PLA Blog

This session on Sunday afternoon was a discussion forum sponsored by the RUSA-MARS division of ALA. It’s subtitle was “Best practices for managing and serving public computer users.” The facilitators created a list of questions to promote discussion that fell into 3 broad categories: technology, patron behavior & needs, and policy. 

Technology questions focused on whether you offered automatic or manual sign-up, commercial or homegrown solutions, guest logins or not, wireless access, and Microsoft Office or other productivity software. Patron behavior/need questions focused on how patrons login, what they do on the computers, how long they stay, with what do they need the most help, what services do they request that you don’t offer, and are there questions about the priority of one patron’s tasks over another’s. Policy questions focused on levels of access, ability to download files and software, whether or not you filter/block some sites, policies for problems with patron behavior, and policies about priority of patrons’ computer tasks.

We were seated at round tables and discussed the answers to these questions with folks at our table. Near the end of the session, we reported on our table discussions to the larger group. While the discussions were useful in some cases, it was up to each individual to jot down any ideas for use back at his/her home system. From the title of the session, I had thought that I would be given a handout with best practices to take home with me. My library system already has automated sign-up for computers and several policies in place for dealing with many of the issues that came up so perhaps other librarians found this session more helpful.

Everyone has a story. Being able to turn your story to something that can be shared with others enhances self worth and benefits the community overall.  Their story lives on after they are gone. As libraries, we have the training and in some ways, duty to document and archive society’s culture and history. We have the ability to share this knowledge with others that are even outside of our communities through technology. Therefore, I was very excited to attend the PLA sponsored workshop yesterday. 

Whew…what a conference. My first PLA and I must say I’m much impressed. And much tired. And much with good grammer too. And to think I was just one of over 9000 Public Library people that attended. Wow! That’s a big kind of number. So here then is the final run down.

After a quick packing and breakfast I attended the first of my last final prgramming sessions, “How to Deal with Difficult Patrons.” Good program, and sadly one I think more and more of us have need of. I work in a big, downtown library and there is no avoiding the fact that dealing with difficult patrons is pretty much a daily task. I liked this program for two reasons: it gave very good advice and it also outlined how you can go about teaching this to your own staff (through the online info the presenters are providing). I will definitely be dong some downloading when I get back to work tomorrow (and yes, tomorrow…no rest for the conferenced).

My final session was “From Hype to Help,” and dealt with ways of helping your organization collaborate using technology. While mostly an overview with a couple of specific samples thrown in, it did present some ideas and places to check out online that I will definitely have to investigate. I enjoyed the presenters enthusiasm and honesty. Using technology to address “communication” issues requires a lot of staff “buy-in” and that is never easy to create.

The final event of PLA was the Closing Session featuring Paula Poundstone. I knew the name, but I don’t think I had ever seen her perform and now I feel kind of bad about that. She is damn funny. I enjoy comedy quite a bit, in all it’s forms and fashions, but I have a soft spot for those comedians who think on their feet and can turn chance statements from the audience into running gags. Paula Poundstone did that and more, and I doubt I will ever look at “Public” Libraries quite the same (sorry, you had to be there).

And so it ends, my first but hopefully not my last PLA. Two years from now I’m going to face a major delimna. Do I try and encourage others in my system to attend so that they can have the experince I had this week? Or do I keep it quiet about it so there might be money left to send me again? Damn…I wonder if any of them are reading this blog?

And speaking of readers, thanks to PLA for letting me do this and thanks to you few who actually read them. I can only hope that some small part of what I experienced I was able to communicate and that two years from now, some of you who have never attended will be in Portland (with me if luck prevails) and will be blogging away about your own experiences. Sure, there are some downsides, but overall it is a fantastic opportunity and well worth the effort.

I keep coming back to one of the first comments that appeared on one my messages. Recharged? Yes I feel recharged. And why? Because being here at PLA helps give me the big picture. I am part of the world of Public Librarians, and they are all facing the same problems I am and there are those, much smarter than me, who are figuring out solutions. The least I can do is take that knowledge back with me to my system, and spread the word.

Thank you!

And before I forget, than you Minneapolis! I had a great time in this fantastic city. Cold? You betch ya! And I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Since my last post was so late in the day, that will likely make this post a bit shorter than previous ones. I just finished up my last session of the day, The RA Toolkit III, and it was pretty much everything I hoped it would be. It never hurts to have not one, but three excellent presenters, but when that is coupled with a huge amount of information that I know will be very useful to me, it is undoubtably a case of having your cake and eating it too. If there is any drawback to this type of presentation, it’s the realization of how much work I’ve got waiting for me when I return home to San Antonio. But I’m glad I’ll have the opportunity to share my newly gained information, and besides, nobody said being a librarian would be easy. Well actually a lot of people said that, but they were wrong!

My evening wrapped up with one last vendor event, a lovely laid back affair sponsered by Bowker/Syndetics. For once I wasn’t a total recluse, thanks largely to those sitting at the table, who were extremely social, as were the Bowker people. Thank you all for nice little osasis in the middle of my adventure.

Since I don’t have much to report otherewise, it seems like a good time to do a little reflecting. I love the paperless conference…whoever came up with that idea needs a big raise. Not only is a lot of paper being saved, but the PLA people, through the support of one of the vendors, has created a wonderful onsite printing set up where you can get the printouts you want and it prints in duplex too. So even if you do want to go the paper route, you’re still using almost half as much paper as you might normally use. I think that deserves a big round of applause and I hope it’s a system that other library conferences will adopt.

I think I should also mention that even though I’m not the most gregarious of people, I’ve had some wonderful conversations with other librarians while just waiting in line, waiting for programs to start, or just answering “directionals” (yeah, I’m one of those people that other people tend to ask for directions…even though I usually don’t have a clue where I actually am). No, it’s not really networking, but it a nice affirmation that I and my library system, are not alone. We all face shared problems and even if we’re not finding our solutions here at PLA, just knowing there are others out there does make a big difference. So a big thank you to everyone I’ve met so far and those I meet in the next couple of days.
And finally, a little tech note, and my question for the rest of the bloggers out there. How are you physically blogging PLA? Do you do so throughout the day (even if you only post once a day)? Are you doing it on a lap top, at the internet cafe, or back in the hotel? Me? I’m using a tiny little Nokia internet tablet, and for the most part the free WiFi here at the Conference Center (my hotel’s wireless system has left a lot to be desired). Largely I’m trying to do them as the moments present themselves (between sessions, etc), while things are still relatively fresh in my mind. Thanks to a little foldaway bluetooth keyboard, I’m not having to hunt and peck out my messages. Otherwise you’d be seeing a lot more spelling errors and a lot fewer words. Its not the best solution, but it is small and very portable, and with all the running around I’ve been doing, I’ve appreciated that aspect quite a bit. So, how do you blog?

So that’s it for tonight. Once I finish off this delicious Steamed Chocolate Nirvana at Dunn Brothers (yup, my hotel’s wireless has failed me once more) it is off to some much needed sleep. All this fun and excitement is definitley starting to take it’s toll.

I first attended the discussion for LITA’s Distance Learning Group. Seeing as how part of my job at OHIONET is going to be developing a distance learning training schedule, I figured its topics would be of interest–and I was right!Many of the librarians who attended were academic librarians–and they recounted some of the most successful technology integration strategies at their various libraries including, but not limited to:

• Using Twitter as a way of communicating such “immediate” things as printers not working, emergency closings, etc.
• Implementing a text-messaging service to alert those users that have signed up for the service of various library-related things
• Adding a “blog-like structure” to online classes in addition to any other type of e-classroom module for those users that are more familiar with the blog style

10 Ways to Make Your Library Great in 2008—via Web 2.0
1/16/08 11 AM-12 PM PT / 2-3 PM ET (registration is optional)
Excellent note: WebJunction’s webinars are now closed captioned in real time as well as in the recorded archive.

As you think about your resolutions for the New Year, why not resolve to make your library a great educational asset within your community? This webinar will show you how to leverage social networking tools such as del.icio.us and Librarything to enable knowledge sharing and create collections of information around professional development. Ten key themes are presented to empower library staff as well as to increase a library’s value within the community. Presented by guest speaker Ed Rossman, adult services librarian at Shaker Heights Public Library and author of Castles Against Ignorance: How to Make Libraries Great Educational Environments.

Be Safe, Not Sorry: Protecting Your Data
PC Magazine Learning Center self-paced course, four 30-minute webcasts

Are you doing everything you can to protect your data? Malware—from viruses to spyware—continues to plague many businesses, not to mention internal security threats. Does your small business have a holistic security strategy in place?

Don’t have a plan to secure your business data? Let the expert editorial staff of PC Magazine teach you everything you need to know. Attend this course of four dynamic online webcast lessons each of which includes practical downloadable coursework.

Even though we aren’t “businesses” per se, libraries are large organizations dealing with computers — public and staff — and their issues. This course, which you can do at your own pace, offers something a bit deeper than your average article about vanilla virus protection, and will give you excellent fodder for your next coffee with the tech folks.

PLA is now accepting applications for the Polaris Innovation in Technology John Iliff Award. PLA members can nominate their colleagues and libraries for this new award through an online application available on the PLA Web site via the PLA Online Awards Application. The deadline for submitting an application is December 3, 2007.

The Polaris Innovation in Technology John Iliff Award honors the life and accomplishments of John Iliff, early adopter and champion of technology in public libraries, and recognizes the contributions of a library worker, librarian or library that has used technology and innovative thinking as a tool to improve services to public library users.

The purpose of this award is to encourage innovative user-oriented thinking and practical solutions using old and new technologies. The award provides a $1,000 honorarium, a plaque, and a bouquet of roses for the workplace of the awardee. The cash award honors the recipient’s efforts, while the roses sent to the workplace honor the environment that helped nurture the recipient’s innovation.

Visit PLA’s PLA Online Awards Application to apply or nominate a colleague for the award.

ALA is encouraging public libraries to participate in the 2007-2008 Public Library Funding and Technology Access online survey. The survey provides an important opportunity for libraries to share information on computer and Internet resources and infrastructure, as well as funding, technology training and other uses of public libraries, such as providing public access technology centers in their communities. The current year’s online survey, available at http://survey.pnmi.com, will be available through Nov. 25, 2007.

“This survey is vital to all of us-data from past studies have been used in Congressional testimony, by the U.S. Census Bureau and by national and local media,” said ALA Office for Research & Statistics Director Denise M. Davis. “The success of the survey rests largely on the overall and individual state response rates. We encourage all public libraries to log on and help us create the most complete picture possible of technology in our nation’s public libraries. Our thanks also to all the libraries that already have completed the survey.”

The study, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and ALA, continues work begun by John Carlo Bertot and Charles R. McClure in 1994. It provides important information for policymakers, the ALA and library advocates regarding public library Internet and public computing needs and issues.

More information, including results from the 2007 study, is available online at http://www.ala.org/plinternetfunding.

This webinar, presented live this afternoon by WebJunction, is free for all and requires no advance registration. You really can just show up.

Be sure to follow the instructions for making sure your computer is ready for the webinar, and arrive 10 minutes early.

In Focus Webinar: Joy of Computing with practical techniques for supporting public computing

Each month the Rural Library Sustainability Project presents an hour-long webinar related to the work of sustaining rural and small libraries. This month join us on August 23, 11:00 am PT/ 2:00 pm ET for You can do it! Practical techniques for supporting public computing. How are your peers meeting the challenges of providing access to public computers? Pooling resources, developing technology plans, and staff training are three things that can help. In this webinar, we will take a look at The Joy of Computing Cookbook for small and rural libraries at www.maintainitproject.org. Join a lively discussion around best practices that will include some of the libraries who contributed to the cookbook. Bring your success stories as well as your nightmares, and let’s find solutions together!

Also, the archive for the recently presented Core Competencies for Library Staff webinar is also available, complete with close captioning, and it’s definitely worth the watch. While you’re there, you should check out the WebJunction Core Competencies as a companion document to the webinar archive.

ALA Session held Monday 1:30-3:30

OK, I’ll be honest and say that although I found the summary of this program enticing, I wasn’t sure if I’d spend the whole time at the session. It appeared to have an academic focus, and come on - it’s technical services and I am SO not a technical services kinda gal, so I staked out a seat close to the door so I could make a quick, unnoticed getaway if necessary.

It wasn’t necessary. This session grabbed my interest, piqued my interest, and held my interest for the duration. This was due to some great presenters -all of whom approached the topic differently, but with equal levels of engaging style. I’ve located copies of all slides used, and you can access them here.

The session began with Matt Barnes, a consultant with R2 consulting. He was throwing out ideas and applications left and right - and I was wishing I’d taken shorthand at some point in my life. Sure, he touched on the usual concepts like Wikis, tagging, and mashups - then followed these with more exotic (at least to me) things as the new “Geotagging” phenomenon, the Croquet Consortium, IBM’s Web Fountain and web outsourcing using the overwhelmingly amazing/cool/can’t really even get my head around how innovative Amazon Mechanical Turk Wow, wow, and wow. Other Matt nuggets:
- (re: OCLC OpenWorldcat) “Don’t get stuck thinking the only devide is the PC. Think cell phone, PDA, iPod, etc.
- 2.0 isn’t just about deploying new technology. Use Web 2.0 to solve problems based on your mission and goals
- There isn’t a final solution or correct answer - only continuous change. (Preach it, brother!)

Next up was Beth Picknally-Camden, who reported on the University of Pennsylvania’s successful “PennTags” program. The folks there created their own social bookmarking tool for their students and faculty to use. This allows them to tag catalog records and articles, and to create annotations. Beth said that in addition to the benefits of sharing and collaborating, she saw this as an excellent way to reinforce the “playing to learn” concept that is so important to web 2.0 tools (and is so undervalued in many of our organizations, I feel). She also learned very quickly that “people are watching” - meaning that she was encouraged to contribute because of the responses and connections her own contributions were making in others’ contributions. They use a tag cloud to highlight the popular tags. You need to have a “Pennkey” to contribute, but anyone can observe. Check it out at: http://tags.library.upenn.edu/

The final presenter was Elizabeth Winter, from Georgia Tech. She began her session with a slide that stated: PLAY v. PRODUCTIVITY. She then asked:

What if playing with new technologies was increasing our productivity? She also asserted that it’s OK to throw something out to “see if it sticks”. (Say it again, sister)
She then told us about their recent “see if it sticks” pilot - a GTJournals wiki. Using the easy and free pbwiki web tool, the folks at Georgia Tech set out to find a way to accomplish their goals of: cutting down on email volume, allowing all staff to share and get involved in a “common area”, track their progress, and avoid duplication of effort - relating to changes and cancellations of their many journals. They’ve locked it down, because they are including pricing and other sensitive informaiton, but you can see screen shots of their wiki in Elizabeth’s slide presentation here

An excellent presentation that sparked more than a few ideas in my “public librarian” head. Thanks academic folks!