Tame The Web

When I read recently that I had been one of 200 potential candidates for an academic library position I came to the sad realization that, yes, this economy was going to affect my job search tremendously.  As a recent graduate from Dominican University’s LIS program, I’ve been on the hunt for a few months and my techniques for searching have changed quite dramatically.  I used to sample a few sites a couple times a week and browse through the listings in ACRL publications, but recently I’ve refined my attack to be much more effective.  I’d like to share what I’ve learned.

You may ask, “why unveil your modus operandi to potential job-seeking competitors?”  Well, we’re all hurting when it comes to job searching.  My father was recently unemployed for nearly a year.  I watched him stress out over personal, financial, and professional concerns as he looked and looked for something new.  Luckily, he was hired by a non-profit company, and, I hope, has let some of those concerns wash away.  I hope that some of these techniques may help you avoid the stress that has affected my father and many like him and help you find that position you so dearly seek like I do.

Please add your techniques or sites in the comments.

Twitter

You may have dismissed Twitter as another social networking fad or annoyance or haven’t looked at Twitter as a job searching tool, but I ask you to reconsider.  There are a few solid Twitterers out there that list new library jobs as tweets:

• ALA’s JobList
• LibGig
• Get Library Jobs

Facebook

I’m not all that active on Facebook but I did notice that ALA’s JobList was active on this social networking site.  Please leave a comment if you know of any other library job sources on Facebook

• ALA’s JobList

Forums

Rachel Singer Gordon has brought us another wonderful library-related project with her LISjobs.com forum.  You can find postings, discussion, and even a good share of encouragement if needed.  Again, if you know of any other library-related job forums please share them in the comments.  And thanks again, Rachel, for your services.

• LISjobs.com

RSS

Using Google Reader combined with an application called EventBox, I’ve been following RSS feeds quite closely.  Of all the “new” tools out there to help find new jobs, RSS is probably the most useful.  Major sites like Educause, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and many others provide feeds for certain types of positions, categories, or even search phrases.  I’ve found that some human resources pages of organizations include RSS feeds, but not nearly enough as I’d like.

• The Chronicle of Higher Education | Library, Information Sciences
• LibGig Jobs
• Educause
• Monster (search “librar*”)

Tabbed Browsing and Favorites

When all the new tools of the web fail you, go ahead and rest on the tried and true techniques like adding sites as favorites.  For those sites that don’t offer RSS feeds or organizations that I want to make sure I know when jobs have opened up, I favorite their human resources page.  I then put all those favorites in a folder and a couple times a week open those favorites in tabs in Safari (or your browser of choice) and skim the postings.

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TTW Contributor: Kyle Jones
http://thecorkboard.org
@thecorkboard

No, it’s not the secret service of the Soviet Union – it is, however, the commercialized reference desk.  KGB, or the knowledge generation bureau as they sometimes call themselves, provides a two-way text reference service straight to mobile devices.  Anywhere.  Anytime.

Which begs these questions: What about the reference desk?  Why not ask a librarian?

You’ll never hear me say or read that I think the reference desk is dead – because it’s not.  But I will say that we can see in the KBG that there is a niche for text message information resources and they are filling it.  The question I personally wonder about is how libraries should respond.

KGB has the distinct advantage of being a company with a clear vision to provide this particular type of reference service.  Libraries are obviously multifaceted in the ways they provide information resources and this dilutes, to some extent, the ability to provide a highly used text reference service.

I would venture to guess that the success depends on marketing.  KGB has created a marketing campaign, traveled the country, and has a very clear brand.  If libraries are to create their own “KGB” service it will all come down to how it is pushed to the user and the community the library serves.

So I ask Michael’s fervid readers this:
Should libraries respond to KGB and offer their own text reference services?

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TTW Contributor: Kyle Jones
http://kylejones.thecorkboard.org

As a soon-to-be graduate of Dominican’s GSLIS program and in need and want of a new job, I watch the job lists pretty closely.  My interest was piqued quickly as I came across a posting for a “Creativity Library Manager” at the University of Nebrask at Omaha.  Part of the post reads:

This newly created position is responsible for developing and operating a unique, experimental library to support creativity in all fields of endeavor. The successful candidate: will identify and select library materials that inspire new ways of thinking; will assist users with materials and extensive, leading-edge technological resources; will provide outreach and promotional programming…

To me it’s outstanding to see libraries proactively seeking to transform their spaces to stimulate the creative processes of students and users.  I know many libraries are taking into consideration what types of environments kindle the innovative spirit and they, too, like the Univeristy of Nebraska at Omaha should be given credit for recognizing the importance of the library as a creative place.

~TTW Contributor Kyle Jones
kylejones.thecorkboard.org

Before Michael puts Tame The Web to rest for the holidays I just wanted to say a quick thank you.

You might be asking, “why the thanks?”  Well, to be honest I have to say that spaces like Tame The Web, Twitter, Facebook, and other online networks have connected me with the profession in more ways than I could have ever imagined.  I’ve had some great professional dialogues about the state of librarianship and its future.  I’ve met some wonderful folks and I hope to continue to build these relationships and create even more.  With two classes left at Dominican University’s GSLIS, I’ve started to realize how grateful I am for already having such a wonderful professional network.  So, thank you for the conversation and the professional development.

I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season,
~Kyle Jones~
-TTW Contributor

I’m a big follower of library websites.  They are virtual representations of their physical presence and they also say a lot about a library’s innovation (or lack thereof).  All this summer I investigated different libraries to see what they were doing and how they were designing their online presences as I redesigned the website for my employer, the A.C. Buehler Library at Elmhurst College.  But it would have been great to know that I could have gone straight to one location to look at a plethora of library websites instead of Googling sites I knew of.

Well – that one location is Libsite.org.

Libsite lets users contribute their own site (or even others) for screenshot viewing, rating, and commenting.  So go register your site and get some feedback.  Oh, and while you’re there give this site a good once-over.

~Kyle Jones~
TTW Contributor

I take notes, share those notes, and build a community with my peers – just by using twitter -it’s really quite simple.

This is how I feel about Twitter in the classroom.  But the 9/18/08 article over at Techdirt, and the comments in particular, paints some different hues (see: “Should you live blog/twitter a class?“).

Last weekend I was engulfed in one of three weekend intensive sessions in Michael’s “Library 2.0 & Social Networking Technologies” class.  As he went through his well-honed version of “The Hyperlinked Library”, I thought, “man, it would be cool to capture some of this and my reflections.”  At this point some might be saying, “yes, Kyle, you should be taking notes.”  But I took it one step further.

I hopped on Twitter, signed up for a quick account, and started tweeting(?) my heart out with every thought and quick reflection.  I also linked my tweets straight into my class Wordpress MU blog.  Soon enough, a classmate had seen my twitter and we became reflective friends.

But at lunch time I timidly asked Michael, “yea, would you be mad if I Twittered class?”  Those of you who know Michael would know that angry would not be his response to this.  He was more intrigued and interested and happy than anything else.

If you’ve read the Techdirt article you know that this is the complete opposite reaction than that of the NYU journalism professor.  But I will admit, I’m just as guilty as most students who zone off in class and dive into the ether that is Facebook – and I’ve done it in Michael’s class, too (*sorry :/*).  But I turned my lust for technology and social networking into a productive method by writing my reflections in Twitter.  On top of that, I got to know some of my classmates before even saying a “hello” to them.

As Brian Rowe, a commenter in the article, wrote:

Sharing what you learn or don’t learn is an important part of being global citizen and helping free culture

I couldn’t agree more.  But some couldn’t agree less, as in this comment by Vince:

I can’t defend this. I believe this material should not be posted outside of the classroom…this material is not owned by the student.

He continues to say:

Universities usually have some sort of internal CMS such as Blackboard or WebCT that allows them to share classroom material and most professors actively use these systems. Theres [sic] no excuse.

I agree with Vince, students shouldn’t and legally can’t copy their professors’ academic work for public access unless that is their wish.  Michael posts “The Hyperlinked Library” here at TTW, but I still wouldn’t post any other of his materials without permission.

What I’m doing is taking brief reflective notes – similar to how I would do it in a notebook – and providing my classmates with an opportunity to respond to my reflections.

I’m curious:  Any grad students (or any student readers for that matter) who blog or use Twitter in class?

~Kyle Jones~
TTW Contributor

It’s my belief that library users are expecting more from their web browsing experience. I’m not talking social networks, I’m talking interactive web design. These users are used to websites that allow for dynamically changing content (content that may not require a new page to load) and for a feeling of interactivity with the page. Dynamic content shifts on the page, animates, and morphs into something it wasn’t previously. Let’s look at some examples:

Jeep:

The rectangular information boxes nicely animate in and out upon click of the left or right arrows allowing for new information to nicely slide in to place.

Apple:

Apple’s start page uses the accordion effect to hide and show its content in the sidebars. Simply hover over, say, “Top Songs” and a top ten list shows up.

Vimeo:

Vimeo, a social networking site about sharing video, smoothly scrolls in new videos that users like every couple of seconds on their “Right Now” page.

I’d venture to guess that a lot of us don’t even think twice about some these nice effects that we engage with during our daily browsing. But we have to recognize that they add to our experience, our “likability” of the pages we view. Understandably, library web pages need to be focused on presenting accurate, useable content; however, we can do these things and still not dismiss the opportunities we have to organize our information in aesthetically pleasing and engaging ways.

One of these engaging ways that I have been very intrigued by is the use of Cover Flow to present resources. If you don’t know what Cover Flow is, take a look at your iTunes library in Cover Flow view by choosing “View” and “Cover Flow View – it looks like this:

It’s easy to make the jump from collections in your iTunes library to the collections in your actual library website. A couple folks around the ‘Net have been thinking the same thing I have and have commented about it:

• Superpatron (who was way ahead of the curve)
• The Shifted Librarian
• The Corkboard (me)
• and I’m sure a few more I’m missing…

To my pleasant surprise, Lee (fellow TTW contributor), led me to an excellent implementation at Villanova University’s Digital Library.

VU uses Cover Flow to display photos of some of their digital collections in a highly interactive way. While I personally had no reason to look further into their collection, the fact that I was able to engage with the collections by browsing intrigued me enough to look further at their collections. This “doorway,” so to speak, is an excellent way to get more views at different collections by catching the user’s eye from the get go.

Not to be outdone by academia, Cambridge Public Library in Canada has also put together their own version of Cover Flow for over 20 different categories of their collection (nice!).

You can choose your category at this screen:

and are given a nice Cover Flow output when you click on the purple icon:

Some of these fancy, schmancy animations and graphics do take some more advanced knowledge of Javascript or other coding languages, but luckily enough most of these tools have such a great following by web designers and wannabe’s like myself that there is a plethora of resources created to help you whip one up. I’ll admit that I have no experience with Javascript but was able to create a couple really nice accordions like within Apple’s start page. If some of the creators of these excellent Cover Flows are followers of Tame the Web, I’d be really interested to read what you used to create your tools and the effort that went into it.

Some Javascript libraries of note for further research:

• Mootools
• jQuery
• Yahoo UI
• Scriptaculous

Posted by Kyle (TTW Contributor)

Some say that IM is on the verge of extinction and that forging into such territory for virtual reference so late in the game is a waste of a library’s energy. You can surely count me as one of those who agrees with that statement. I predict, as do many others, that virtual reference needs to fit in users’ pockets – in their cell phone.

We need to look at the trends happening now (according to PEW, 2006):
-47% can’t live without their cell phones
-35% use SMS and 13% would like it added to their features
The preceding stats were from the general respondents. Look at what the younger population (18-29) has to say:
-65% use their cells for SMS
-36% want their IMs to be forwarded to their cell
-40% would give up their landline completely for a cell (Note: I’ve done this already)
-56% want access to mobile maps and directions (could we include this into a broader grouping such as “want for general information?”)

Some of us look at our phones and say “jeez, it’s just a phone.” I personally don’t do text messaging because it hasn’t become a part of my communication habits (as an aside, my director jokingly put that I must be “old” seeing that I usually fit in with the tech habits of digital natives). Others see the phone as something greater than what Alexander Bell once did. Obviously, the PEW stats indicate such – the phone is more than a phone – and I’d venture to guess that those stats have risen dramatically over the past two years.

Let’s not stop here, shall we? These are statistical trends, but there other trends, observational trends, that we simply can’t ignore.

Walk into your local Verizon wireless store or AT&T and look at what they offer. More and more these big name cellular companies are introducing Smart Phones (phones with applications, advanced hardware, WiFi access, cameras, and more). These are what’s wanted and what’s needed (by some). Take a look at what the Mobile World Congress introduced this week. More Smart Phones. More technology. More features.

It’s safe to say that Apple knew this a year ago. So what did Apple do even though they knew cell phone users wanted more features (applications specifically)? Apple basically said “you don’t need more applications than what we give you – just be happy.” The couldn’t have been further from the truth. No one was angered more than the high tech iPhone users when they were limited by Apple to its default application settings. These high-end users wanted a software developers kit (SDK) to create more applications and they wanted it that instant. Apple is the whipping boy here – other phone companies have gotten the same treatment.

Finally, Apple was forced to see the light and said “fine, go build your applications – sheesh.”

Guess what. Over 70 applications that provide information services have been created. Nearly 900 total applications have been developed across all categories. Is your library one of them?

We can’t deny the trends. But we can and should adapt our virtual reference services to forge into the cell phone world. Adapt SMS reference, create mobile applications to search the OPAC and federated search tools, and – the biggest one of all – develop your website so it’s viewable on a cell phone or other mobile device.

I’d bet my MacBook Pro that this is the future of virtual reference (and that’s saying something!).

TTW Contributor – Kyle Jones

As we’ll see, coffeehouses provided something society needed: a place to just be. But no one had any idea how badly we needed it. (51)

So reads a section of Starbucked by Taylor Clark. The idea of a comfort place, a third place as it has been called, was taken under the wing by the Starbucks visionaries and has become a staple at nearly all their stores. The comforting soft tones of wood tables, abundant chairs of varying sizes and comfort levels, and the wafting aroma of splendid coffee all welcome you in from the freezing cold (if you’re in Chicago like myself) or the scorching heat (if you’re someplace pleasant and not Chicago). The point being that Starbucks is a comfort place.

There are two distinct memories of my high school library that come to mind: one, the very nice computer lab and, two, the donated sofa and recliner placed next to the periodicals. Yes, we had books. No, we did not have a full-time librarian (and that’s another issue entirely). And of course I have other memories – but my mind chooses these two first and foremost for their obvious importance to me. Those old pieces of furniture provided a refuge for me during passing periods, as a place to relax before extra curricular activities, and as a pleasant place to study. The computers served my geeky needs. Together they created my comfort place.

Sadly, not all libraries get this – the idea that the stacks can be intermixed with a welcoming decor, a place to indulge in the pleasures of a book, or even a quick check of e-mail (or stock quotes). Creating a pleasurable experience is now a necessity for businesses and, whether we all agree or not, libraries keep stock, provide products, and serve customer needs – just like businesses. It’s important to note where our users shop and why. Do they go off to Starbucks and Barnes and Noble? Why? What is it that lures them in? There is nothing wrong about examining business practices for potential implementation in libraries. As I recently saw, Barnes and Noble in northern Milwaukee offers meeting times for aspiring writers – something libraries have done and continue to do. If they pull ideas from libraries, why not reciprocate?

Besides looking at physical layout and design ideas, libraries should try to look at business practices and place them in a library-related context. Something as simple as designated tech support (like the Apple genius bar), comfy couches (like Barnes and Noble), or even rent on demand (Netflix) could make all the difference to patrons.

~Kyle Jones~
Blog: The Corkboard