Category: Uncategorized

Thanks to Stephen Abram for the link to Angry/negative people can be bad for your brain by Kathy Sierra. (And even more thanks to Stephen for introducing me to the blog Creating Passionate Users.) It’s a long, well-documented post about the neurological effects of hanging out with unhappy people.

In the post, Kathy quotes Ghandi: “Be the change that you want to see in the world.” She editorializes: If the scientists are right, I might also add, Be around the change you want to see in the world. Remember the flight attendant’s advice… you must put on your own oxygen mask first.

It’s ironic to find this post tonight, as I’ve been reflecting on the effect of group dynamics. In our consortium, many decisions are discussed and recommended through collaborative deliberation at meetings. I have often noticed similarities in group personalities when certain individuals are present, and how they change when certain individuals are absent. Likewise, attitudes in the staff at our office have been remarkably affected by the absence or presence of certain individuals.

I attended a very memorable management training session while working for the Air Force a number of years ago, one I have always remembered, and (I confess) less often heeded. The mood of a workplace (or even a family) is set by leadership – a sincere positive opening to the day is as contagious as a negative, grumpy beginning.

A while ago our filters were rejecting messages from Hormel — they thought they were spam. Honest truth

I was at a library committee meeting earlier this week when someone said “my director doesn’t understand what happens at the bottom . . . “ It bothers me (1) that the director didn’t care and (2) that the speaker felt like he was at the bottom.

Picture an upside down triangle, balancing on its tip. It seems to me that customers are at the top, with the library workers who directly serve them directly supporting them. The aforementioned director is at the bottom, supporting the structure that provides for customer service.

Placing the director at the top suggests that library workers and customers exist to support the director, which is not so – in any service industry. The director may not know all the minute details of what happens, but I sure hope would know that it’s the director’s job to support the workers and customers who are truly at the top.

Yesterday was a pretty shocking day on a personal level. Not cataclysmic, like earthquakes or tornadoes, but life-changing nevertheless. Yesterday I found out that my hair stylist is moving away. Every four weeks for the past 6 years, I’ve walked to the business next door, collapsed in her chair, and Carol has made my bad-hair-day go away. Very few things in my life are as unsettling as having to find a new stylist – someone I can count on to keep me looking presentable. While I thrive on change and growth, I like those underpinnings of my personal life to remain intact and provide security.

People we count on for our well-being are very important and the thought of their not being there brings panic – people like a dental hygienist, a dog groomer, a hair stylist, maybe even a librarian? How wonderful to have someone in our life who we can count on not to know all the answers, but to be able to find a source for the answers. Someone who will not betray our trust if the information we seek is of a private nature, nor make us feel stupid if our question is something we think everyone else knows.

In this month of April, when we celebrate National Library Week and School Library Media Month – here’s a salute to all the library workers who provide that personalized service, citizens’ personal librarians.

. . . . my rambling thoughts about the relationship between change and the needy state of many libraries . . .

Change is inherent in living organisms, which if they were not changing would be dead. Change has always been part of cultures.

I think the panic in libraries is that we have been somewhat removed from change, and it has been thrust upon us. Libraries have enjoyed some immunity from change because of their revered stature in communities. For a while, that worked to the advantage of the library, because criticism of the hallowed institution was unthinkable. So although the library as an institution became more and more removed from relevancy, it was still the only show in town when it came to information.

Then came the Internet, Google, and a do-it-yourself culture which no longer thought it needed a professional information place. The situation has been further exacerbated by a history of acceptance of too little library funding. Libraries enjoy much good will, but good will does not buy a contemporary image that can compete in the 21st century. Modernization of many library buildings was already 10-20 years behind. Now, with the added need to fund technology and technologically literate staff, libraries are unable to fill the needs of their communities that can best be filled by a healthy library.

Libraries are struggling – admirably at best and frantically at worst. Through public funding, communities still maintain them as honored shrines, but are unable to fund the cost of exemplary buildings and service that many desire.

This post is in memory of Niki, who won’t be coming to class any more. She worked in one of our school libraries. One of the students wrote this memorial to her in a poem: “ . . . You helped to teach by giving us the power to read . . . ” What a tribute to someone who was devoted to the kids and the library. She came often to training and lately, she’s been exploring the Voluntary Certification Program in order to enhance her skills.

Niki and her son Nick died of hypothermia, after getting stuck on a mountain road in Montana. She told me once about when her husband died, just a few years ago. Now they’re together.

We cancelled her registrations for upcoming classes today, she won’t be coming.

I summed up PLA at Selcolibrarian. Took me this long to recover ;^)

Paco Underhill

(blogging session live – this is my rough notes)

Closing session with Paco Underhill, founder and managing director of Envirosell. Spent 25 years researching shopping behavior.

Came in late, after talking too long after last session

Everyone who comes in to this session has a clock ticking in their head – just like everyone who comes in the library.

What do richest and best want? Good weather, medical facilities, golf, and libraries
Libraries want to be on the real estate radar screen

Adding snack bar – makes us a social crossroads (not just making money).
Want to be social crossroads of people who love books.
Buying and selling book storage – partner with merchants
Seating choices displayed
Why are all chairs the same height?

“Angels Fly – Take Yourselves Lightly”. Having a good time yourself. Having fun in your job, rest of people who come in will have a good time.

Transformation of customer service. Not nose to nose – rather hip-to-hip (come up beside.)
Get out from behind desk.

Go around borrow other ideas – retail a good place to do it.
Use chalkboards.

Look at library as you would a retail outlet.

Displays. Books are beautiful. Speaker has books all over house.

Communication – signage
If 2 signs work, 27 don’t work better.
Blow up signage and start over

Overwhelming majority of people who could use library don’t or don’t know how.
Have courage and energy to go out into community and talk to people.

Library space arrangement:
Separate space for age groups.
Identify service communities (novice, expert)

Throw out concept that being commercial is contrary to profession.

Institution doesn’t start at lease line. Look at parking lot.

90% of people are right-handed. Employ counter-clockwise patterns to accommodate.

“Butt brush factor” – the more apt to be brushed on butt, the le to buy. Applies to space, aisle width, etc.

All labels are too small

Key to success is thinking standing up. Be seen on the floor!

(blogging during session . . . will “clean up later)

Community Building Through Your Web Site: Library Blogs and RSS Feeds

Michael
2004 Mirriam Webster word-of-the-year was Blog

Defining Weblog
Slides will be on Web, won’t copy statistics, etc.
Content management system that does all the “dirty work”

Used Exeter Public Library Blog, Went over features

Web sites – asked DreamWeaver, etc.
Sympathy to hard code users (oops)

Suggests:
Marketing blogs (St Joseph Public Libraries)
Icarus . . . the Santa Fe Public Library Blog

take a look at other people’s Blogs

Waterloo – Ontario Canada, book club Blog
Ancestor Research Log, focuses on local history

Photo-blogging
shows vibrancy of library
puts human face on library

Rutland Free Library (not a blog, but clicking on photo goes into Flickr)

Jenny

Put up URLs
Ann Arbor Library

Integrated
****Drupal – free open source software
made entire website blog-based

Had director’s blog during migration
Upset patrons, complaining. Helping de-bug catalog.

Unhappy patrons, answered immediately, diffused situation.

Are you scared by patrons “talking to you” in a public way? Yes

Patrons debated whether a new circ was the same as a renewal (fascinating conversation)
Put in a “added for publication”. Replace bad word with asterisks.

Teen Blog, 94 comments on gaming
another 315, or 451
Has anyone had that many teen comments in their library?
Most of them, kids trash-talking each other about gaming

Flossmoor Public Library
Western Springs History
put local history into Blog — get comments. People add to it. “My grandparents owned this . . . “

What if we let our users comment on catalog?
WordPress – free
Every item in catalog is a blog-post
Patron could come here, comment on item
By using “Trackback” — can post on their own website, which will automatically post.

NOW – shows program objectives for this session
2 years ago set objectives. In 2004 needed server, etc. NOw free

****Book “Small Pieces, Loosely Joined”
Idea – social aspect. We can take advantage of that.

Riverdale IL.
Very poor.
Set up blog through blogger. Gave residents of community a login.

RSS
Defines RSS – gets you found in places you normally wouldn’t be found

Hennepin County (demo)
Showed Bloglines

Force users to come to your site to read website.

Kenton County Public Library – RSS feed for new items added to catalog
Hennepin does key word out of the catalog on RSS

*****ProQuest — RSS
Combine information from variety of community sources through RSS feed.

Suprglu
Creates website for you, combines RSS feeds from a variety of sources

topix.net
localizes news by zip code

add school, chamber, etc. if they have an RSS Feed

Not just a library uses information. Other people will aggregate your information.

LiveJournal — “don’t put your blog there. it’s for teenagers” (Jennie)

Sirsi has RSS, also III, and ????

Michael – step back — Why?

the cluetron manifesto — one of best business books of 2000. talkes about network conversations. creating new form of social organization.
Urgest companies to talk with human voice. about being transparent.
Companies can now communicate with their markets directly. If they blow it, it could be their last chance. (also LIBRARIES).

6 things you can do now:
1. Read Weblogs
2. Start your own “what’s New Blog” at your library
3. Appoint a “trend reporter” on your staff who watches and learns (and shares, emerging technology committee
4. Train your staff to use an aggregator to read RSS feeds – it’s powerful (bloglines, blogbridge)
(makes you sound really smart in meetings)
5. Advocate for RSS to be built in to products we pay for
6. Learn about Library 2.0 (aha! first time it was mentioned)

www.tametheweb.com/pla

QUESTION PORTION

feed2js (service to get RSS)

blog software breakdown (reviews)

oss4lib (mailing list — open source software for libraries)

transfer blogger into wordpress (most have export functions)

Started the day at 7:30 at the OCLC breakfast – bacon & egg croissant, fruit, juice, and coffee – mm mm! Table talk with catalogers, especially challenges of multiple cataloging locations within system.

Full or Plural Funding
Speakers: Steve Coffman & Tom Hennen

• Steve and Tom presented opposing viewpoints, both convincing. Steve encourages plural funding, following the model of NPR, etc. Tom believes libraries are tax-supported public goods.
• Steve’s points: If what we (libraries) are doing to gain public support isn’t enough, it’s not working. We’ve squeezed everything we can out of public support.
• In 1950, 2 cents of every tax dollar (nationally) went to libraries. Current figure is .5 of every tax dollar.
• In 1950 an average of 25% of budget went to book budget. Current figure is 14%.
• With a single source of funding, the major funder (whoever it is) has major influence over library’s philosophy. Encourages diversity of funding.
• Tom’s points: Not important what percentage of budget is spent. More important, amount spent per person served.
• Question asked: “where does library fit? (cultural, education, etc.)”. Steve – cultural; Tom – community education and learning.

Productive Aging – Are public Libraries Productive Partners?
Speakers: Mary Catherine Bateson (Institute for Intercultural Studies), James Welbourne (New Haven), Representative for Diantha Schull (Americans for Libraries Council).
This session was a pleasant surprise. I expected information about serving baby boomers – got new information (to me) and points to ponder.

• Mary Catherine’s philosophy: “We are not what we know, but what we are willing to learn.”
• MCB said for the first time we are living in a 4 generation society: children, adult 1 (raising children), adult 2 (being grandparents), adult 3 (being great-grandparents).
  Adult 2 are being the traditional grandparents (“they are getting advanced degrees and eloping”). That role is now filled by Adult 3 to children.
• MCB – we are making too many short-sited decisions, mortgaging the future.
• Too many people age 65 are burdened with obsolete concepts of aging formed from watching previous generations age.
• James Welbourne talked about the Transition Center in the New Haven Library. It sounded as vital as having a children’s room or teen center.
• Diantha was ill. Her stand-in did a great job (sorry I didn’t get her name). She quoted Maxim Gorky “in the carriages of the past you cannot go anywhere.” She challenged to get a new carriage.
• She talked about the wealth of service available in experienced people and suggested an HR service to handle volunteers.
• She cited Marc Freedman who said aging adults are our largest growing natural resource.
  She related that many boomers are not well-educated nor middle class – an opportunity for inclusivity in the library.
• For others the assumption for needs for services in a deficit model is mistaken (homebound, impoverished, etc). Need to think of them as resources.
• Talked about life planning resources. Services to non-traditional students, thought provoking meetings.

Evening reception at Boston Public Library: What a magnificent building. Thanks to red-capped Boston PL staff. All the touches were wonderful – the music, the food, the fife and drum corps. Even the outdoor traffic control by the Boston Police.

Personal notes: new photos added to Flickr today.

I won the new Nancy Pearl doll at the OCLC WebJunction reception last night. I asked Nancy to autograph it when she was at the ALA store today. I just really enjoyed meeting and chatting with her. She’s a special person.

Very nice lunch at Legal Seafood today. Also squeezed in some time to see some of Boston this afternoon. Especially enjoyed seeing Old North Church, Old Ironsides, and the “Cheers” barfront used in the TV show (how’s that for incongruous?)