- My first stop of the day was a branch library where I had the chance to do a quick presentation to a staff member recognizing 25 years of service at Sacramento Public Library. While there, I also got to provide a certificate of recognition to another staff member for general awesomeness on the job (that's not how it was worded on the certificate). These are fun occasions and it's great working with folks who deserve such recognition.
- Back at my desk buried deep beneath the Central Library, I worked on another "thing" for the 27 Things (with a two-week reprieve - deadline now August 14!), caught up on emails, chatted with a branch supervisor about specifics on the weeding project prior to her branch's renovation, chatted with our IT manager about the Broadband Stimulus grant that's floating around and whether we ought to apply, wrote an email soliciting applicants for the vacant seats on our new IT Steering Committee (several excited folks have already responded!), and I talked to my boss about my drafting the addendums to the outdated MOU we have with a couple of local school districts based on our meeting yesterday with those folks.
- The rest of my day was just running from one place to the next. First, I attended a conference call with IT, Marketing, and Digital Services folks where we heard about a product called Boopsie that will revolutionize the mobile library website. So they say. But they were pretty darn convincing. But they wouldn't say how much it would cost. Still, it looked a lot better than Innovative's AirPAC.
- Next, I ran up to the Sacramento Room to see a demo of CONTENTdm, our new digital collections management software. It looks very easy to use and very customizable; I can't wait to get our stuff scanned and start making it available online.
- Last, I drove across town to the George Sim Community Center that will house our first GoLibrary. I and our Collections manager wanted to get feedback from the center director about what kinds of stuff they need in the GoLibrary. Bascially, they want an entire library. We'll see what we can do with 500 books. The coolest news from this meeting was from the community center renovation's project manager who told me that another community center in town already wants an SPL GoLibrary of their own and they'll foot the bill just like they did for this one! I'll believe it when I see it but it sure would be cool...
Thursday, July 30, 2009
It's Already Day 4?
I can tell this has been a busy week for me because I can hardly believe it's already the end of day 4. I don't feel crazed with work every week but this has been one week where I have not felt like I've had a chance to breathe, really, and I haven't even yet gotten to everything I wanted to touch on. Today was pretty fun, nonetheless.
Can Libraries Support Small Business?
I don't know, you tell me:
By the way, I failed to capture this guy's webcam in the photo but it's there. I love this photo because it is such a good example of the real variety of ways in which our customers are using our libraries. Books? Check. Storytime? Check. Gaming? Check. Internet access? Check. Meeting room space? Check. Mobile small business office space? Apparently so!
By the way, I failed to capture this guy's webcam in the photo but it's there. I love this photo because it is such a good example of the real variety of ways in which our customers are using our libraries. Books? Check. Storytime? Check. Gaming? Check. Internet access? Check. Meeting room space? Check. Mobile small business office space? Apparently so!
More Than Halfway There!
Technorati - thing #14! The deeper I wade into the 27 things, the more I feel out of touch. Really, I understand all of this stuff and don't find using any of it difficult. I like technology, after all. But after Delicious, LibraryThing, Rollyo, and now Technorati, I feel like a codger. None of these sites do much for me. I am pleased to see that my blog has jumped from a Technorati "authority" ranking of "1" all the way to a ranking of 2, however.
As I've alluded to in recent posts, perhaps it is just my personal interests that affect the degree to which I find a lot of utility on these sites because I really do enjoy very much the kind of social sites that feature more active interaction with other people (i.e. Facebook and Twitter). Either way, going through these activities is fun and also allows me to become more familiar with some popular sites.
As I've alluded to in recent posts, perhaps it is just my personal interests that affect the degree to which I find a lot of utility on these sites because I really do enjoy very much the kind of social sites that feature more active interaction with other people (i.e. Facebook and Twitter). Either way, going through these activities is fun and also allows me to become more familiar with some popular sites.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Library Day in the Life - Day 3
As I sit here pondering what I have of note to write about my experience as a librarian on Wednesday, July 29, 2009, the first thing I think of is something I wrote on Monday. In that post, I expressed my hope that I would begin drafting the cost estimate for a system-wide conversion to RFID. Well, two full days later and I haven't even started. I've got all the basic prices for component parts and I know how much of each we'll need, but I haven't put a darn thing down on "paper" (I actually use a computer a lot more than I do paper). Is this typical in the high-powered world of public librarianship? I don't know. But I can tell you that it is fairly common in my little slice of library-land. I have a big, messy list of "projects" that I am constantly juggling around in my head and all the stuff that doesn't deserve the weight of the term "project" continues interrupting and distracting me. I do realize that this admission makes me sound terribly unfocused. I don't know; maybe I am. However, I do continue to get things done, I think, and (mostly) have fun doing it. With that in mind, here is a brief, bulleted list of some things I "got done" today:
- First thing this morning I attended another in a series of supervisory skills workshops that our interim Director has been leading. At each of these, we spend a few hours working with one another to develop the kind of interpersonal skills that will help us to serve more effectively as supervisors and as co-workers. It sounds a little "touchy feely" to quote one of the branch supervisors here, but these trainings have been, on balance, successful. It is common for us to speak explicitly in every day situations about how concepts we've learned apply. This has led to an improved, more collegial, and more positive workplace. All of this adds up to more fun at work so I'm all for it!
- I reviewed with SPL's Digital Services Librarian the notes she took at a meeting with the staff at one of the branches. These folks had a lot of questions and a lot of good suggestions. As she is new in her position, the Digital Services Librarian does not always have the answers to questions she receives in her branch visits so going over with her what she experienced is useful. After speaking with me, the Digital Services Librarian can get back to the branch with some good news and some feedback on their good ideas.
- We've got a new branch opening in January that will be a joint-use facility between the Library, a local high school, and a local community college. The MOU we have between the partners is six years old and seriously in need of an update. Today, our Director, Deputy Director and I met with the heads from the partner agencies to touch on some important topics. This was a great meeting with, by and large, very positive results. We are lucky that, even in a time when school districts are hurting so badly finanically, that our partners are so invested in working productively with us. This was an interesting meeting for me on a professional level because I am only just at the point in my career where I participate in decision-making at the "external to the Library" level and it is both fun and daunting.
- I was asked at the last minute to write a certificate of recognition for a person whom I supervise and I look forward to delivering that good news tomorrow morning.
- I knocked out Thing 13 out of 27 and am wondering how I'll manage fourteen more in the next 48 hours...
Rather Bland
Oh boy. I'm not sure if I'm feeling the pressure to finish the 27 Things by Friday (at midnight!) or if some of these things simply seem to have lost their shine for me. I'm at the Delicious thing today and, while I've never been a regular user (I did set up an account a few years ago that I promptly stopped using), I felt it would have been intellectually dishonest to not follow the instructions of this thing's discovery exercise. So, with that in mind, I watched the video (I like the Common Craft video on social bookmarking a lot more) and played around but was, ultimately, uninspired.
I'm sure that the lack of enthusiasm I felt for Delicious is at least partially due to what my work actually entails. I spend a maximum of two hours a week on a reference desk and not even that much, usually (I tend to work more on Circulation desks when I do get out to the branches) so I don't have the pressing need for a wide range of online ready reference resources at the tip of my mouse. Neither am I personally a very voracious web surfer; I definitely spend a ton of time online but that time is spent on a relatively few sites most of whose URL's are just waiting for me in the drop-down of my address bar.
One thing I thought would be of interest to try with Delicious was to search for sites tagged with "public administration". Hmmm. The results were similar to those I encountered in my LibraryThing search with the same term. Either my personal reading interests are abnormal or most folks interested in government management don't spend much time online. Or least they aren't into folksonomies. So there you have it. Thing #13.
I'm sure that the lack of enthusiasm I felt for Delicious is at least partially due to what my work actually entails. I spend a maximum of two hours a week on a reference desk and not even that much, usually (I tend to work more on Circulation desks when I do get out to the branches) so I don't have the pressing need for a wide range of online ready reference resources at the tip of my mouse. Neither am I personally a very voracious web surfer; I definitely spend a ton of time online but that time is spent on a relatively few sites most of whose URL's are just waiting for me in the drop-down of my address bar.
One thing I thought would be of interest to try with Delicious was to search for sites tagged with "public administration". Hmmm. The results were similar to those I encountered in my LibraryThing search with the same term. Either my personal reading interests are abnormal or most folks interested in government management don't spend much time online. Or least they aren't into folksonomies. So there you have it. Thing #13.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Library Day in the Life - Day 2
Today wasn't quite as varied a day as yesterday but it was still interesting. One of the cool things about my job is the variety with which I'm presented. I don't ever know for sure what I'll be doing on a given day (in between all the meetings...). Like I said, though, today wasn't so "all over the map" like some days are; almost half of my day today was taken up by two projects both related to my new Sacramento Room responsibilities.
First, I and some other SPL staff attended a conference call with the folks from OCLC who are on the project team for our upcoming digitization project. We discussed some of the general tasks that need to be complete prior to actually sending off our materials for digitization. These are things like the establishment of a file naming protocol, the creation of metadata for each item to be digitized (this isn't strictly necessary prior to the scanning but is preferred to the additional, unnecessary labor involved in the "enriching" the metadata later), and determining the organization of the materials to be scanned (are we grouping by subject? by accession number? by title?). Granted, much of this ought to have already been in existence within our collection but better late than never, right? We also discussed with the OCLC folks some technical aspects of their web interface of public access to our collections once the materials have been scanned. Not having any background in special collections or digitization, I am learning a lot but it is very interesting!
The second Sacramento Room-related project was a debrief with an individual who has developed for the Library a detailed process for planning, recording, and presenting digital stories. This grew out of the "California of the Past" digital storytelling initiative in which SPL participated. Now that we have this process in place, we can continue creating oral histories from interesting people in the area and, thus, add a new, vibrant collection to our Sacramento Room.
Completely aside from my Sacramento Room work today, I spent a little time meeting with SPL's Digital Services Librarian about the excellent progress she is making on several projects as well as piling some new projects onto her lap. One of the funnier parts of my day was watching her reaction as she was introduced to the bureaucratic process of formally initiating new projects with other departments: forms to fill out, justifications made, etc.
The last thing I did today was visit a branch for an update on how things are going out there. Usually, when I visit a branch a leave with a good list of things that need fixing and today was no different. Facilities issues, IT issues, collection development issues, and then some. So, part of tomorrow will be spent trying to get the ball rolling (or re-rolling in some cases) on addressing the concerns of the branch supervisor in question.
First, I and some other SPL staff attended a conference call with the folks from OCLC who are on the project team for our upcoming digitization project. We discussed some of the general tasks that need to be complete prior to actually sending off our materials for digitization. These are things like the establishment of a file naming protocol, the creation of metadata for each item to be digitized (this isn't strictly necessary prior to the scanning but is preferred to the additional, unnecessary labor involved in the "enriching" the metadata later), and determining the organization of the materials to be scanned (are we grouping by subject? by accession number? by title?). Granted, much of this ought to have already been in existence within our collection but better late than never, right? We also discussed with the OCLC folks some technical aspects of their web interface of public access to our collections once the materials have been scanned. Not having any background in special collections or digitization, I am learning a lot but it is very interesting!
The second Sacramento Room-related project was a debrief with an individual who has developed for the Library a detailed process for planning, recording, and presenting digital stories. This grew out of the "California of the Past" digital storytelling initiative in which SPL participated. Now that we have this process in place, we can continue creating oral histories from interesting people in the area and, thus, add a new, vibrant collection to our Sacramento Room.
Completely aside from my Sacramento Room work today, I spent a little time meeting with SPL's Digital Services Librarian about the excellent progress she is making on several projects as well as piling some new projects onto her lap. One of the funnier parts of my day was watching her reaction as she was introduced to the bureaucratic process of formally initiating new projects with other departments: forms to fill out, justifications made, etc.
The last thing I did today was visit a branch for an update on how things are going out there. Usually, when I visit a branch a leave with a good list of things that need fixing and today was no different. Facilities issues, IT issues, collection development issues, and then some. So, part of tomorrow will be spent trying to get the ball rolling (or re-rolling in some cases) on addressing the concerns of the branch supervisor in question.
Roll Your Own!
It's Rollyo! Hmm. I played around with Rollyo back when we were putting together the 27 Things and it didn't do much for me. I like it a little more now. I "rolled" a search comprised of various library employment sites so now I can do a quick search and find all the current public library cataloger vacancies out there! Well, I would never agree to being a cataloger but it this was an interesting exercise.
Here is my custom search; give it a go:
I don't know that Rollyo will offer me much from a professional standpoint but I can definitely see the potential utility for reference librarians and school librarians who like to have quick and well-defined resources from which to draw on in answering questions or, in the case of school librarians, teaching search and information evaluations skills in a safe environment.
Here is my custom search; give it a go:
I don't know that Rollyo will offer me much from a professional standpoint but I can definitely see the potential utility for reference librarians and school librarians who like to have quick and well-defined resources from which to draw on in answering questions or, in the case of school librarians, teaching search and information evaluations skills in a safe environment.
Who Needs Catalogers?
Thing #11 in SPL's 27 Things project is LibraryThing. I have always been a little disdainful of cataloging and catalogers (I know I shouldn't be but that hasn't stopped me) so the idea of my very own catalog of my books just doesn't get me all that excited. I do appreciate the social aspect of LibraryThing; however, being able to see how little I apparently have in common with the rest of the reading world had an effect that is opposite of that which the LibraryThing creators intended, I believe.
Behold: my LibraryThing catalog!
Behold: my LibraryThing catalog!
Monday, July 27, 2009
I'm an Artist
Well, I'm not really an artist, but the Warholizer makes me feel like one. Check this out:
That's me looking far cooler than I really am. As stated on the introduction to online image generators for Sacramento Public Library's 27 Things, this exercise is "all about fun"; it's a good thing because I'm not so sure this has a lot of utility in my work but I did enjoy "creating" the cool piece of art.
That's me looking far cooler than I really am. As stated on the introduction to online image generators for Sacramento Public Library's 27 Things, this exercise is "all about fun"; it's a good thing because I'm not so sure this has a lot of utility in my work but I did enjoy "creating" the cool piece of art.
Library Day in the Life - Day 1!
I had a blast last year participating in the Library Day in the Life project so I'm excited about jumping in again this year. While I'm still in the same position as I was a year ago, Branch Services Manager at Sacramento Public Library, the Library and my job responsibilities here have changed a good deal since then. Aside from managing the operations at nine of our branch libraries, I also now am in charge of the Library's burgeoning Digital Services program while also assuming managerial responsibility for the Sacramento Room, the Library's very extensive local and regional history collection. One exciting piece of the Sacramento Room work is the fact that we are just about to jump into a major digitization project that will make available a lot of cool stuff both through the SPL website and in WorldCat. I also plan to have a Sacramento Room Flickr stream up so this wealth of Sacramento history will be findable online in a few different ways.
Anyway, here is a brief listing of what I've been up to on Day 1 of the project:
Anyway, here is a brief listing of what I've been up to on Day 1 of the project:
- As always, while working on more specific work, I'm constantly inundated with e-mails, phone calls, and drop-in's at my desk. Many of these interruptions will pull my divert my focus from whatever project is supposed to have my attention. Sometimes this is because I'm easily distracted and other times it's because I need a break from what I'm working on. Either way, it's bad practice but just today somebody I work with remonstrated me to "stay focused". Oh well, I still get it all done...
- One branch I manage has a fairly major renovation coming up and the architects need to have some specific collection size numbers. I spent some time going over current collection sizes and deciding on future collection sizes. Looks like the "renovated" collection will be somewhat larger than the architects want and somewhat smaller than the staff will want. So I'll annoy both groups.
- I had an impromptu meeting withe Library's Collection Management manager about the composition of a collection we'll be placing in our first 100% automated check-out location (just another project on my list...). Our conversation reminded me that I need to visit the community center that will house the GoLibrary to speak with the Director there; her feedback about the collection ought to prove useful. As I'm typing this, I received an email from the project manager on the community center construction project with the contact information for the community center Director so I'll set up that meeting tomorrow and include it in tomorrow's report!
- I've had several conversations today with SPL's new Digital Services Librarian, Megan Wong, about projects on which she is working (check out her blog at Megan's Blog!). One of Megan's projects right now is working with our web developer to build a great mobile presence for the Library. Megan has been going over some details of this project with me and has arranged for a conference call with a vendor who wants to demo their product, Boopsie (I'm not making that up). They say it would be far better than Innovative's AirPAC mobile catalog. Of course.
- Had the regular, weekly meeting between the Branch Services Managers and our boss, the Deputy Director for Public Services.
- Oh yeah. The paperwork. I've signed several training requests and reimbursement requests today. I've received mail from unhappy customers. I read a performance evaluation. Etc.
- Ate some homemade peach pie.
- Scratched one more "thing" of my list of 27 Things but, boy, am I running out of time.
Nine Down, 18 To Go
OK, I'm feeling the pressure now. I came in to work today with the intent of knocking off several "things" on my list of outstanding things but I'm only at number 9 and, truthfully, I didn't give this one my all, either.
The assignment was to familiarize myself with feeds in general, and to look at feeds from my library, CNN, and some other sites. I was also supposed to give the feeds search at Bloglines a whirl. I did that. I first searched for news feeds using the term "public libraries". Somewhat interesting results. The first feed in the results list was a feed of podcasts from public libraries. I can use that and I might even subscribe to the feed. Next was a feed listing the adult videos at Santa Cruz PL. I don't think that one is what it sounds like but it's kind of funny. There were also a few feeds from the Learning 2.0 projects at several libraries. Overall, I wasn't overwhelmed. Either a didn't use the search correctly or the search doesn't work that well because I know there are more public library-related feeds than those I got on my results.
Next, I tried searching for feeds using the term "public administration" (a personal interest of mine). The results were, this time, a little better but still not terribly enlightening. Mostly, I got feeds from public administration journals monthly tables of contents. This is pretty cool for the avid reader (professors or students, for example) but it is something I about which I was already aware.
What I've done in the past that was a little more useful was to use Google Alerts to compile news stories from across the country on a given topic. Maybe I just constructed a better search that time or maybe Google Alerts works better; I don't know. But I do know that I'm still more inclined to use Google Alerts over a Bloglines feed search if I have a need for such a thing.
The assignment was to familiarize myself with feeds in general, and to look at feeds from my library, CNN, and some other sites. I was also supposed to give the feeds search at Bloglines a whirl. I did that. I first searched for news feeds using the term "public libraries". Somewhat interesting results. The first feed in the results list was a feed of podcasts from public libraries. I can use that and I might even subscribe to the feed. Next was a feed listing the adult videos at Santa Cruz PL. I don't think that one is what it sounds like but it's kind of funny. There were also a few feeds from the Learning 2.0 projects at several libraries. Overall, I wasn't overwhelmed. Either a didn't use the search correctly or the search doesn't work that well because I know there are more public library-related feeds than those I got on my results.
Next, I tried searching for feeds using the term "public administration" (a personal interest of mine). The results were, this time, a little better but still not terribly enlightening. Mostly, I got feeds from public administration journals monthly tables of contents. This is pretty cool for the avid reader (professors or students, for example) but it is something I about which I was already aware.
What I've done in the past that was a little more useful was to use Google Alerts to compile news stories from across the country on a given topic. Maybe I just constructed a better search that time or maybe Google Alerts works better; I don't know. But I do know that I'm still more inclined to use Google Alerts over a Bloglines feed search if I have a need for such a thing.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Emerging Technologies at Sacramento Public Library
After literally years of waiting, Sacramento Public Library now has an Emerging Technologies Librarian! Megan Wong, a former teen librarian at SPL two weeks ago assumed the responsibility of bringing SPl up to speed on our implementation of emerging technologies to enhance services to our community. You can check out what she's up to at Megan's Blog! In her short time on the job, Megan has already:
- begun to develop a mobile-friendly web presence for the Library
- planned a coherent approach to the Library's use of Twitter
- put together an SPL Facebook Fan page that is quickly gaining followers
- visited branches to gather feedback from staff on their technology needs
- lots more!
20 Things in 9 Days!!!
Well, as one of the folks who coordinated the development of Sacramento Public Library's 27 Things program, I am aghast to find myself so far behind on my own accomplishment of the 27 Things. I'm only on Thing #8 and there are only nine days left! However, I am not going to miss out on the cool flash drive to which all finishers are entitled. So, prepare yourself for the 20 Things in 9 Days challenge. Just as the Second Annual Library Day in the Life project is kicking off, no less. I'm going to be a busy blogger for the next several days...
Anyway, Thing #8 (that I should have completed, oh, about six weeks ago, is an introduction to RSS. I have to admit that I am already well-acquainted with the joy that is RSS. What better way to keep myself informed on everything going on online that interests me! That said, this exercise suggested that the participant set up a Bloglines account. I didn't. I'm sorry but I love Google Reader. I love iGoogle and I love Google Reader. There I've said it.
Regardless of the feed reader one favors, though, RSS is really a fabulous technology that increases efficiency and carries with it some real opportunities for library service. I am thrilled that Sacramento Public Library now has feeds available to our readers letting them know as soon as titles are added to our catalogs in a wide range of genres and formats. Beyond notifying customers of new releases via RSS, allowing them to get the jump on requesting popular titles, I'd like to see feeds for programming and employment opportunities. What other innovative uses can you think of for RSS in public libraries?
Anyway, Thing #8 (that I should have completed, oh, about six weeks ago, is an introduction to RSS. I have to admit that I am already well-acquainted with the joy that is RSS. What better way to keep myself informed on everything going on online that interests me! That said, this exercise suggested that the participant set up a Bloglines account. I didn't. I'm sorry but I love Google Reader. I love iGoogle and I love Google Reader. There I've said it.
Regardless of the feed reader one favors, though, RSS is really a fabulous technology that increases efficiency and carries with it some real opportunities for library service. I am thrilled that Sacramento Public Library now has feeds available to our readers letting them know as soon as titles are added to our catalogs in a wide range of genres and formats. Beyond notifying customers of new releases via RSS, allowing them to get the jump on requesting popular titles, I'd like to see feeds for programming and employment opportunities. What other innovative uses can you think of for RSS in public libraries?
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