Transforming with Technology

Better late than never? More notes from ALA2007, things I think are interesting in red.

Transforming Your Library, and Your Library's Future, with Technology
ALA GOVERNANCE
Track: Transformation & Innovations
Technology can transform your library and its services, as it is transforming the lives of your patrons. From do-it-now technology improvements to next-generation implementations, from software to SOPACs, from in-your-face competition to over-the-horizon transformations, three accomplished experts will instruct, enlighten and challenge you to use technology to make your library more relevant to your patrons -- today and tomorrow.

Lori Ayre, The Galecia Group: You need different spaces for different people and uses. She doesn’t understand why everyone isn’t using:

· An automated central sorting system-- it would save time and money

· Automated checkin (5 bin, sorted is approximately 100-150K)

· A self check system

· Compact shelving with autoretrieve

· Bookdrops all over town

Casey Bisson, Plymouth State University, NY:

· Our catalogs aren’t working, we need usability, findability, remixability. Facets provide a place at every search box for patron to ask a question. Could you bring in encyclopedia articles to provide context?

· Libraries should publicize themselves on their websites: for events, use google calendar, put on sidebar. It’s wrong to think of the website as there to bring people in your front door, no, it’s a service point!

· Should blog answers to good questions—this shows people what you do, is interesting. “Ask a Librarian” is last resort for users, who expect their web site to answer the questions.

· Show local history pictures—comments on them can enhance the local memory

Roy Tennant, California Digital Library:

· Technology is a tool; you don’t start with the tool and go looking for things to fix with it, start with goals.

· When considering technology, where does it fall on the curve (early adopters vs. trailing edge)

· Where do you go for support? Not always the vendors, often a list.

· “Learn where you breathe”

· Need project management, critical thinking skills and understanding of the problem you are solving; need to give it support; need to market new services

· How do you create an agile organization (or how do you stay agile yourself?):

o Committees can form communication basis and spawn task forces to solve particular issues identified by the committee with experts and workers on it.

o Reward risk-taking

o Give equipment

· Be a change agent but think cautiously and critically about technology, listen and empathize

· Learn only enough to get by: just in time learning.

· Use it, write things down

ALA 2007: Leading Technology-driven Change: Theory and Practice

Leading Technology-driven Change: Theory and Practice (LAMA LOMS)

Beverly Lynch (moderator), Professor, Grad School of Education and Information Studies, UCLA

Joyce Ogburn, Director, Mariott Library, University of Utah Marriott Library: She reviews leadership materials frequently in order to keep focused on her leadership style.

• She recommends several (Battin—past strengths become liabilities; Bennis—harsh view of management cf. leadership; Crosby—shows gap between profit and non-profit; Goleman—emotional intelligence: self awareness, motivation, empathy, social skill, self regulation; Hawkins—move beyond your institution; Kotter—8 steps of change; On Change: ~ 60 pages from Am. Council on Ed. That applies to higher ed; Rost—defines leadership as influence, vs. management as authority.)
• Advice: be patient with your leaders, cut them some slack and offer to help. It’s hard work. Also “swim with a buddy”

Felton Thomas Jr., Las Vegas-Clark County Library District: Change = growth.

• Great quote attributed to a friend @ Dartmouth: “We’re moving this profession one funeral at a time”
• Technological change in the library world is an uphill battle, “like going hunting and carrying the dog”
• Believes in scenario planning (Giesecke) so that you can identify opinion leaders and get them in early.
• Power of full engagement, individual growth. How do you make changes last? Define your purpose, face the truth, take action.

Kathryn Deiss, Content Strategist, ACRL: Major paradigm shifts due to technology are: 1) advent of classification system, 2) the internet, and now 3) social software.

• Concept from urban studies is relevant here: where people are wearing a path in the grass, put the path there.
• Need to install a beta mindset in staff, things don’t have to be either/or.
• How do you get people to really stop doing things (even though the decision to stop has already been made)? String too short to be saved (true story-- label on box in office being cleaned out). People need to change mental models – we have models to save time in doing routine things (e.g., when you see a red light, you should stop without needing to think too much about it), but when the model changes we need to bring things into focus so that we can pay attention again (see deBrabandere.) Once LL Bean was 24/7, could buy a canoe at 3AM and that was unusual and strange, now people are used to 24/7 and don’t want it any other way.
• Today we have a choice overload, in which case most people will choose nothing. We need to focus people on key issues, but choices are exploding.
• Betty Sue Flowers: you can’t predict the future, but you can control your narrative. Who are you in the story that is being told: the victim?; the hero?

Reading list at: ALA 2007