Tame The Web

What’s the library policy on blogging and social networking for staff? Can you maintain your personal/professional blog if you accept a position? We’d urge hiring librarians to encourage new staffers to continue their blogging or participation in social networks.

Does the library employ vertical teams for planning and implementation of new services? Can new hires participate and share their voices from day one? Inviting new staffers to play a role in service creation signals a willingness to hear new ideas. Ask for examples.

What mentoring opportunities are there? A recent job listing from Davidson College in North Carolina included this bit: “We want your newbie enthusiasm and fresh ideas, and we’ll mentor you in your growth.” This is a promising trend; it’s vital for veterans to mentor and encourage new librarians.

Read the whole column here: http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6566471.html

AND, don’t miss this comment from Andrea Pearson:

Many recent graduates work as substitutes or work part time. Ask about mentoring and career paths if you are applying for these positions, too Our library system (Hennepin County, MN) has great training opportunities which are open to FT, PT, and subs. The HCL substitute librarians are creating a Library Sub wiki, “Librarian Substitutes 2.0,” in order to keep in touch with each other and keep up professionally. Right now it’s in a very early stage, but we welcome subs and PT librarians to visit at librariansubs at wetpaint.

Please leave a comment sharing your own thoughts about “finding the right fit..”

MS: Comments on my blog ranged from the forward-thinking, right-up-Ranganathan’s alley and the “Anonymous” who said, “Of course that crap should be banned” to the thoughtful critique and commentary of Ian McKinney from cutting-edge Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, IN. He reminds us the problem was specific kids, not technology. Indeed, I worry the teens in Mishawaka won’t care about the library and that will hurt the whole community. Were other solutions considered?

MC: When we advocate bringing teens into the library, we don’t acquiesce to rowdy teen behavior, as some suspect. Behavioral problems are never acceptable in the library. Foul-mouthed teens need to be booted out for the day, and problem teens for longer periods. Sometimes this means hiring security guards, and sometimes this means setting a firm tone at the beginning.

But don’t misunderstand; teens will be teens–they need to talk and socialize–so don’t expect a library with a lot of teens to be quiet. Carving out a teen area is great, if you have the room. If not, try to find an area that can be kept relatively quiet and offer it to those users who need a sanctuary.

Issues with teens are often larger community challenges. Kids need interesting and safe things to do. The entire community should be a part of the solution.

Read the whole column here: http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6556178.html

Adopting a new technology can be fun, whether it’s Web 2.0 applications like Drupal or cutting-edge technologies like RFID. It can be seductive to watch these tools used by other library systems. We’ve seen many “cool tools” presentations at conferences that play up the wonders of Twitter, FriendFeed, or Facebook apps.

However cool these new tools might appear, it may not be easy to inject them into your library—nor do they all belong there. Check out the Libraries Using Evidence blog, created by a group of Australian librarians, for insight into how evidence-based practice meets 2.0 initiatives.

Administrators must take a big picture approach to evaluating new services and tools, factoring in budget issues, staff hours, and community impact. The new tool or service must fit into the library’s philosophy. If it’s a new tool for library communications, then administrators can give it a kick-start by using the tool themselves.

It takes front-end work to evaluate services properly. Well-defined expectations and goals and a written statement regarding some measurable return make the evaluation process more effective and worthwhile.

Also, get staff and customers/patrons on board for the review process. Let everyone know that, eventually, you’ll evaluate every service you roll out. This lends more transparency to your planning process.

Read the whole column here: http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6547089.html

What are those Michaels up to? | Originally uploaded by cindiann

A personal shout out to my writing partner at LJ Mr. Michael Casey. We never get to see each other in person, so hanging out at CIL was pretty darn cool. Thanks to Cindi of the incredible photography skills as well for capturing this pic. It’s a little more artistic than the only other photo I have of Michael and I together:

Seriously, a big shout out to my friend for inspiring me and getting me to think so much about organizational culture, libraries and tech.

Cheers to the many librarians who have joined the local and global conversation via blogs, wikis, Flickr, and other social networks. The expression of shared ideas, feedback, and solutions furthers the professional discourse.

Jeers to IT departments that still hide behind “it’s not secure,” “we can’t support that,” and technology plans/decisions made without involving librarians or users. We’re ready for an open dialog about security, privacy, and what resources we can realistically spend. We understand how busy IT can be. We simply want the discussions to be more inclusive.

Cheers to libraries like North Carolina State University (NCSU) for the “transparent reference desk” at its Information Commons. Much more than furniture, this acknowledges what can be done in an open collaborative space. With iPods and digital cameras available for checkout, NCSU shows that librarians can be technology support leaders, trainers, and advocates for collaboration.

Read the whole column here: http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6539361.html

Update: How did we do? What would you add?

 It’s often a hurdle to get library administrators and managers to listen to your concerns and views. But there are ways. And we believe this advice holds true for everyone on the desk, from reference librarians to support staff…..

….Tap into reports. Some 30 percent of folks polled for OCLC’s 2005 report Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources didn’t know what “electronic databases” were, and over 80 percent were starting their own information searches at a search engine. Pew’s December 2007 Information Searches That Solve Problems tells us that younger people really do use the library.

We’re reminded of the rules posted for the Library Loft teen space at the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, NC: “Respect yourself, respect others, respect the space.”

Read the complete February column here. 

Picture this: your library has launched a visionary long-range reorganization plan that sparks an anonymous, critical blog from staff members. Or your library appears in an anonymous YouTube or Flickr extravaganza that targets your authoritarian signage, unfriendly staff, and dirty public restrooms. Or your soon-to-be-launched web revamp is reviewed on an employee’s personal blog before the library goes public. Hypothetical? No.

Such events, which have occurred at various libraries, can make for difficult and stressful times. Are they entirely negative? Can transparency and anonymity coexist? Is it better to turn a blind eye to the conversation playing out online?

Read the whole column here: http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6515878.html

The “To Do” list for transparency is simple but requires commitment from administrators and staff and a willingness to learn from failure. While the list mostly fits all sizes, note that the challenges in achieving the first two items are faced mainly by medium and large libraries.

The list

• Give your staff multiple avenues for open communication, including internal blogs and vertical teams.
• Visit front-line staff regularly.
• Cross-train staff so they have a sense of what their fellow front-line workers do all day.
• Encourage new ideas and the hearing of ideas among all levels of staff and with the public.
• Provide learning opportunities for all staff, including regional and web conferences. Start a Learning 2.0 initiative so that staffers can learn from the comfort of their own desk. Reinforce their knowledge of the library’s mission and introduce them to the planning process and how things get done at all levels of library administration and management.
• Invite staff (on the clock) to attend governance meetings and other user community gatherings to get to know the political leadership.
• Get all departments, all divisions, to plan their projects as a group so everyone knows (and can prepare for) what’s on the upcoming calendar and so everyone can offer input and suggestions.

Read the entire column here: http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6510682.html

In this new world, these models no longer fly:

Make decisions in public. Hold meetings and invite staff and public comment for all major projects.
Create multiple avenues of communication and encourage vertical communication among all levels of staff.
Share plans and steps for projects and listen to feedback.
As you create and adapt library services, also consider technology usage statistics. Analysis of computer use, web site traffic, and the return on investment for all technology projects is essential.

Read the whole column at:http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6497291.html?industryid=47356

Nowadays, an unhappy public can be more vocal than ever before, thanks to the Internet. When Apple dropped the price of the iPhone by $200 just weeks after the device went on sale, various Apple discussion forums caught fire with angry posts, and savvy geeks launched web sites to protest. How might a library director respond to the launch of a critical blog posted by community members or even anonymous staffers? (Check AFPLwatch.com for a perfect example of the latter in action.) Imagine if a site just like that debuted for your library. One of the toughest—and most crucial—things a library director can do is open the door, loosen the reins, and throw out that opaque institutional policy. A director’s blog (with open, unmoderated comments and a comment policy) would be a good start.

Read the whole column at http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6490673.html

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6476421.html

The transparent library’s fluid nature and open communication allow all levels of staff to understand what it takes to meet user needs. By following this simple rule—bring them out—you’ll develop a big-picture understanding of library services among your staff, and you’ll see dividends immediately.

ImaginON: Public Library of Charlotte Mecklenburg County

Originally uploaded by mstephens7.

LJ used this pic of us for the column.

Michael Casey and I are writing our next column for LJ’s The Transparent Library and we realized what a perfect place to discuss the recent Wired piece “The Naked CEO” by Clive Thompson. Thompson blogged about the article while writing the piece and asked for input.

At his blog, Thompson sums up so much of what we’ve been discussing about the advent of web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the almost-left-the-station Cluetrain:

Reputation Is Everything: Google isn’t a search engine. Google is a reputation-managment system. What do we search for, anyway? Mostly people, products, ideas — and what we want to know are, what do other people think about this stuff? All this blogging, Flickring, MySpacing, journaling — and, most of all, linking — has transformed the Internet into a world where it’s incredibly easy to figure out what the world thinks about you, your neighbor, the company you work for, or the stuff you were blabbing about four years ago. It might seem paradoxical, but in a situation like that, it’s better to be an active participant in the ongoing conversation than to stand off and refuse to participate. Because, okay, let’s say you don’t want to blog, or to Flickr, or to participate in online discussion threads. That means the next time someone Googles you they’ll find … everything that everyone else has said about you, rather than the stuff you’ve said yourself. (Again — just ask Sony about this one.) The only way to improve and buff your reputation is to dive in and participate. Be open. Be generous. Throw stuff out there — your thoughts, your ideas, your personality. Trust comes from transparency.

Let’s try this. We’d love to hear from directors, librarians, library staff — heck even users. Please comment here or at LibraryCrunch.

Some points to ponder:

What does it mean to be radically transparent?
How closely tied to radical trust is it?
Is secrecy dead?
What reputation do you want your library to have?

Michael Casey and I have some good news. We’ll be writing a monthly column in Library Journal starting next week. It’s called “The Transparent Library”, a title we like a lot. We’ll be applying some of our thinking and inspiration to organizational culture and libraries, with a slant towards technology as well. We’re very happy to be in LJ because each month the columns will be made freely available on web for easy linking.

Here’s just a bit from the first one:
The cultural and social shift we’ve observed, highlighted by Wade
Roush’s idea of continuous computing and the advent of blogs, wikis,
and the rise of the citizen journalist, armed with a cellphone camera
and a desire for fairness and openness, has created a great stir in
business and the non-profit sector. How can businesses, now blogged
about and scrutinized by a thousand plus blogging voices, respond in
such an open, online environment? The Cluetrain Manifesto, published
in 1999 urged business to speak with a human voice online. In 2007,
the social world of “continuous computing” demands it.

So to help set the path for this column we’d like to briefly examine
the four key components of the transparent library; open
communications, learning to learn, adapting to change, and scanning
the horizon. What prevents a library from being transparent?
Barriers. Roadblocks. Inability to change. The Culture of perfect. In
future columns we’ll explore these ideas and offer solutions for
those struggling with new models of service, technology and a
decidedly opaque climate.