innovation into practice

I attended the wonderful Computers in Libraries conference last week, and returned back to work full of ideas, plans of failure and ready to be creative. Helene Blowers and Tony Tallent (probably the best name ever) said, "Doing.New.Things. period. action." Now I'm back at work, reviewing and sharing my notes, attempting to keep that buzz going. I blogged this during their session:

failure is about innovation! you need to fail, and fail often. these are the experiences you will be learning from. failure is okay. be ready, accept it. BRING IT!!

Bring it. Bring it. I left that session feeling so jazzed, ready to get on the next Amtrak home, plan a new program or service, and watch it fail. Then learn from those mistakes and keep on improving.

But now, I find that momentum hard to carry. I am something of perfectionist and want everything to go off without a hitch, to be perfect and elegant. There are small things I want to have happen, but frustrated about not being in a position to do so, pushing but cautious of my boundaries. I've found myself afraid to fail. Back into the cycle of what ifs which generally delivers a stasis culture. Sometimes feeling lonely in the "let's try something new boat!". And just getting wrapped back up into the daily grind.

I have to remind myself that every time I teach a Computer Basics of Internet Basics class, I am failing just a little bit. I am always trying new strategies, perfecting my lesson plane, and teaching examples. I am always left humble to my students, who can throw me a curve ball any minute, and often do. I make mistakes in my classes, and at the end of the day, it is okay. I know what worked and what didn't work, and I get on with it. I make note of the strategies that work, and continue to fine tune the other points.

Being open and ready to fail is a mindset, that might take some work to get to.

Staff Tech Training - CiL 2008

staff technology training: 5 steps to success
sarah-houghton-jan, digital futures manager


great resources, but we need to make sure everyone is on the same page:


why invest in staff tech training?
save money in the long run, strengthen staff skills and confidence, showing an institutional commitment to life long learning (helps in recruitment and hiring), increase staff retention rate, increase efficiency and productivity

staff tech training takes
time and money

will need to be customized for your library, as they are all different.

competencies based training cycle:
* planning and brainstorm
* creation
* assessing the staff (what they know, don’t know…)
* training (lengthiest, most time, most effort, needs attention)
reassessment (where are we now)

* and start the cycle over

step one: planning and brainstorm
what does your staff need to know how to do with tech to do their jobs well.
ex: send a fwd, there are a lot of steps to get to the point
what questions are the staff receiving at the ref desk?

benefits of using competencies:
equitable expectations for all staff (if you do this, this is what your suppose to know)
reveals training needs in a quick manner
creates accurate job descriptions
helps with performance evaluations
consistent customer service
helps staff adjust and handle change (training is on a continual basis, become more confident, and capable to deal with new things as they come down the pipes)

working with staff to brainstorm:
create the list with staff involvement (staff know what they need to know)
brainstorming parties rock (over lunch?)
reassure staff they don’t need to know everything now

make trainings fun- through fun sites, not very serious
(ppl might not know about all the cute cats out there)



step two: creation
* work with a task force
* representatives from unit and branches
* representative from different position classifications
* focus on staff input
* get mgmnt buy-in
* and don’t call it “competencies”

some categories for staff skills:
**terminology: a staff glossary (powerful tool)
hardware, office software,
**staying current

competencies best practices:
* keep it core
* keep it task based (open email, delete email)
* different positions – different competencies
* add to job descriptions and new hire checklist
* present list online (blog, wiki, webpage) with each item linked to a how-to
* new technology? look at the list again!




step 3: assessing the staff
* assess objectiviely or subjectively? with supervisor or self
* online service tools are the easiest
* give print option too, if needed
* the psychology of maybe (maybe means no, more likely to say maybe than no)

post assessment
* review individual and group results
* work with supervisors to create individual training needs list for each employee (could staff members develop their own training needs list? )
*
trust the project manager- they are right! they looked at the data!


step 4: training
training based on revealed needed
all the way from mousing to blogging
get a training budget (!)


why should I do this?
it looks hard. too difficult.
why? prizes: mp3 player! cute star wars mp3 drive.
all these end up with the staff who have been working towards a prize. can go a long way to motivate ppl


inspruiring training:
use real world examples
make the class fun- discussions, exercises
highlight tips and tricks


step 5: reassessment
annual or biannual reviews
rewards for success or consequences for failure
nurture hidden sparks



celebrate success!!
have cake! simple messages! library staff is awesome!


-- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- -

Annette gaskins and Maurice coleman
Harford county public library

varied populations: the amish to the bloods and crips

why a petting zoo:
surveyed staff, and they discovered staff was good on 1.0 technology and needed a forum to learn about 2.0 levels (wanted to know what they’re kids were doing)


first steps:
get organized and get help: a tech fair interest group
2 pg. proposal covering time and topics to be covered
get the buy-in and get ppl excited
use the tools to promote the fair that were part of the fair

content:
wikis/open source – work tool
gaming – part of collection
streaming media – info source
im/mysace – reference
blogging – expert knowledge
mp3s/ipods – patron use (audiobooks)




first step-
realistic scheduling, couldn’t operate without affecting public service; throw $$-- get part time ppl on the desk, support support!

timing issues: Wednesdays as they open late.
one hour lecture, two hour lab for 36 ppl.
6ppl 6 stations 20 min each
and be aware of time. time to get to where the fair was help. time to get back to the branches, etc.

taking shape: finding ppl
two for the show
station masters, host and hostess (sheepdog or sherpa), get ppl moving, station staff, geek and facility support (making sure they work and making sure the Stuff gets to where it needs to go), and partnership with big box stores (provided technology, provided flat screen tvs)


take shape: finding people
early adopters, techie ppl, pages and teens, curious life long learners


space wise:
drawing ppl from all over the system

speed searching- tips and tricks for speeding up the search process

greg notess – search engine showdown
speed searching- tips and tricks for speeding up the search process
wednesday 9 april 2008


why speed searching?
isn’t the web fast enough? (not at the moment. wireless iz broken)
or are we not always fast enough (both!)

take time to:
find the best search query
choose the best data source
quickly find out the terminology, finding the best resource

keystroke economy:

• 3, 2, 2, 1 search: first three characters of first word, then 2 of second word, 2 of third word, and 1 of the fourth word (Old School- as to save the computing process time)
• find the unique term and use that for searching
• web search relevancy optimized for unique words

spell checking:

• long name, word phrase is unusual?
• using google as spell check- for suggestions, auto-correction (our commercial databases don’t do a good job of correcting spelling, neither do our catalogs. the open web does a good job of this)
• links to reference sources
• suggest tools: slow your typing

greg goes to ask.com and starts typing. ask offers that neat page with some info, as well as suggested searches
type slower to increase your searching speed.

copy and paste:

• can be as quick as a short query
• can copy from many e-sources
• using a bookmarklet can highlight a word and clicking on a bookmarklet and will search (cool!)

answers.com
try the search here, if you need to check spelling
has content from dictio snaries, encyclopedia’s (print and wikipedia)
if you don’t know a word, click on it, and does a follow up search

picky picking

• search terms matter!
• common number of search words
• query length
• average query length

• which gets best results?
• does depend on search engine. average query length did the best
• “education attainment or highest level of school” common phrase, learning the language used in that area.
  

trained his eye to the unique terms- source might have a misspelling, switch to another access point

database checking:
use multiple databases ‘cause it’s fun! you’re a librarian!
as well as lack of overlap between data sources


overlap in web search
not so comprehensive for

• pages buried deep within sites
• forum, social network pages

users have the impression that google has everything. though not always the case.

greg practices search switching: not necessary for quick look ups.

• when and for what type of searches
• not for the low value info need, when triangulation not needed
• use when digging deeply
• hard to find answer, person, etc

search switching: how?
searchengineshowdown.com/switching
federated search ought to be doing this- doesn’t always achieve this (think of databases that hold smaller databases)
federated search engines: ex: google will cut them off. if there is no $$, google will cut that IP off if the ads aren’t visible

search switching: internal

• within one system, like google
• some possibily intergrated
• tabs, think videos, books, “more”, browser search box (like in firefox)
• turboscout, intelways, zuula, flashearth (search location and switch btw the various providers of aerial photography)
  

search transfer bookmarklets


customize google:
can do some neat things: make the google book search images downloadable. an extension in firefox



(the book searching two step!!)
preview at amazon or google book, or authors website. look for an extract, a unique looking phrase to locate full text books online.

q: should we be linking to full text books online?
a: no clear answer… who are you linking to? do you actually have the book? why are you linking? should we be adding for books that are out of copyright too? will they always be staying there? what are the persistence and the maintenance needs? (no direct answer, but more questions)

q: is more not always better?
a: searching a broad database, not really the precision.

Libraries as Laboratories for Innovation – cil2008

Libraries as Laboratories for Innovation –

Matt Gullet:
creating a new environment, ambient classical jazz music. slides running content, cool videos, flickr, etc.

you are doing something right when some people complain, but some people say, YAY!

libraries as innovation centers. Matt used a lot of things for the first time at the public library. worked in communities and worked on creating new experiences for “the library” used film festivals, tech conference for youth. the library is more; it is a community center for innovation.

imaginon:

do you go to apple stores? do you like them?
benchmarking a similar facility—the apple store was the closest thing as to what they were trying to do.
Discovery Service Center: bars, stools to sit on. wanted to make eye level contact ppl when they come in. plasma screens run content. profiles customers: take their picture, ask about their favorite websites. trying to make the space more human. we are here to help, glad you are here. controlling the environment, but being friendly.

music: we are control of what’s going on here. esp in urban areas.

apple stores have ppl clustered around tables, are teach ppl. instruction in session stick.

game lab @ plcmc
unc charlotte does research at the library. invited them to visit the library.
looking for potential relationships.

create a digitally literate ppl through games and interactive media (I’ve been thinking about games as a tool for basic computer instruction)

learning lab: small classes, demilitarized zone, new/experimental software, studio for digital programming, scanners, media hubs. a space with an lcd projector.
space to build partnerships


studio i: blue screens, digital video cameras, music studio and sound booth in development. adults like this stuff too. story: guy who produces his public access show at the lib.




Greg Schwartz, Library Systems Manager, Louisville Free Public Library

story: master facilities plan, generated about 6-7 yrs ago. a design to remodel 17 locations and build a few more. ambitious and large.

library as cornerstone for lifelong learning through technology.
4 ppl were chosen, including greg. not to toot his own horn.

not quite where they want to be yet:
why?
library ballot for taxes. budget went south, instead of thinking about technology on a broad scale, have been asked to think about content mgmt systems, workflows, how to do more with less.

a beta testing program: pairing patrons with emerging technologies. put an application on their website. give ppl things to play with (kindles, ipods) and then talk to them. how did they use it? what do they think? intersections with lib services. (so cool!) patron pool is very diverse.

looking to aggregate content of onlineUs and combine some of the locally produced content. expose patrons to opportunities to educate themselves.

greg mentioned this: http://www.lfpl.org/charrette/

three things you need in place:
talent (you may already have it. you may be it. might not be utilized)
time and space: very hard to have higher level thinking when you have day to day things to handle. impossible to step away.
support from admin: $$, space to operate. the ability to get away (think out of the office). commitment- getting them to say yes, or maybe. the greatest barrier to any innovation effort.


questions:
computer training centers will change. we’ll still be teaching word. and we'll get tired of that. the need will still exist.

matt: one of the most important things to have staff who are into it. you might not be able to build a new space, or even have a room. but more around service philosophy.

The Library Sandbox: Testing Innovative Ideas

The Library Sandbox: Testing Innovative Ideas

Barbara Tierney, Science Reference Librarian, University of North Carolina

studies show there is no ideal floor plan for Ics, there are myriad possibilities for configuration

Substance trumps space. what does matter is various technologies, human expertise

info commons becoming an arena for social networking- combining the social and the academic.

info commons are all around: small lib arts college, comm. arts college, div school. changes in tech have resulted in changes in how libraries are evaluated.




if you could start over, what would you do differently?

(this presentation is not meeting up to the expectation of the program guide. sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
reading a paper you wrote? things she is saying are interesting, but very theoretical, could be greatly enhanced with some pictures of pretty Lcs and such. SHOW US what you mean. Give us feedback from users. tell us the stories.)


students are using myface. or myfaith. or something.

focus on user needs.
begin the commons with an eval program on face.

take away for MPOW – cell phone zones—maybe cute little phone booths.

movable walls.

okay. now she is showing us slides of pretty things, with lots of bullets.

innovation starts with “i”

innovation starts with “i”

helene blowers: we are taking about change, but how do we get it going?

how to move orgs forward.

Tony Tallent, Director of Youth & Outreach Services, Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (PLCMC)
helped open up imaginon, deal day: drop everything and learn (for staff—steal this idea!)

everyone is talking about it, talking about different things, talking about the ingredients of change. think about where you land, are you the jelly or the cellophane?

what innovation is NOT:
process improvement, suggestion boxes, best practices, thinking outside the box (officially retired)

innovation is the intersection of ideas, imagination and pivotal point of reality

it is: doing new things! creativity, action. DOING.
Doing.New.Things. period. action.

what do you want? what do you need?
efficiency innovation
evolutionary innovation
revolutionary innovation
(book title: seeds of innovation)

efficiency innovation

book bundles: an idea that came from a user, “you know… take some books, tie some yarn around them and I could grab a pack when I was on the go”
very low tech

evolutionary innovation

taco bell: open 24 hrs. now taking atm. bringing parts together to make a new product or service

revolutionary innovation

the ipod: changes how we interact and use music (and more!)
zoom shopping (have one in the library?)

Fresh practices: remixing ingredients.

4 components:
creativity
strategy
implementation
profitability

shout out to youth services!!!


I am an innovator:
I have ideas, I’ve done my homework, I’ll do the legwork, I am capable of more than my job description, I am a leader too, I take risks with you.

innovation is a partnership: btw idea person and organization

innovators as managers: give staff a framework, put resources behind expectations (! yes! how can staff innovate without proper resources to do so!), create growth opportunities, SUPPORT work, celebrate success, take risks with you.
no glory grabbing, boys and girls! push the success down and celebrate!!


what does innovation made to you and your organization? how to they converge?
improvement (i words!) !!
we all have our own definitions- how do we make them all come together.

the blender: take the things that you know, successes, failures; take the pieces to make something new. don’t make a wheel.

wild seeds!! wild blooms!

Strategy:
how you are able to convince your organization to move fwd and change?

Make it believable! Focus on the MVV
Mission, Vision, Values: tie those ideas to the MVVs.
how does this new idea fit into the framework of what our library is going: how does it tie to the things our lib is about. this is how the idea is going to meet the needs of what we do.

tell a story: how will one person be affected/changed by the idea.

create alliances: farm your ideas, you’ve got buy in from colleagues when things are ready to move forward

test drive your ideas: prototype, build something with it. hard to sell on “it is really cool” doing the legwork.

don’t ask for permission, ask for support. showing mgmt and org that you are willing to provide the legwork and support.

never SELL your ideas on paper! you can’t see vision on paper. sell it personally, ask for time at a mgmt meeting or a decision maker. sell it visually in someway. walk through the vision, and walk them through a story. your lovely document, 1.5 spaced is in the a huge old pile on a directors desk.

wild success does not look like business as usual. it is panic. wild success because ppl are MAD!! staff members don’t have direction, no scripted answers.
it is magic, it is happiness, it is off the hook.

Summer Reading is a huge program:
gave theatre vouchers instead of chocolate. and what happened: huge demand! had to add more shows.

failure is about innovation! you need to fail, and fail often. these are the experiences you will be learning from. failure is okay. be ready, accept it. BRING IT!!

7 habits of highly innovative ppl:

1. persistence: legwork, alliances
2. remove self-limiting inhibitions: be more than the job descript
3. take risks, make mistakes: reward mistakes. (cliff jumper award)
4. escape: get outside your environment, take it someplace else
5. write things down: postits, notepads everywhere, write it down!!
6. look for patterns and connections: things might appear to be polar opposites, but they are connected
7. stay curious: so much of what libs are about

presentation wasn’t about these ideas, wasn’t about a product. but about change, how to get those ideas into practice. feeling okay about taking risks and making failures. as managers making an environment where idea change is okay.

q: what can you do to help ppl get into change:
a: hb, keep talking about it. keep making ppl comfortable with it. in order for an alvanche of change to occur, needs to be a lot of erosion. keep working at it. keep selling your ideas.

keynote: Shanachietour 2007!!

keynote:


Erik Boekesteijn, Delft Public Library
Jaap van de Geer, Delft Public Library
Geert van den Boogaard, Delft Public Library


Shanachietour

3 dudes from delft public library, from the Netherlands in an RV
v.good at fundraising

toured the US and made a video about their experience. a SENSATION!!!

toured the usa in search of stories of innovation and best practices

focus on making stories, what is there were no books.

RV became the editing room, with lots of equipment. found wifi campers everywhere, and uploaded the video in the evenings.

if you have a good idea, you can make it happen. the sky is the limit.

first stop in nyc: (grabbed a lady from nypl to sit on the couches)
song: pj Harvey, you said something
what does nypl mean to the ppl in ny? universe is made of stories, not of atoms (one of the plaques outside nypl)

paul holdengräber’s goal: to make the lions roar. to make NYPL levitate (but how much does it weigh?). to continue the line of thinking that library without wars (?) to make it less intimidating, its SEXY!!

terrible that the role of innovation is less important than imagination(?) libraries need to take over what schools are no longer doing. (kgs via twitter)

DPL dude: could he have success in other arenas?


next up: PLCMC
leaving the noise of nyc for the quiet forest of charlotte
matt gullet: doesn’t see the death of books. formats will change, depending on genres.
book vs. tech: these are containers for information and culture, and need the best container for the type of information
libraries are community innovation centers: ppl learn about new things, could be tech orientated or traditional
book is a technology, one of the best ever invented

matt’s up on stage:
his kids fall asleep with books in bed (ugh, me too!)
measure door counts, circ, but also the creative things that come out of the library. need to tell the stories: most convincing!! show these! these are bigger than numbers, the success stories to promote those kinds of activities.

open environments in the physical space of the library—tech is becoming cheaper and smaller. the biggest key to new buildigs in open space and lots of outlets. not sure where the technology will be going so need to remain flexible

now, time to look at the ppl who will be doing it. visited the class of Michael Stephens. spin the library bottle!! no smooching: but what the future of libraries will look like, what is inspiring? (great way to encourage brainstorming, or allowing ppl to take freely in meetings)
library of the future will encourage the heart (ms), charges his students to go forth with visions and make them happen.

do you know the mission of google? we should be aware and use it.

what skills should the future librarian have:
student from iowa: be adaptive to change

library concept center:
libs are important, imp to think about the future and the library in it.
libs contain books, cds, lps, lots of media
media of the future? how will it be used?

libaries give you an experience you’d never forget (dude is playing Wii tennis!)
libraries need to have games, must be a part of the fabric. fun and exhausting.
all about people, share the stories, how they tell them.
ppl are the most important collection (shiny happy ppl!)

thoughts on the first 24 hours at CiL

okay. I have clocked in my first 24 hours at CiL. I was ready to fall over after the presentations ended at five, had a glass a wine that went straight to my head, listened to a little George Michael in my room, then a yummy sushi dinner.

So, my initial thoughts:
Great to meet some of the people I know through blogs and twitter, especially figuring out who people are based on their tiny twitter avatar. I’ve meet very friendly, smart and generous people. Which has put to ease my middle schooler in the cafeteria fear, that I wouldn’t find people to have meals with. So silly. Just strike up a conversation, say hello, ask what people are enjoying, learning. It seems that some great friendships and collaborations are emerged from the web (Hello LSW!) and to the real world.

Apparently, green is the color for spring. The detail on the conference bags is green and there were lots of green shirts today. Maybe I’ll wear green tights tomorrow.

Utterly exhausting. All day, absorbing information. Typing my notes. Getting used to the fact that some people have more experience and skills presenting than others, some presentations didn’t quite match my expectations or even real world need. But trying to get as much out of it.

Wireless, totally annoying. So I pay ten bucks for a 24 hour period to connect, but I can’t connect to the T-Mobile network when I am in the conference rooms. But, there are some wireless networks that kept going in and out during the day. Seriously—with all the talk about how connected we are, community web 2.0 lalalala… will someone figure out how to add $20 bucks on to our registration charges and provide wireless to us free of charge? Please? We are already paying enough for $9 sandwiches and $15 nachos.

Though, LOVE the extension cords in the conference rooms. I had to charge my cell phone at one point and came in very handy. Thank you!

But the good:

The local 2.0 talk was great—some good ideas about things I had already been thinking about in my head. A colleague of mine is here as well, and we talked about doing some of these things once we returned. In my Basic Internet classes, I introduce Yahoo Local. People want to know what is happening in their community. A good talk, lots of concrete ideas.

Lee Rainie’s talk this morning was pretty interesting. He stressed the importance of user-generated content and threw some interesting statistics at us. He did tell us that the surveys the Pew conducts are in English. Hmm. I really want them to survey people in other languages especially Spanish, especially when he is talking about a large user group of libraries being Latino. Just drawing on my own library experience and the community we serve, there has got to be good data in there. And, it is just time.

Megan Fox’s presentation on Mobile Trends was a fast paced overview of the latest devices and technology out there on mobile devices. .mobi is a new domain that is just for pages formatted for mobile devices. Obviously the iphone and the ipod touch have taken over this field, but there are lots of cool tools out there. It is pretty obvious by looking at the hands of the librarians attending this conference.

More tomorrow!

Library Staff Training: High Tech & High Touc

Library Staff Training: High Tech & High Touch

Donovan Deakin, WebJunction

found an increase in interest to online learning
barriers to training:
staff time, expertise, lack of $$, technology


training methods:
face to face training is still the most popular method, in house or outside contractor.

Blended Learning:
adoption and definitions are varied
not just online and face to face, for example: using a webinar, stopping and starting for discussion, or adding local content
web 2.0 techs: using tools for training as well as content matter

web-based training for staff: using Microsoft live meeting, wimba (?), etc
has chat, raise their hands, instructor can poll, interactions between different learners in the online classroom.

mgmt content:
board of trustee training
leadership and succession planning (mgmt, supervision)

patron services content:
user services: (youth, cultural and lingual diversity, adults)
working with patrons (difficult patrons, social challenges)

technology content:
info technology (networking, etc), computer applications and tools (think Microsoft), web 2.0 (think web 2.0)


training budgets are remaining static:
some see an increase in the next two years

impact and ROI:
morale and job satisfaction. Attendance and evaluation of trainings, job performance ratings (folks will have a clearer understanding), improved lib services (will be able to successful offer new service etc)

content:
modules as small as 15, just in time experiences (!!), fight it into the schedule of the libs, no time, need to make it small digestible and able to fit into daily life. (note to self: maura, think about this in terms combining online searching, etc training tips tools into life at lib)
growing awareness of new technologies in the library


Rebecca Ranallo Kahl, Internet & Media Services Manager, Cuyahoga County Public Library

CCPL: $68mil budget, 1000+ employees, 664 in union, ten busiest libs in the country
serve 47 communities, with 28 branches, so they are covering a diverse population over a decent chunk of land

staff became increasingly responsible for content on the new website, so staff needed training on using the new tools

has staff resistant to technology, hired a fulltime tech trainer, who had a background in elearning. needed someone on the staff. allows more hands on projects, using their own data.

training today:
new intranet (hmm, we have the new staff portal of the website…)
blended learnings : more options
new site has the ability to pull in more resources
ppl have the chance to go back to find the info, refresh, review or share with others
using podcasting, videocasting and putting it on staff intranet for staff members who may have missed the original training

test case:
etime tutorial: employee time and payroll software
a changed to develop some really bad training,

staff can go back and look at documentation at any time, print out paper copies.
piece for managers, comp time, working as a good start

training to come: online tutorials how to create an email signature

more interactivity and staff as technology creators: want to give them the chance to play internally

staff will be expected to use second life, increase awareness, hope staff will be excited about using this tool-

Cuyahoga conversations:
a website that will deal with community issues, they will host the site, subject specialists will moderate and manage- and they will have to be more interactive, info is going to go two ways


revamping Orientation Center:
happens when enough of ppl are hired in any given month, some people might be working for a month or so already before going through the training
(info freedom, confidentially training, customer service: lots of great free modules already out there…)

Barriers:
staff are going through it
managers are taking responsibility and getting buy in on both levels, managers are taking part in the learning
bandwidth:
fear of technology, union (makes competency based training hard, needs to wait until the next contract, “its not part of my job”), updated technology, complacency (ppl are nervous about new things. so provide multiple avenues to access information. they might get more out of in person training, but having the info available.)

outcomes:
deliberate training plans:
have ppl come in with projects they are working on, so training is hands on and focused.
responsibility for learning
more on-demand opportunities.

main goal:
to be able to retire when she never hears the phrase, “no one trained me on that”

questions:
main barriers to technology?
R: fear and challenged to use it in the branches

ways to motivate:
r: hard to do… what drove her is that she will learn new things all time. amazed when ppl say they don’t need to learn it. rlly about making it comfortable, giving various opportunities to approach it.

organization is becoming a learning organization:
r: slow going. director strongly believes in training, and continually reminding staff they are supported

r: has one staff member who handles staff training

getting buy in from decision makers, ex it training. new libs have lib skills, but not common sense, issues about technology. staff members won’t admit it or buy in. how to encourage from stake holders:
r: directors and board are v.supportive of training and understand where libs are headed in terms of technology and that it needs to be supported. I didn’t talk about web 2.0 training, because a challenge with marketing department regarding content generated by staff.

High Touch With Customer Care

high touch with customer care:

Amy Blaine, Reference Librarian, Inova Fairfax Hospital

patient education materials
demands for various language translations

patient education has a economic advantage: users who are educated not as likely to replase, etc.

if patients can't read, print materials won't help them.

health literacy is the sixth vital sign-- degree to which ppl are able to understand, process and seek out information to make health decisions
(hard to hear about the scale..)
using technology to enhance patient experiences in the hospital.

would like to ask her about translation services:

mobile trends with megan fox: cil2008

Mobile trends:
megan fox from simmons college (woot!)

be proactive in the role of libraries as partners in new mobile world.

3 times the no. of mobile phones than PCs
half the worlds populations in phones
phone are going to outsell tvs in the next year
cell phones are hard to give up, as compared to tvs or landlines

lots of stats about the mobile market: 90% of iphone users surf the web, most of which never used their mobile device to surf the web.
iphone can access more info all the time, how does this shape their views of information deliver and where libs are?

lib patrons use:
flip phone, ipods, gaming devices, mini laptops
more devices have sliding keyboards and larger screens
(she's talking about the ipod touch and iphone and how cool it is, how interactive it is, taps, slides, rotate... it is the latest dance craze!)
apple is innovating mobile devices

review of lots of different mobile devices and tools:
samsung instinct, verizon voyager, samsung glyde,
mini notebooks:
$$ UMPC- ultra mobile personal computer
ulcp- ultra low cost pc (300-400, stripped down)
mid- mobile internet devices

android - google phone
cool new features for iphones: etch a sketch
gesture interactions: tip it to go down, tip it to go back up (dance moves!)
visual access- camera phone to photo UPC to get more info
cosmogirl- turn page to 17 snap the red hat, where can you get it? (bloomies!)

facial recognition- for those tweens who love to snap photos
devices that read aloud to you-- visual impaired will read the currency, read the menu to you, or directory in a building
location interactions (read something about this in the local paper, for folks with alzhemier's... good for the man who was lost in MPOW)
friend finder: isn't that like twitter?


applications: access content delivered over the web
ppl want fast answers, don't want to type a lot. want quick answers, right now
round point, volantis, .mobi site galore:
.mobi style guides to be used on a mobile devices

there are some programs that will transcode (wink, squeezer, google) to translate to a mobile device (we should be doing this) will do a good enough job, but not flawless.
one challenge: won't be perfect--

opera mini, teasharp (?)- mobile browser, integrated rss
skyfox, netfront - small picture preview and allowing users to scroll in and out of content

directory listings:
find.mobi
usa.gov has mobile site!
MLB has a mobile site!!


reference content to be mobilized:
oxford uni press (dic and thes.), better homes and garden mobile recipes, world almanac

press reader: newspaper direct 60 days worth of newspapers world wide, duplicates of covers

health and med vendors: pubmed for handhelds

Britannica mobile, la times, cbs, fox, bbc all for the iphone

ebooks:
audible air (amazon just bought - $)
japan - writing books entirily on a cell phone, through text messages. 10 top selling works of fiction, 5 started as a cell phone book. love stories written in short sentences. little character development and plot. swoon.

(note to MPOW get a mobi domain)

what does a library need to have on the go:
what will a mobile user want:
lib hours, contact info, directions, events

some vendors are making the opacs mopacs

content is very much multimedia now-- how to stream on a mobile device

tv on the mobile: mobi tv, location 3 tv, over 25 different tv channels, tivo to go (!!)
companies will transcode AV for the mobile device

overdrive, media mall: libs can make audio content available for download onto devices

mobile search: using them to get answers (ready ref content)
geo questions: where is X in relation to me now?
chunks of information that are answers-- not lists of websites, ex bball scores

sms/texting: to google, to yahoo, to live, diet.com (info about food)
4info: big into sports
IM to a friend, text to a friend: simmons catalog has a new button that says: send a text, users have the call number in their phone (note to gary!)
buy things from amazon, financial data is being sent via text (huge in japan!)

key for communicating with library users, have users text info to a lib number, and have it be delivered through email. how to integrate into library services.

google gears: allows info to be downloaded onto the phone, locally onto the device when a connection is not available.

but wait, there is more!

• projectors on cell phone
• eink
• $300 glasses available in airports, my view, looks like sunglasses, plug into ipod, can do all sorts of visual things, projects up to 80 inches. somewhat affordable.
• contact lenses, the number is projected to the lenses or text message (yikes!)
• Dscribe: digital fountain pen. write a message, sends it to phone via bluetooth, and then sms to recipient
• a tool that will talk thoughts and digitize then (far out! helpful for ppl who lost the ability to speak)
• blood tattoo (seen on lifehacker? )

surface computing: back into the hands, touching, gesturing, moving

keynote: lee rainie of pew internet

keynote:
pew internet, lee rainie

user-generated experience—experiences being blogged, disorientating when you don’t live in the public eye

some amusing examples about what has been said about him in blogs.

information markets are self correcting.

something big to say:
librarians rock (duh)

run down on stats:
info ecology:
industrial age: scarce, $$, institutionally orientating
info age: abundant, cheap, available.


93% of teens use internet, more than half have broadband in homes
75% of adults use internet
62% connect wirelessly—connections from laptops, also found ppl using nonvoice communications (59% adults using cell phone to connect to eh web)
most striking: v.different from early adopters, much more likely to be minority, lower socioeconomic, noncollege degreed—challenging digital divide issues

wireless will be its own determinant of ---- (ugh… can’t try that fast!)
wireless is bringing back email (!! holla!!)

wireless really matters right now.


internet is being used as storage, email, social networks, playlists etc
a new way to rethink storage, the internet itself is a computer
and ppl think about access to information in new ways

content creation:
a big spike 62% young adults have uploaded photos to the internet
Obligation to take pictures, post them and have ppl comment on them, comment on others
Pictures are the currency of community building.

58% young adults have profiles, 33% adults have such profiles (mm comment: what happens when these y.adults become adults w/social networks; is there an impact on having adults in social networks? do y.adults care?)
33% y.adult share creative content, 13% of adults; y.adults are driving content creation, assisting others in their development


Focus on 10 problems that have occurred in the last 2 years:
education, $$, taxes, changing job, health care programs, social security, mil benefits, voter registration, local govt, legal system,

80% had been through at least one of the problem, 169 mil adults, so how did they solve those problems? what resources where available (so asked about their patronage)

53% adults had been to local library in that last year
younger adults most likely to be lib visitors (right, I already knew this) Gen Y 62%
y.adults have had good experience of libraries, and continue to use and

BREAKING NEWS:
60% of online teens use the internet at libs, up from 36% in 2000

pub lib patrons most likely to be internet users – he is saying ppl are more active in community issues (hmmm…. not so sure)


ppl were looking for particular info at the publibs and getting what they were looking for

ppl most likely to use lib: young, latinos, lower socioecon (less than 40K), afirican Americans most likely to use libs.

survey done only in English!! HELLO!!! survey in Spanish!!! (and other languages)

Lots of opportunities out there, 53% of ppl know we rock:
starts with Public Education: ppl need to know how we have changed, willingness to work with ppl. (think book a lib, hands on classes, etc: focus on the success stories—public internet, personalize. who have we helped with computer skills, job skills. thinking of one patron who within a month set up an email account, helped him apply to jobs attaching his docs, etc. got a job, helped use craigslist to find an apt!)

in the era of consumer generated content: we need to tap into these folks, and get them to tell our stories—give them 2.0 tools to evangelize about programs and collections

patrons are eager to give back feedback (yes!! lets collect it! and share it)


unpatrons are primed to seek you out:
ppl might me more dependent on libraries if they are aware of what is offered and special skills
keys for their patronage:
awareness of your work, comfort in the environment, mentoring skills –

this is the era of social networks:
ppl are depending on more than ever
ppl are more likely to rely on other ppl for recommendations due to info overflow
ppl will turn to the smartest ppl (voting? movies? eating? etc etc)

social networks are for:
learning
news and navigation
support and problem solving

going local in the library: web 2.0, library 2.0, local 2.0

going local in the library: web 2.0, library 2.0, local 2.0
charles lyon – business library @ u of buffalo (home of wings!!)
http://deweyandmain.wordpress.com/


local info, close to home. where you are right now. (crystal city)

internet is great for the global, but needs work locally
limitations to local searches: what is the value of knowing # of XYZ near me? what are the hours, prices, etc.

google has an issue of scale ( as related to growth). good handle of global, but scaling down to local.
Information on the internet behaves differently at the local level than at the global level, google is as focused on the local as other endeavors. (my local example: finding a grocery store in my new hood)

google bought sketch-up to create 3d models of local environments
experimentation with geographic display of info (check out google labs, and maps feature)

the real potential of the web is more 2.0 and more deeper

local web is diverse:
local media, local photos, local search engines, maps, social networks
local web is the locals! the folks who live in the area. who knows the area best? not google? it’s the locals!!

local web is social: user generated, participatory,

local web is localized: neighborhoods, communities, blocks, streets, buildings

local web is about joining the real world and the virtual web (info about places, about the community)
the web is not so separate from the real world—it is part of.

local web brings a sense of place to the internet ($$$ holla!) (a crowded infosphere)

having a page of locally available links on the website (YES! let’s do it!)

can libraries do more and echo the local web and become more participatory?

everyday life is v.local.. ppl live their lives in a 20mile radius.

practice local U
be a vocal local
widen the local lens
be a yoke
libraries create their own local resources


local search: becoming more useful, more interesting
(check out the popular searches related to your area- find out what people are looking for)
yahoo local
ask has walking directions


libs creating their own search engines:
think rollyo. create certain sites for most appropriate for local info
take the links that already on our site into a custom google search and SHAZAM!!! a local search engine

local blogs:
place blogger: a directly of local blogs

libraries place blogging:
community blogs can focus on a certain niche, as it related to the library

news sites are combining old media with new media: newspapers and magazine with blogs, photos, and articles are being mapped (HELLO MASHUP!)

users can submit their own stories to blogs: topix.net

Skokie talk, myhalimton.ca (Hamilton pub lib)

local data:
building permits, crime reports—
http://www.everyblock.com/ (WHOA! this is super cool!!)


wikipedia: locapedia?
using wiki technology invite the community to contribute to local resources

geotagging: think flickr and maps with photos. becoming increasingly popular, easily to id local events, local photos



why libs should go local?
local is cheap (and it is where we already are!)
guidespot (creation of local guides easier and cheaper)
local ppl are passionate and way into the history
local trust- regarded as a local asset, trusted source, a local info provider
supports the missions of the library


local long tail:
do some libraries want to strive to be the center of it all.
local library in the middle

library is a mirror, lens to the riches of local information

And we are off again. ....

5pm on a Friday, and I will be going full steam ahead for the next 168 hours. Yes, for the next week, and then some.

I am heading down to Computers in Libraries on Sunday. There are so many great sessions and talks, that I have had a hard time figuring out which ones to attend. I did manage to cobble together something resembling a schedule, but I am always leaving it open to chance. I am looking forward to socializing with old friends, and getting to meet some Twitter buddies in person. Maybe even sleeping in one of those days (which is about 8am!) on a plush hotel bed.

I am going to try and accomplish some conference blogging as well... We'll see how that all works out!

See you Arlington!