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Library 2.0

Library 2.0, Staff Training, Sustainability, Tech, Web 2.0, WebJunction Staff
Library 101 Project debuts
October 30th, 2009 | Permalink | Comment?

Our fellow staffer Michael Porter (aka Libraryman) has been spending his off hours working slavishly with David Lee King on a project they call Library 101. We know Michael as an unrepentent cheerleader of libraries and librarians who can convince anyone to get up and dance and sing for the cause (and have fun while doing it!). Well, their project debuted just a few days ago, with quite a splash. The project website includes a collection of more than 20 essays from thought leaders in the field, an extensive list of resources (101, actually) on “need to know” technology, and last but not least, a 7-minute song and video featuring Michael, David, and a huge cast of characters from libraries around the globe. Around the office, we all have the chorus “101 our parts make a sum that will be the key to what is to come. 101’s how we get the job done! Evolve and make your Library 101!” totally stuck in our heads.

Michael and David are hoping that you will help build the project by adding your comments to the essays, to answer the question, What do you think librarians need to know to succeed?
Library 2.0, Library Services, Online Collaboration, Webinar
The place for Text Message Reference?
October 19th, 2009 | Permalink | 4 Comments
The recent WebJunction Digital Reference Summit (full archive and related resources) included a presentation by Alison Miller about the rise of text message reference services. At the beginning of the session we polled participants and discovered that just 17% of the nearly 200 in attendance were providing text reference services, but that’s sure to change.

Alison provided a wealth of data to illustrate the current trends in mobile reference services and referenced the nearly 100 libraries offering SMS (text) reference service listed on the Library Success Wiki. There were a handful of questions raised during the webinar about whether or not the 160-character limit allows for an adequate reference exhange or if it only serves to provide quick answers to quick queries.

There are multiple responses to these questions in the recent Library Journal article by Ellyssa Kroski which asks, Text Message Reference: Is It Effective? In the article, Ellyssa references interviews with a half a dozen or so academic reference librarians and presents their answer as a resounding YES! She summarized:
- The 160-character limit does not seem to be an impediment; librarians simply send multiple messages or ask patrons to call or come into the library for further help with more complex questions.
- Libraries are receiving a wide variety of questions via text messaging such as troubleshooting, directional, circulation, and reference queries, with some libraries receiving between 50-90 questions per month via patrons’ mobile devices.
- And it doesn’t seem to matter that the reference interview may take multiple text exchanges, according to these librarians—the content and quality of the answers is more important than the medium of delivery.
Whether or not your library is providing text message reference, I think the verdict is clear. The libraries who remain technologically nimble in our changing times are where their users are.
Library 2.0, Web development, Webinar
Webinar: Building the Digital Branch for the 21st Century
August 28th, 2009 | Permalink | 5 Comments

A search for “digital branch” on your favorite search engine proves that David Lee King is one of those responsible for inserting the term into our library lexicon and into the job titles of some of today’s most innovative library leaders. He’s the author of the recently published edition of Library Technology Reports focusing on the topic and also the presenter of our next WebJunction webinar.

Join us on September 15 for Building the Digital Branch: Guidelines to Transform Your Website for the 21st Century, a webinar brought to you in special collaboration with ALA TechSource and WebJunction-Kansas.

David will present on the process his web team used at Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library (KS) to transform their outdated website into a 21st century digital branch. He’ll address the differences between a website and a digital branch, and describe the redesign process – everything from the introductory planning stages of overhauling their website to the process of actually “doing stuff” at the new digital branch.

Register for the webinar »
Read the excerpt: What Is a Digital Branch, Anyway? »
Library 2.0, Online Collaboration, Webinar
June Webinars: Leveraging Web-based Tools
June 8th, 2009 | Permalink | Comment?

This month’s WebJunction focus is on Social Networking & Web Tools and includes 3 webinars to add to your staff learning calendar:

June 10, 2:00 Eastern: Technology Stewardship @ Your Library
Join presenter Nancy White co-author of the forthcoming book Digital Habitats: Stewarding Technology for Communities, (with Etienne Wenger and John E. Smith) for this free webinar. Nancy is recognized internationally for her research exploring online communities today, and in her work as a technology steward, designer and builder of online interaction spaces. In this webinar, Nancy will focus on librarians as community technology stewards. She will offer practical steps for you to begin to understand your community, assess the technology needs of your community, and how to select, configure, and support the online technologies your community uses.

View the archive of this webinar »

June 16, 2:00 Eastern: Social Learning with Libraries on WebJunction
For the past six years, library staff have been using tools at WebJunction.org to connect with each other and build new skills for their work in libraries. Meanwhile, the dramatic growth of web-based technology has changed patron expectations of libraries, which means library staff have new needs as well. Join Chrystie Hill, community director at WebJunction, as she describes how WebJunction.org has evolved alongside these trends, to become an integrated ‘learning community’ that’s open, affordable, and always on. Chrystie will also present broader trends in learning and training, demonstrate how our members are using online tools to support their staff or their own professional development, and discuss with you how to shape the future of staff training and library services.

View the archive of this webinar »

June 30, 2:00 Eastern: Bringing Web 2.0 into Academic Libraries
When the goal is to be “where they are, when they need us,” what does that require at a university library in 2009? As students, staff and faculty move their lives online, university libraries must choose whether to move with them or get left behind. But where is the value in a university library when Google is the new ready reference desk and the libraries’ resources are increasingly digitized? How does a library remain relevant in a socially networked academic world? From their perspective as, respectively, virtual reference and e-learning librarians, Amanda Clay Powers (Mississippi State Univ. Libraries) and Ellen Hampton (Baylor Univ. Libraries) will discuss how libraries can readjust and move their most important resources online—their people. By using social networks and other web-based technologies, libraries can become a value-added member of their community— both online and in person. By using these new tools, librarians can once again hover by their reference stacks with an offer to help that’s just a click away.

Register now for this webinar »

And while you’ve got your calendar up, add this one too: Crouching Tigers, Reading Dragons: Creating a Reading Challenge Program. On July 7, join guest presenters from Seattle and British Columbia as they share their experiences and expertise with the Global Reading Challenge/Reading Link Challenge, a program that encourages team building, reading for retention, and cooperation between school and public libraries. Using a “quiz bowl” format, the program has successfully challenged teams of young readers across the country for over a decade. The presenters will demonstrate how the program can fit into your library’s programming, regardless of size or budget; and how it can be done in one building, between public libraries and public schools, or across state or international borders. The program emphasizes books that reflect a diversity of backgrounds, and encourages 4th and 5th grade students of all reading abilities to engage in the “sport” of reading. Guest Presenters: Mary Palmer, Global Reading Challenge Coordinator, The Seattle Public Library (WA) and Ada Con, Diversity Services & Programming Coordinator, Fraser Valley Regional Library (BC).

Register now for this webinar »
Community Building, Design, Library 2.0, Library Management, Next WJ, Online Collaboration, Social Computing, Web 2.0
YOUR My WebJunction and Thank You!
August 8th, 2008 | Permalink | Comment?

The My WebJunction Page may just be my favorite feature on the freshly relaunched WJ site. It is powerful, it is unique to Libraryland and it was designed and created specifically for us as library professionals. Plus, as you can see in video below, it’s just pretty cool! Who knew library staff would ever be able to do this in our own unique profession specific network, built just for US? Follow the link to the page hosting the video on WebJunction or just click the play button below to see why the My WebJunction Page has me all jazzed. Then log-in, make some connections and friends and watch what happens. If you haven’t discovered YOUR My WebJunction Page, we’re hoping you’ll be eager to start using it after you see this:

I also wanted to take a second to personally thank every single one of you that have tried the site out during its first week. We have seen huge amounts of activity this week and are so happy to see folks diving in. We are also very pleased to get your feedback as well. Most things are working well on the site, but please know that we are working very hard to respond to and address any question, concerns and bugs that have come up. And we thank you very much for your patience in those instances. This is truly a library community resource and you telling us what you think, how to make it better and what you would like to see in the future will be what helps make that future happen. So please keep contacting us, keep kicking the tires and continue to dive in. See you on Your, Mine and OUR “My WebJunction”!
ALA 2008, Library 2.0
ALA 2008: Everybody needs Fans!
June 29th, 2008 | Permalink | Comment?

I had an excellent day at ALA, meeting and interacting with hordes of great librarians. A highlight was the Library 2.0 Café where we enjoyed a fruitful experience melding our Anaheim World Café session with a live Wimba webinar. None of our worries about the hotel internet connection materialized, allowing the technology to slip into the background while we concentrated on the conversation at hand. Stay tuned for a link to the session archive and a more indepth post from Jen.

Though the lack of technical glitches was probably my biggest victory of the day, the most fun I had was during Jen, Jim, and my impromptu boa and fan giveaway. What started as a way to lighten our load while shuffling conference materials to the exhibit floor quickly turned into a mini meet-and-greet. The boas didn’t get many takers from the sweaty crowd waiting for shuttle, but the fans were well received by ALA attendees (as well as the area cabbies).

The experience also brought home a concept we discussed at the Café session today: 2.0 doesn’t have to be complex. In a world of tight library budgets, improvisation has its place, too.

For example, take the goal of keeping cool in this LA heat. Sure, we could strive to develop a lightweight, solar-powered, personal air conditioning unit. And maybe with unlimited resources and a couple years of time we might even succeed. Or, we could just staple some tongue depressors to cardstock and start down the the path to cooling right now.

The showcase cooling system may someday have its day in the sun. But for now the low-budget fans are meeting the need.
ALA 2008, Conferences, Library 2.0, Web 2.0, Webinar
ALA 2008: Virtual Library 2.0 Cafe Webinar Saturday!
June 26th, 2008 | Permalink | 7 Comments

Stay tuned for a full review of the session (complete with summaries of the flipchart notes, AND video), but in the meantime, there’s an archive to the virtual portion of the session: 2.0 Cafe Archive and some good stuff collecting in the 2.0 Cafe wiki. Thanks to all for your participation and don’t forget, keep the conversation alive!

Excited about the great social interaction and learning that occurs when 30,000 librarians get together, but disappointed you’ll miss out because because you can’t attend ALA this year? WebJunction hopes to ease some of your pain by presenting our Library 2.0 Café program live via Wimba Classroom.

You can bet that the WJ team will blog, Twitter, and flickr as much ALA as humanly possible. And though the turnaround time on these sharing technologies has become faster, they are still essentially asynchronous in nature. Their speed, volume, and content richness can almost help you feel there, but watching (and interacting) as events unfold live is even better.

That’s why we are looking forward to physical/virtual blending of our 2.0 Café program, an unconference-style, facilitated, shared conversation based on the World Café model. Produced in conjunction with MaintainIT, this particular event is an opportunity to take a practical look at all the “cool,” high-potential tools we’ve all been seeing this year and together develop ways to utilize those tools to help us engage our communities.

Event Logistics

At the Anaheim portion (Sheraton Park Hotel, Palm Ballroom, Saturday 6/28 1:30-3:30, Pacific), attendees will be grouped around café tables covered in poster paper, with markers at the ready. Participants In the Wimba Classroom will have the Wimba whiteboard and chat. Table hosts in both locations will help keep the conversation moving and engaging. A glossary and café menu are provided, along with best practices that encourage participants to: (more…)
Featured Guest Post, Library 2.0, Online Learning, Staff Training, Web 2.0
Cultivating a Culture of Learning in the Library
June 4th, 2008 | Permalink | 3 Comments

Learning Webinar: Tuesday, June 10, 2008; 11 AM-Noon PT / 2 PM-3 PM ET

One of the key things we learned with Learning 2.0 is that the best learning, the learning that sticks, spreads, and becomes viral is the learning that happens outside of the classroom. Think about your own job. How much of what you know was learned in a classroom? If you’re like most people you learned on the job–from a co-worker, from observation, from experience. We know that most learning takes place outside the four walls of a classroom, yet we seem to spend most of our time preparing for the training that goes on inside a classroom.

I hope you will join me next week for a free webinar hosted by WebJunction called Cultivating a Culture of Learning in the Library. During this hour we’ll explore the differences between training and learning, discover why learning is important, and I’ll share with you some tips for transforming your library from a training organization to a learning organization.

- Lori Reed, Training Specialist for the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County

————————-

Read more about Lori on her website, www.librarytrainer.com.

To find out more about this webinar and how to register, visit the WebJunction Learning Webinar page.
Library 2.0, Library Management, Question of the Week
Question of the Week: Online Fee Payment Options?
April 8th, 2008 | Permalink | Comment?

I can’t believe it’s time again for the Question of the Week. Where do the days go?

This time we’re highlighting an issue near and dear to my heart as a borderline problem patron—online fine/fee payment options. True confession: we’ve got four high-powered library users in the family and well, we pay a lot of late fees.

Let me say I don’t begrudge the fines at all. In fact, I wish I could take care of them more quickly and conveniently—such as when I’m reserving and renewing materials online. That’s why I was so happy to see WebJunction member mckeogh bring up what I consider a very Library 2.0 topic:

“I was wondering if any library has instituted a system that allows patrons to pay their fees (i.e. overdue fees) online. Has anyone done this? If so, what have been the challenges? What system, software do you use?”

(more…)
Library 2.0, Library Services, PLA2008
Vive l’Evolution!
March 29th, 2008 | Permalink | Comment?
The Dangerous Ideas* session presented at PLA on Friday morning should be on the agenda for every library conference. It started a conversation that speaks to the survival and the vitality of libraries as they evolve into the future.

As Darwin discovered, it’s not necessarily the swiftest or strongest or largest species that survive; it is those most adaptable to change. The dangerous ideas conversation is all about adaptation and change. It begins with the question “What if …?”
(This is just a sampling of the provocative questions raised.)

Half of the “what ifs” above came from the audience as a result of the refreshing level of interactivity. (What if all conference sessions stimulated participation from the audience?) Questioning assumptions is contagious and uncomfortable. There was anxiety and reaction mixed with excitement. In the atmosphere of brainstorming “unthinkable thoughts,” the point is to confront the discomfort, find the opportunities, and then move forward with actions.

One audience member suggested that the next PLA (2010) should be totally focused on “what if?” Someone else said we can’t wait that long—that the next PLA should be one grand discussion of the results of two years of action.

Catch the fever at whatiflibs.wetpaint.com.

*Presenters: Deirdre Routt/Omaha PL, Stacey Aldrich/California State Library, Brian Auger/Howard County Library, Amy de Groff/Howard County Library, Rivkah Sass/Omaha PL
Library 2.0, Library Management, Member Spotlight
Member Spotlight: Serving Multi-type Libraries in Minnesota
February 13th, 2008 | Permalink | Comment?

Make sure you swing over to our latest Member Spotlight. This month we’re learning a bit about Mary Beth Sancomb-Moran, the Community Information Librarian with SELCO — a regional multi-type library consortium in Rochester, Minnesota.

Like most WebJunction members, Mary Beth has her hands full. In this case, her SELCO responsibilities have her working with 119 academic, public, special, and school libraries across S.E. Minnesota on continuing education, ILL, advocacy, grant writing, and marketing/public relations. (more…)
10 Ways, Featured Guest Post, Library 2.0, Social Computing, Tags and Taxonomies, Web 2.0, Webinar
10 Ways to Make Your Library Great in 2008: Resolution #10
February 5th, 2008 | Permalink | Comment?

Resolution #10. Build Staff Camaraderie

“Camaraderie” defined by Merriam-Websters Online Dictionary is “a spirit of friendly good-fellowship”. When power fails, computers crash, and the lights go dim, the human element still works, and camaraderie is the circuit along which knowledge will continue to travel.

To develop that among the variety of age groups and intellects that work in a library is no easy task. Sharing two things, food and humor, are excellent methods to develop this. Food I’ll leave to individual tastes (pardon the pun) but relevant humor can be trickier to find.

Castles’ del.icio.us resources include Unshelved, from Overduemedia.com (saved by 108 members), has hundreds of funny cartoon strips about librarianship. Librarians have unique opportunities to observe the human condition, and have a good laugh over it. Unshelved does that without being mean. Today’s page has a photo sent in by a fan with a great librarian quote on her T-shirt, “Will work for books”. Love it!

I would imagine there have to be more strips like this. Feel free to comment if you know of any others!

This brings me to a final point about the del.icio.us collection software. Unlike the Librarything various display options, del.icio.us only offers chronological sequencing at this point in time. The last link you put in is the first link the visitor will see. I edited mine in chapter sequence, and found that the first chapters are at the back of the list! I’d forgotten the Unshelved link, and put it in after I added an introduction link. Unshelved appears as my first link!

You could use an introduction link like I have just below the Unshelved link. It doesn’t offer much writing space, but it compensates for the fact that the site doesn’t offer as many descriptive capabilities as the Librarything profiles do. An introductory link can help visitors use your collection better.

Plan if you want your links in specific order. I could delete my current intro link, and reenter it so it would be the top one. However it’s more useful to demonstrate this concept for this blog the way it is now.

A new book also takes a interesting look working in a library. The title says it “all”: Free for All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library by Don Borchert. If you and your staff ever feel inundated by the public, especially middle-schoolers, this book is for you. It was published after Castles Against Ignorance so I couldn’t use it in my book. One book I do mention is the Whole Library Handbook 4 by George M. Eberhart, which is a great compilation of library facts and trivia. This resource has grown the most since I put my books resources online; it now has 160 members sharing it, up from 45 last summer!

Another outlet and way to build up your understanding of staff issues is to join listservs or monitor blogs like this one. Librarything has a very active web site with chat areas as well as message boards for specialized groups. And who has the largest group on Librarything? Librarians! Librarians who librarything has over 3700 members. They have a very well put together page. I’m enjoying reading the “Books that just never seem to be returned” thread.

To summarize, here are my 10 ways to make your library great in 2008, using the Web 2.0 tips and tricks in this blog and in my presentation:

1. Use Technology

2. Continuously Train

3. Polish your Comportment

4. Reduce Clutter

5. Handle Noise

6. Handle Conflict

7. Have a Plan

8. Develop Partnerships

9. Create Great Programming

10. Build Staff Camaraderie

Remember, you are not working in a warehouse, or an assembly line, or a bar.

You are librarians, who preserve and help propel our civilization forward!

I hope this has been helpful. Please leave comments or get back to me personally at erossman@shakerlibrary.org

Good luck on your resolutions. Here’s to a great 2008!

-Ed Rossman, Interim Branch Manager for the Bertram Woods branch of the Shaker Heights Public Library and author of Castles Against Ignorance: How to Make Libraries Great Educational Environments

Click here to access an archive of Ed’s webinar and a PDF of the slides he used.
10 Ways, Community Building, Featured Guest Post, Library 2.0, Library Services, Social Computing, Tags and Taxonomies, Web 2.0, Webinar
10 Ways to Make Your Library Great in 2008: Resolution #9
January 31st, 2008 | Permalink | Comment?

Resolution #9. Create Great Programming

What’s great programming without great marketing? A resolution is basically a goal, and to reach the goal you need “action plans”. A programming goal needs specific steps to reach it as well, and that includes marketing!

As mentioned earlier, the Ohio Library Council, thanks to financial support from the Drew Carey Fund, has developed an online training resource, entitled “Marketing the Library.” It’s comprised of six self-paced training modules, and it includes links to marketing resources, examples, quizzes and exercises. Planning, products and promotion are all covered in this free, comprehensive training program.

In my Librarything resources the library program tag has 8 books, 6 library specific and all of those dealing with children and youth. My favorite is Toddle on over : developing infant & toddler literature programs by Robin Works Davis. The one with the most members sharing (15 as of today) is Outstanding Library Service to Children: Putting the Core Competencies to Work by Rosanne Cerny.

In my del.icio.us resources tagged with “programs” I used the example of the IMLS Youth Initiative, as a way of capturing more members. Iml.gov currently has 151 members sharing it (up from 130 in August). The IMLS Youth Initiative has none, zero, but it’s still a great resource for ideas and funding!

So, rather than have a link shared by no one, I put the top level domain name in as the link, and the real url in the notes section, which shows directly under the title. I’m hoping that in seeing “saved by 151 members”, people stop to take a second look at a resource in what might be a cluttered screen for them.

Having the proper page title and URL below it, will aid in finding the resource, after a user clicks and gets to the main home page for the Institute of Museum and Library Services. They may be momentarily confused. Once again, the full url (http://www.imls.gov/about/youth.shtm) had way fewer hits, 0, than http://www.imls.gov so I used the one with the most members sharing, but it’s a resource-rich page about helping youth learn.

To me, the ends of sharing funding sources and programming ideas justifies the means of a temporary misdirection. Feel free to leave comments on this!

I have bounced this idea off other people I know, and no one argues with me. Support networks are essential to making good decisions, creating good ideas, and adding elbow grease to carry off complex programming events.

And that leads me to our final resolution, #10…Build Camaraderie!

-Ed Rossman, Interim Branch Manager for the Bertram Woods branch of the Shaker Heights Public Library and author of Castles Against Ignorance: How to Make Libraries Great Educational Environments

Click here to access an archive of Ed’s webinar and a PDF of the slides he used.
10 Ways, Featured Guest Post, Library 2.0, Online Collaboration, Social Computing, Tags and Taxonomies, Web 2.0, Webinar
10 Ways to Make Your Library Great in 2008: Resolution #8
January 30th, 2008 | Permalink | Comment?
Resolution #8. Develop Partnerships

Regarding some of the resources I’ve used on my del.icio.us pages, in the ALA Library Bill of Rights (saved by 56 del.icio.us members!), Articles 1 and 6 form the framework of why libraries need to work hard on community relations:

Article 1. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.

Article 6. Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use.

In 2004, the National Network of Libraries of Medicine started a terrific campaign to build awareness and provide resources for the building of partnerships, Public Libraries and Community Partners: Working together to Provide Health Information. They have a simple process that can also be applied to areas outside health partnerships, using these steps:
- Set the Direction with a Community Assessment
- Define Stakeholders and Partners
- Define Measurable Goals, Outputs, and Outcomes
- Plan Activities to Reach Project Goals
- Define How a Program Will Work
- Define an Evaluation Plan
Each of the above is linked to great ideas and easy-to-implement partnering methods.

In my book I do use a number of magazine articles. Currently Librarything is geared towards books, but there’s no reason a person couldn’t build a catalog of professional articles linked with appropriate tags.

Some articles I cited in the book include these:

Morton, Norman. “Beyond Public Exhibits To Partnerships.” American Libraries 36 (November 2005): 42-45

From a librarian in Louisville, Kentucky, a best practices-type article; it contains five steps to successful collaborative programming:
1. Build contacts with community relations and development staff of high-profile arts, cultural, and social action organizations in your community.
2. Conduct informal meetings to identify common communications and community relations goals.
3. Generate a cooperative program idea.
4. Develop a program plan utilizing manpower and assets of both organizations.
5. Execute the plan utilizing promotional assets of both organizations.
Welch, Jeanie M. “Silent Partners: Public Libraries and Their Services to Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs.” Public Libraries 44 (September/October 2005): 282-285

This article presents a historical perspective as well as good present day best practices on how to help, and network with, an important community sector.

For books in my Librarything account, my most popular professional resource tagged with planning is the “Blueprint for your Library Marketing Plan”, by Patricia H. Fisher. Let’s look at the data record for the book through the link above. A limited number of library professionals share this book. Their content is usually very specialized!

Another “best practice” profile belongs to rangeview.

Created by a library district in Adams County, Colorado, it illustrates how beneficial it is to plan the categories for your site.

Some features of this detail record are automatically taken care of by the Librarything software, and are on all detail records on the right. Notice the box on the lower right. It shows members who share rangeviews’ collection books. It shows Castles shares 3 of theirs in the my collection of 47 books. NorthernLights’ has 13 out of the 799 in that collection.

It’s fun seeing who has what! It can also lead you to creative ideas, which is related to the 9th Resolution…to create great programming!

-Ed Rossman, Interim Branch Manager for the Bertram Woods branch of the Shaker Heights Public Library and author of Castles Against Ignorance: How to Make Libraries Great Educational Environments

Click here to access an archive of Ed’s webinar and a PDF of the slides he used.
10 Ways, Featured Guest Post, Library 2.0, Library Management, Online Collaboration, Social Computing, Tags and Taxonomies, Web 2.0, Webinar
10 Ways to Make Your Library Great in 2008: Resolution #7
January 29th, 2008 | Permalink | Comment?

Resolution # 7. Have a Plan

If all you have is an evacuation plan, that’s like a football team only having one play. Or in football, only one audible signal when there’s a blitz…no matter what side it’s coming from! There are various patron scenarios staff should be prepared for: Noise issues, violence issues, lost children, odd patrons, suspicious activity, orderly evacuation and lockdown procedures.

“Ignorance does not have a plan. Its characteristics include lack of forethought, no concern of consequences, and disregard of the past. It’s often scattered, disorganized. Anticipation, focus, and organization are its enemies. Employ these allies, and you will counter and overcome ignorance, establishing and maintaining a library of excellence.“ Castles Against Ingnorance, p.72

Regarding del.icio.us resources for planning links, I have 15 items, and the largest shared with other members is the OCLC Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources report with 281 members, up from 248 users as of August ’07 (actually up to 286 one week after the webinar!). I can assure you that almost every one of them has library focused collections on del.icio.us!!!

If you’re not aware of it, the Perceptions report provides the findings and responses from a survey in an effort to learn more about:

•Library use by the public

•Awareness and use of library electronic resources

•The Internet search engine, the library and the librarian

•Free vs. for-fee information

•The “Library” brand

The findings indicate that “information consumers view libraries as places to borrow print books, but they are unaware of the rich electronic content they can access through libraries. Even though information consumers make limited use of these resources, they continue to trust libraries as reliable sources of information.” (http://www.oclc.org/reports/2005perceptions.htm)

Knowing how you’re perceived goes a long way in establishing service goals; that’s the beauty of this report. And thanks to the Web 2.0 powers of sharing, you can discover a universe of URL’s, all oriented towards libraries!

Another resource I mentioned in the webinar and have as a resource in my book is: NLG Project Planning: A Tutorial. Institute of Museum and Library Services. Access Date 25 Jan 06. <http://e-services.imls.gov/project_planning>.

Although designed to help secure funding for National Leadership Grants, this interactive tutorial can help in any project planning. Try it, it’s fun and practical.

Does anyone have any other online Planning suggestions? If so, please leave a comment above!

My Librarything account contains 15 books dealing with planning everything from library careers to crisis management, including Demonstrating Results: Using Outcome Measurement in Your Library by Rhea Joyce Rubin. In clicking on the members icon (the little heads), you’ll see that the Librarything recommendations list 10 other books on various aspects of library planning: Technology, weeding, children’s services, even how to create workshops!

Obviously a serious library book, currently 8 members share it. One of them is another “best practices” example of a user profile on LibraryThing, Jennifry’s.

Besides using specific tags for the 105 books in her collection, and a cool icon, she takes the time to describe the meaning of the tags in her collection in the “About My Library” section of her profile. This helps a fellow member understand her background and perspective as well as her taxonomy. Obviously well planned out!

Planning is also VERY closely related to Partnerships, tomorrow’s Resolution…

-Ed Rossman, Interim Branch Manager for the Bertram Woods branch of the Shaker Heights Public Library and author of Castles Against Ignorance: How to Make Libraries Great Educational Environments

Click here to access an archive of Ed’s webinar and a PDF of the slides he used.