Categories Engaging Library Users
183 posts
The backstory: I’ve been working with a fellow Portland Mainer named Kirsten Cappy who runs the book consulting company Curious City to come up with a program to promote the new book Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham (out June 2012). We had the idea to send the book out on the road, much like the characters in the story. We asked “how can this work and how can we help out libraries?” My response was: “make it easy and simple for teen libraries and give them a summer reading program in a box”. Simple things for the library to host and give their community something neat […]
Shirky, of course, advocates that we embrace “as much chaos as we can stand.” In this scenario, staff is encouraged to try out a new thing without regard to the way “it’s always been done.” This is messy, scary, and probably unwanted in most institutions. Ideas above are from: Cognitive Surplus by Clay Shirky Embracing Chaos by Michael Stephens It has been a little over a month since we began our grand experiment with lending devices to teens (for the first post on this, go here. for the second, go here) and I am here to check back in and […]
“We cannot keep libraries the same exact way. We cannot hope that our students will use the old technology. Hope is not a strategy for us,” she said. “We need to change; we need to transform; we need to find new ways to deliver information. And we are after the whole person, not just the brain.” Dean of University Libraries Sohair Wastawy http://blogs.ilstu.edu/illinois-state-magazine/2012/02/01/long-overdue/ Don’t miss this article about the changes at the Milner Library at Illinois State.
My February column is up at Library Journal: http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2012/02/opinion/michael-stephens/the-age-of-participation-office-hours/ IT’S THE MUSEUM DIRECTOR’S conundrum. She has six brief seconds to grab the visitor’s attention as they walk past each exhibit. Once they pass the exhibit, they’re gone for good. That thought went through my mind as I stood talking with a museum administrator at a stammtisch [“regular get-together”] in Berlin in March 2010. Could this brief window of opportunity be maximized by adding a social, participatory component to museum exhibitions? I couldn’t help but think that this is the same problem facing libraries. How can we grab the public’s interest despite the […]
(for the first post in this series, please click here) Once I had the idea for lending out iPods with pre-selected apps to teens, I had to do some investigating and thinking about how these devices would be used. I would describe the iPods as “locked down”. By that, I mean that the borrower can’t do much other than use the iPods for their library defined purpose (play or create) and use the internet. To access restrictions, visit your settings on your iPod. Under the General tab, scroll down to […]
We can talk all day about whether or not it’s a good idea to lend out devices to patrons, but in the end action is better than any kind of talk. After listening to both sides of the lending devices story for a few weeks, I decided to say the heck with it and buy some Nooks and iPod Touches to lend out to my teen patrons. My approach to lending out these devices was simple: sure, anyone can go out there and buy these devices and put whatever they want on them, but what about all of the cool […]
Please do not miss: http://infomational.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/project-curve-part-five-library-on-wheels/ Just a snippet demonstrates Char Booth’s evidence-based, grounded approach to library outreach and technology: the mobile shift: not exactly news Now, down to project business. Mobile platforms and services have become one of the most handily bandied-about concepts in libraryland over the last few years, and for very good reason. Recent research from ECAR, PIL (pdf), and Pew (among others) documents a mobile shift in personal and academic connectivity, communication, and access among learners. My own research for the Council of Chief Librarians of California Community Colleges in 2011 examined in part the receptivity of participants to mobile library functionality, which resoundingly […]
Have you ever given your all for a teen program, only to feel less than spectacular about the end result? We’ve all been there. Maybe we don’t attract the attendance numbers we hoped for or that our well thought out plan didn’t go exactly as we expected it to go. It’s got me thinking about life in the library beyond programs. Programming is a great tool for libraries, but it can only get us so far. Real interactions, friendships, and something as simple as saying hello to our patrons is one of the best practices for a teen librarian to […]
Working Like A Patron, originally uploaded by herzogbr. Don’t miss this: http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/2011/09/27/work-like-a-patron-day-2011/