It was a busy four days and it has taken time to digest all the ideas. Two programs were especially relevant to LCPL and libraries in general: the first dealt with screencasting or short online tutorials for our patrons. As more and more of our patrons are visiting us online it is imperative that we're there to instruct them online and screencasts seem to be an efficient way to do this.
The second program presented new ways of dealing with collection development - one speaker actually proposed that librarians were a thing of the past - let the patrons decide what the library purchases: let patron requests (new or old titles) trigger purchases or else contract for a machine that would print on demand. Another speaker talked about centralized purchasing - a team of collection librarians purchased for all subject areas.
Interesting ideas in a time of shrinking staff and budgets.
Here are my notes:
ALA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
2009 Chicago, Illinois
Casting a Wide Net: Using Screencasts to Reach and Teach Library Users
Program was introduced by Committee co-chair, Michelle Jacobs, via screencast since she was not able to attend the conference.
http://rusamarshottopicsannual/2009.wordpress.com/
Panelists:
Eric Frierson, Education & Political Science Librarian, University of Texas at Arlington
Carmen Kazakoff-Lane, Head – Extension & Inter-Library Loans, Brandon University
Mick Jacobsen, Adult Services Librarian, Skokie Public Library, Illinois
The RUSA MARS Hot Topics Discussion Group presented a panel discussion on Screencasts. Screencasts are short instructional videos created by librarians and made available to patrons 24/7. Since many of our users are virtual, we need to make information available at their point of need.
Eric Frierson of the University of Texas at Arlington demonstrated how his library’s online catalog used embedded screencasts, with links to videos such as “Where’s the PDF?”, “I need peer-reviewed”, or “Bad Results” appearing when users are likely to need them. He has also created a welcome video to introduce users to his education subject guide – which can be a bit overwhelming for new users.
Mick Jacobsen of Skokie (Illinois) Public Library gave a public librarian’s use of screencasting and observed that his patrons are interested in information rather than reference sources. He stated, “very few people come to learn to Reference USA. They wouldn’t know what we’re talking about. But they would respond to ‘Do you want to find more customers?’” Skokie PL has a number of screencasts in their Skokie Business Portal.
Carmen Kazakoff-Lane, from Brandon University in Manitoba, demonstrated the Animated Tutorial Sharing (ANTS) Project, a collaborative project among librarians to create and share tutorial videos across institutions. The project currently involves librarians in Canada and the United States but is open to librarians elsewhere.
The goal of the project is to create a shared repository of library, research, and information literacy tutorials created using screencast software such as Adobe Captivate, Qarbon Viewlet Builder, Techsmith's Camtasia Studio , or similar products.
Tutorials contributed to the ANTS project are made publicly available for use by all libraries via our affiliated sites: LION TV and Screencast.com . Editable Source code is also available from our DSpace repository for those who wish to add their own brands, local links, etc.
What Do I Watch, Listen to, Play, or Download Next: Readers Advisory Techniques for the Digital World
Presenters:
Helen Stewart, Schaumburg Public Library (IL)
Amy Peterson, Schaumburg Public Library (IL)
Steve Gianni, Northbrook Public Library (IL)
Presenter Helen Stewart from Schaumburg started the session of with RA information for movies. She reminded the attendees of the challenges facing librarians who work with multi-media. Circulation for AV is “going through the roof.” Formats are always changing and librarians must keep a list of titles ready for recommendations and always know what’s playing in the local theaters.
Some display and marketing tips:
-think retail when displaying and change displays often to increase interest & excitement
-group movies by genre for “grab & go”
-be prepared to do reference interviews for movies – what type of movies has the patron enjoyed in the past, who are the favorite directors/actors, what about the rating of the film – are R-rated filsm ok?
-good resources for movies: reel.com; Amazon listmania; and Rotten Tomatoes and to be sure a movie is “kid-safe,” try Kids in Mind
The second presenter, Amy Peterson, also from Schaumburg, discussed audiobook advisory. Some tips from Amy:
-remember narrator preferences
-single narrator, multiple, or a full cast
-abridged versus unabridged
-production quality & format
-good sources for audiobooks: Audiofile magazine, APA, Booklist and audio discussion lists
The third presenter, Steve Gianni from Northbrook PL talked about his library’s music collections. Some tips:
-he recommends asking staff who may have interests in music beyond your own to build the collection
-arrange materials like retail stores do
-create displays based on what is going on in the music world locally and nationally
-make collection accessible and be ready to answer questions
-recommended resources: Billboard, New Music Express, and award lists from the Grammy and Town awards; for classical - NPR Guide to Building a Classical CD Collection; and for kid safe music for tweens – Radio Disney
Collection Development 2.0: The Changing Administration of Collection Development
Speakers:
Rick Anderson, Associate Director from Scholarly Resources & Collections, University of Utah
Martha White, Director of Library Experiences, Lexington (KY) Public Library
Jonathan Nabe, Collection Development Librarian, Sciences & Technology, Southern Illinois University – Carbondale
Collection development is undergoing revolutionary changes. In the last few years, most libraries have made major changes in the way they manage collection development – what changes have some libraries implemented and why.
Jonathan Nabe from SIU in Carbondale
“Fewer Cooks @ SIU”
SIU hired three collection development librarians with full
responsibility for all aspects of CD: selection, analysis, policy, etc
Benefits:
Increased Oversight
Better balance
Better collection? Too early to tell
Wave of the Future? On the plus side this plan offers a new outlook and increased attention to the collection but on the negative side this is a heavy workload & a lot of responsibility for three librarians
What do we collect?
• No longer just what the publishers offer
• Materials produced within our institutions
• Institutional repositories
Current trends
• Patron Driven Acquisition (PDA)
• Pay-per-view
• ILL
• Cooperative Collection Development
Is Your Library a Repository?
Current trends work against libraries’ role as archival authority:
• Electronic journals and books:
– a license is only as good as the power to enforce it
• PDA:
– many books and people left out
• Pay-per-view:
– what about the patrons of tomorrow?
• ILL:
– unsustainable
Martha White from the Lexington Public Library mwhite@lexpublib.org
Themes from Ms White’s presentation:
1. Give the customers what they want
-multiple copies
-displays & website exposure
-“Power Wall” bookstore like, face out & categories
-signage
2. Centralized Selection
-representative interest across system
-replacement cycle > no circulation reports
-train staff to buy in
-through communication > gaps in collection
-scope statement
-weeding parties with strike teams
3. Reduced holding reserves from 7 to 5 days; charge $1 per book for non - pick up and have instituted self-service holds pickup
Rick Anderson from the University of Utah
Need to rethink the idea of library collections –
Why did we collect?
· Printed materials are physically awkward; hard to locate with card catalogs, and usually at another location
· Printed materials are expensive, usable by only one person at a time and usable only when the library was open
Should we continue to collect print?
· Users are online, online materials do not have physical constraints, can be used virtually by all anytime, anywhere, stored very cheaply
· Radically new information market – librarians guess wrong 50% of the time and patrons interest in print books has dropped dramatically
Bottom Line –
· CD is a guess
· Is wasteful
· Guesses today are much more expensive
· Point of need purchase is now an option – so why are we still guessing???
· Alternatives: electronic on demand – only purchase when patron checks out a book (NetLibrary); print on demand – INGRAM; ILL as CD (buy instead of borrow); in house printing > expedited patron requests; and cooperative collection development or regional warehouse.
Tough Questions –
· Why do we need librarians?
· Do patrons really want the best information?
· Who will preserve and safeguard information?
· Why are we rewarding laziness?
Who Cares About Privacy? Boundaries, Millennials, and the MySpace Mindset
Libraries have long trumpeted their role as protectors of privacy, but what does privacy mean in an age when people share all aspects of their lives with a worldwide audience? Siva Vaidhyanathan, author of The Anarchist in the Library and the blog/book in progress, The Googlization of Everything, and Frances Jacobson Harris, author of I Found It on the Internet: Coming of Age Online, will engage the topic of how the changing definition of privacy impacts the library research environment.
Speakers:
Siva Vaidhyanathan, Associate Professor of Media Studies and Law – University of Virginia and author
Frances Jacobson Harris, Librarian, University Laboratory High School; Professor of Library Administration, University Library -University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and author
Professor Jacobson Harris:
http://www.uni.uiuc.edu/library/harrisvita.htm
http://bit.ly/12v600
Notes from Professor Jacobson Harris’ presentation:
Myths vs. realities:
- Predators don’t typically troll SNSs for victims
- Real teen responses to predators vs. researchers-as-teens response to predators
- Cyberbullying is an extension of f2f bullying
- Teens are not equally at risk online: those who are most at risk often engage in risky behaviors and have difficulties in other parts of their lives.
Libraries:
- How can we support & foster collaborative work; protect privacy; and remain relevant?
- How can we honor the role of social networks in communication and collaboration?
To do List:
- Look at those acceptable use policies & filters
- Look at how millennials do research, both formal and informal
- Look for ways to balance protecting privacy & fostering collaboration
- Look past traditional access points (toward mobile devices, online gaming communities, virtual worlds….)
Professor Siva Vaidhyanathan:
http://www.law.virginia.edu/lawweb/faculty.nsf/prfhpbw/sv2r
http://www.googlizationofeverything.com/2008/11/some_initial_answers_to_my_ini.php
Notes form Professor Vaidhyanathan’s presentation:
- There is NO such thing as Millenniums! To classify a group by age causes three things: 1)eroticizes them, 2)homogenizes them, and 3)encourages hammering
- We shouldn’t be pandering to these students > we owe them an education > give them guidance on managing their reputations
Reputations are managed through interfaces with:
- peer to state (data collection)
- peer to firm (data from businesses who collection information on card holders)
- peer to family
- peer to peer (friends & co-workers)
- Peer to power (boss, principles, church leaders, etc.)
Social Network Services (SNS) need tools for privacy & managing reputation instead there is technical bias encouraging sharing beyond context (add to your network theme)
Need laws to enforce policy changes:
- shift defaults
- disclosures up front
- protection of the minority
There is Class differential: Class & Public Persona
- one in four children are born in poverty
- poor children are less skilled to manage their public persona
- poor choose My Space over Face book
- More SMS on phones than on Twitter
Imagine the stakes of a soiled reputation – notion of being able to manage social reputation hard but almost impossible for the poor.
Societal challenge: all in this together > new technology challenges everyone, not just the young.
Comments welcome.
