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Following up

2011-10-22T09:02:00.000-07:00

Future of digital_publishing_talk

View more presentations from diannamorganti.

View the presentation with the notes on my Google Docs.

Last week at the Texas Library Association District 10 Fall Meeting I gave a short talk on the Future of Digital Publishing.

We discussed in detail the Amazon/OverDrive issues regarding privacy and (for lack of a better term) advertising. Sarah Houghton-Jan, whose "Just Say No to Freegal" post raised some interesting questions for discussion as well, recently posted this video rant on the topic:

I knew there'd be more out on this topic soon, so I wanted to share it here. Despite a few additional points she makes (possible legal ramifications?), I still fall on the side that I think users can make their own choices -- and certainly libraries can make their own choices as well.

Andy Woodard, who cowrote the eBook Users Bill of Rights with Sarah, falls a bit more on my side of the argument -- even in response to Sarah's video. No matter where you fall, his response provides a good overview of the issue, with links to differing opinions. Check it out.

What about you?

Baby's first Pecha Kucha

2011-10-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

"Happy Hour"

Pecha Kucha: No more than 20 slides, advanced automatically in 20 seconds, speaker must stay on pace.

Lawrence Block

Books are same, mode has changed. New mode allows to remain in print forever.

Has compiled selections from previously published works into compiled ebooks as e-riginals that wouldn't have the possibility for a wide audience in print.

NetGalleys are allowing readers and writers to be in contact.

Donald Crews

Pecha kucha format failed poor Mr. Crews.

Wait

I stopped paying attention for a moment and missed out on one person discussing women's erotic e-literature. Damn. I will have to put the archived presentation on my list to read later :) Dr. Ogi Ogas -- to read.

After Ogas, not sure anyone else could grab my attention :)

Other authors spoke about more of the same from earlier today. Some cool stuff was shown (interactive madlibs?), but not much for me or my work as an audience.

End of the Story: Future of Fiction in an electronic age

2011-10-12T13:02:00.000-07:00

Closing Keynote: MT Anderson

Discussing the impact of shift toward eBooks on authors. Economics of authorship are changing -- in what they write and what they can write.

NF books that require extensive research -- cannot be written without advances that allow those years of research, travel, etc. What are their places in the new eBook world?

New political emphasis on individualism over community - also a challenge facing libraries? Anti-governmental opinions out there.

Idea of reading is changing for the worse in electronic formats. A complicated world should be explained in long-form narrative.

I stopped taking notes as Anderson went from being intelligent speaker to political grump and started bashing young hipsters (aka me). :)

eBook evolution: how they'll change public libraries

2011-10-12T11:52:00.000-07:00

Douglas County

eBooks have a place in the future of reading.

Historically reading has been one-patron-one-book model. eBook distribution goes against our mission to manage and conserve our collection, because access is leased not purchased. Current landscape allows publishers control over our electronic content in ways that they can't with print.

Sales of ebooks have more than doubled, and we've more than reached the tipping point (hey she's a year behind on the title of this summit) :)

Trends in print circa: Douglas county is seeing decline in print circulation with their increase in e-circulation.

They use the San Jose way for print books, so they wanted to try and use it for electronic books too! So they have touch-screen ebook displays in the library, a mobile app, etc. They've created their own software through Adobe Content Server, a layer from the catalog, etc.

They've consolidated

the accounts, so that their eContent is part of their regular library account. They use an open source library platform called vufind.

They have a librarian who is dedicated solely to negotiating with publishers directly for their eContent selection. They started with Colorado Independent Publishers, but it's grown to include Disney

Patrons are not only excited about the books, but about conversations around the books so we need to enable that as well.

Nate Hill move the library from read-only to read-write space.

Expand our mission and vision to promote creation of knowledge as well as consumption of knowledge. Libraries are all about collections, conversations, and context.

Previously: books that got into libraries got into history. The internet took out the middle-man many times. eBooks mean items are available in perpetuity now. How can the library remain relevant?

Because of the internet -- how all media is just as easy to create as is it is to read/view/listen. Nothing is restricted to a container anymore.

The eBook is a transitional media format -- (interesting...) between being in a paper container to being ubiquitous?

2 service models in response to the digital content wave:

Uni Project: Portable reading rooms.

Library Lab: Modules to support production of knowledge

Perhaps a better way for libraries to move forward would be to distribute their services in an on-dem

and content-creation way. Fewer full-service big places, more limited-service small places, mix with outpost-task-specific labs like uni project or library lab.

Eli Neiburger

Libraries are still screwed. Okay. That settles that question. He did a bit of an overview of last year's talk.

We're hastening our demise.?

Bigger threat: eBook pricing bubble -- 9.99 price point will fall. Before too long, 1.99 will be fine for publishers, then items will be free with advertising --- this doesn't actually cost publishers anything really.

The new Kindle comes cheaper if you agree to watch advertisements with your books -- I imagine that Neiburger's bubble-burst won't be far off.

That burst of the of the bubble will happen. Digital music is still smaller than 8-tracks were. This whole thing is very susceptible to disruption. DRM is already outmoded, why are we still investing in it?

It's dangerous to market libraries as free, because the app stores are free too. 65% of the top grossing apps online are free apps.

Provide unique experiences, don't just provide free stuff.

Facilitate content creation and knowledge creation. Formal recognition for content creation. Spend 1/2 as much on events as on collections. Wow. Digitize your unique content and put it online.

"Come in a scan your unique images for free" program.

AADL podcasts author talks.

Unique collections -- not just of media. Sharing makes economic sense. If we can't share the books, movies, and music -- there will be a long time. Find a sweet spot of items with medium cost, short duration, and low frequency -- cake pans, guitars, etc.

Play.aadl.org -- fun gaming online while you learn the library.

They need to know the value when they get their library tax bill.

Diversify your value NOW to hedge against rapid demand ships.

John Houser

67% of ebook buyers report they read mostly or all ebooks and that they're reading more.

Royalty rates from standard hardcover: 15%, 25% for ebooks, 35-45% for ebook-only-publishers, and 70% for self-published on Amazon.

Amanda Hocking is selling over 100k books a month on Amazon... she's moving to St. Martin's press. Success in self-publishing led to traditional publishing. I'd be curious to see if her contract looks different than others'.

Libraries cannot ignore self-published works. New collection development processes are required, especially for ebooks. Libraries may want to consider print-on-demand?

The distinction between publisher, distributor and retail. Amazon has established imprints (Montlake Romance).

We need better discussions on content availability between content platforms. When are holdings available, when are different formats of a title available (including print, etc), etc.

What worries us? Laws (none), ownership, preservation.

Marketing at Columbus PL

History and brand are tied to books. What story are we going to tell? About books on the shelf, exciting spaces, ?? The same things aren't inspiring people.

Will we tell about staff? Change the stereotype. The library brand is still books (OCLC Perception of Library Report 2010). 21% of Columbus users of ebooks don't even come into the library. Presenter said it's eroding our in-person service. Opportunity to lose library customers to other easier options to get books is very high.

Learn how to update buildings for the future. We're now content collaborators instead of curators. Staffing, space, tools, and service models should match that.

Q&A

People are reading more because of ease-of-use, lower cost, convenience, etc. The library is beat out in terms of print books in this area, and also in terms of ebooks in this area.

Why I'm attending eBook Evolution: How they'll change public libraries.

2011-10-12T10:29:00.000-07:00

I've been looking forward to this session as a follow up to Neiburger's talk last year which posited that "libraries are screwed". A reminder for you:

Go to Ulotrichous's channel on Youtube to view part 2 if you like.

I've been wondering if he'll reference some of his predictions from last year. I think that, though it's only a year old, some of that talk has already become dated. I'm boning up for a talk on Digital Publishing this weekend :)

eBooks: Strategy (not) required

2011-10-12T09:38:00.000-07:00

I joined this session a bit late.

Speaker from Green Mountain Consortium.

Are we putting too much energy into something that serves a small portion of our public? Realizing that, actually, will free us up to take risks? We need partnerships.

Speaker mentions that the patron population for this service is very savvy. She hasn't been in my eReader clinics that are so full of the blue-hairs :)

Collaboration ideas: state-wide consortia for OverDrive, partnerships should coordinate messages to patrons.

Challenges: we will never be able to meet the demand? What's our end goal? How do we find out what the patron's need and become a viable solution?

But I have no staff and no money!

1. Don't reinvent the wheel

2. Coordinate purchasing training and marketing.

King County Library System:

Going live with Axis 360 Baker and Taylor. They've made the decision to add a new platform.

Concerned with sending patrons to multiple platforms and confusing them? A lot of usage starts directly on OverDrive (for instance) instead of the catalog, so they won't discover multiple platforms.

Think about how they use downloadables: After 1 week 38% of their OverDrive checkouts are now Kindle already. WOW!

Discoverability: Catalog, on the platform itself (via web, app, etc), and browse lists in the platforms.

KCLS has used OverDrive since 2003 -- now have over 41k downloads per month. They believe that OverDrive has been working well with publishers in a hard situation.

KCLS is about

to start using Axis 360 Blio platform. Apps available for phone, and a sample file available for download. Blio is app-based and device-neutral. Does not yet support ePU

B, but slated for early 2012.

subject browsing
reviews, suggested reads
for patrons who skip eReaders and use tablets instead
App can also be downloaded to your device, pre-loaded on lots of new devices
Not as complicated as ADE, but not easy either.
Content selected through Titlesource (which we already use for our print title purchasing)

Struggle: Don't want tons of platforms, confuses users, but multiple platforms can increase accessibility.

Richland County

Choosing the cloud based 3M on top of their OverDrive.

1. Don't need an eReader -- 3Ms is designed for its library-loanable eReaders.

eReady learning takeover -- they took over a restaurant. They started this after seeing that lots of folks were using portable devices in the restaurant (taco shop), so they partnered with the restaurant owner. They gave away free stuff from partners, displayed signs, and in turn provided a reason for folks to go into the restaurant. About 10% were aware already of the downloads - but most folks had no idea.

Apple device owners came in for the apple gift card and left with the OverDrive app installed on their device.

Blank business cards printed with QRCodes for all the staff to give out. (Love that idea!)

Discussed this on their FB page -- 35% of their downloads are now for Kindle. New patrons per day has almost doubled.

Started getting invitations from business to come out and talk. Libraries are good for business -- we cross-promote on FB. Promoting the library is good for business.

The public eBook demonstrations -- the hardest part was finding new titles. Release new carts just before the public training to ensure that titles are available for the training and the new users it creates. An eReady Lab was created to take around -- lots of staff can come.

Informal "Have your cake and eBook too" sessions.

Project demos on big screens. We want all staff eReady (branded training). Listen to customers, help each other, learn together.

Fictional Bliss

Collection Development Tips.

- Suggested lists, bestsellers, best of, backlists, etc.

- Don't worry about mirroring the print collection.

- Romance is king on ebooks

- Take a look at paperback originals and genre fiction

- People read the sillier items - more bang for your buck

- Patrons think about it as a quick turnover

- look for grant opportunities for digital collections

Q&A

Axis 360: Are you duplicating OD and 360? They're really trying not to. They're focusing Blio purchases with picture books, NF, and cookbooks -- things that are great in color for the PC environment. That complements OverDrive because it's really heavy in eReader users.

3M: Can be used on all the public PCs, because it goes around the ADE verification.

Community wants to know about equity in tech access, literacy, etc. When you're looking at interest in grants/gifts, this is an opportunity to cross-promote.

Criteria for selecting vendors?

Look closely at resources, find match for your needs. Smaller budget or smaller library may not work with the maintenance fees of vendors like OverDrive.
When many of us started, there was only a few vendors, so the choice was easy.
3M and Axis 360 provide new opportunities.

Expectations will raise with Kindle Fire. What effect will that have? How do we deal with the content shortage?

Keynote, Continued.

2011-10-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

Keynote Continued:

How Libraries are leveraging opportunities.

Be aware of the ebook ecosystem: authors, agents, publishers, distributors, bookstores, and libraries all have a stake in what eBooks look like. That’s important to the realization that “Rights are King”. Sigh.

Libraries are about democracy. Right now anyone can walk into a library, pick up a book, and check it out. Currently that’s not true with eBooks. Amen. Libraries should work to bridge that gap -- really? Did we work to bridge the gap between VHS users and DVD users when that existed? Curious.

This is an adapt or die situation. 30% of eReader customers never or rarely visit libraries. In 2005 only one eReader existed -- now there’s 85 different eReader devices (wait, what about smartphones, that increases that by a LOT!). Publishing executives polled said that 50% of their sales will be eBooks by 2014. Only 9% of the eBook audience checks the library for their eBooks (how does that compare to print?).

Despite the challenges, we want to stay excited about reading -- in all formats.

Buffy: She’s clearly speaking to K-12 libraries, so I won’t be taking significant notes here.

How do we make calculated choices? eBooks really aren’t the new normal yet. Challenges framing integration: access to the eContent, and eBook being a different reading experience.

How can we not be the gatekeepers of new technology, how can we make it a lynchpin for us to make us an important part of our lives. How can we not focus on the shiny new stuff so we don’t back ourselves into a corner (OverDrive enemy methinks). Let’s not create divisions in equitable access (methinks she has a point, but that’s where smart collection development comes in).

Privacy issue of Kindle usage and reader data. There’s a point there, but the user’s choice of device usage waters down that argument to me.

Lack of a device agnostic and standard eBook DRM that meets needs of all learners and libraries.

Pay attention to the tension of competing interests and concerns between librarians and patrons -- they don’t understand DRM or why we care about privacy. They just want easy access.

How do we be a player at the table? Be at the table as a librarian, bring in publishers and authors, bring in teachers and administrators and administrators. Leverage the power of community to move the market ahead.

Digital Public Library of America

John Palfrey, Harvard Law School.

One of the key pieces we haven’t focused on is what the architecture of the future library that focuses on digital content will look like. Kickoff next week at National Archives... invite issued to attendees.

5 elements of the DPLA:

Code - open source code for anyone to use, to comprise a website that we can reuse. Hmph. Interesting. Take some code from DPLA and reuse it to create our own.
Metadata - create open metadata and circulation data. Open available store of metadata.
Content - perhaps the most obvious. Source of digitized materials, pay for the digitization of other material. - imagine what more we can do as a community. How can we work with publishers to bring content, make the authors comfortable, make the publishers comfortable
Tools and Services - one exciting thing is to make available the code that not everyone could do on their own. Scannabego - an RV that drives around the country with a scanner in the back to digitize their material for DPLA and their own local use (whoa, awesome!)
Community - success is that it’ll have a wikipedia type community. An in person conference annually. etc.

Progress to date: series of 6 workstreams (dp.la - link)

Beta Sprint - come and help build the DPLA. Over summer they got 39 created. Eli Neiburger reviewed the proposals -- all of them have contributions.

End state will not be Utopia. Important to start, though.

Q&A

Public Libraries need to make sure we have a presence in the digital world. One Public Library did an eReader clinic at the airport, at coffee shops, etc. If only 30% of our downloadable users visit the library, then we definitely should be out there!

Customers no longer need their own PC - OverDrive et al, are going more toward mobile devices and eReaders getting the eBooks directly. They’re talking about Kindle’s whispersync, but I’m curious about why they’re not talking about the new Sony Readers coming with an OverDrive app pre-loaded. That’s even better, imo. No PC interference necessary.

What’s the relationship between DPLA and Google Books and Internet Archive? DPLA has invited Google, but they haven’t come. DPLA thinks that’d be awesome if they don’t have to duplicate efforts, but it hasn’t happened yet. Hathi Trust is a partner of DPLA. How do we relate to Internet Archive and others? We hope we’ll provide access to those so we don’t duplicate efforts, and become a portal to all sorts of places on the web.

Keynote Notes

2011-10-12T08:04:00.000-07:00

2nd annual eBook penetration survey

Public estimated 108% increase in usage over the past year. I’d argue it’s actually higher, at least with us.

Only small percentage have *preloaded* devices, but about a quarter are considering it. I want to know *why* first. Are we trying to help electronic stores sell devices? I don’t quite have my brain around why we’d want that.

Devices they’re read on -- library computer has very small percent (here, the City doesn’t allow it) eBook readers are first, mobile devices second -- I wonder if that’s already changed...?

Almost a quarter of librarians don’t know what the formats are -- that’s a quarter of the librarians who chose to answer a survey on eBook usage -- that’s pretty bad. It shows where the ebook vendors need to change, imo.

Have eBooks brought new users to the library -- 76% of public librarians said “Yes!”. I know I did.

eBook licensing models preferred. Oddly Public libraries stated they preferred unlimited one-copy-one-user to maximum access... why???? I don’t get it. My guess: poor survey design, using the term “unlimited” first, perhaps they got it confused with max-access... especially considering a quarter of respondents didn’t know what formats were.

Barriers to usage: not available for preferred device (fixed already??), complicated downloading processes (fixed a little already) are the top two.

How do we market? We market more online, more ads in library more on our newsletter, more in social networking --- hey LJ, why did you make “Library Instruction” n/a to Public libraries?? We’re hosting eReader clinics for the public all over town -- that’s library instruction in the public library world!

I’d really like to see this full report. I see a purchase suggestion in my near future :)

eBook Summit

2011-10-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to be attending the 2nd annual LC Library Summit. We're hosting a site license at SAPL, but I still thought I'd blog it for my own future notes as well as my colleagues who couldn't make it.

Here's my lineup:

eBooks: The New Normal

How Libraries are leveraging the eBook opportunity.

Opening and Keynote Panel:

Moderator Brian Kenney, Buffy Hamilton (unquietlibrarian), Robin Nesbitt (Columbus PL), John Palfrey (Harvard Law).

PL Session I: eBooks: Strategy (not) Required.

Moderator Heather McCormack (@huisceBeatha), Robin Bradford (Coll Dev, Indianapolis PL), Stephanie Chase (Multnomah’s interim Ref, Adult, and Program Coordinator), Susan Lyon (Learning Engagement at Richland PL, @liblyon), Alene Moroni (Coll Dev, King County PL).

PL Session II:eBook evolution: how they’ll change public libraries

ModeratorAllison Circle (Marketing, Columbus PL), Nate Hill (Webrarian, San Jose), John Houser (Library Tech Coordinator HLSC?), Eli Neiburger (IT at Ann Arbor), Monique Sendze (IT Douglas County).

Closing Keynote:

End of the Story: Future of Fiction in Digital Age. by MT Anderson

Pecha Kuca Author Talk: Lawrence Block, Donald Crews, Sai Gaddam, Gregory Maguire, Ogi Ogas, Adam Royce, and Karin Slaughter.

Stay tuned for notes!

Final Words

2011-07-31T07:59:00.001-07:00

Turning ideas into action

Karen Estrovich

Amy Powlowski, web applications manager at Cleveland PL

When you get home:
Register for training month (check)
- Get down to branch level
- Hold them accountable for training and stats
Install Dashboard to review data
- Let branches know their data
Circulate the digipalooza program
- Share what you learned
- Set goals and create actions

3-6 months;
Overdrive WIN:
- Streamline user experience
- access to more conten
Max-Access content
- Simultaneous eBook, audiobook, music, and video

Monitor and adjust budgets for demand
- opt-in for patron drive acquisition

(review the percentage budget allocation)

Potential new funds for eBooks:
- donations
- shift budget from print as demand changes
- spend for demand

Utilize resources in our marketing kits:
overdrive.com/resources/partnerservices/marketingoutreach

Subscribe someone to ContentWire for Children's and YA materials.

Treat ebooks like books -- customers already do. Use that budget.

Potash's Crystal Ball Report

What are we setting as our strategies for the coming year?

1. Streaming
- Disney has given both ePubs and hosted streaming eBook service which makes it interactive
- Music, Audiobook, and Video??
- We should be re-branding our service away from "Download" depots and to general media platforms

2. eBook EVERYWHERE
- We were doing eBooks for 4 years before Kindle ever came along.
- The Device Resource Center now has 85 devices for eReading, and this will be a fraction of the future
- Eliminating the requirement to activate an Adobe ID to make this easier -- it will pull the ID from the actual device.
- This will remove the barrier of eBooks in the library
- Bringing other drm-free and browser-based or streaming content, also making it easier to use eBooks
- higher quality of eBooks
- IBPF, standards org for ePub, are going up with ePub3, and will enable publishers to extend content with more interactive multimedia and embedding.
- New download stations will be touchscreen
- Standards around html5 should be accepted by many content providers

3. PREMIUM Challenge for US
- Opportunity to build most premium destination for digital books on the web is in our hands.
- We'll be vetting the best of the publishing world, rather than making them sort through thousands of junk books
- For popular premium titles, start with the library

4. TRAFFIC Coming soon
- Unknown explosion in web traffic
- Dec10/Jan11 is just a fraction of what will be coming soon
- Maximum Overdrive: prepare for 100x checkouts
- Already, Overdrive as a whole, has more than an eBook per second checked out.
- Our library front door needs to get ready for that.

Educating Users and Support

2011-07-30T13:35:00.001-07:00

Deb Palinsky, Knowledge Services group at Overdrive

Previewing upcoming searchable help interface, coming later this year.

Format integration:
Search for your title, then a row of choices appears that asks what you're using, so you only see what you want.

Plug for overdrive.com/learningcenter

Searchable help articles coming Q4,2011. Kindle books and enhanced search bar coming by end of 2011.

Jessica Venturo
Adventures in Patron Training
Bibliomation: Libraries Sharing Computerized Services. Library Consortium in Connecticut, 63 public libraries plus more school libraries. Not all participate in OverDrive.

View OD as an extension of your library, not as another database.

First training in Norfolk: 2 audiobook sessions and 2 ebook sessions.
- Promotes the service, even to those who don't have it yet
- Educate the board and staff
- Answer questionsin person rather than email.
- Challenges: getting an audience, unforeseen tech issues, presentation format (one size doesn't fit all)
- Possible solutions: train-the-trainer, combine demo with another event (B&N program, Tech fair)

Jasmine Posey Greenwich Library, CT
Training Services Librarian (Awesome title! Another job I'd love!)

Last Summer, why was audiobook more successful than ebook? Because the trainer and the staff preferred audiobooks to ebooks.

Change was needed, and change had to begin with the staff!

Brought Apple in to bring 20 iPads, partnered with B&N to bring a bunch of Nooks.

Programs branded: "@sk the experts!"

In the fall: Drop in labs, Thursdays at 3pm. Staff can bring in ereaders or make an appt to ask questions in person on work time.

Made Overdrive Training Month MANDATORY if you work on a public desk.

In the winter, BEFORE Christmas, they had staff with all their own devices (Kindle, Nook, NookColor, Sony Reader, Kobo, PanDigital, and iPad) where they pitched their own devices and gave pros/cons and answered questions.

eBook University (EBU101), Players for staff and public with Nook, Kobo, iPad, Pandigital, and Kindle. Bring own or practice with ours.

The Director, Dept Director, the head of IT, his assistant, the PR person, the webmaster, and the person who does all the Overdrive person all got iPads purchased by the library. Create buy-in from the TOP!

It's like weight watchers, it's a way of life for the rest of your life.

A bunch of devices will checkout to staff on 6-week loan. All devices linked to same account. Holds list -- if you agree to be a "resource" person, you get bumped to the top of the holds list (ooohhh awesome!)

Program "HELP! My phone is smarter than me!"

Drew Small Overdrive

On average, support case volume has increased 45% each year.

Contracted libraries have tripled, checkouts have quintupled, eReaders -- in 2008 there was only one eReader (sony), now there are over 85!

# of Support specialists have doubled.

Support cases as a percentage of checkouts: from 2006 when it was .85%, to 2011, now at 0.3%. That has continually gone down each year. That's very interesting.

So, the perception that OverDrive is difficult to use has been helped over time. (I'd agree with that)

Summer and Holidays are noticeably higher for both checkouts and support. August is expected to be high, and January of 2012 is expected to be 50% higher than January of 2011 (Oh lordy, we need to start preparing now).

Kindle Lending Library
- Staged rollout to groups of libraries at a time
- Streamlined experience as part of OverDrive WIN
- Amazon to support Kindle apps and users

How OD will help us help users:
- New ticketing support system
- Support web form for staff instead of email
- Customer satisfaction survey, at end of each support request
- Add'l staff
- Expanded weekend coverage
- Improved response time
- Remote support (OD can take over the users' computer)
- DRC is expanded
- Help 2.0
- Frontline Tech Support

Frontline Tech Support
- Public Library, stand alone systems
- Shift direct primary support via overdrive
- Decreased library support requests 75-80%
- Response time within 8 business hours or 24 hours on nights and weekends

Survey results so far all show 4.5/5 or higher for satisfaction of support service.

*** Front line tech support is an added cost.

Innovation and WIN

2011-07-30T12:00:00.001-07:00

Boston Public: 26 branches, 3.5 million circ, 600,000 people +state.

Overdrive collection is 25000 and is the highest circulation "branch" of their system. Total Circ in FY11 is 180k. 127% growth over fy10.

Overdrive library advisory council created in 2010, and members test software website and content models. Libraries serve as pilot partners. BPL is the content and licensing task force. BPL, for instance, hosts local music on their service.

New format Open EPUB, drm-free. Use any software of your choice for the ebooks -- they got to play with usability, etc.

Why we bought another format? Software and device restrictions are a big headache, and we thought they'd like a DRM-free option. 200 checkouts in just about a month -- 70% are checked out (not as good as 90%, but still worth purchasing).

BPL is also on User Interface and Experience Task Force and has worked on My Help and Overdrive Device Resource Center.

BPL loves to share our opinions and always looking for ways to make it better.

Ben Alcorn Overdrive

Access to more content as part of Overdrive WIN.

Streamlined Experience in Content Reserve:
eBook selection simplified
- Enhanced searching in Content Reserve
- BISAC subject headings for collection development
- Marketplace skins for different countries and platforms
- Patron Driven Acquisition
- Format consolidation
- Multiple cart support, drag and drop into carts
- Advantage reporting
- Advanced Download standing order plans
- Smart list ordering - construct a cart directly from an advanced search including budget limitations

In Content Reserve you'll only have one title record, multiple formats.

Overdrive WIN Catalog, recommend to library feature.
- You can tell OD to put them into a cart, or you can tell OD to make automatic purchases.

Balance your digital media collection:
30% staff selections
10% Max Access
15%Standing order
15% Holds Manager
30% Patron drive acquisition

Overdrive advantage reporting (This deals with consortiums)

More "always available" selections:
Thomas Nelson, Encyc Britannica, Lonely Planet, etc. Cinema Libre, Phase 4, and many more.

More collections of streaming multimedia, and interactive content. The first of these is the "Disney Digital Boks" collections.

More than 1500 new titles in Open EPUB from Oreilly and Carina press.

Simon Miller

Overdrive WIN for the patron website.

What format is right for my device? Concept: "See book, read book". Multiple formats owned will be consolidated into a single record with updated unit count. No more format confusion.

New format wizard to indicate ebook, audiobook, music, or video, then indicate device.

(I snapped the pic a little late, this is the more advanced screen -- the original screen was simpler and prettier)

How will Kindle support work?
- All existing ebooks will be available for use on Kindle reading apps and devices.
- Utilize whisper sync technology with "furthest place read, bookmarks, etc".
- Patron will indicate they want to read on their kindle (see "New Format Wizard" above)
- After checkout, a "get for Kindle" link will display, and then you'll be taken to the Amazon website, and the download loan is provided by Amazon.

Also new eBook samples allow users to always leave your website with something. Folks won't get things they don't really want.
- Increases circ by allowing patrons to branch out from normal checkouts.
- They can be 'free and easy' about what they sample, and be discerning about the actual checkout.
- 10% of the book
- That's good: I've heard folks say "Oh I don't want to waste a download on that"

Alachua County Library
Alachua County LIbrary District already has the samples live.

Site enhancements from top to bottom:
- Better presentation of collections and content
- Quicker to navigate
- Easier to find stuff.

Enhanced quick search:
- Spelling correction to improve result relevancy
- Improved turnaroundtime
- increased simultaneous usage of search function

"Remember me" on the device apps

Desktop versions of the website will have that soon as well.

Troubleshooting improved, all totally new
- easy step-by-step
- fully searchble
- share via email or social networks (we can repurpose them!)

Adobe Digital Editions 1.8 public BETA is now available and restores screen reader support.
- Designed to work with accessibility, JAWS, and VoiceOver.
- High contrast options
- See Adobe's Website for more info

Patron driven acquisition

- Every available title can be listed with samples
- We can make this automatic purchase if we like, based on a policy like "if 5 unique users recommend, automatically purchase"
- They have to sign in for the recommendation
- IF we purchase it, they're first in line
- OR they can go purchase it themselves from Amazon, BN, Books-a-million, or Books on Board -- the library receives a portion of the entire transaction (even if it includes a flat-screen TV from Amazon) :)
- Will filter it for the formats and publishers that the library can actually purchase from. We'd hate to tease the patrons.

Already Available
- Enhanced Quick Search
- ebook samles
-remember me
- Open epub
- Max Access ebooks
- Streaming content from disney

Coming soon:
- Read on Kindle
- New Help

Format consolidation
- Coming later next year
- If you own both pdf and epub, then they'd be just 2 units, not one pdf and one ePub
- in the checkout process, patron indicates device and OD delivers the correct format.
- Next time you purchase, you only purchase an eBook -- you still only have one unit, but it's delivered in whatever the patron needs.

WIN stands for Want it Now.

Publisher Q&A Roundtable

2011-07-30T09:32:00.001-07:00

Erika , General Counsel with Overdrive, works with the lawyers and publishers to get that side of the work done.

Q&A Session with AudioGO (BBC Audiobooks), Books on Tape, Harper Collins, and Wiley.

Off-limits: questions regarding pricing or illegal activities.

Erika spoke briefly on the struggle between interests of customers, interests of publishers, and the rights of authors, agents, and the rest of that food chain.

An interesting example was earlier in another Q&A where Potash spoke briefly on why mp3 early-return may not come to PCs. Overdrive, then, cannot guarantee to publishers that all copies of an item have been early returned. It's very possible in an app environment, because the item is only available in that iteration.

Michelle from AudioGO, formerly BBC Audiobooks.

The only panelist that's an audio-only publisher. They're called a sub-right (?), and say that our questions are also their questions regarding publishing. Publishing solutions haven't been found yet, things are still changing very quickly. Questions still need to be asked, and we'll keep the dialog open.

Ruth from Books on Tape

Random house's philosophy on digital: find the best content and connect it to as many reader and listeners as possible. We are format agnostic -- we don't care. We think the reader and listener should have as much choice as possible. We're also venue agnostic, we want to have them available for library lending on the exact same day they're available to consumers -- that's a commitment we're making going forward.

What is the library community worth? Over 50% of our books are bought or borrowed based on word-of-mouth from people someone knows (friend, librarian, etc).

Josh Marwell Harper Collins

Thought that being here might be akin to wearing a Yankee hat at a bar outside Fenway park???

HC has been in the book business for almost 200 years, through more than one golden age of bookselling. In 1820s, they were the first publisher to switch to steam press from horse-drawn -- and one of the first publishers to try out digital content.

We're hopeful we're well into the transformation into a company that will thrive in the age of digital content.

Be prepared to question and measure everything and try new things. Where we are today may not be where we are tomorrow (foreshadowing?).

If you get a single person to like a book, you have a single reader. If you get a librarian to like a book, you have a whole village of readers.

Charles Regan from Wiley

He was a digital fugitive until he found out that they were dying out, so he immigrated over.

204 year old company; largest independent publisher in US. We're public, but the Wiley family still has its hand in the company's operations. Peter Riley in San Francisco works very well with the public library there. They only publish non-fiction: business, cooking, travel, science, biography, craft, self-help, etc. They do the Frommer's Guides, Cliffs Notes, For Dummie, and lots of other brands.

Questions submitted by the audience

1. Are audiobook publisher decreasing Books on CD in this digital age? How are your physical sales impacted?

Michelle: The retail market has indeed been cutback in these days when the retail model is falling. However, AudioGO has actually doubled the number of CDs they produce going into the library market.

Ruth: Audio in general isn't new to migrating formats. 7 years ago, cassettes still were the majority of their sales. More digital exclusives going forward, especially during an election year.

2. Speaking of simultaneous release, can Josh and Charles speak to what pressures eBooks experience to go into the library market.

Josh: Goal for all books to go into eBook. Sometimes there are issues about getting the eBook rights that delay output. Sometimes we need to ensure quality in our products -- it's not an easy snap process. Time and rights are what hold us back.

Charles: They have the same objective. They want all their books in formats that the customers want. Virtually all of their frontlist is now available same day as print. This is a big milestone that changed their workflow and hiring. Special challenges with graphics and materials whe you go to digital. Programming books for instance, it's very important. They experience lots of technical challenges.

3. Speaking of format availability, any of the audio publishers: what impacts your decisions about wma vs. mp3.

Ruth: Reps get the feedback from librarians and patrons. Current thinking is we have drm with one copy one user. It's technical rather than philosophical.

Michele: We have to look at contracts. Many of the original contracts absolutely require DRM to be used. We have someone going through every single contract with libraries to make sure that the contract is being preserved. Legal issues and contracts limit us. In England (this is BBCAudio), it also impacts UK business and UK rights.

4. To Harper Collins: have you reconsidered the 26-checkout business model?

Josh: That's the gorilla in the room, eh? Lots has been tweeted and discussed. We welcome the feedback, it's a process of conversations about the future of digital publishing. It's only been several months. Thank you for the business of those using our model. We are having ongoing discussions about cataloging with OverDrive, and we hope you'll check out the first-in-the-series sale we have going on. We know that you already know how to reach us.

That's not an answer, Josh replies "Its a work in progress".

5. How do your authors receive the digital market? Do they see the value?

Ruth: Authors love librarians, especially when they have books coming out. Every writer's mother was a librarian. The burden, though, is ultimately on publishers to communicate the importance of libraries to the authors and agents.

Josh: It depends on the author. Each case is different. Every part of the infrastructure of our business is coming to terms with what this means.

Audience Question Time

Q: When will the globalization of the publishing and copyright of ebooks happen? Isn't it inevitable?

Charles: doesn't really see that happening any time soon.

Q: Regarding pricing in general, would you consider incremental pricing models? Per-use for instance, for those of us whose items that may not check out a whole lot. We can use ILL for print stuff, but not digital yet.

Erika: We're open to the possibility, but not going to talk about it on the panel.

Q: We have enhanced content. I'm an audiobook listener and a reader. Can we sync between professionally done audio and print book? I listen in my car, and pick up the print when I get home...?

Ruth: Anything is eventually technological possible. The technology follows our great ideas. The expectations are coming out, but aren't yet front-burner. Others have much more immediate needs. We have to prioritize.

Josh: We already do that with children's audio. Early signs say this is a terrific product.

Charles: Wiley has been doing lots of enhanced innovative products. Our content (Frommer's Guides for instance) -- what could be better than an App based on those?

Q: What up with all the typos in ebooks these days?!

Josh: Certainly things slip through in any process.

Charles: There's no denying that the addition of producing eBooks has produced more work per person, but we like to think our editorial standards remain high.

Q: How do publishers prioritize working with authors and agents to get rights?

Ruth: Getting Digital rights for backlist items we don't already have them, that's top priority right now.

Michele: We've started to get eBook rights, looking towards digital future with audio and beyond. We go back and pick up backlist series not yet in audio. We have more opportunities to publish more and go back further.

Josh: Clearly the way to go about it is to start with the bestsellers and past bestsellers, in regards to retail and library demand. Need a mechanism for requesting items of us.

Charles: Publishing process starts with acquiring rights, and we have to make our contracts and policies attractive. Authors now really want their books on Amazon Kindle. They used to call a publisher if a book wasn't in their local bookstore, and now they do that with Amazon.

Q: Regarding word of mouth. How do we quantify the ways we influence readership so we become more attractive in bargaining with you guys?

Ruth: Independent bookstores have done a great job of coming up with Indiebound so that they have a collective voice at the table. They're idiosyncratic and have pride in themselves, but they've created a united voice and made clear what they do to create buzz. Libraries bang the drum for books and reading, but they need to start banging the drum for themselves louder.

Erika: From a company standpoint, OverDrive is committed to helping codify the library world.

Q: Are we considering streaming audiobooks?

Michelle: Yes, we have had a recent contract meeting discussing that. Sometimes, though, we have contract issues with performers as well.

Too tough for the other panelists. Cool question, though.

Q: Annoyed that series aren't always available. Will it be easier to get an entire series in one or another format?

Ruth: Ideally, yeah. We know that's best for the book and for the author, but rights and contracts are complex.

Josh: We know we don't deal with series very well in the publishing world. It can be tough to figure out order, etc.

Michele: Tell us if something's missing and we'll seek out the rights.

Q: Always frustrated in reviews for audios, since we don't get the CD format pre-publication.

Michelle: We now already send LJ and Audiofile the review copy early -- sometimes it's only in CD, but we do work on that.

Miscellany

2011-07-30T08:02:00.001-07:00

After I posted the last blog, some crazy info came out in the Q&A:

OverDrive is talking about getting rid of formats completely. An eBook is an eBook and an audiobook is an audiobook.

With the Kindle compatibility, the former will come out. Later on, they'll work on the audiobooks.

HUGE!

We'll learn more about this later this afternoon. Stay tuned!

Self-publishing, digital reading, and future of Overdrive

2011-07-30T07:56:00.001-07:00

When thinking about changes and expectations of readers and users, OverDrive realized that its a whole changing of the industry. With moving away slowly from the retail sellers, we're seeing a shift in how books are brought to readers. Users want the best, and libraries want to give it to them. Joe Konrath, one of the leading self-published authors in the industry.

Joe Konrath

He told a story about how he never would have read a book if his mom had actually taken him to the library.

Previously struggled with the publishing world for many years. Was getting to only about $10k per book, and couldn't live off that. He'd always put the reject books on his website, so when the Kindle came out, he put those on Kindle for just $.99. Made $1200 in the first month.

Smashwords, is a place where it goes to Apple, Kobo, Sony, etc.

In the self-publishing world, users rather than publishers decide what sells. Konrath sells 1200 ebooks a day. This April, he made $68,000 in one month.

What was missing in his career in ebooks? Libraries. Couldn't get into libraries going through ebook websites. Now, his whole catalog is available on Overdrive, all under $4 each.

His agent still makes money by selling his books in other languages, the audios (through Brilliance), etc.

We each get a free copy of an eBook by him.

Latest Mobile Apps
Megan Greer and Cassie Renner

Provided some basic information about transferring items, using apps, etc.

Help 2.0, revamping the help and fa ties (oh thank goodness!)

in-App help support, more tutorials for first time app users, and more help articles.

Library staff: lots of information, materials, and handouts at the learning center.

King County System created great how-to at guides.kcls.org/ereaders

KCLS also created cards for each type of reader with basic information at all info desks. Also have web address for the online site.

Guide maintained by their "TelRef" type service.

What's coming soon:
- Early return mp3 audiobooks
- Nook Color app
- GPS locator - get books
- Dictionary support
- Renew a title
- Browse checkout and download in app (nice!)
- Auto "Activation"

eBook compatibility for Kindle
-integrates with existing website
- not additional format
- same lending modles
- delivered directly to kindle or kindle apps (not downloaded, then transferred). NICE -- let's get this for NOOK!

New features already on the mobile site:
Under the ebook cover image, already have samples.
First things on the browse lists are things that are available and compatible.

Finding and retaining users

2011-07-29T13:19:00.001-07:00

Engaging and attracting the digital user

Shannon Lichty

Overdrive conducted user survey

77%female
46% 40-59 yo
65% >$60k/yr
30% rarely or never visit the library

Who do we need to target?
Males
Children, young adults, 20-somethings, combine for only 12% of survey-respondents
non-card holders

How do they find out?
-Library website, 60%
- Catalog 26%
- Promotion in library, 16%
- Librarian, 13% (this number grows every year)
- Other: Facebook, blogs, BN, Best Buy

What to do:
1. Increase your online presence (Facebook, twitter, and blogs -- MARC records)
2. Reach out to your local retail stores

3. Ensure your staff is trained! Participate in online training, visit the online learning center:
overdrive.com/learningcenter

What OS do you use:
81%Windows (maybe because Mac doesn't work with the wmas)
16% Mac (growing now)
23% iPhone/iPad
12% Android
20% BlackBerry (huh, higher than Android)
4% Other

70% transfer audios
60% transfer eBooks

Where can you reach people?
Commuters: airports, bus stations, gyms, schools, office buildings (use QRCode posters)

Evaluate how you convert interest to usage -- compare growth of unique patrons and new patrons.

Monitor interest and demand using Dashboard: current waiting list, turnover rates. Give them what they want: suggestions, surveys, inform them when new titles are added (twitter?)

Outreach Super-stars:

Winner: Sandusky, OH: extension of their Overdrdive website (wix.com/sanduskylibadv/ebooks)

Chathan Area PL: Murder Mystery play: "Death by Download", fundraiser for Friends, 3 sold-out shows

Public Library of CIncinatti and Hamilton: Created a campaign called "Great (e)xpectations" with truck wraps

Grand Prize: Hoover Public Library, comprehensive program. Partnered with B&N for classes and petting zoos, outreach to schools to teach students how to download, discussion and demo at all staff meetings, Nook giveaways for Summer Reading.

Kara Kohn Plainfield, IL

Top sites for acquiring eBooks: right now only 9% are library sites. Kara wants to gain 35%!

Two landing options on front page of their website

Importance of library owned devices: sony readers, Nooks, iPads, iPods, etc. Staff need to feel comfortable! Bring in Best Buy, B&N, Borders, and Apple Store to talk to staff!

Screencasts on YouTube -- cool.

They have an eBook display, like the ones at electronic stores. Partnered with Sony to make it happen.

Twice a month they have "Get to Know your Nook" at local B&N, and the store gives the library 10 minutes to teach the users there! (oooh cool!)

Free 5-10 minute sessions at Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts to learn downloads. Bars? Night Clubs?

Keeping them:
BookNews newsletters allows us to feature new digital titles.

Consider becoming an eBook reviews to LJ, eReader book clubs (how about an online google+ hangout for the book club meeting?), and more

Rich Loomis Somerset County, NJ IT and Marketing.

Technology open houses -- sucker the librarians into dressing in costumes and dragging patrons into the Tech open houses. They bring devices and we teach -- or we have the devices?

In the beginning:
- Computer classes
- Trained (reluctant) staff
- buying 60 eReaders to give to front-line staff for 6 month loans (ACK! I want to work there!)

We weren't getting the tax-payers and the voters. How do we get the people who talk the loudest about the library?
- Promote in the courthouse, etc (brilliant)
-Tech Open Houses with themes (If you dress up in a coconut bra and a grass skirt, people will talk to you -- quotable training, great!)
- Show em what you have, how it works, why they want it -- super quick demo
- Always have a giveaway, always have branch staff involved, promote like crazy, make it fun

Idea: Give away cards for "One Free Download" from your library :)

Linda Hart Bloomfield Township, MI

What they did with a budget of $0:

Most common reason patrons said they didn't use the library: lack of time, lack of convenience -- hello! We need to market our digital collection better to answer that :)

Cute eBooks page on their website btpl.org
- Simpler basic interface
- I love our eLibrary LibGuide, but theirs is simpler-looking. A simpler-looking page might be a good supplement for beginners, with the LibGuide marketed to trouble-shooting or "more info" type questions.

Brilliant -- they use website ebptl.org -- for us it would be emysapl.org

They have "personas" on their eReader classes. "Sally Senior" classes for senior eBook users, etc.

eReader extravaganza - emailed those who had attended previous programs. Survey said: want more OverDrive, less from Best Buy

Learn to love negative comments, because then you really know how to improve service

Recommended Read: Accidental Library Marketer -- available in ePUB from OverDrive.

Julie Bradford

lcplin.org

Doing More with Less

T-Shirts printed for staff have Downloadable marketing on it -- those were the rewards for going to the training (oooh -- cool idea!)
-- I say put a QRCode on the back!

Buttons for downloadables, posters, etc.

Turn old dead laptops into "Digital Signs" (how awesome!!!!!!) Hey, who cares if someone steals a Windows 98 laptop? How else are we going to get rid of it? LOL!!

Involve the community:
donations serve a few purposes:
1. Expand your collection
2. Recognition/Ads for the donors
3. Built-in audience if you buy what they want
4. Relevant collection

You can have links put into the books to recognize the donors in whose honor they were purchased. (Cool, though she said that Simon might killer her) :)

Train staff to ask "Would you like me to see if the wait for the eBook is shorter?" (Um, wait, but it probably never is....)

Order often, and fewer books to keep the "New Books" shelf fresh.

Involve patrons in selection - let them vote on what should be added.

Do Displays: rotate your website displays. Summer Reading List for the schools is a great idea.

Another word from our sponsor

2011-07-29T11:43:00.001-07:00

Harper Collins

Potash pointed out that although HC has been in the news these days, they were one of the first publishers on OverDrive with digital content.

"Power of Six", followup to "I am number four" by Pittacus Lore

New Neal Stephenson, new Crichton, new Gregory Maguire coming out.

Speaker was so engrossed in "Song of Achilles" that when a stewardess asked her to turn her Sony eReader off, she got upset and said "turn what off?!". Story was so good, she forgot she was reading on a device.

Collection Development

2011-07-29T11:27:00.001-07:00

Lindsey Levinsohn: Digital Materials to connect with your readers

Digital content trends:
-early eBooks were generally based in specialty subject areas: educationals, academics, etc.
- Now it's bestsellers, almost everything
- Increase in retail sales due to discovery in library channel
- Fiction out circs nonfiction 3:1. Romance+Mystery=almost half

A traditional user is not necessarily a digital user. Build collections for both younger and older patrons to bring them in?

Older patrons are obtaining devices (we know this), add titles popular among that demographic: mild romance, classics, historical fiction, and westerns.

Overdrive is improving their metadata for grade levels and AR (wow).

Releasing a customized eNewsletter for just Children's and YA content discovery (we need a Children's/YA person to get this and help order!).

Coming in the future:
WIN will match patrons to browsable content discovery.
Everything will go to digital
Digital exclusive releases
full catalogs of backlist fiction will be digitized
long form/narrative journalism
eTextbooks
interactive digital books

Nonfiction subjects that circulate: memoir, business, history

NF that will grow: cookbooks, very beautiful in color ebooks

New formats reach new users: top circulating videos from PBS, Image Entertainment, etc.

Access to more content:
-patron-driven acquisition
- more simultaneous access
- thousands of eBook samples
- DRM-free ebooks
- Hundreds of thousands of digital book records

Suggested allocation of $$

30% patron-driven acquisition
10% holds manager
35% staff selections
25% simultaneous access

Data:
- Know your collection
- Know your users
- Use dashboard to monitor circ activity, etc.

Sarah Redman Digital Materials to Connect with your readers MCLS in Lansing, MI

Develop a "storefront" digital collection of popular materials
- criteria for selection (new and popular)
- beyond bestsellers

Buying to meet ballooning demand
-the amount they spent for content was doubling-tripling to just sustain a 6:1 holds ratio -- had to go to 10:1. Still just a 17-day wait, though -- people not checking out their holds?
- ordering digital content is a huge part of her day
- she keeps Content Reserve up with Midwest Tapes and B&T all open in her browser to be sure that content matches.

Criteria for selection
- buys all of NYT and USAToday lists
- Media coverage
- Holds on print copies
- earlyword.com
- Shelf Awareness
- Award nominees

How it differs from typical selection:
- focus on backlists of popular authors and series
- alternative suggested title sources
- order closer to release date

Kindle will be a budget-buster! Plan for it!!!

Digital content should be included in your print collection development budget, not your electronic resources budget.

Patricia Lowery Cleveland Public Library

Note to self: check out Cleveland's quick search boar on their OverDrive site.

How does Cleveland measure success: 90% of their eBooks purchased in the last 2 weeks should be checked out. Search: Date added to site (within the last 14 days), and find total, then find how many available. (Their "Search Within Results" bar is also great) Right now only 14/408 available.

Good to buy award winners, better to buy nominees, best to buy all their backlists also. Good writers are good writers. Add them to offset your guilt about buying all the cleaveage/abs/sword books :)

Michael Ciccone Hamilton Public Library Ontario, Canada

Also showed his own exponential graph of average circulation for eBooks.

600 downloads in one day last wednesday, 17k last month. 5% of overall circ next year. 7:1 fic:nf. 1/3 of their downloads are romance.

Build the backlists (man, we've heard this a lot)

TIPS:
Fiction print = eBook, except
Romance: EMBRACE it
Nonfiction, pursue cautiously
Backlist Fiction order, very beneficial

How do the 5 laws of library science apply now:

another word from our sponsor...

2011-07-29T09:25:00.001-07:00

Titles coming this fall from Books on Tape:

What's hot now: George R.R. Martin: highest 1st day sales so far this year. 2nd season of the TV show on HBO has been picked up, so the backlist titles will only keep growing in popularity.

Two titles in one season for Evanovich (yee!) Movie for "One for the Money" coming out in January. Expect her whole backlist to grow in popularity!

New Grisham: The litigators

Grafton's audios even better than her print books. Judy Kaye is the narrator. Nov 22nd, the whole series will be on sale.

Cornwell's Scarpetta comes back with "Red Mist".

Lee Child's "The Affair" will be the prequel for Jack Reacher's story -- this will also make the backlist popular.

"Language of flowers" by diffenbaugh expected to be one of the biggest titles this fall.

Not since Time Travelers Wife has the presenter fallen in love with a book as much as "The Night Circus" coming out in September by Erin Morgenstern. It will be Jim Dale's first adult audiobook narration.

Michael Brandon is carrying on the Jesse Stone series by Robert Parker.

New Dexter installment "Double Dexter". Novels are great for the TV fans who can't get enough.

Vanessa Redgrave to narrate Joan Didion's upcoming memoir Blue Nights.

New Teen romance Juliet Immortal "The greatest love story ever told is a lie" :) by Stacey Jay. Romeo killed Juliet to become Immortal (awesome).

"Wrapped" by Bradbury to appeal to fans of Veronica Mars (I'm intrigued, especially considering it's a historical novel).

"Almost Perfect" GLBTI teen fiction starring transgender teen, won Stonewall book award. By Brian Katcher.

Good guy zombies, pretty dresses, and guns -- steampunk novel "Dearly departed" by Habel. Really -- a Zombie Romance :)

The Bippolo Seed -- 7 lost Seuss stories presented by an all-star cast, NPH, Angelica Houston, etc

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Maximizing your digital collection

2011-07-29T09:03:00.001-07:00

Deb Czarnik, Lee County

Downloadables are 6% of circulation, so they use 6% of their materials budget. eBooks account for about 3.5% of their holdings.

Popular demand does change over the years, and libraries have kept up: DVDs, audios, CDs, graphic novels, etc.

How do we give them what they want?
- Build a strong dynamic downloadable site and collection
- Ongoing staff training
- Ongoing public proton
- Incorporate eBook promotion into everything we do

In Lee County, eBook circulation has almost doubled every year. The yearly curve is indeed exponential. Their downloadable site has more checkouts than many of their branches.

Hey - we're adding Kindles - usage is going to explode!!!

Decrease the number of pring titles you're purchasing in order to buy more eBooks.

The biggest category for "Suggest a purchase" is eBooks. Print books only account for 20%, DVDs 9%.

Overdrive Dashboard is great for monitoring holds (I wonder if we use this?)

Staff education:
- Usage by branch is published to them
- Monthly manager review, Download depot checkouts growing, while branch circulation is not
- Intranet page that has stats, video tutorials, Q&A, comments, news, instructional documents etc.
- Stay on top of the news and share that with staff
- Staff email alerts for major breaks, new aps, new feature, etc
- Write staff newsletter articles to explain complex topics in detail, send reminders on things like Mac only taking mp3 etc, inform of long-term trends, milestones, etc.

(I'd really like to get this presentation to base some stat gathering on)

- Praise branch success and encourage sharing
- Their director wrote an article
- Have a presence at community events.
- Use Prime Website real estate!!!
- Use QRCode links (they have them on their front doors and checkout stations!)
- Have download stations
- Billboard ads
- Social networking
- Comment on news articles

Christopher Baker

- Make your virtual branch and its collection as accessible as the real things.

Ways they've done this:
-Holds manager, 4:1
- Catalog integration
- Format integration - print books they purchase are also available in eBook or audiobook
- Ongoing promotion of platforms, accessibility, and upgrades
- Ongoing training for staff and customers
- Meet your customers where they are (I wonder how we can meet the potential customers better -- those searching on google for "library ebooks")
- Do a HUGE marketing push when we get Kindle compatibility!

Holly Carrell Director of Poudre River Pubilc Library, Fort Collins, CO

Access
- They have a mobile app to feature it
- Great website
- all formats
- categories for easier browsing
- Provide Marc records

Availability
- Use the same hold:copy ratio as print
- selection based on demand
- take advantage of sales
- add the free titles

Staff and customer fluency
- Digital Literacy Librarian position that leads training efforts for both public and staff (oohh, I want that job!)
- Define tech competencies for staff
- Purchase devices for staff to borrow
- supplement the tutorials and tech help (I like Deb Czarnik's intranet page idea there)
- They even have device for public loan
- editorial on DRM issues in local paper
- feature article on e-content in local paper
- They made a bookmark "So you've got a new eReader" - what to do with it. Cool! Great idea for next Christmas (or now).

Erica Reed West Virginia Digital Entertainment Library Initiative "WVDeli" We're always open (cute)

- Reach more people digitally than they do physically because it's such a rural state
- Patrons tend to "squat" in the new release section, so they try not to purchase more than 100 titles a week so that they're all visible in that list
- Continue to educate staff through... (all usuals, but also hanging out at Target, BN, Wal-Mart? :))
- Partner with Collection Devt staff to evaluate the collection
- Involve staff in what's happening
- Stay in contact with OverDrive staff.

Kimberly Edson Rochester Public Library (MN). Home of IBM, so it's a techie community. Single branch with a bookmobile.

Digital branch is an important part of the Mission, Vision, Strategic Plan. Resources of all types are reviewed for compatibility with strategy. Very important to have an eStrategy.

Have to fight for the budget.

Interesting to look at price as to how it saves staff time in materials handling.

In Strat Plan, make it a real actual digital branch! It needs a manager, a selector, maintenance staff, a Reference staff, a PR person, and a trainer. (That's a very interesting idea!)

They embed many of the Overdrive browsing features into their own website.

Identify and address barriers: this can be difficult for some users, some don't have a PC, gadgets not compatible, etc

Evaluation is important: tell your story to the people who keep you accountable.

Audience suggestion: Check out eGalleys and put them on your staff training intranet, website, etc.

Change your format budget to match demand

Managing the eBook Explosion

2011-07-29T08:13:00.001-07:00

Steve Potash opening, thanking sponsors

Can't pre-announce the launch date of Amazon, because of public nature of the company. Coming soon.

Overdrive WIN: Kindle, other enhancements to services, etc. First class experience, Library becomes the first stop in the hunt for reading. (Is that a hint of upcoming reader-prompted collection development?)

Library is the nation's best resource for connecting authors and readers.

Managing the eBook explosion

Josh Hadro, LJ editor for Digital Products
Rise in "Library eBook" Google searches

Notice the spike in search activity on Google for the terms library ebooks! People are finding us online when they get their eReaders. Are we present?

Graphic for survey of dramatic increase in ebook requests: 93% YES. 60% of public libraries purchase extra copies to satisfy holds demand on eBooks. Average hold:copies=6:1. Wow. (What does that say? We're not paying attention to user demands? We're strapped for funding?)

"Do you have patrons who only want eBooks and decline print books? Do you feel that offering eBooks has opened the library to new users who didn't use the library before?" 76% YES

Lots of data showing the actual explosion of eBooks and eReaders.

Anecdote: B&N in AZ sending customers to the library for usage training.

thedigitalshift.com/research
ebook-summit.com

Nora Rowlinson
earlyword.com: Market information on what books are hitting, what movies coming out, etc.

Hachette: eBooks = 22% of sales in Q1,2011
Narrative fiction and nonfiction sell much better on eBook than in physical books. Vast majority is Fiction. 55% of sales are released simultaneously.

Libraries need to understand the challenges facing publishers. We understand the challenges facing flea market sellers; everything is cheaper near the end of the day (I wonder where she's taking that metaphor). Agents don't care about eBooks; publishers have to sell that idea (John Green had a great video about that). Retailers don't want to hear that users would go to libraries first.

In the 90s, publishing was artificially increased by the "superstore" that dominated the marketplace. In 2010, for the first time in decades, indie book stores saw a rise. Borders is closing, etc. Now, for the first time in a while, publishers need libraries for the discovery of titles and authors, to build fan bases through backlists, and to support the value of readers.

It's not just Harper Collins: worry about windowing (waiting for a while before allowing library purchasing), worry about new eBook only publishers, learn about self-published authors (really?).

Cindy Orr: cindyorr.com consulting

She said she did a search for library eBooks doubling and came up with four big library systems. I wonder why she only looked for "doubling". Ours have well more than doubled!!

What do readers want from an eBook collection?

To browse. (That has to be so difficult when 90% of our eBooks are checked out!!! Can we make a list of "available now" on our front page -- why not?)

- Make an electronic display of readlikes throughout the library.

New modes of communication don't completely displace old ones.

- Link the modes in the library. How? Printing machine (espresso book machine)

We were ahead of the curve on eBooks - in it before Kindle came out and they became cool. So lets remain ahead of the curve.

What do they want? They want access to every book in the library in e-format. They want it now. They want it easy and fast. They want it to work on all devices. Browse it online, read summary, access from anywhere, books cheap (free?).

"The post-Google Library", when expecations have risen, patrons expect fast and powerful service, and they want our help finding what to read (if they didn't, they'd have used Google). We need to do better pointing them to good mid-list books.

What do they miss about Borders? Place to hang out, place to browse, free place to meet, free wi-fi, wide choice of magazines, place to hang-out. We have all that!

Our most important customers are the customers we have now, the 21st century customers. Who are they? Steve Matthews (21st century library): Digital Fugitives, Digital Immigrants, Digital Natives. Population of Natives has almost as many folks as the other two combined -- then why do we see so much more of the Fugitives?? We serve the natives in a radically different way (or don't serve them in that radically different way, as the case may be).

- Why don't we see them? Look way back up at the fact that people start searching that folks do google search for library eBooks after they get their eReaders. They access our services remotely (if it's easy), and we may not see them.

Christopher Platt, from NYPL

His library is updating their eBook strategy this summer (Hmm, a strategy). :)

They are now Overdrive's #1 circulating library -- marketing, money, and momentum. This spring during the budget crisis, they weren't promoting the eBooks (s'okay, they sell themselves sometimes), so other libraries have caught up.

Marketing, money, and momentum don't make up for a lack of strategy (!)!

Content: Always first, drives use and brings new readers. How do we keep up with? How do we get the new niche publishing going on? How do we find out about it? How do give access to cool new children's book apps?

What about S&S, Hachette, etc those that don't release content? We need to nudge, help them.

The eBook of tomorrow may not have a print form. Some today don't! If those publishers aren't on board with libraries, we will be doing a poor job of bridging the gap.

As demand grows: one-book-one-user is becoming too expensive. Subscription models, pay-per-use, metered-use, etc. Solutions: libraries have closer partnerships with content creators and publishers.

About 16,600 public libraries, about 17,000 book store. Laredo, TX doesn't even have a book store (srsly?). Book discovery and conversation has already moved online.

bookish.com & anobii.com new sites for publishers to support online book discovery. Libraries need to also be involved in these discovery sites. We are the experts in connecting books with people, curating discussion, etc. We should ask publishers: what is access to our community worth?

If we took all the twitter followers, all the Facebook followers, all the folks who love libraries and got them together, we would TROUNCE publishers online!

We need an eBook strategy!

Seize the opportunity to ramp up the Buy it Now, and take our catalog (with its follower community) to become a portal of discovery for purchasing as well as buying. Douglas County, partnering with Colorado Independent Publishers Assn is a great innovator in this.

In NYPL, eBooks only account for 1% of circ, eventhough it's 22% of sales overall! Why? We don't have a good eBook strategy yet.

Great content in his talk!

Steve Potash:
Overdrive WIN

Overdrive is actively engaged in the dialog of our systems -- if our library is seeking to have a technology vender have a voice at the table while we figure out what's next, Potash wants to be there!

Key challenges: how do we develop a plan for an eBook future? How do we streamline experience, reduce staff time coping, find ways to get more content to their readers. This weekend, sharing this roadmap.

WIN: mobile apps, every iteration = fewer keystrokes. Lots new conveniences. Spend less time getting more eBooks. Free samples, more max access, and the public library will get to be the first point of discovery for EVERY ebook, whether we acquired the rights for lending -- that's the WIN catalog (holy cow).

First they find just ours, click show more results, they'll get the whole list of books by the author, and they can click "Recommend to library" or even get connected to a retail partner to get it now. THAT's the connection to publishers!! That's what will win over publishers -- libraries become the partner. Libraries don't have to hold all the books, but they become the connection to all the books.

A word from our sponsor

BBCAudiobookAmerica has renamed AudioGO. One of the highest rated sessions was getting the preview of what's coming out soon. They're happy to have narrators come out and speak at the libraries. King's Speech audiobook, is a radio play. Martin Misunderstood, by Slaughter, movie coming out soon, narrated by Wayne KNight (Newman!). New Jeff Abbott coming out -- hottest book (hey -- TLA District 10 Fall Meeting will have him there!)

Artemis Fowl author writing a new adult book "Plugged".

Luminarium by Shakar, thriller, really fantastic.

Preparing to be educated

2011-07-27T15:37:00.001-07:00

After a very early flight, I made it to Cleveland today approximately 29 hours early for digipalooza. Having bragged for the past two weeks about getting to come to this conference (conference/awesometime), just about everyone told me I needed to make some time for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Being a slave to suggestion, I did so.

I grabbed a train to my hotel, checked in, and consulted the concierge on whether it was wise to walk the mere mile. I was rewarded with coupon, and what turned out to be a lovely walk.

The usher said that a hard-core rock fan will get about 4 hours entertainment out of the museum, and your average tourist about 2. I felt my music cred go up as I left 3 hours later, scoffing at the sunburnt tourists buying trinkets.

humph. Just hit the "Random" button on my iPhone and was greeted by The Bangles. I think my cred is blown.

Yes, sigh. I did the obligatory library visit.

T'was odd.

That is one bizarre library. Everyone who worked there seemed very happy, though, so they've got something good going on.

Back in the hotel, preparing for the conference. I have another half-day to myself tomorrow, and I welcome suggestions (preferably within walking distance).

Tonight: beer and cheese on the hotel, a reward for being assigned a dirty room.

The Bangles were followed up by Pink, and then Soundgarden. Does that up my cred at all?

Where do we draw the line on privacy?

2011-04-18T07:07:00.000-07:00

presenter: Angela Maycock, Assistant director for the Office of Intellection Freedom at ALA. This session was a pleasant surprise for me. It's an issue I generally find a bit dry and political, but Angela really brought it down to a practical level. She started off with some myths on privacy:

Myth: No one cares or expects privacy anymore.

Myth: Privacy has been traded for National Security.

Myth: Privacy is dead.

Angela then went over the Texas Privacy Code which addresses subpoena from a court, then went on to discuss the other ways in which reader information might be requested/threatened/whatever:

Section 215 of the Patriot Act in which an agent of the FBI may request "any tangible thing" in the course of investigation. These come with a strict gag order, but libraries can consult with their attorney (or the attorney of the ALA-OIF) to question the legitimacy of the request. The ALA-OIF has only been made aware of one such instance from a library; in that case, the FBI withdrew their request for records.

Don't we want National Security? Having come from a law-enforcement family, I had trouble understanding why we need to fight these requests if they come from law-enforcement. This quote, from readerprivacy.org (a partnership between libraries, booksellers, and publishers) speaks to that:

In 1953, Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas wrote, "If the lady from Toledo can be required to disclose what she read yesterday and what she will read tomorrow, fear will take the place of freedom in the libraries, bookstores, and homes of the land." Almost all states have since passed confidentiality laws protecting records of reading habits, believing, as a New York State legislator explained when that state passed its library confidentiality law in 1982, "[These] records must be protected from officials who might overreach their constitutional prerogatives. Without such protection, there would be a chilling effect on our library users as inquiring minds turn away from exploring varied avenues of thought because they fear the potentiality of others knowing their reading history."

Angela also brought up the fact that we, too, have a responsibility in areas of national security. If a request does not go through the proper channels and proper scrutinization, it will be thrown out in court as evidence not properly obtained.

Library Privacy Policies, best practices

"In a library (physical or virtual), the right to privacy is the right to open inquiry without having the subject of ones interest examined or scrutinized by others."

Policy should be written, not just assumed.

It should communicate committment to the public.

It should explain the usage, storage, and protection of user information.

It should explain all the instances in which lawful disclosure happens

Libraries should avoid creating and retaining records that are not necessary for business

Libraries should avoid procedures that place private information in public view (we had a discussion on self-serve holds quite simply being placed spine-down, or users having aliases, etc)

Policy should specifically address who is responsible for handling requests from law enforcement and spell out the limited authority of front-line staff.

For further reading, Angela recommends the book "Privacy in Context" by Nissenbaum. Check out privacyrevolution.org for resources for libraries to celebrate "Choose Privacy Week" ALA's Office of Intellectual Freedom is absolutely rich in legal and practical content. Readerprivacy.org is that consortium of booksellers, publishers, and libraries that have gotten together to protect reader privacy in all those contexts.

Future Leaders Views on Org Culture

2011-04-15T14:12:00.000-07:00

Future Leaders Views on Organizational Culture by Kristin Antelman and Krisselin Maloney. They presented their findings from a previous paper as well as codified findings from open-ended questions answered in the same base survey in a super-awesome prezi.

They've put the thing online, and frankly I think it speaks for itself. Check it out:

Future Leaders' Views of Organizational Culture: A Survey Report on Prezi

I would only add that these women really impressed me. I can't wait to see how UTSA libraries grow under Ms. Maloney's leadership.

Making the case for public libraries in the knowledge economy

2011-04-15T12:08:00.000-07:00

Dr. Suliman Hawamdeh presented "Making the case for public libraries in the knowledge economy". It's interesting to see an Academic's perspective on the place of the public library.

Dr. Hawamdeh presented the anecdotal stories that assert the impending doom of libraries alongside the real statistics that show the rise of public library usage over the last couple years. Public libraries are serving as bridges from the old to the new times.

The knowledge economy is a term that has grown around several emerging concepts: information and technology are driving growth, career advancement largely revolves around those things rather than seniority, the ability to create, access, and use technology has become fundamental to competition and survival, and intellect is the new capital. The infrastructure of this economy includes those public and private organizations whse role is the creation and dissemination of knowledge. Dr Hawamdeh asserts that public libraries need to both publicize their current place in that infrastructure and grow it. The capital of a community can be measured by the quality of the institutions that serve the educatational community.

Public libraries can become business centers whose ROI hnges on their dissemination of knowledge. The library is a knowledge centr whse success is tied to the succes of their economy.

Answers to the call: Public Libraries should become linchpins. They should start to create and share new knowledge and facilitate connections.

Raise the standard for customer service

2011-04-15T06:03:00.000-07:00

I've been impressed by Mark Willis before. I'm hoping to bring him to my library for some training. He's funny (very Alan Alda/Woody Allen humor), intelligent, and compassionate. He's an un-fussy speaker, choosing to show his typed up word-doc notes rather than making a fancy slideshow. It is all about human interaction isn't it?

Willis spoke a bit on surveying your public to find out what services they require. For instance, using phone surveys of non-patrons he found out that computer classes were available elsewhere in his community, but lots of the nonpatrons mentioned that they couldn't keep up with those, so his system started basic mouse and keyboarding classes.

Good policies are essential to good service, and knowing when and how to break those policies is also essential. He gave an example where in a large library, patrons couldn't use staff phones. One patron had his bike stolen at the library. Security sent him to the Circ desk, they sent him to the info desk, they sent him to the Reference desk, and so on to use a telephone. No one was willing to break policy, but shuffled him around to others who might. Their policy was inhibiting service. That doesn't necessitate changing policy, but perhaps just training folks on it being okay to break it in service to the public.
We need to empower folks to break the rules. Teach them how. The waitress in the link probably didn't even know how to put toast into the diners order system. Her attitude might just come from frustration at her own inability to help.

Ongoing training: A great tip he gave is that we should take a moment in each staff meeting to ask for and share customer service examples from each other. Recognize good service and continually bring it up.

Are staff too stressed to provide good service? Accommodate schedule requests as much as possible -- happy folks provide good service. $5 worth of donuts makes people smile. Willis' system has a weekly staff newsletter with lots of humor included.

Coming soon: Local Leadership Institutes

(mostly) DIY VR

2011-04-14T14:23:00.000-07:00

I have to stop and wonder, why are so many programs at ALA focused on DIY solutions? Is it the economic times? Is it the fact that vendors represent themselves well enough out on the floor? Do we feel we do a better job? Perhaps it's a combination of the above.

As far as VR (Virtual Reference not reality)is concerned, my experience is limited to QPoint and some DIY meebo experimentation on small-scale. May I make it clear now that I only speak for myself, not my system. I've never had any complaints about qpoint, but I'm naturally a curious person (um, hello check out the title of my blog here) so I wanted to see what others have played with. I noticed qpoint wasn't represented on an 8-person panel. I tweeted about it and got a nice email from oclc about where they're headed in the future. I look forward to playing with that and finding out more. How odd to be a tiny little librarian mentioning a curiosity and finding it fulfilled immediately. Twitter is crazy.

Now to review Virtual Reference: to consort or not?.

The 8 person panel format is a bit ridiculous to summarize here, but the systems represented included (and I'm linking to their VR spots) UNT, TWU, UTPA, Austin Community College, Paris Junior College, and UTSA.

A few libraries talked about their texting service, a few about their chat service. TWU spoke about the super-simple solution of text-to-email (oh... yeah... that would work, huh?). UTPA mentioned the reasons they chose Pidgin over other services and DIYs (their problems were familiar, but screenshots of their solutions looked complex as well -- I guess a complex problem probably necessitates a complex solution).

Panelists were great at sharing best pracs, but some were also surprisingly honest about failures as well. It was nice to see real monthly stats on the different services which ranged from fewer than one question per day to over 800 per month.

One person mentioned briefly that Seattle Public Library has pretty excellent traffic on their VR. I wonder why... Go check out their website and peform a nonsense search. Check it OUT! Virtual Reference when you run into a dead end search. Awesome.

That makes me realize that the things I consider obstacles (sometimes clunky backend apps) aren't the obstacles to use. Success is in how you use and where you put these tools.

I hope that the slides will be up for the session so that I can do a comparison of statistics from the various libraries (which were on the slides) and compare how they've used the VR inputs on their websites. The moderator asked how libraries publicised the service, but not how they used or distributed it.

Manning the service was discussed. Some places were in consortia locally, some nationally, some just manned it on-desk, some had it as an off-desk responsibility, some had assigned "virtual" librarians. All permutations were represented, and all seemed equally effective. How important is LIVE reference during times the library is closed? That's really the only consortial question to answer.

The session discussed questions that (despite the academic/public difference) were the same questions I've been curious about myself. I hope that I can go back and have some more conversations on this topic.

Coming soon: Improving workplace relationships?

Library ROI Studies

2011-04-13T07:35:00.000-07:00

"Is reference earning its keep?" presented by Keith Curry Lance was more of a session on the different ways to do a state-wide ROI study than a session on Reference's value. Thats not a critique at all (it was a thorough presetation and well-spoken), just a resatement of purpose. It didn't quite meet the title, and he prepared us for that. Lance reviewed the major key points of ROI surveys conducted by the states of FL, CO, SC, and briefly a few others (most well known to me, ME, was only touched upon).

It was left to each individual attendee to whittle these state-wide ROI studies into how to do a (comparatively) small scale Reference study. The speaker didn't cover it at all. I let him know in the intermission that (from the title) that's what I'd hoped to discuss, but it wasn't ever brought up.

So rather than just a summary of the class (which is what I usually do here), I'm going to attempt to translate the session into my own needs.

First to decide of course is 'who is the audience'? While Lance didn't even touch upon this point, it was definitely the elephant in the subtext 0f his criticisms of other ROIs. When he says that policymakers will probably toss away any ROI which values a circulating item in terms of its price on Amazon, what he doesn't mention is that this type of valuation could speak to members of the public. So, speaking to the audience becomes important. So to whittle that down to Reference, who is questioning the value of Reference? Is it the public? Our fellow Librarians? Trustees? The City/budget makers? I'd be interested in finding the real value to the public. While it may not translate into the language of budget, I think it will speak in terms 0f the popular debates.

Secondarily, one cannot ignore the very real need to assess the sustainability of public library Reference -- studying the real ROI, especially over time, may help determine where services are going (and dying). Investing in the areas of growth will ensure that Reference's ROI will speak to budget makers.

Now, what type of study to conduct? This was what the session was really about. Lance covered the two major types of studies conducted in the past: Contingent valuation (how much would it cost the public if the library didn't exist) and Market valuation (how much the library puts into the economy in terms of savings to the public and investment in the community). Lance clearly believes that Market valuation is the quick and dirty way to get an ROI done cheaply and quickly in times 0f great need, but that to get the real value that people place on the library a Contingency survey is needed.

I'd like to take his recommended methods and see what each might look like on the Reference scale. While he spoke about Market Valuation as if it were an easier method, in the instance of Reference (at most public libraries anyway), I think it's the opposite. Market valuation might look like "number of in-house uses" per "number of items" or per "cost per item". We could find cost (and here's where the elephant might come in) that a consumer might spend on commercial research services and compare the relatively small amount of money the City spends on Reference each year.
A couple of problems are encountered here:
1. We don't always provide answers, we provide reference. It's an important distinction if we are to compare Reference service to commercial research services ('Should we' would have been a different preconference altogether)
2. And I see this as a mainly-Public issue: Many of our users would not go to a commercial research service. They might head to the bookstore or call the University. Who knows what their question entailed -- they might head instead to a travel agency, a nurse, a tax professional, a psychologist... and you get it...

That leads nicely into why I agree with the speaker that contingent valuation probably illustrates our ROI best. In the complex world of library services, it's probably just best to ask the user himself where he'd be going instead. Some ROIs asked users about their time savings ("how long would it have taken you to find this on your own?"), their alternative-use or lost-use costs ("how much would this have cost you on your own"). These are the things I'd like to put in a Reference ROI.

Other ROI components: halo spending, how much money goes into the community because of the jobs created, and investment into local businesses may speak more to ROI of library systems or states. I'd like to ruminate on this and my other TLA classes for a little while before I create any actual next actions or lessons, so I'd like to give myself an assignment to make a summary post after ALA is over about the experience as a whole.

Coming soon: Virtual Reference: to consort or not?

TLA 2011

2011-03-29T15:47:00.000-07:00

TLA 2011 is Alpril 12 - 17. I've got my schedule all worked out already, with several time slots overfilled. Here are some of the sessions I'm most looking forward to: Is Reference Earning it's Keep? This appears to be geared toward University Reference departments, but the idea of making sure that your system and administrators know the value of the Reference department seems like a universal one. This is a pre-paid preconference, and I'm really looking forward to it. Virtual Reference: To Consort or not? Again, it seems to be geared to colleges, but I think I can gain some good pro/con perspectives to bring back. Consortium Virtual Reference is quite costly -- would it be worth it? Improving Workplace Relationships. I enjoy learning about team dynamics and ways to make teams work better. I'll soon be coming into a new team, so it's a good time for a refresher. Local Leadership Institutes. Many times, I've had a hand in organizing my system's Staff Development Day. I'm wondering if I can get some tips from here to really boost the quality of programming or change the nature of it. There's a lot more, and I plan on blogging the experience so stay tuned.

Notes: Managing with Little, Planning for More

2010-04-15T17:23:00.000-07:00

Dale McNeill, Director of Public Service at Queens Library really wowed me this morning. His speech was as much on advocacy during times of financial crisis as it was anything else.

The main points he wanted us to take away (which were peripheral to my experience of the talk)

1) Management is an art, not a science. He compared it to painting, where the mixing of colors or the making of brushes may be science, but the creation of a painting is art.
2) Management is a mix of relationships and storytelling.
3) And finally that it is all about tactics, not strategy. That is to say that it's a bunch of small battles, not a war.

He wants us to think of the message that we're giving to the public during times of constraint. If we reassure too much that service is unaffected by budget cuts, then they may not mind cutting our budget.

He stressed the importance of outreach to unexpected venues and gave an example of when he was in TelRef extending outreach to the Executive Secretaries Assn of Dallas, providing the services they said would be most valuable. These types of partnerships, in turn, may provide good support and advocacy to the library later on.

Ask the user groups -- what are the most essential things we do for you? What are the things we're not doing that we should? Give several examples of services and have your users prioritize them.

Know that elected officials are typically extroverted personalities, and when you speak to them, speak in terms of community-gathering rather than one-on-one services.

For when you must speak to data-types, find data that tell compelling stories. An example was the number of patent searchers at the library who went on to have their patent accepted.

Funders are sometimes competitive and use that for your advantage -- how much money would we need to have the same funding levels as Austin or Houston Public? Whoever your audience is competitive with.

Question the ethic of teaching self-service rather than serving. There may be times that providing service (rather than teaching self-service) may impact someone even more and they can become a library supporter.

Find the story that people think they know. For instance, do people think the library is only a place for homeless? Take control of your story.

Make a plan for what you would do if the budget were cut in half. Make a plan for what you would do if the budget were doubled. What are your bare essentials, and what are your dreams? The ideas that resonate here may be implementable even if the money isn't the same. Involve as much staff as possible in these exercises.

Outcomes best practice: Queens gives job searchers postcards that are pre-addressed and stamped and post-dated for 3 weeks after the visit. It just says that yes they got a job or no they didn't.

Lastly he gave some examples of creative budget cutting.

Inspiration to Learn

2009-09-13T06:32:00.001-07:00

A Teacher's Guide To Web 2.0 at School

View more documents from Sacha Chua.

It's NOT the internet

2009-07-27T06:11:00.000-07:00

"...it's a window on the world, closed to seniors: A Cost-Effective Model Program to Overcome the Digital Divide for Older Patrons"

Powerpoint Presentation(large file)

By "cost-effective model program", they actually meant "product", which is unfortunate. Still, I did learn some useful tips for helping seniors on the computer.

After a lengthy commercial from the creators of generationsonline.org, we heard from Lesley Williams Evanston from the Free Library of Philadelphia. She started a "Changing Lives Campaign" where she offered much-needed senior computer classes.

Started by finding out why Seniors use the internet:
-Health information
-Government Benefits (many times it's the only way to apply)
-Email to keep up with family
-Mental Stimulation
-They need to learn about Security online... they may fall for scams.

One of the things she learned is that in her area, senior centers were indeed offering computer classes, but they were only offering the classics: Word, Excel, etc. Which she had learned were not programs that really met the demands of what seniors were really doing online. This presented a gap in information access where she felt the library should step in.

The classes she offered:

-How to use a mouse: This was brilliant. It's a 90 minute class where they start out with a basic tutorial. At the end of the tutorial, there's a short list of games to play that help users practice their mouse skills -- how awesome!
Good tip: arthritis/poor dexterity may make it difficult for them to click. Tip: Guide them to hold the mouse with one hand and click with another. I used this tip yesterday to much success! This seemed novel and brilliant, and yet it's so simple. :)

Please check out that mouse tutorial. It's from Palm Beach County Library System, and it really is awesome. It's in both Spanish and English. Notice that you don't actually USE a mouse, until you've received instructions. Simple, yet brilliant.

-Email: Because in her research, she found that one of the top things seniors needed the internet for was to communicate with family, this became the next class.
-She introduces them to generationsonline.org's email system

-Intro to the Internet: pretty self-explanatory. I imagine she focuses on health information.

-Practice Times: She actually has time set aside in the weeks for seniors to go into the computer lab and just practice on the computer. Also: Simple and Brilliant.

She addressed the challenge of low-vision patrons and recommended some of the special needs software that we use on our special needs computers. She also recommended abledata.com as a resource for reviews on assistive technologies.

She was an excellent presenter, and I'm so glad I got to go to this session.

Overall Takeaways:
-lots of tips on helping seniors on the internet
-almost a pre-made curriculum for that first class

Next Actions:
-I really want to teach this first class here. I think it's non-redundant to the classes that DCI teaches at some libraries (apparently a prereq for any class we offer), and there would certainly be an audience if it were marketed correctly! I'm all booked up (and flowing over) until after the fall. I hope someone else at SAPL reads this and is inspired. Perhaps we could partner on it!???
-Check Libguides for a senior guide or for a computer basics guide. If there is one, perhaps we can throw a link to that mouse tutorial on there? I think it's great.
-Share abledata.com with the creators of the Special Needs libguide as well as with the committee for disability awareness month.

Toot your own horn

2009-07-25T10:09:00.000-07:00

This very different session was led by Donna Cardillo: nurse, motivational speaker, image consultant, writer, et al. (She's a tough broad that does it all; I liked her very much.)

Overall theme of her presentation was that you can be in control of how you and your place of employment and your industry are perceived. If you are, good things will come.

Example: She became sick of how nurses were portrayed, so she became an advocate of nursing in general by (at first) writing letters to the editor detailing all they really do.

Important ideas here:

-take compliments (not "not necessary, that's my job", but "thanks, I work hard")
-monitor the media (watch what papers, blogs, twitter, say about your workplace/profession)
-write letters to the editor (see example above)
- get training on how to handle the media (she acknowledged this may not be in your job description, but it's great for 'just in case' and resumes. After all, we do get asked on occasion if we'd like to be on Cover-to-Cover.)

Next she talked about the dreaded Networking.

I have to admit, I pulled a big "fail" on this at ALA this year. I'm shy, not painfully so, but generally stuck in my own brain thinking constantly. I just plain don't think to turn to the person next to me and introduce myself. The only person who bridged that gap for me at ALA was a library student... I'm not sure that qualifies as networking on my behalf, though it may on hers.

Anyway, here are the obvious and not-so-obvious tips on Networking, and it's SO WORTH IT to note that Networking isn't just personally beneficial. For instance, networking at neighborhood association or chamber of commerce meetings is good for the library as a whole! That really won me over, and I've been thinking about approaching my optional Neighborhood Association to become a member.

Tips:

-Get out there
-Stay in touch with the folks you meet (yes, I've done the emailing of an old boss 5 years post-employment when I hadn't spoken to them since... it's awkward, even if you know they loved you then)
-Get out in the community - not just in your own field, but out in your community events. Not even as outreach, just as a person/citizen who happens to work for the library. Interesting.

She then went on about handshaking. Apparently, it's a science. Though I am in a typically meek profession, I guess I encountered enough people growing up who shook hands, that I've got a fairly good handshake.

Some tips for those who may not (from the talk, as well as the article):

-start the handshake approach 3 ft away with thumbs up at waist height
-make your thumb-webs meet the other person's
-pump 1-2 times with direct eye contact and a smile (I did note that I fail at direct eye contact)
-give a proper shake even if you get a limp one in return
-Why? Shows respect and equality.

In speaking:

-Don't apologize, don't ever say you're nervous when speaking
-Don't introduce yourself first, grab their attention with a story or statistic, because if you lose them in the first minute, you can't regain them:
She gave the example of starting a speech with "What do you think is number one in a poll of people's greatest fear?" Everyone gets it right: Public Speaking. Death is number 3. Perhaps we should be grateful for which of those we're facing head on!
-She also recommended a formula for speaking: Point, Example, Story -- for every point you make. It makes it interesting and folks get more meat out of that than just point-point-point. I thought back, and I do think she followed that.
-She also recommended Q&A organically throughout your presentation. Why? Because as soon as you announce you're done, are there any questions -- 2/3 of the room will get up and leave. Excellent point! I noticed this a lot at ALA. I usually stay, especially if I dont' find the presentation relevant, because other folks will have good questions.

Overall Takeaways
-Lots of good tips. Made me want to be a tough broad, too.
-I really want to bookmark this to come back to her tips next time I give a presentation.

Next Actions:
-Follow up on joining my neighborhood association, for sure.
-See if there's a speaking or media class offered by the City or by WebJunction
-Browse her list of articles to see what else I might learn.

Someone else also blogged the presentation here.

With Respect and Dignity

2009-07-13T10:54:00.000-07:00

Serving the poor and homeless in the public library.

This presentation was an amalgam of tips for libraries that have a significant homeless population. It was not a recommended program or thing, but tips and tools that should help any program or thing.

Michael Santangelo is the chair on ALA's subcommittee on Library Services to the Poor and Homeless, as well as being a youth librarian in Brooklyn. His primary work with the homeless is doing outreach in shelters with kids.

OLOS, the larger umbrella beneath which this subcommittee operates, puts out toolkits for libraries. The toolkit for Services to Poor and Homeless should be coming out soon.

Getting Started with any service to Poor or Homeless:
-know your own local statistics, and know they may not be accurate
-know your own library policy, so that you can be sure to work within it or speak educatedly about it
-research other libraries' policies (as well as ALA's, TLA's, etc)
-discuss it with colleagues

Reference Collection (Michael called it "Preventative Librarianship")
-have sources handy: local social services (LibGuides!)
-have timely programming (job placement services in a down economy, etc)

Staff training:
-share what you/library are doing
-include them
-make sure everyone knows policies

Get your supervisors and administration on your side - know stats, est practices, relate what you want to do to the mission statement, have ALA docs, etc.
-Never call what you're doing "Charity" - It's our job to serve the information needs of our community. (I decided that needed emphasis.)

Sources for PR and Outreach
-Check out the National Assn of Street Papers (papers written by homeless/poor, for homeless/poor
-seek input from them
-conduct a needs assessment
-be part of the HUD count of homeless (offer to host them at the library)
-apply all behavioral policies across the board (ex: strong perfume is just as bad as B.O.)

Additional Material
-upcoming toolkit
-policy 61 from ALA
-TLA sources

Another speaker came to discuss the focus group of homeless folks she created at her library and the successes from it. That's pretty self-explanatory, and you can guess what they asked for: music performances, job training, more time on computers, ged classes, etc.

Part of the idea though, is what focus groups are about: including a group of customers in your decision making creates buy-in and a built-in audience as well as obviously getting you more informed.

Some Best Practices
- involve all staff
- involve customers, do your programs WITH patrons, not just FOR them.
- formalize what you do with budget and goals (this makes sense... this creates some buy-in and recognition from above)
- set achievable goals
- re-assess over and over again

Ruthie Maslin was the speaker, and she's got a wiki set up for her project.

Overall Takeaways:
- Preparation prior to need is key. This is also the best takeaway from the "When is Nice too Nice" session.
- I was hoping more for concrete tips on customer service to homeless, but am not disappointed in the least with what I got. Excellent presentation.

Next Actions
- I intend to share this with Reference as well as Outreach as a set of tips if anyone has any programs in mind.

When is Nice Too Nice?

2009-07-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

"Dealing with difficult people in the library"

Mark Willis was the main speaker, and he was excellent. As in previous sessions, the one who wrote the book on the subject proved to be best speaker. I attended hoping I'd get some resources or tips to bring back to reference... perhaps to go over briefly in our next meeting or informally in discussions.

One thing that really made this man a credible speaker about over-talkative patrons is the fact that he also helps out with a suicide prevention group -- he obviously cares for people and his tips reflect that. Anyone can hang up on someone or walk away rudely, but these are tips that hopefully keep that customer service atmosphere in place.

He separates talkative patrons into a couple groups and recommends progressive approach.

Patrons with no library issue at all:

Why they're a problem:
-they are probably interfering with your service to others, your work you'd be doing if they weren't there, or other patrons' enjoyment of the library.
-their presence may make others think you're busy, so you may not realize at all that your service is being impacted.

What you can do in the situation:
-basic "I've got to get back to work" - either point to your computer or to another desk or person
-stand up and move away -- even if your work doesn't require you to do so, it's a physical symbol of what you're saying verbally
-if they're following you, be sure to go somewhere where there is a physical barrier between you
-if they're speaking loudly, you speak quietly
-rescue yourself: 'pardon me, I need to call a customer back on a reference question', and go to another room

Preparation:
-have signals or phrases so others will know you need rescuing
-rescue others! even other patrons... just walk over and ask the trapped patron if they needed any help finding a book
-have knowledge of social services ready, because many times that's what they're going on about. "This is beyond a library issue, but I know that ___ may be able to help you".
-setting limits on social interactions is okay, especially if it's a patron you feel for. "Sir, we can talk just a couple minutes, but then I've got to get back to my work"

Approach an over-talkative patron with a guilt trip if you have to: "Sir, we aren't allowed to have personal conversations, I could get in trouble. Did you need help finding a book?"

Patrons with library issues:

Can still be a problem:
-too many details may make it hard to get to the point
-they don't allow you to disengage when the transaction is done

What you can do:
-ask closed questions
-when they go off on a tangent, bring it back - "Remind me again..."
-again, have other numbers handy if they need a referral
-if you aren't able to disengage, walk them to the book/elevator/whatever is the next part of their transaction.
-don't space out while they talk, engage them and get the conversation done. They may think you're merely listening intently if you're spaced out

Preparation
-practice 'gentle interruption' "I just need one more piece of info"

Patrons who focus too much on one person:

Why it's a problem:
-same reasons as above

What you can do:
-again "I'd be happy to answer reference questions, but we aren't allowed to have personal conversations"
-refer them to someone who specializes (even if they don't) in that subject area
-be prepared!

Preparation
-these are definitely the kinds of patrons we have to prepare for
-staff who are too empathetic definitely need this type of training

Overall Takeaways:
Lots of good tips.

Next Actions:
Share these with staff informally or in the next set of reference meetings

Cultivating a Culture of Learning

2009-07-12T04:58:00.001-07:00

Between this class and the previous one I blogged, I also attended "Safety and Security Practices in your library" - I wasn't incredibly impressed, so I'll just include any significant notes from that session in with others if appropriate.

Back to this class. I attended "Cultivating a culture of learning in your library" primarily because it is led by Lori Reed. Yep, that Lori Reed. It's also co-led by Pat Carterette of the Georgia Public Library System (state). I may not have heard her name before, but she had lots of good meat to add.

Overarching Theme:
The overarching theme, if you've done a 23 Things Program you already know, was that training doesn't necessarily promote learning, but that play and self-motivation definitely do promote learning. With that in mind, they acknowledged that you can't force folks to learn, but you can cultivate a culture where it's encouraged.

Happily, the presenters worked together to show one slide show.

ALA 2009 Creating a Culture of Learning

View more presentations from Lori Reed.

Some key notes:

When presenting a formal training, the burden is on the trainer. When learning is encouraged, the burden is on the learner and can be done anytime, anywhere, etc.

Some psychological tips for creating this culture of learning are great:
1. Don't say 'mandatory' - 'expected' says the same thing in a slightly less ram-it-down-your-throat way.
2. Trainers aren't order-takers. My interpretation of this is: when someone says 'we need more training on Excel classes' - use your librarian powers to refer them to sources where they can learn on their own. "I'm so glad that Excel skills are important at your branch - here are several places where you guys can go to learn on your own schedules. I know it's difficult to get away -- hopefully this helps!" (Didi wistfully glances at the "Download Digital Media Guided Tour" video)
3. Trainers aren't order-takers. Another interpretation: Lori gave an example of a branch that asked for circulation training because of a high claims-returned rate. Turned out their desk space was organized in such a way that she observed them hunting around for places to books in the check-in-check-out process. She reorganized their routines, and problem made-better. (Her words: Learning is not a way to address poor processes, software, unclear expectations, or bad management).
4. Push the library mission and make sure that learning and staff development are a part of it.
5. Have some off-desk time actually labelled "Learning and Development" time.
6. Have some staff volunteer as mentors. Teaching is a good way to learn :)
7. "Scholarships" or "Internships" where folks trade off jobs for a month or two at a time. I know that branch and Central people would benefit from trading, but also branch to branch or dept to dept.

Some other cool stuff:
I would like to take some time to check out http://alalearning.org/
Webjunction.org just came out with competencies. Cool, because I'm sure they tie it back to their coursework. Self-serving? Yes. Helpful? Still yes. :)

Overall Takeaways:
I'm taking away some real tips for ways to talk about training with folks. Lori's training vocabulary is one that promotes the willingness to do it yourself.

Next Actions:
I'd also like to read "Informal Learning" by Jay Cross.

Also, I know we're mulling over webjunction, so I'd like to go over that site with more of a fine-toothed comb than I have before. Pat Carterette mentioned that Georgia has a state-wide account with webjunction and that staff have responded very well.

I'm a leader, I'm a follower

2009-07-11T14:53:00.000-07:00

"Managing from the middle of the organization"
I attended this class, because while my current position doesn't have direct supervisory duties, I've had them in the past and I will have them in the future. I'm not expected to supervise, but I am expected to lead... so I was looking for tips here.

Overarching Theme:
I think it might have been "we know it sucks, here are some tips".

The reason I think that's the theme, is because the "research findings" of the first guy (John Cawthorne, I believe, he wasn't listed so I'm no sure) can basically be summed up thusly: "It stinks to be a middle manager - you're expected to communicate with those under you, but you won't get communication with those above (or far above) you." I think he was preaching to the choir, and he was a bit over-academic.

The next speaker tied into the "... here are some tips".

Side Note: why have we gone from expert speakers to pseudo-expert panels? The second speaker Joan Gieseke has written a book on this subject and spoke very well, but had to be incredibly brief. That stinks. I'd have preferred to have an entire session with her.

Joan Gieseke wrote Practical Strategies for Library Managers (added to cart)
These notes may be lengthy, so I'll break it up with a picture.

Her presentation was subtitled "Working Leaders: Herding Cats"

It's important to learn to manage in the middle, because while someone might join an organization because they like the place, job, whatever -- most people leave because of their immediate supervisor.

What do we need to know to succeed? – understand vision, mission, how unit fits, explain both, develop climate of trust, create climate of optimism (!), bias towards action – make things happen and get things done.

Here was something new to me: You cannot ignore the personal and inter-personal dramas of the people of the job, because the job isn't there without the people. And in thinking of the great bosses I've had (current included), they care about the lives of the folks under them. It's not in my personality to get interested in drama, but it should be in my skill-set to learn to listen and respond. That's interesting.

I liked her thought that we're not in the business of transactional management (that is do this - get paid).

Also, avoid unit isolation - if your unit is integrated into the organization and you into the management team, then you'll be brought in on decisions. YES! That makes sense. Doesn't apply to me directly, but it will come home with my brain.

The last speaker spoke mostly about shifting attitude from micro-management to 'helpfulness', but she had a cool illustration. (Tip to presenters: slides are dorky, but they can be seen by 400 people at once, a white board cannot).

A career starts as a single line. In her case, shelver, then moves to circ, paraprofessional, librarian, etc. All those folks deal with one basic skill set: library public service. However, when you enter the management mix, you've got one foot onto a tangential line. No matter how acute that angle is, eventually, the distance between the two will be so great that you can no longer keep one foot on the library public service skill set.

She intended this as a speech to folks who have trouble micro-managing, but for me it was more an empathetic moment for those administrators that we may see as disconnected from public service.

Eventually, we'll all become politicians, that's the end of that tangential line. Somehow they made it sound NOT like a horror story.

Overall Takeaways:

-This one had more personal takeaways than professional ones.

Next Actions

-I'd like to read Joan's book. It's in my cart at Amazon, but I may see if AALS is interested in buying it for professional development also. I'll ask.

Preconference Building Communities through Innovative Applications of Technology

2009-07-11T07:52:00.000-07:00

Thoughts and takeaways from PLA's Preconference.

Overarching Theme:
Libraries are dedicated to providing access to information, and libraries are a vital part of their communities.
Information is moving in mass quantities online, and communities are forming and interacting online.
Then libraries need to be engaging in information and communities online.

With that thought in mind, Aaron Schmidt (DCPublic) moderated a panel of folks who've used different technologies to engage different communities online.

Melissa Kiser, from Allen County Public Library (http://twitter.com/mekiser) uses videos posted on the library's website to promote what's going on in the library. She goes out into the community to see the events, films there. (see it here: http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/)
Here are my thoughts:
- Practical advice to do on the lower echelons, regardless of resisitance.
Well, that's not really true -- putting something on the front page of the library's website would encounter a lot more political resistance in our organization. However, the intention behind the idea could still be enacted. Make a sample or two and show it around to staff, PR?, see what they think.
- Need a "personality" (not me)
– this could be an entire class... really enjoyed it, and am interested to see if presenter goes back and performs some evaluation
- john blyberg interjected the audience's insistence on statistics with the opinion that so many things online are viral -- once a few local figures talk about it, or share it, it could explode. Or not, only time will tell... 6 months is not a test.
– it did achieve that hope, that “I could do this” feeling in me. I knew that this particular preconference wouldn't be one of those that I go home and immediately enact -- I was looking for ideas, inspiration, some story of folks who are doing something cool. Got it with this one.

John Blyberg - alright, I admit that his name was one of the factors of my choosing this preconference. SOPAC is pretty cool stuff, and I wanted to see how it worked. Totally got that.
- I knew that I wouldnt' be able to do a single thing about the neato stuff he showed us. At least not now, but I can understand and know a bit about the direction library websites are hopefully going. (http://www.aadl.org/cat/seek/search/X?dogs&searchscope=24&m=&SORT=D&topformsub=1 )

Meg Canada (http://www.slideshare.net/megcanada/social-networking-and-libraries-1704727)
Spoke mainly about the importance of libraries being online and having a consistent presence and voice.
a. Friends of Library Website -- um, OMG! how cool is this idea? They've got a Friends group for their website. Happened to be sitting next to Rolf and both our ears perked up.
b. Again, did achieve that hope, and a bit of that “I could do this” feeling
c. And then, I just about stopped listening: 5 full-time senior librarians who manage their web presence?!!?!? I about fell out of my seat. They also have underlings to help... so a full staff of folks who just do online stuff (rather than an overworked few). Oy vey.

Sandy Farmer - interesting, but didn't have much to say to me. I have a feeling she's used to seeing that "this lady is nuts" look on others' faces, but she feels strongly about what she does. I can respect that, and I'm glad that the Youth Services world has a lot of folks like that in it.

Aaron Schmidt
a. AI icebreaker – think of positive things library is doing and focus on those instead of on the things you aren’t or can’t do. -- Exercise just made me sad, because most of the things people were excited that they were doing were things we could never implement.

Overall takeaways:
- One “voice” online… maintainable
- Be in the community, whatever that means to your community
- I thought Melissa Kiser, while probably the most novice presenter there, was the most applicable and inspiring. The idea is simple -- that's what makes it good.

Next Actions:
- I think I'd like to tell some specific folks about Melissa Kiser's ideas and spread around links to some random folks about Meg Canada's. Thanks!

Making ALA Home

2009-07-09T14:45:00.001-07:00

I have arrived in Chicago for ALA09. Upon the recommendation of a coworker, I brought with me "The Devil in the White City" - a true crime novel (by call number at least) that weaves together the stories of the architects of the Worlds Fair in Chicago with the story of a serial killer who made it his playground. The author writes this historical novel like it were a gripping piece of noir mystery. I am his blank slate - I know nothing of the world's fair, the architecture of Chicago, or this particular serial killer. I find myself learning fascinating pieces of Chicago's history, architectural techniques, politics of the day, and how to swindle a doting uncle-in-law out of his money (but fail, in the end, to kill him). How fun to be reading this book and allowing it to color my experience of the Windy City (curious how it got that name?)! Are all true crime novels this fun? I may have to withdraw my so-far-unflinching commitment to the fictional world. Granted, I haven't really gotten to the crime parts yet - don't hold me to all this.

Previously, I've written here about my commitment to making ALA relevant for me (both in my present and future) as well as my yearning to be able to share it back home. With that purpose in mind, I took a very long time to ponder over course lists and make selections with that balance in mind. I've shared it with a few coworkers, but I don't think I'm going to post my schedule ahead of time on the World Wide Web - perhaps it's unwise :).

The method of sharing my experience is going to be two-fold at the very least. I've thought quite a bit about this, and I've decided that blogging is the way to go. Incredibly unoriginal, I know, but it has its perks.

While I'm not a particularly verbose person, I find too much of a relevant course worth sharing to do so on Twitter. I attempted this with a webinar once, and immediately felt incredibly sorry for anyone following me on twitter. In fact, I gave up halfway through. If I were following me, I'd have hit the "stop following" button after about 5 minutes.

I thought about inviting all my fellow coworkers to create a living wiki where we chronicle SAPL's ALA experience, but that would be imposing my own method on others. Besides, I tested the waters with some folks and no one bit (nice mixed metaphor, right?).

In the end, I already have a blog where I post a variety of un-related gobbeldy-gook already - what's a week of class notes? I know that, because of the 23 Things, anyone interested in hearing about ALA is probably already following my blog. If not, they know how to find it or someone who does.

So here I am, at the headquarters hotel on Day 1. I have my badge so that I can blend in with all the other librarians, and I'm contemplating what to do with my evening. I'd hoped to attend "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me", but they sold out before I decided to bite the bullet and buy the ticket. Off to browse some maps and perhaps speak to a concierge... or perhaps I'll just walk up and down the streets till I see an inviting pizza place and come back to do a few miles at the gym. I won't bore you with those inane details. We'll speak again tomorrow when I have some meat to add.

(And BTW - for these rates, wi-fi should really be included in the price! $14.99/day extra is just outrageous!)

Bringing ALA Home, part dos

2009-06-22T10:27:00.001-07:00

I'm one of the lucky few in my library organization chosen to go forth, be conquered by Chicago, and come back humbled this July. In this series of posts I'm intending to brainstorm a strategy wherein I can make the most of my time there and make sure I do it in a way that I can share something applicable when I come home.

In Part Uno I attempted to brainstorm a purpose for my trip. It's hard to sum up, but I guess I'm looking to grow a bit myself, find contacts/ideas to grow my open projects, and find inspiration and hope to share with my bedraggled colleagues back home. I'd like to share all this in some way, though, with those not lucky enough to head to ALA themselves this year.

Vision
At ALA, I see myself taking vicious notes (I do love taking notes) in classes that I find practical, interesting, and inspiring. (Can something be both practical and inspiring?) I hope that I can blog, wiki, or otherwise share this information for those not in attendance. We'll decide that later.

I hope that at the end of each day (or at least a couple days) I can get together with colleagues to hash out what we learned. It's in sharing, I think, that we find out how much of what's in our head is actually real. Plus, if three of us attend five classes each and share the lessons with each other... that's like learning from fifteen classes. I think that's one of the basic ideas of sending people out to conferences. I'm tempted to be shy and just tag along with people I know, but that doesn't match with my purpose (see, there is a point to all this.).

When I come back from ALA, I'd like to spend some time reviewing my notes by myself, then sharing what I learned in-person with leaders in the system to get their input. I want to have ideas to share that impact all the projects in whose pies I have fingers, and I want to have ideas for streamlining or making other things more efficient or effective. I want to have stories about how so-and-so does such-and-such and isn't that cool? That's all a bit high-falutin, but that's how a vision is supposed to be. If all goes well, that's what it'll look like, right?

I wake up in the middle of the night envisioning that every class I attend is wrong. I walk into one that turns out to be invitation-only, then the next class is intended for higher-level administrators, still another turns out to be cancelled, the next is really just for children's librarians, then the entire conference goes by and I've not attended a single applicable class. I leave knowing I've wasted time and money. That's pretty close to how TLA went for me the one time I went. The fault may lie, in part, with TLA not having designed their conference well enough for adult services public librarians, but it surely lies in part with my own poor planning. I could have known some of those things ahead of time. My vision for that conference was that around every corner I turned I would find something magical and wonderful.... that's a bit like "googling" a reference question, right? Thank goodness I have better planning tools (better than none) at my disposal.

Plan
I've been slowly working my way through the preliminary program and the myriad of brochures I've been getting in the mail. Some hours, as you'd expect, I've got five things circled, and a very few have none. Originally I started a wiki for myself to sort through these things and create some sort of semblance of order, but pen and paper won out as the most efficient means of self-communication here.

Having my purpose and vision roughly penned should create a filter through which I can make the tough decisions about which classes to attend and which not to attend. After all, didn't Clay Shirky teach us that information overload is really only filter failure? The purpose and vision of my trip/meeting/project/etc is the filter through which I make my planning decisions. That, and the nice conference tracks put together by ALA. :)

So my vision is envisioned and my plan is being enacted. Next, to figure out a good way to share the conference with non-attendees.

Bringing ALA Home, or how to inspire from 1200 miles away. Part Uno.

2009-06-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

The burden of responsibility is great for those of us who have been blessed amid budget cuts and massive staff shortages to be sent to the grandfather of all Staff Development Days (er, week?). Our leadership has entrusted a select few with going out and learning what America's library leaders have to offer us... and bringing it home.

I have been blessed with this responsibility on a smaller scale before. Three years ago I attended our state library conference. At the time I was a workaday adult services branch librarian with very little city-wide responsibility. I jumped at every opportunity to help out on committees and with events, but staff shortages at (what was then) the busiest library in town made these opportunities few and small-scale. TLA had little practical advice to offer an adult services librarian who is mainly tied to the desk for 40 hours a week. I was inspired by administrative transparency, intrigued by gaming, and awed at Kinky Friedman's gall (or perhaps it was the gall of the hundreds of shrieking school librarians that awed me. He was up for the office of Governor and campaigning on massive raises to teachers.). Still, none of that came home with me. What does it help to teach me about administrative transparency when I can't get 10 minutes away from the check-in desk in order to help all our volunteers shelve? Surely the lessons learned will have farther reaching fingers into my future, but I came home wishing I were in a place to enact even a tiny bit of what I'd learned and wishing I'd learned anything I could share with my fellow bedraggled comrades.

This time around, I am a bit more involved in my library system. I find that inspiration is only mere steps away every day, and I've got my brain and hands involved in many different city-wide projects. I want to bring home information, inspiration, and contacts to help with several open projects: Disability Awareness programming, Staff Development Day, Roving Reference, staff and public downloadables training, and some of the back-burner ideas that have been simmering: before and beyond the 23 things, effective communication strategies, and so much more.

I understand the City has asked the Library to propose a 10% budget cut, and who knows what that will look like? My fingers aren't in any pies that would show me that future. All I know is that I'm still approved for travel to ALA in about 2 weeks, and the burden to bring home practical applicable ideas is great. I need a strategy to make sure that I make the most of my opportunities there.

Having just finished David Allen's Getting Things Done, I'm going to attempt to implement a strategy. I need a stated purpose, a vision of the outcome, a plan for each day, a proven method for making sure all this happens, and the real crux of this brainstorming-on-a-blog-post: a way to share it. In this post, I'm going to limit myself to purpose.

Purpose
I think the main purpose my organization sends their individuals out for conferences is personal professional development. It may not make sense to an individual (and certainly wouldn't to the "Troubleshooters". I can see it: "Your tax dollars sending lowly librarians to party on the town in Chicago. Tonight at 10!"), but my library organization has a clear history of investing in growing their own. The grants they issue to library school students, and tuition reimbursement to employees at all levels spell out quite clearly that they understand investing in the professional development of an individual makes them more likely to stay and spread the seeds of their learning into the organization. With this knowledge in mind, I fully intend to allow myself an elective or two that don't necessarily apply to what I'm doing now. I hope that some day I am in a higher position of leadership in my (or another) organization, and there is no telling what I'll learn today that might help me tomorrow. Still, this probably means that attending Michael Stephens' talk on transparency is out: he'd be preaching to the choir, and I'd really only be attending in order to be next to the second-most famous librarian on the web.

That being said, I do have a responsibility to try and learn something applicable. We're budget- and personnel-strapped, and a select few of us are still getting the chance to travel for a conference! Can you imagine? Isn't that one of the first things to go in a budget cut? We do have a responsibility to our organization and fellow-employees to learn something practical and applicable. I've been asked to keep an eye out for specific contacts for local staff training and to keep my ears open for ideas for the same. I would like to learn more effective and efficient strategies for project planning, small group communication, and marketing our downloadables.

Perhaps most importantly, I want to be inspired and share that inspiration with my fellow employees. I want to hear a story of hope -- how some City library somewhere has overcome massive budget cuts and kept their mission intact. I'm not sure if "How public librarians can survive City budget cuts and keep their sanity" is an offered program. I hope so. I doubt it. I think the way you get your inspiration is by talking to those folks sitting next to you and sharing your stories with each other. With that in mind, I need to commit to the scariest part of a conference: networking. (Shiver). Okay, let's call it something less scary: talking to folks around you. (Shiver). Being open to the talkative people already around you? Okay, no shiver. I think I can do this thing.

Part dos, to come, I hope to talk a bit about my vision for the conference and how I hope to share it at home.

Check this out!

2009-03-02T16:41:00.001-08:00

Roy Tanck's Flickr Widget requires Flash Player 9 or better.

Get this widget at roytanck.com

2009-01-29T06:45:00.001-08:00

Beautiful image, right? Found this to use while showing a coworker how to tell what images on Flickr you can embed and how.

GTD: Getting Things Done

2009-01-13T07:20:00.000-08:00

One of the more enjoyable things in life is efficiency, at least for us rationals. Lately, I've come to realize that my Google Reader account is taking over way too large a part of my life and even my workday. When I come back from a weekend off of work, my unread posts number well over 400. There's a weird part of me that doesn't allow myself to simply "Mark all read", because at some point I decided that these things were relevant and valid to my day. Some of them are merely funny, and dogonnit I deserve to giggle at some point during the day. However, alas, all good things must come to an end. Here, then, is the list of RSS feeds that I have chosen to cull. Goodbye my feeds, it was fun while it lasted.

icanhascheezburger.com: Lolz, I will miss you dearly. You know this. Our time spent together was full of embarassing public guffaws and snorting laughter, but your numbers are just too many for me. Don't be sad, though, the app you've placed in the iPod Touch app store will ensure that we do not completely break off our relationship. I'll be sure to touch upon your icon when I need a pickmeup.

ttw: Michael Stephens, you know I love the beard and long hair. However, I'm going to have to say 'goodbye'. Your penchant for merely copying-and-pasting-then-italicizing other people's blog posts has gotten on my nerves for the last time. Please, though, don't cut your hair in sorrow. It works for you.

Reader's Advisor Online Blog: well, I never really read you in the first place, now did I? The chemistry just wasn't there from the start. I'm sorry. Keep in touch.

10,000 Birds: You're an awesome blog, but I just look at the pictures. You're taking up space in my brain. Good pics, though. Keep it up.

Crave: the gadget blog: This is by far the hardest to do. I decided I had to choose between Lifehacker and Crave. They do similar things (keep me up on the Technology front), but they both can number over 100 posts per day. What pushed me over the edge? Lifehacker, bless their soul, allows you to choose which feeds you get. CNet: You'll still be my go-to place for gadget reviews. Thanks.

Reading Challenge 2009

2008-12-29T14:35:00.001-08:00

Those wacky children's librarians have issued a reading challenge: 9 in 9 in 2009. Wow, that's 81 books! Sure, easy for a children's librarian. Not so easy with adult novels. So I'm going to go with 2 in 9 for 2009: 2 books in each of 9 categories. That leaves room for the fluff I normally like to read in between :). I had an idea to not pick the books myself, but have friends who read in those categories pick them for me. In fact, I think the categories I pick will be inspired by friends' reading habits that I haven't tried yet. I'll fill them in once I get the recommendations.

If you're looking for recommendations from me. I'll suggest some contemporary urban fantasy series... that's the genre I've been reading way too much of lately. The most overall enjoyable series I've found is Women of the Otherworld, so read the first: Bitten. The benchmark series in this genre is probably Anita Blake, but I just can't stand her last several books, so I'm instead going to recommend a mystery blender: Dresden Files. The recent graphic novel adaptation, Welcome to the Jungle, is a really cool introduction to the series (it is set before the books), so start with it for something totally different.

Without delay, here is my own individual Reading Challenge for 2009:

1. Guy Lit. Don't deny it guys... you've got your own version of Chick Lit. I decided to go with my friend Ward on this one, though I just asked for any recommendation. I knew it'd be Dude-like in nature, whatever it was.

His first recommendation was Black Echo by Michael Connelly. I've already started it. Yep, total Guy Lit. This is even more guy-ish than Spenser! That's saying something.
He also recommended Jeffrey Deaver (and has several times). ~~Since I've seen the movie Bone Collector several times, I think I'll start with Coffin Dancer~~. Ward says I have to start with Bone Collector.

2. Disease Non-Fiction. My friend Numinous is an expert on all things plague, so maybe she can suggest a couple good ones for me. She has corrected me, that it should be called "Medical Narrative". Right. ;)

3. Russian Fiction. I've been intrigued by my co-worker Christina's passion when talking about Russian literature. I've been slowly making my way through Anna Karenina, and maybe she can suggest something else.

4. Royals: Biographies or Historical Fiction. My friend Lissa, a history buff, loves to read about scandalous royals. Let's see what she recommends.

Q ueen of Scots by J.A. Guy. This is a non-fiction book about Mary that she recommends reading before diving into...
The Other Queen by Phillipa Gregory

5. Action-Adventure Fiction. My dad is the authority on this one.

6. Fantasy. I have a few coworkers who I think may be able to recommend some fantasy. I'll wait to see if they're willing before I print their names. :)

7. Horror. Jody's already given me several recommendations that I haven't taken. :) Sorry! I'll do this year!

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill.
~~Anno-Dracula by Kim Newman~~ (he changed his recommendation)
The Ruins by Scott Smith

8. Short Stories. As an author himself, I asked Lyle for some recommendations. It's not cheating -- I really haven't ever liked short stories, so this is giving it a another shot. He recommended three to me, and since they're shorts, I'm going to get all three.

"A Pedestrian Accident" in Pricksongs & Descants by Robert Coover.
"Tales of the Swedish Army," which you can find in Flying to America: 45 More Stories by Donald Barthelme
"Mistral" by Raoul Whitfield in Hardboiled: an Anthology of American Crime Stories.

9. Notable Books. Yep, sadly, I'd only read one of the 100 NYTimes Notable Books for 2008. So, I'm going to pick two from that list.

Lazarus Project has caught my eye every time I've read over that list. I don't know why, but I'd like to give it a shot.
Descartes' Bones - I've actually even checked this out twice and not started it. I think it's time. Descartes is one of my favorite philosophers and mathematicians.

So there it is. This is SO not to say that I'm not going to be reading some fluff this year, in fact that's why I'm doing 2 in 9 instead of 9 in 9. Wish me luck!

Tasty and Delicious

2008-12-16T11:26:00.000-08:00

When I first explored del.icio.us, I did so with the idea that it could keep track of *my* bookmarks. Since I am a heavy Google user, I actually already keep track of my bookmarks on Google Bookmarks. They're available on my Google toolbar (which is on many of Central's reference computers) and on my iGoogle homepage (though annoyingly it will only show intranet/Sharepoint sites on the toolbar).

Checking it out with that intention really didn't give it a ghost of a chance. I already meet that need with Google.

It wasn't until the 23 Things that I realized that the true power of delicious lies in the social networking aspect. You can search for anything there and find out the answering site that the most people find helpful. Likewise, you can share your bookmarks with others.

One of the other 23 Thingers had the idea to use either rollyo or delicious to create a Central Reference bank of sites that branches could use. While we're not any smarter than branch librarians, we do tend to get higher density of more intense reference queries... so it makes sense that we might amass bookmarks that they'd find helpful. That's really a great idea... I'm going to put that one in my pocket for a free-day's idea to explore.

Roll THIS

2008-12-15T14:10:00.000-08:00

Search my Rollyo for Lolz on any topic.

Lolz are like regular pictures... only funnier.

23 Things Catching up

2008-12-14T13:10:00.000-08:00

So if you're following my blog, you probably know about the 23 Things... you're probably doing it yourself. Well, you should practice what you preach, so I'm going to catch up myself on the 23 Things.

You can see I'm a whiz already with Flickr, and I created the image generated from myposhtwin.com for the all-staff email (here it is from my Flickr account, killing three lessons with one stone):The next lesson asked us to post on anything Technology related. Well, frankly, everything I post is technology related, so there! Another Thing done. :)

My Google Reader account is always up on my computer. I use it to follow Library Journal's blogs, the other 23 Thingers, Lifehacker, icanhascheezburger.com (we always need a laugh!), and various other professional, technological, and funny blogs. I even read Anna Karenina on my Google Reader every morning via dailylit.com. I'm on part 338 out of 430. Nearly done!

Did you know Google Reader will automatically translate posts into English if they're in another language? I found a Swedish knitting blog I really enjoy, and Google Reader translates it into (albeit choppy) English. The author translates some of what she writes into English, but not all. This way I get it all.

I also get Wowbrary RS S on there to keep up with all the new books/dvds/audios at SAPL.

Next up came Goodreads, and you can see by the widget on the right of my blog that I've got Goodreads down pat. Check it out, make me your friend on Goodreads so we can get updates on what each other is reading and reviewing. If you're my friend on Goodreads: write reviews! I love reading reviews. :)

I'm going to leave off there for now. I'll pick up at Rollyo next time... and I may not even do that. That might fall under the category of one of the "Things" I don't like. I'll give it another shot and get back to you.

In the mean time, since I'd talked about my 5k before, I'll leave you with a pic of me at the finish line. Proof positive that anyone can do anything if they just try:

How I'm feeling today

2008-11-06T11:44:00.001-08:00

Yesterday's 5k class was tough. We did a 1-mile time trial, short rest, then 800-800-400-400. For serious runners, that's probably nothing, but for me: tough. OwlandEeyore asked for pics on how we're all feeling today, so here's me:

Really gross note: Don't search flickr for the word "sore". You won't believe the pics people put up there! Uch!

5k5k Challenge

2008-10-30T15:39:00.001-07:00

I like this idea. A personal challenge (or New Year's Resolution?) to complete a 5k race and save $5000 (or pay off, if that's what you need). I originally found this via my Lifehacker RSS feed, and they have their own social network at http://www.my5k5k.com/.

Despite its awesome 2.0 presence, I think this is the kind of thing that should be done in local groups. Three of us on the 23 Things at SAPL are doing a 5k class right now. I think we should extend this and start a 5k5k group after New Years! What do you say fellow SAPL Runners? Wanna do it? We could continue our running and maybe find someone to do a finance workshop for us. I know that there are plenty of them around.

Memes: Tag, you're it!

2008-10-27T12:28:00.000-07:00

With my post on lolcatz, you got a little introduction to memes. Here's a neat one I saw today on one of my favorite blogs, http://4obsessions.blogspot.com. The blogger there talks about food, books, and even knitting: I think we're soulmates (yeah, like there aren't any other knitting librarians who love to eat...)

She was tagged for this meme, and as an example in internet culture, I'll follow along. The meme is just to list 7 random food facts about yourself. I LOVE talking about food, so here goes. Oh, and Bibliosopher: You are SO tagged!!

1. I have a happy-gasm over just the simple thought of a strong red wine paired with a good stinky bleu cheese (with some Triscuits). My new favorite cheese is the Smokey Blue from Oregon. I do indulge in this pairing probably a bit too often.

2. In fact, my most dopamine-inducing foods are all cheese-based. A baked brie, a grilled cheese sandwich, just a baguette and a bit of brie, feta thrown on a salad (or anything else really), I could go on and on.

3. I love breakfast! I could eat cereal, coffee, waffles, biscuits and gravy, and all the other breakfast yummies all day long.

4. I'm pretty good at not glutting myself on anything, but Cheez-its, although I don't consider them to be just fantastically good, are very difficult for me to put down.

5. I like to mix my peanut butter and jelly all up together into a homogenous mixture. I got this from my brother (pictured left with me circa 1985). I have no clue whether or not he's grown out of this yet.

6. R & J at Central are my new food-gods for introducing me to the combination of ginger and chocolate (yummy cookies they made for a pot luck once). That combo is sold in bar form at Central Market marketed as an aphrodisiac. I was barely able to control myself while eating it at work, but I've managed to reminisce often and happily.

7. I hate recipes. This is probably a confession that extends to other aspects of my life as well. I don't toss them out or anything - in fact, I keep them and refer to them, but I rarely measure exactly. When making a meatloaf, instead of looking up a recipe online or finding my notecard, I'd rather call my mom. Mmm... meatloaf.... See ya!

My letters

2008-10-27T07:48:00.001-07:00

My (not so secret) guilty pleasure

2008-10-25T12:49:00.001-07:00

Alright, I'm not a crazy cat lady, but my (not so) secret guilty pleasure is looking at funny pictures of cats. I'm sorry, but whose day isn't brightened by this? I callz them lolcats.

In fact, there are a few things that I (as a lol-aficionado) can tell you so that you can more aptly appreciate this growing field.

Lolcatz have their own language: lolspeak. It's like English, only spelled different. It takes some getting used to at first, but the knowledge is rewarding. Trust me.

Ceiling Cat is God of the Lolcatz world. Typically this a nice-looking white cat with your best interests at heart.

Basement Cat is the evil counterpart to Ceiling Cat. Basement cat is typically dark-furred with the glowing cat eyes.

Of course, lolcatz are not limited to cats. A whole theme has revolved around walruses and sealions as well. Sealions and walruses, it turns out, do not take kindly to the loss of their buckets of food. They are constantly on the lookout. There are even 'lolz' for dogs (who knows why...), mice, and even squids. Yep, squids.

So when you're feeling sad and lonely, here's a website your computer can render, lolz are the ones who love you only, they can even be in blenders...

Lolcatz... baby they're great, you know:
Lolcatz... don't be afraid to just:
Click here... you know that you want to...

**Warning: Lolz are quite addictive and may affect your inter-personal relationships.

Flickr

2008-10-25T11:34:00.001-07:00

Team love,
originally uploaded by Drew and Didi.

This is the old Great Northwest Bowling Team. Not even one of us still works at GNW, and they didn't even do the SportsFest this year, but it's still fun to look back.

I've been a big Flickr fan for a while now. We don't do a whole lot worth blogging about, but we use Flickr as a way to let our families know what we're up to and share pictures. Our wedding pictures are up on Flickr, as are our hobbies (bird watching, bicycling, etc).

I've tagged a couple of my pre-existing pics with "SAPLL2" as per Option 2 on Lesson 5 of the 23 Things (http://sapllearns.blogspot.com). Check it out, do it too!

Hope they're clothed!

2008-10-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

Heard about the living library? Humans organized by the Dewey Decimal System, ready to be checked out and taken home? I think I'll have a look at the 641.5's... perhaps Paula Deen has the night free and wants to make me some waffles.

MMm... waffles....

ALA: American Library Attitudes

2008-10-15T08:17:00.000-07:00

The blog "in the library with a leadpipe" posted a great commentary today on the attitudes we (as librarians) have about the ALA and how the ALA can improve those attitudes and participation at the younger levels.

Recommendations include:

Make membership cheaper and simultaneously encourage/require participation at the cheaper levels
Virtual attendance to conferences (YES) - I guarantee that they'd be able to get volunteers to make this happen, and I guarantee that some of us would even be willing to pay for this.
Require divisions to include (at least one) lower level member(s) on their committees
Encourage librarians to volunteer at the conferences as a service obligation

That was a great post, and honestly, made me want to renew my membership and help this blogger get his/her recommendations to the right ears. I'm also one of those who only renew when it's time to update my resume or if I decide the conference is in a cool enough place that I want to go this year. Other than professional obligation or conference attendance, I just haven't been convinced that the ALA had anything to offer me, or vice-versa.

My thoughts on Football

2008-10-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

So I've never cared much about football...

Sure, it's exciting and fun to watch sometimes. Sometimes its boring and the crowd noise gets on my nerves.

Day-to-day professional football is a bit depressing. It's a bunch of men hurting themselves for money and a tenuous grasp on most-likely-only-ever-local fame. The beginning and the end of Pro Football season is enjoyable -- those are the times when they seem to love the game.

College football on the other hand can be very exciting if they're winning.

I guess you'd call me a fair weather fan. And baby, it's Springtime!

7.5 Habits

2008-10-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

23 Things, blog post:

The easiest of the 7.5 habits for me is definitely PLAY. I try to infuse fun (productive fun) into just about everything I do.

The most difficult could be teaching or mentoring others. I do have a few things I'm good at, but I tend to think there's probably someone out there who's more capable of teaching than me. Teaching Math at UTSA was easy, because I feel like an expert at that. I got a bit stressed out when all the folks in reference (who had good intentions in mind!) came to see my Online Media presentation at Staff Development Day. While my wariness of public speaking will not go away, taking the "hip-to-hip" approach to teaching/mentoring has always been more comfortable than the classroom situation. I'm workin on it... ;)

Sliderocket

2008-09-15T07:39:00.000-07:00

The slides may take quite a while to load each time.

When you're in one slide, it says "caching" for the next one. You have to wait till that message disappears before you can click to move onto the next slide.

Sliderocket is pretty awesome, but it does have its major flaws. A big one is not being able to compress images or download the entire presentation ahead of time (hence each slide taking forever). When they come out of beta they say they'll have these features as well as an 'export to powerpoint' feature -- however, I'm sure it will no longer be free, either.

Fun to play with, though. :o)

"Real" Online Bookstore

2008-06-28T05:54:00.000-07:00

Brilliant idea. Folks in the library world are all abuzz - how can we use it, too? What do you think?

Home

2008-06-23T07:47:00.001-07:00

Science Quad @ TTU,
originally uploaded by whitogreen.

Carol of Lights at Texas Tech.

Playing with Animoto

2008-06-02T13:54:00.001-07:00

Meebo Me!

2008-05-28T16:40:00.001-07:00

CHeck out the Meebo chat room on the sidebar. How neat is that?

Successful Test

2008-05-12T06:36:00.000-07:00

It can't have been that easy.

2008-05-11T06:58:00.000-07:00

Testing Video Embedding. This might be cool in lieu of audio embedding. The times they are a-changing.

I too could be a children's librarian

2008-05-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

Thank you Effing Librarian!

Audio

2008-05-07T06:08:00.000-07:00

Testing embedded audio
**later note, obviously this was an unsuccessful test. :o)

Testing

Download this episode (4 sec)