the public.

Redesigned SFX (OpenURL link resolver) to make easier to use and to include more services. EKU also has an Usability Team–uasbility testing on catalogs and website redesign. Also has a LibGuides group: created template for guides so there is consistency. Also a web design group that analyzes and upgrades the website. They have good IT support from university too (lucky!).

EKU has gone to a single desk staffing model (circulation and reference are at the same desk). This makes it easier for the users: only one desk to go to no matter what your question is at the library. Also rethinking library instruction to make it as good as the teaching in the other disciplines.

EKU, like Darien, has put a lot of thought into the design of the physical and online library space. It shows in their innovative use of space and design of online services.

Summary
It’s all about designing with the user in mind= user-centric design. Try to think sideways to solve problems creatively. Think about design and how it will help your users. Signage is often bad (very bad), so figure out a way to deal with problems or issues without putting up more signage. Again, figure out what your users need and want to determine how to best design, deploy, and optimize services.

Internet Librarian: Tuesday Keynote Panel Discussion

/ dwakimoto / 1 Comment

Panel Discussion with:
Mike Ridley, CIO & Chief Librarian, University of Guelph
Donna Scheeder, Deputy CIO, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress
Jim Peterson, Technical Coordinator, CIO, Goodnight Memorial Library in Franklin Kentucky

Mike Ridley and his Role
Talking about the integration of the role of CIO and Chief Librarian. Looking at transformation in an academic setting, also business practices that change the university. “Herding cats” Teaching, research, and learning are changing and see where we are going.

Donna Scheeder and her Role
Works in the COngressional Research Service which only serves Congress. Has separate technology operation from LoC. Has decided it is time to recognize that information management goes hand in hand with technology= Office of Information Management & Technology created. Does a lot of content management, digital life cycle= records management. (Again, we see the concept of records management coming up in these talks on content creation and preservation. This is a great opportunity to collaborate with the allied field of records management (ARMA))

Jim Peterson and his Role
Stepped in for a speaker who couldn’t make it and it’s his first conference! He is from a very small library and has a great attitude about work and people in general. (Great to hear at this conference.) At ALA Conference walking around with his Director and talking to vendors said, “I’m the Geek. She’s the Wallet.” Love it. Lots of freedom in what he can do and research he can do, so Jim loves his job.

Significant changes and challenges

Mike Ridley
Need to bridge the tension between library and enterprise IT: “The iCampus: One community. Many neighborhoods.” Challenge: Tech Populism because everyone is their own IT Department (individuals carrying around lots of computing power, mobile devices, trying new things, etc.). Tribal Identities: faculty, students, staff, professional perspectives–difficult to integrate all the tribes (again check out Seth Godin’s book, Tribes, for more information about creating and leveraging tribes).

He thinks the Information Age is over because everybody is in the information business. Need to a new metaphor: Age of Imagination. Need to figure out what we can do differently and do better. Lots of opportunities, but need to be creative and think differently. Think about Open Organizations: need faster, mobile, adaptable organizations (and have the ability to fail).

Our advantage is that we are ignorant of what the answers will be and use this abiguity as a strength in order to think outside the box.

Donna Scheeder
Challenge is how to get an enterprise approach to how to allocate resources. Challenge of how we add value: we need to understand the environment of the organization and then we can add value for our organizations. External challenges: telework is becoming popular; proliferation of types of devices (difficult for optimizing content for different types of devices). First goal is to keep the services running, then look at what customers want and be able to adapt quickly, and align the resources. Security is a major issue (need to be cognizant of the value of information and how to keep these assets secure).

Jim Peterson
“Under the hood, we are all the same.” Jim discussed an easy place to save money: kilowatt meters because IT takes a lot of power and this is an issue for IT. IT’s ability to cut costs can really help the rest of the library and organization. Think about working together, instead of working at cross-purposes.

One of the largest challenges is the budget crunch. But there are great technologies being developed and improved: open source software. etc. Change your thinking and change the way you do business (and save money in the process).

“IT is more than just the geek you call when something happens. We are the facilitor of information. It doesn’t matter if we are a one-man show or the Library of Congress, we are here to help you.”

What do you think the amazing proliferation of devices connecting to the internet will mean for libraries?.

Donna Scheeder
We need to decide where we want the library to be, if the library is the screens. Why can’t we take the library to more places where people are? We need to be in places such as airports, mobile devices, places with “dwell time.”

Mike Ridley
The internet will get so big that we won’t notice it anymore. Libraries will be everywhere, all the time, no matter what you are doing. Libraries may have a branding problem and disappear and we need to think about how we deliver value in that space.

Jim Peterson
Libraries might disappear as we know them today, agrees with Mike. But librarians are important because they know how to search and find what you need. We will be stronger and better positioned because we already know about information.

Need to also be visible via talking with their legislators.

Communication is super-importants:tips?

Jim Peterson
Show a solid business case for what you want to do. If you can show it will save money or improve services, it is an easier sell. Don’t forget about the bottom line. Example: Jim got a test server in order to test open software and new technologies, and do research. It has allowed the library to implement many technologies.

Donna Scheeder
Align goals with greater goals of the larger organization. Think like a user. Think like the decision-makers, echoing Jim’s point.

Mike Ridley
Becoming allergic to the word “user” need to think about “participants” instead. Need to think about how to move to a space of shared goals. Need to make yourself visible in your organizations. Develop a level of tolerance of other tribes’ perspectives.

Summary
A very interesting and funny discussion about challenges, changes, and opportunities facing libraries in regards to technology and innovation. Massive props to Jim Peterson for stepping in and presenting at his first Internet Librarian 2010 conference. He gave a good talk and has a great attitude and ideas for saving money in IT and libraries. Yay, for people who want to work together!

Online Content

/ dwakimoto

by Megan Fox

Looking at what content is available and what users are using on their mobile devices, as well as how you can search for mobile content. Data access now surpasses voice use on mobile phones. Lots of time spent on emails, news, sports, social networking, movie information, games etc. on mobile devices.

Need to think about what we are recreating on mobile sites and apps. (Check out earlier blog posts on Mobile Technology Workshops and location based apps for examples of using and creating mobile sites and applications). Many catalog vendors are creating mobile apps and sites now too. Many libraries are creating their own when they do not like the vendors’ offerings. LibraryThing has Library Anywhere available for overlaying over the OPAC (does cost money). Federated web search tools: WebSearch app and Speedy Search are two examples.

Many vendors and services now have mobile interfaces. For example, EBSCO, LibGuides, etc. Also, small mobile collections of ebooks, streaming music and films are being made available. Some libraries are checking out mobile devices with collections downloaded on the device, others make the collections available to their users to use on their own devices.

Harvard Libraries mobile site goes deeper to give help with research: lots of searching on databases and research help.

Need to be aware of content resources outside of the library in the app stores. Can find relevant apps under categories such as finance, health, etc. GetJar App World: second most number of apps after iPhone app store.

Texting
Need to not forget texting–great to have texting reference service. Not everyone has a smartphone! Texting is still a powerful and simple way of providing reference service and finding content.

Voice
Important to remember about the ability to search via voice and lots of speech-to-text applications. This is becoming very popular. Dragon Search App is a very important player.

Touchscreen
Motion and gesture are now important in how we can search and execute functions on the smartphones. Lots of applications using gesture to create functionality.

Location aware
Location aware applications are very important for searching. (For more information, check out earlier post on Foursquare and other location based social networks.) Used a lot in public transit, finding restaurants, etc.

Visual searching
Can now do visual searching via our phones because they have cameras. For example, use Google Goggles by taking a photo of a book and then get more information about the book. Another player is oMoby. Also included in this category are barcode readers (like QR Codes). RedLaser app searches WorldCat–very cool. Neustar is trying to come up with standards for barcodes so you won’t have to download a lot of barcode reader apps. Augmented reality is also another way to use visual searching.

How people find stuff on their phones:
1. Bookmarks, 2. URLs, 3. Searching (searching is still only third in the way people find information).
Now people are doing casual browsing and serendipitous searching as part of “killing time:” aka “incidental search.” Now, social augmented reality is important (Socialight is an important player) aka augmented humanity, reality mining, personalized precision search.

Identity theft and privacy concerns are growing as we use more mobile apps. No one has any easy answers to these issues, but we need to keep them in mind when creating and launching mobile services.

Summary
Mobile devices now allow us to get content on our devices without using the desktop. We need to be aware of what is available via mobile sites and native apps, but not forget about simpler technologies such as texting (because not everyone has a smartphone). We also need to be aware of the multiple avenues that users find information on their mobile devices and understand new ways of searching in order to be relevant in the mobile world.