25 Feb

RocNext Article

Posted by patriciau in Ebooks, emerging technology.

Several months ago, I was asked to write an article for the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle ROCNext column regarding technology in libraries. I was asked for the text again recently by a staff member, and discovered the original article is no longer on the D&C website. So, here is the full text…

 

These days, there’s an app for everything, and your local libraries have not been left behind. Technology is part of everyday life, and library users in Monroe County have a multitude of apps, gadgets, and, most important of all, skilled staff ready to help you learn how to use your new e-reader or figure out your smartphone.

There are currently two apps for smartphones and tablets that provide access to the Monroe County Library System catalog. LS2 Mobile Library is available in both the Apple and Android stores and provides mobile access to the general catalog; Overdrive Media Console is also available in both major app stores and provides mobile access to e-books and e-audio books. Coming later this year is a new app, MCLS to Go, that will provide mobile access to the general catalog, Overdrive, an events feed, and more, all in one convenient place. On schedule for 2013 is an iPad app called Rochester Voices that interprets and presents portions of the Central Library historical collections that reflect “voices” such as diaries, letters, oral histories, and music.

Although libraries in New York State have experienced a 23% cut in state aid since 2008, the Monroe County Library System & Rochester Public Library have used private funding and portions of our remaining state aid to move the system forward and satisfy the growing demand for hi-tech access to our collections. The Rochester Voices project, for example, is funded entirely with private money raised through the Friends & Foundation of the Rochester Public Library.

In addition to apps, local libraries have become sources for the gadgets themselves. The Central Library has loaned GPS units for the last two years with great success, and the Greece Public Library currently loans Nook e-readers and iPads for use by children and families in the library. Most libraries in Monroe County offer help for users who are puzzled by or frustrated with their own gadgets. Webster librarian Greg Benoit, with assistance from BOCES I, recorded several videos now available on the library website (www.libraryweb.org) that provide step by step tutorials for downloading e-books to various reading devices. In addition, many libraries offer one-on-one “Apple Genius” type assistance for users onsite or by phone.

Despite the surge in popularity of e-books, libraries everywhere are faced with significant challenges in providing the level of service our users have come to expect. Many publishers, most notably Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Penguin, refuse to sell e-books to libraries. Other publishers offer e-books to libraries at inflated prices, making it nearly impossible for libraries to adequately satisfy user demand. For example, a library can purchase a print copy of 50 Shades of Gray for about $9.00, while an e-book version of the same title costs nearly $50.00. In response to this, libraries are looking to independent publishers to provide new and exciting e-content, and are also looking locally for content. Scheduled for release later this year in Monroe County libraries is a collection of original, local music which will be available for download through Overdrive.

The death of the library has been doggedly predicted for at least the last 25 years, but libraries are doing what they’ve always done – improvising and adapting to new challenges every day. Libraries have grown beyond the four walls of the building and are now making content available to users 24 hours a day, virtually anywhere. Visit us and see what we have for you.

4 Feb

The Art of Noticing

Posted by patriciau in Food for Thought, Magical Thinking, Random Observations.

A few days ago, a co-worker sent me a link to an interview with Seth Godin. Krista Tippett, author of the blog On Being, talks with Godin about the “art of noticing then creating.” The transcript of the interview is well worth the read, but it’s the phrase “art of noticing” that caught my attention.

I’m always talking with people about leadership, and how I am worried about the lack of interest so many in the field of librarianship have in becoming strong, effective leaders. During a conversation recently with a fellow library system director, I tried to articulate what I consider  the single most important quality of an awesome leader. I talked about the ability to see and make connections outside the library arena, to look at something that succeeds in another field and imagine how it could be adapted to libraries. This blog actually began with that premise – to share sources of inspiration. I talked around the concept for a long time, then my colleague said, “But what do you really mean?”

What I was grasping for, what I was dancing around, was the concept of noticing. Of paying attention. And then doing  something.

Some people approach their jobs in one dimension – they cannot, or will not, think outside their own department, or library, or office. Others are Idea Hamsters – they churn out cool, crazy, interesting ideas, but they lack the will, or conviction or, perhaps, the resources or permission to make their ideas a reality. An awesome leader notices those crazycool ideas and clears the way to allow staff to manifest those noticings.

But where do you go to notice things? Here are some ways and places I find inspiration:

  1. Read widely. Read all kinds of magazines. Get a news aggregator like Zite and have a varied collection of top news stories fed to you every day. Read the magazines while you stand in line at the grocery store. Read the news headlines on Yahoo. Subscribe to trendspotting newsletter like Springwise or Gizmodo.
  2. Talk to people. Talk to your patrons, talk to your staff. Talk to the little kids in the children’s area, talk to the teens in your library. Talk to your neighbors, and the friends your kids bring home.
  3. Watch a little TV. Tune in to Nickelodeon or the Disney Channel once in awhile to see what’s up with the young ones these days. Check out the History Channel and MTV. Immerse yourself in pop culture for a few hours a week. Get to know Snooki and JWow, or the winner of the Westminster Kennel Club dog show.
  4. Listen to music. Listen to a wide variety of music, and get to know the musicians. Music can truly open your mind and lead you places you never expected.
  5. Get to know your staff. Talk to them and find out what makes them sizzle, then remember it and celebrate it when you can.
  6. Spend time on Facebook. It is incredibly easy to share things there. Facebook does some interesting things with marketing based on your friends and pages you like, and, while it can sometimes be intrusive, I often find myself exposed to things I never would have encountered anywhere else.

So what kinds of things have I noticed and then acted on? Here are a few:

  1. Blind Date With a Book – My friend Mary, who lives in Ogdensburg NY, shared a photo with me on Facebook that illustrated a really cute, imaginative way to display books for Valentine’s Day. Wrap them up in fancy paper and invite people to go on a “blind date” with an unknown book. I shared the photo, and now a couple libraries in Monroe County are using the idea.
  2. Custom Receipts – Several months ago, I read about a library that was creating custom receipts for library materials, and I shared that with MCLS staff. A librarian from the Fairport Library emailed me to ask whether it would be possible to use that feature to show how much people “saved” by using the library to borrow materials. I sent the idea on to our ILS vendor, and a few months later, we had a solution. The ILS adds up the replacement cost associated with each item as it’s checked out, then the total value of the items borrowed is printed on the receipt.
  3. Local History – There is a blogger called Rochester Subway who has a keen interest in local history and historic buildings. I follow him on Facebook. A few months ago, he recorded the demolition of a building owned by the local brewery which had been the center of a bitter dispute between the City, the brewery, and local preservationists.  He posted his photos of the demolition on Facebook, where I noticed them, and initiated a request to our Local History staff to somehow capture and archive those unique images.

These are just a few examples of how and where I notice things. The art of noticing is a powerful tool for any organizational leader. Where do you notice things? What have you noticed recently and how have you acted on it?

18 Oct

E-Book News, October

Posted by patriciau in Ebooks.

Whispercast for Amazon – http://www.slashgear.com/whispercast-for-kindle-makes-mass-ebookapp-management-easy-17252373/ – one more step towards Amazon becoming a lending library?

New E-reader App – http://www.androidauthority.com/fabrik-app-review-123345/ – lets you store ebooks in Dropbox and access them anywhere via Fabrik app.

Overdrive API Developer Portal Open - http://overdriveblogs.com/library/2012/10/17/overdrive-api-integration-under-way/ – Potential for better integration with library catalogs here. Also check out Overdrive’s TestDrive product to help with demonstration and training. See how one library has used TestDrive.

New Promo Materials for Overdrive NOOK App – http://overdriveblogs.com/library/2012/10/15/new-promo-help-materials-overdrive-app-for-nook/

Overdrive App Now in Amazon App Store - http://overdriveblogs.com/library/2012/10/12/kindle-fire-users-rejoice-overdrive-comes-to-amazon-app-store/

OverdriveRead Instant Samples Now Available – http://overdriveblogs.com/distribution/2012/10/04/overdrive-read-instant-samples-now-live/

Ebook Collections Surging - http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/10/ebooks/ebook-collections-surging-new-data-available-from-lj-slj-annual-usage-reports/

Judge’s Ruling a Win for Fair Use in Authors Guild v. HathiTrust Case - http://www.infodocket.com/2012/10/10/judge-rules-on-authors-guild-v-hathitrust/

 

 

1 Oct

I2NY Part 2 – Priorities

Posted by patriciau in emerging technology, Food for Thought.

Last week, I shared my notes from Day 1 of the I2NY Summit on developing a new information infrastructure for NYS. I didn’t take many notes on Day 2 because I was too busy participating in the thinking and discussing that went on. The outcome oft hese two, intensive days was a list of priorities that will form the basis for the next stage of I2NY development. Those priorities are:

  • Develop a framework for statewide negotiations, inclusive of goals, stakeholder involvement, and boundaries for terms (common principles) (17 votes)
  • Leaders continue conversation about achieving common goals/objectives.  Stakeholders include NY 3Rs (Regional Library UCouncils), State Library, SLSA (School Library System Association), NYSHEI (New York State Higher Education Inititative), NYLA (New York Library Association), CUNY (City University of New York), SUNY (State University of New York), IDS (Information Delivery Service), PULISDO (Public Library System Directors Organization) (16 votes)
  • Build a transactional model by which libraries can trade, barter, or sell services and staff time to each other (15 votes)
  • NY3Rs take a leadership role in convening library, cultural heritage, economic positions in regions to develop an action plan that will lead to robust library/information delivery systems (15 votes)
  • Create a clearinghouse for initiatives & ideas and sharing (13 votes)(public, academic school, etc.).  See Cultural Data project model. (11 votes)
  • Identify major challenges/opportunities that require federated IDM to solve (10 votes)
  • Develop best practices—identify structure, roles, training, process for creating, preserving, discovering and distributing content, including templates for success (9 votes)
  • Develop collection practices including last copy, service and delivery policies (e-delivery?), de-duplication (9 votes)

The full set of recommendations in the 18 topical areas addressed are located here - http://sync.in/7s5Kd9wgP5. Would love to hear your thoughts and reactions….

 

25 Sep

Creating a NYS Information Infrastucture

Posted by patriciau in emerging technology, Things We Should Do. Tagged: .

I am spending two days in Saratoga Springs with dozens of fellow librarians identified as “thinkers” in the field to begin the process of building a new information infrastructure in New York State. I2NY, as this is being called, has been initiated by the New York Regional Library Councils and seems to be gathering energy around shared services, collections, and processes that will simplify and better organize the collection, management, and preservation of all types of information.

Today, we heard from several people who are spearheading interesting and promising projects around the state, and ended the day with a keynote from Deanna Marcum, recognized expert on library collaboration. Here are my notes from this afternoon. I’d love to hear your thoughts….

What is I2NY and why are we here? It’s all about….

Connecting
Collaboration
Sharing
Expertise

Why do this? Aren’t we already doing all of this? How do we take local projects and make them global?

Broaden scope of borrowing – idea – a single, universal NYS access card? Is that even possible? For scholars and researchers only?

How do we get there? Need data. Need to know who is doing what where. Who are the stakeholders? What are the projects?

Discover – gather data. Who is doing is what where and what lends itself to a broader scale.

Challenges – trust, money, rethink the obvious, overcome geographic boundaries, adopt “my library is your library,” remove legacy services that are no longer valuable, providing access can mean many things – buying, renting, loaning; move away from “just in case” method of collection.

Stakeholders – need to identify institutions willing to participate, remove boundaries between different library types.

Test – experiments will show what can be scaled, encourage experimentation with our staff and colleagues, create model that invites experimentation without fear of risk, share staff expertise.

Implement – ensure end user role in collection development and access, develop joint services.

Potential Models
California digital library
Orbis Cascade Alliance
Florida Virtual Campus
Utah academic library consortium
Massachusetts library system

Seeds within NYS
Connect NY
New York Heritage
NY 3Rs

Vision – create statewide collaborative that avoids duplicative services, (find honeycomb slide)

Lightning Rounds

Shared collection repository -Karen Senglaup UB – space is a common problem in most libraries. Collectives are developing regional collection policies that ensure one copy of low use items is retained permanently in a shared storage facility. Questions addressed include ownership and cost. Starting to break down barriers between library types and geographically. Governance issues – who decides what to keep? Membership costs, how represented in OCLC, how long are items kept? Need to perform an overlap/gap analysis of all partner collections. Doesn’t have to be one repository. Could simply be agreement that Library X would retain full run of periodical x and provide access to the region. Could move to include books and print on demand services. What is the incentive for libraries to participate? Space, cost, less local staff collection maintenance. Could this be an avenue to test the common access card?

Migrating Media – Carolyn Tennant and Tammy McGovern – look for Crandall Library work in media arts. Not sure how this presentation applies to the idea of shared services? Will Hallwalls or Migrating Media do the conversion of analog to digital for us? At what cost? Are they providing a service or forming a partnership? Would video become part of NY heritage in the future? Do they just do video, or do they do audio as well?

MaRLI – Jenny Engstrom, NYPL – partnership between NYPL, NYU, and Columbia. Extreme sharing,better service, more access, increase use of existing collections, shape future development of all three institutions. MaRLI = Manhattan Research Library Initiative. Found lots of understandings among three institutions, but little in writing. Lots of concern over potential volume of use, concern from universities about letting general public in to use their collections. Working groups developed include access, collections, digital, and models. Has allowed them to broaden purchasing and access to materials not likely to have been made available individually, such as foreign language ebooks and ejournals. Access was identified as most difficult barrier. All other areas flow from reducing barriers to access. Reciprocal borrowing difficult to achieve. Patrons have to register and get approval for reciprocal card to use all three institutions. Essentially, they have created research cards. NYPL Scholars, PhD students and FT faculty – 1833 registered users with almost half from NYPL. Potential for RRLC card? Time to resurrect this discussion? 60 day loan period, no automatic renewal.

2CUL- Rob Cartolano, Columbia University – partnership between Columbia and Cornell. Shifting to a single ILS (Ex Libris Alma seems to be the front runner), tech services integration, common collection with unified purchasing plan. Challenges include different financial systems, number of databases and at what level – fully integrated catalog or separate catalogs with a unified discovery layer. Different IT infrastructures. Specialist collectors – one librarian collecting for both institutions for specific topics such as foreign language.

NY3Rs EBL Project – Jennifer Smathers, SUNY Brockport – $72k pooled for ebook collection development from more than 20 libraries and library systems. Based on patron use. Over 5000 titles available right now, with only 4 titles actually purchased so far. 455 unique users in one month. Short term loan for along online is one day. There is a seven day short term download loan. 15 out of 17 libraries have borrowed so far. MCLS is one of the libraries not loaning yet.

4 Sep

E-News, September 2012

Posted by patriciau in Ebooks, emerging technology.

September is Overdrive Training Month – http://overdriveblogs.com/library/2012/08/31/training-month-to-feature-learning-modules/ – Library staff who frequently interact with users and their reading devices should definitely check out the offerings.

Ebooks Choices and the Soul of Librarianship – http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/07/ebooks/ebooks-choices-and-the-soul-of-librarianship/ – Despite the pretentious title, this article contains some interesting thoughts on ebooks, libraries, and our users.

Keeping Up with the Digital Public Library of America – http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/07/digital-libraries/with-new-funding-dpla-sets-sights-on-search/

Panelists Say Libraries are Perfect Ebook Partner for Publishers – http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/06/ebooks/panelists-say-libraries-are-perfect-ebook-partner-for-publishers-idpf-digital-book-conference/ – Why, yes. Yes, we are.

Learnist, the Pinterest for Educators – http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/08/k-12/now-with-apps-curation-board-learnist-may-one-up-pinterest-for-education/

Gartner 2012 Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies – http://joemurphylibraryfuture.com/gartner-2012-hype-cycle-for-emerging-technologies/ – At the “peak of inflated expectations” right now? 3-D printing.

 

3 Sep

Readers First Initiative

Posted by patriciau in Ebooks.

Back in June, I wrote about the Readers First Initiative begun by the Urban Libraries Council and intended to develop a strong base of support for more open and easy access to e-content for readers through libraries. Tomorrow, September 4 2012, there will be a webX meeting for the Readers First Signatories, of which MCLS is one. If you care about how or if libraries will provide e-content to our users in the future, you should care about Readers First. Join the call:

Topic: ReadersFirst
Date: Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Time: 2:00 pm, Eastern Daylight Time (New York, GMT-04:00)
Meeting Number: 925 569 945
Meeting Password: (This meeting does not require a password.)

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To join the online meeting (Now from mobile devices!)
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1. Go to https://eval.webex.com/eval/j.php?ED=202996477&UID=1428714987&RT=MiMxMQ%3D%3D
2. If requested, enter your name and email address.
3. If a password is required, enter the meeting password: (This meeting does not require a password.)
4. Click “Join”.

To view in other time zones or languages, please click the link:
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To receive a call back, provide your phone number when you join the meeting, or call the number below and enter the access code.
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Access code:925 569 945

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For assistance
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1. Go to https://eval.webex.com/eval/mc
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You can contact me at:
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