Interesting and Exciting – Free 3-day Library 2.011 Virtual conference Nov. 2-4, 2011

Starting tomorrow, the Library 2.011 Worldwide Virtual Conference will kick-off at 9:30
am EST. Take advantage of this great opportunity to strengthen your knowledge on digital
technologies for a variety of services. Will you be there? (Register here)

Thanks to Stephen Abram, for blogging about this conference.  I thought I’d post it for anyone else who hasn’t seen it.
Registration is Free and so far there are over 5,000 participants, with over 40 registering every hour.

Here’s a reposting of the conference schedule based on Eastern Standard Time:

Wednesday, November 2

9:30am

Conference Welcome

10:00am

OPENING KEYNOTE:  Sandy Hirsh

11:00am

KEYNOTE: Lennart Björneborn

11:00am

Developing and Implementing Findability Standards – Ravi Mynampaty, Search Guy

11:00am

Making State Documents Relevant with Social Media – Abby Swanton, Librarian

11:00am

Training Core Knowledge Skills by Finding Treasure – Melanie Metzger, Assistant Library Director: Children’s Services

11:00am

Virtual Reference and Instruction: What is it really like? – Reina Williams, Online Reference Librarian

11:00am

What’s In A Frame? Metadata and Moving Images – Caitlin Bakker, Digital Content Projects Coordinator

12:00pm

Incorporating Digital Storytelling Into Your Instruction: A Toolkit – Cassy Lee, MLIS student

12:00pm

Leveraging multiple literacies for sticky search education – Tasha Bergson-Michelson, Search Education Curriculum Fellow

12:00pm

Librarians Use of Social Media Profile Photos – Julie Still, Reference Librarian

12:00pm

SPOTLIGHT:  Future Ready – Cindy Romaine, President SLA

12:00pm

Today’s Libraries and the Self-Checkout Technology – Dr. Ruphina Ozoh

1:00pm

Are  librarians going the way of travel agents in the age of Google? –  Prakash L Dheeriya, PhD, Father, Author & Professor of Finance

1:00pm

Glogging In – Creating Multimedia Activities and Assessments – Kristina A. Holzweiss, School Library Media Specialist

1:00pm

New trends in American librarianship – Nowe trendy w amerykanskim bibliotekarstwie – Dr Beata Anna Cessak Obydzinski

1:00pm

Talking about bBooks with kids – Lisa Durff,  Flat Classroom® Coordinator

1:00pm

Understanding the Universe of LIS Career Opportunities – Scott Brown, Owner

1:00pm

Where were you when you looked that up? – The geography of information needs – Andrew Carlos, Electronic Resources Librarians

2:00pm

Don’t  Just Sit There! Tips for Engaging Participants in Online Sessions –  Debbie Faires, Assistant Director for Distance Learning

2:00pm

Happiness as a learning outcome in the digital age – Naresh Kumar Agarwal, Assistant Professor

2:00pm

Multiliteracy is the new Information Literacy – Diane Fulkerson Social Sciences and Education Librarian

2:00pm

Patterns of Participation in a Virtual Collaboratory – Kristen Radsliff Rebmann, Ph.D., MLIS; Assistant Professor

2:00pm

Situating the Academic Library for Digital Natives: Enhancing Student Learning Through DLMs – John D. Shank

2:00pm

The Brave New World of Genre Fiction Selection – Marlene Harris

3:00pm

Blogging – a possible solution for reading – Ms. Nadina C. Nicolici

3:00pm

Building  Visual and Digital Literacy; Framing a Youth Conversion Globally around  Community Identity in a Dynamically Growing Online Visual Library –  Corinne Okada Takara, Arts Educator,  Slot Shelters Project Lead

3:00pm

Smart Objects on the Cheap: DIY Interactive Digital Exhibits – Jeremy William Kemp, Full-time faculty

3:00pm

Towards a Knowledge Economy – Jacquelyn Erdman, Knowledge Exchange Coordinator

3:00pm

Who needs a computer? I have a QR Reader! – Jennifer Shafer, Library Specialist

4:00pm

Gut geplant, fast gewonnen – Eine OPL stellt sich der Social-Media Herausforderung – Dierk Eichel

4:00pm

Read, Watch, or Talk: 3 Methods for Engaging in Library Instruction – Michelle M. Powers, Manager of Library Services

4:00pm

Spotlight  on the Learner: a Third Dimension of Information Literacy – Mary Iber,  Consulting Librarian for the Sciences, Kinesiology and College Archivist

4:00pm

The Future of Emerging Technologies in Libraries – Dr. Sandra Hirsh, Director

4:00pm

Use  of Digital Tools to Create a Learning Commons in the English Language  Arts Classroom – Richard Beach, Professor Emeritus of English Education

5:00pm

Back to the Future – Sarah Baker, Education Librarian

5:00pm

Librarianship + Leadership: understanding challenges in change management – Nicole Forsythe, Digital Services Librarian

5:00pm

Project-Based  Learning in Higher Education: Developing Information Literacy Skills  and Global Competency in Research and Technology Course – Melda Yildiz,  Associate Professor

5:00pm

SPOTLIGHT:   Frontline Fundraising for Libraries – Roberta Stevens, Immediate Past  President, American Library Association and Outreach Projects and  Partnerships Officer

5:00pm

The Impact of Technology on Library Design – Lynn Cunningham,  Associate Curator of Visual Resources

6:00pm

Alternate Careers in Federal Government – Nancy Faget, Federal Librarian

6:00pm

Learning to Lead: Technology Lessons Learned from Pre-Service School Librarians – Daniella Smith, Assistant Professor

6:00pm

Peer  Coaching and Teacher Librarians: Creating a Catalyst for Classroom  Impact – Colet Bartow, Library-Information Literacy Curriculum  Specialist

6:00pm

SPOTLIGHT:   The Role for Professional Library Services in National Development of  Low-income Countries – Jane Kinney Meyers, President

6:00pm

Teaching Plagiarism Prevention in an Online Environment – Breanne Kirsch, Evening Public Services Librarian

7:00pm

How Can You Obtain More Operational Funding and Develop Sustainable Funding for Your Library?  Think Salmon! – janet jai, Author

7:00pm

Impact and Effect of Learning 2.0 Programs in Australian Libraries – Michael Stephens Assistant Professor

7:00pm

Successful Residency Programs in Non-Academic Settings: The evidence so far – Cindy Mediavilla, Planning Project Manager

7:00pm

The Modern Library: A Progressive Hub For Job Seekers? – Tim Tyrell-Smith, Founder and CEO

7:00pm

Virtual Tornado: a Library Exhibit and Simulation – Valerie Hill, Librarian

8:00pm

Book Club 2.0: How to Start and Run a 21st Century Book Club – Ben Curran–teacher/consultant

8:00pm

Creating a School Learning Commons – Professor David V. Loertscher

8:00pm

Putting  the “Information” into “Information Technology” : Reflections on a  Non-Traditional LIS Career – Laura C. Anderson, Manager, Advanced  Estimating & Infrastructure Solutions

8:00pm

State Library of Queensland’s web 2.0 program: the what, why, who and when – Linda Barron, Directorate Support Officer

8:00pm

The Library of the Future Will Include the One You Make Yourself – Kathleen Johnson, Librarian

8:00pm

Wake Up! With Polling, Surveying and Backchanneling – Nikki Robertson

9:00pm

KEYNOTE: Michael Stephens

9:00pm

Engaging  Special Collections Archives while Teaching Digital Storytelling –  Alison Regan, Ph.D.,Associate Librarian, Acting Head, Digital  Scholarship Lab

9:00pm

Live the Literature: Digital Storytelling with Bookcasts – Cris Crissman, PhD

9:00pm

Tiers for Fears: QUT Library’s learning and Study support service – Gabrielle Hayes – Health Liaison Librarian

10:00pm

KOS – What is your alignment and how can you change it? – Dominique Hallett, Reference Librarian

10:00pm

read and tweet : a twitter reading group everyone can join – Ellen Forsyth, Consultant, Public Library Services

10:00pm

Social Networking and Teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder – Dr. Corey Marie Hall

10:00pm

The Friday E-Mail List: A Personalized Follow-up to the One-Shot Library Instruction Session – Dale Larsen, Assistant Librarian

10:00pm

The Slow Death of the Reference Collection – Dave Tyckoson, Associate Dean

11:00pm

The  U and You Project: Longitudinal Storytelling Capturing Student’s  Academic Lives – Anthony Sams Digital Scholarship Consultant and Project  Manager Director, Story Center

11:00pm

Virtual Learning Commons: a new image for a school library – Dr. Dana Dukic

Closing Party

Thursday, November 3  

12:00am

Legal Information Requests in the Public Library Setting – Virginia Tucker

12:00am

Using SCVNGR to create an interactive self guided tour – Linda Barron, Directorate Support Officer

1:00am

How to Embed A Librarian, Library Resources and Service Components in Moodle! – Dr. Indira Koneru, Online Course Facilitator

1:00am

Local Collecting for Global Digital Libraries: a Case Study – Amy Brunvand, Digital Scholarship Librarian

1:00am

United Nations University Library: Improving library services for members worldwide – Chad Francisco

3:00am

The introduction reference services in Libraries  with emphasis on reference services 2.0 – Dr. Asefeh Asemi

4:00am

Collaboration;  the Librarian and the Library resources embedded via a VLE. – Monica  Morscheck, Head Librarian and eLearning Coordinator

4:00am

Pottermore and school libraries: multiliteracies at work – Judith Way

5:00am

Dealing with Research Data: the role of Academic Librarians in research support – Ana van Meegen Silva, MA

6:00am

KEYNOTE:  Christine Bruce

7:00am

My Info Quest:  Providing Text Message Reference in Libraries of All Types – Lori Bell, Lecturer

7:00am

Reading 2.0: the new role for librarians – Adam Sofronijevic

7:00am

Technical Skills & Digital Library programs – Elias Tzoc, Digital Initiatives Librarian

8:00am

Clouds  and Trees: Using Folksonomies to transform Online Public Access  Catalogues – Caitlin Bakker, Digital Content Projects Coordinator

8:00am

Ebooks: Do They Use Them? Do They Care – Beth Filar-Williams, Distance Education Librarian

8:00am

Human Target: Staff Is More Important Than Software – Grace Dunbar, Vice President

8:00am

Libraries, Publishers, Vendors – The eBook Whitewater – Robin Nesbitt, Technical Services Director

8:00am

Proactively scanning Twitter & the web for feedback – How are users reacting? – Aaron Tay

9:00am

KEYNOTE: Ellen Tise

9:00am

“Heyyyyy,  Ms. Library Lady: Classroom Management Techniques for Young or  Young-at-Heart Librarians” – Rhonda McCoy, Information Curriculum  Specialist

9:00am

Children’s E-Picture-Books: Can They Help Children Learn to Read? – Lisa Guernsey, Director of the Early Education Initiative

9:00am

Librarians Network Online – Anna Taranenko, Social Media Specialist

9:00am

Presentation  of a gamification project : an online serious game to learn information  skills to 9-12 years old – Thierry Robert, Librarian

9:00am

Ready  to Read Corps: How the Columbus Metropolitan Library is using Every  Child Ready to Read in a bold new way – Sarah Mackey, Manager

9:00am

Using Instructional Architectures to Create Innovative Online Learning Experiences – Sami Lange, MLIS, MS.Ed  Adjunct Librarian

10:00am

Best Practices for Increasing the Use Of Online Databases – Peter Simon, MLS, VP Product management

10:00am

Creating instructional screencasts: An overview of available tools and best practices – Michelle Holschuh Simmons

10:00am

Get ‘Em While They’re Young: The Embedded Elementary School Librarian – Briar Sauro, Librarian, Grades 2-4

10:00am

The Open Education Movement and Libraries – Rebecca Hedreen, Library Coordinator for Distance Learning

10:00am

The Use of Web 2.0/emerging technologies in the LIS field in the Caribbean: an exploration – Beverley Wood

11:00am

Deliver books the Netflix way – shawn strecker

11:00am

Introduction to Digital Game-Based Learning in Libraries – Mary Snyder Broussard, Instructional Services Librarian

11:00am

Job Help Centers – Steve Hipes, Project Manager

11:00am

Personal Librarian Programs Build Connections – Sarah I. Smith, Reference/Instruction Librarian

11:00am

Using  SNA (social network analysis) to understand your library’s social media  presence – Frank Cervone, Vice Chancellor for Information Services and  CIO

12:00pm

GPII: Innovations in Serving Patrons with Disabilities – Jane Berliss-Vincent, A.M.L.S.

12:00pm

Implementing Student ePortfolios – Anne Arriaga, Librarian

12:00pm

Improve Library Instruction with Emotional Intelligence – Dena Kinney, Director of Education Programs & Services

12:00pm

Privacy and the First Amendment , Friends or Foes in Cyberspace? – Sue Aspley, Head of Copyright Advisory Services

12:00pm

The Economic Legitimacy of Public Libraries – John Wenzler

1:00pm

Creating  a Learning Organization: Technology, socialization, learning, and  culture change – Rudy Leon, Technology Outreach and Training Librarian

1:00pm

Influencing Decision Makers to Give Libraries More Funding? – Cheryl Stenstrom, Library Consultant and Instructor

1:00pm

Readers advisory for book clubs as new reference – Dr Beata Anna Cessak Obydzinski

1:00pm

Riding the “Long Tail”: Leveraging a Niche to Build a Network – John Morris Jackson

1:00pm

SPOTLIGHT:   Successful paths for new librarians: best practices, models and  recommendations – Loida Garcia-Febo, Coordinator, New Americans Program

2:00pm

A Bird in the Bush:  Pathfinders as a Tool for Developing Multiliteracies – Reneé Lyons, Instructional Librarian/Author

2:00pm

Knowledge  for the People, By the People: Teaching an Online Library Studies  Course – Jeffrey Knapp, Reference and Instruction Librarian

2:00pm

Outreach through Gaming – Kathy Makens, Head of Adult Services at the South Regional Library

2:00pm

The Embedded Librarian: A Crucial Addition to Online Courses – Professor William Denny, Distance Learning Librarian

2:00pm

Using  Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Agents to Enhance Library  Information Services – Michele McNeal – Web Specialist, Akron-Summit  County Public Library

3:00pm

KEYNOTE:  Stephen Abram

3:00pm

Making and Sharing Book Trailers – Jennifer Shafer, Library Specialist

3:00pm

My collection isn’t boring! : An unexpected role as advocate for a collection. – Elizabeth Psyck  liaison librarian

3:00pm

Really  long-distance learning:  studying for an American MLIS degree while  living in another country – Charlotte Goodwin, Educational Adviser and  LIS student

3:00pm

So I’ve Checked In…Now What?: Libraries and foursquare – Philip Whitford MLISc Candidate

4:00pm

Changed but Still Critical: Brick and Mortar School Libraries in the Digital Age – DOUGLAS JOHNSON

4:00pm

Digivolution: Meeting eReading & App-etite Needs in Uncharted Territory – Michelle Luhtala, Library Department Chair

4:00pm

Teaching Data Computing Literacy to Future E-Scientists – Minglu Wang, Data Services Librarian

4:00pm

Teaching Storytelling in an online environment – Beth Wrenn-Estes, Full-Time Lecturer

4:00pm

Toddlers, Touch Technology, and Family Learning at the Library – Monica Wong, Head Librarian

4:00pm

Web  2.0 Tools For You – A Cybrarian’s Guide to Free Resources on the Web  and their Practical Application in Libraries and other Work Environments  – Cheryl Peltier-Davis Archives and Digital Librarian

5:00pm

Down with the FAQ! Bring in the Dynamic PKB (Public Knowledge Base)! – Gabe Gossett, Librarian for Extended Education

5:00pm

Get started circulating eReaders! – Megan Wong, Technology Librarian

5:00pm

Google+: A Plus (or Minus) for Libraries? – Steve Watkins, Coordinator of Technology Development

5:00pm

QR Codes in the Classroom – Gwyneth Jones, The Daring Librarian

5:00pm

Student Research Journal: an Open Access Forum for Graduate Student Contributions to the Profession – Maria Otero-Boisvert

5:00pm

The Evolution of Book Reviewing Practice: New Directions in the 21st Century – Kimberly Black, Assistant Professor

6:00pm

High School Book Clubs in a Digital Age – Phil Goerner, Teacher Librarian

6:00pm

Social Media, User Engagement, and Intellectual Freedom on the Web – Barbara Jones, Director

6:00pm

The Texting Librarian – Willyn Webb, Administrator/Adjunct Professor

6:00pm

Transforming  from the podium instructor to roving lecturer in a classroom. – William  Worford Assistant Professor, Gorgas Information Services

6:00pm

Using  Survey Data to Improve Resources & Services for Online Students –  Emily D. O’Connor, Director of Library & Learning Resources

7:00pm

New Library Models for Client Engagement and Participation – Rory McLeod, Director Client Services and Collections

7:00pm

Online Library Degrees: The Pros and Cons – Kristin Anne Carr, Librarian

7:00pm

School  Libraries Matter: They Involve, Engage, Empower, and Connect! – Roxanne  Clement, Teacher Librarian, Technology Coordinator

7:00pm

SPOTLIGHT:  Create your community with 2.0 Learning…at home, in your spare time…and in your jammies! – Connie Williams

7:00pm

The Importance of Library Express Stations in Community & Cultural Centers – kYmberly Keeton

8:00pm

Connect…Collaborate…Grow…with Twitter! – Nikki Robertson

8:00pm

Linear Thinking for the Non-Linear World – R. U. iN 2 iT? – Martin H. F. Gonser

8:00pm

Make It LIT: K-12 Library and Information Technology Program – Mike Eisenberg, Dean Emeritus

8:00pm

Roles SLIS Students Play in Producing Original Research – Antonia Krupicka-Smith Youth Librarian/SLIS graduate student

8:00pm

The  Unmined Potential of Ebooks: Create Passionate Patrons & Promote  your Library – Natalie Teske Rector, Emerging Technologies Librarian

9:00pm

Embed? Definitely and here’s how! Developing a customized definition of enbedded librarianship. – Christina Peterson, Librarian

9:00pm

Engaging  Teens in Information-based Content Creation via Social Media and Radio  Podcasting – Rebecca Renard, Teens of Distinction Program Coordinato

9:00pm

Knowledge Building Centers in Libraries and Learning Commons – Professor David V. Loertscher

9:00pm

Libraries in the Clouds – DOUG JOHNSON

9:00pm

Libraryhack : Setting content free – Margaret Warren, Senior Planning Officer

10:00pm

“Just click here – imparting effective  scholarly habits to digital natives – the why, the what and the how!” – Ms Heather Todd

10:00pm

information Experiences of Teen Content Creators – Mary Ann Harlan, PhD student

10:00pm

Is this “public” library in Mongolia? – Begzsuren, IT Manager

10:00pm

Libraries:  Portals to Your Ancestral Past – Claire V. Brisson-Banks, BS, MLIS, AG |  British Research Consultant & Technology Specialist

10:00pm

Reference Redux: The Changing Role of the Reference Librarian – Jennifer Bartlett, Head of Reference Services

11:00pm

Cataloguing: Shouldn’t we be asking “why” and “for how long”?

Recently, my husband and I had a long discussion about why we do things as professionals. For example, why do we focus on certain projects and outcomes and what is our motivation behind them? Do we, as professionals, just perform tasks and responsibilities out of tradition or routine, or is something else guiding us? This discussion continued on to include the role of ethics and the question of “why”. What I’d like to focus on in this post, however, is the “why” in our cataloguing departments and follow it up with the question, “for how long?”.

What do we really do?
It’s easy to make library management “think” they need us, but do they really? Why do we catalogue? Rather than simply stating the typical answer “to provide access to our users”, let’s think about what many (not all, but many) cataloguers actually do.

1. Spell check

2. Change subject headings of incoming publisher’s full bib records to in-house subject headings

3. Flesh out “bare-bones” records when not provided with a record from a publisher or when a cataloguer deems it “not good enough”

4. Catalogue local publications or unique collections

While I’m being a bit harsh with my description of a cataloguer’s responsibility, I think many of us can agree that these are everyday tasks in our cataloguing department. And honestly, the only task on this list that I think is vital and continues to be an asset to cataloguers is item number four – Cataloguing local publications and unique collections.

Let’s face it, the first three items can either be addressed with software, such as a spell check tool or an import tool that catches subject headings and changes them to the in-house headings (ex. Find and replace). And, of course, there is always the ongoing argument that we shouldn’t have local, in-house headings. For the records, as a public library cataloguer in Atlantic Canada, I see great value in adding localized headings separate and apart from LC’s American based headings that reflect Canadian and Atlantic Canadian terminology and cultural differences.

But, “why” do we catalogue? If we take the top three items from the previous list, we can easily answer the “for how long?” question. Not long at all. Truly, quite short term. But what motivates us to catalogue and what are our goals? Why are we needed in an age where publishers can provide full, descriptive bibliographic records that are created based on our specifications and imported directly into our catalogues?

Rather than being tied to bibliographic records and how we describe items, what about transitioning into a role that provides access to information and deals with the catalogue and “how” it provides access to information? They are not one and the same.

Bibliographic records provide content and data to describe an item. However, our new catalogues and future catalogues are much more than a system that allows users to find an item based on the content of bibliographic records only. What’s in a catalogue? What does the catalogue look like and what additional elements can enhance access beyond the information found in a bibliographic record?

Challenge
I’ve always believed that cataloguers are more than data entry specialists. But, I don’t think our potential is being realized and I don’t believe many professionals want to explore the real strength and expertise of their cataloguers. Sometimes, it’s just easy to maintain the status quo and avoid the resistance.
So here are my thoughts on exploring “why” we catalogue, or more importantly, what the motivation should be behind cataloguing and what we actually do or should be doing.

New challenges and motivations:

1.) Cataloguers exist to make every visit to the library catalogue easier and better than the last – and as a result, to find *something* that makes the user feel like their information needs were met. Like the internet, it might not be what they started out looking for, but they should stumble upon something that has peaked piqued (*thanks Annie) their interest.

2.) Cataloguers are not only controlled vocabulary experts, but uncontrolled vocabulary experts. Our authority records provide insight into alternate terminology, but we should also be aware of trendy terms that aren’t found in our records and those terms should be added to user tags within our catalogues – let’s start making use of those social features!

3.) Readers’ advisory terminology should be explored. It’s no longer good enough just to add a person, place, career, or genre heading. Let’s start talking about appeal factors – moods, pace and read-alikes should be incorporated into the catalogue. How will this be accomplished? Isn’t that the whole point of exploring “what” a cataloguer can do and what a catalogue is capable of?

4.) Engaging users in book, movie and music discussions online within the catalogue

5.) Step out from their anonymous role and become visible – for example, monthly “cataloguer’s feature” lists that provide a brief profile, area of cataloguing expertise and items within the collection of interest might create a level of community and trust between the online catalogue and its users (currently only found within the physical branches).

There are more ideas that come to mind, such as collaborators with branch staff and community groups, creators of gateways to additional information and resources within the community and so on.

While I know we can’t implement all of these ideas today and I do value what duties cataloguers perform on a daily basis, I strongly encourage cataloguers and their managers to start thinking about how easily technology can take over the tasks that many cataloguers currently perform and how we can put a cataloguer’s expertise to better use to serve users and address the catalogues of today and in the future.

Managing Expectations and Early Arrivals

Managing Expectations

Over a month ago I started a post called Managing Expectations.  The post was centered around what a professional expects of him/herself and/or their colleagues.  I’ll admit, my expectations are high, both for myself and those I work with throughout the profession.   Rarely disappointed, I do have to remind myself often that we must set realistic expectations and goals.  For example, when I started this post originally, I was 8 months pregnant and despite my best efforts, having trouble meeting the demands of a full-time job, blogging, juggling additional professional commitments and pregnancy in general.  In fact, I started to realize that prioritizing my expectations and setting realistic goals were very important so that the quality of the work I do is not compromised.  And, I think that’s what I learned most since I started writing this post (mainly in my head).  You can’t control certain events in your life, but you can manage your expectations and be realistic about what you want to achieve and what the end outcome should be.  Above all else, maintaining a sense of integrity and open-mindedness is essential.  It’s with setting realistic goals and maintaining a certain standard for yourself that you reflect a professional demeanor and reputation – and that saying “no” at times is key is maintaining that reputation and standard of work you expect from yourself.  I hope to get back to my original post soon and provide a more thoughtful and deep discussion, but I believe many of you are aware of how thin we spread ourselves – and how in doing so, we still expect our output to be exceptional – or worse, we know that our output is just “good enough” but we don’t want to disappoint, so we say yes to certain projects anyway or rush through work and or respond to emails without truly reading those emails.   (Ever done that? )

Early Arrivals 

Unfortunately, I never finished this post because I had some complications at the end of my pregnancy which led to bed rest, hospital stays and eventually, the birth of our baby daughter, Amelia Laurel Tarulli, born Tuesday, March 29th.  After a 5 day stay in the hospital, we are now finally home.  Talk about managing expectations!   Attempting to blog, write or even eat seemed too much of a task leading up to Amelia’s arrival and gave me time to think about professional goals while I’m off on maternity leave.  While I’ll be off on maternity leave for 10 months, I will continue to blog and write.  However, over the next couple of months, I’ll have to practice my “managing expectations” mantra as I figure out the motherhood/professional balance.  I know I’ll be active and writing as I was thinking of blog posts while still in the hospital (those moments where my every thought wasn’t centered on Amelia).  So please, be patient.  The Cataloguing Librarian blog will continue, but the frequency of the posts may be a bit less for the next month or two.

And now, for a picture of the baby.  Perhaps our next Cataloguing Librarian?

Using Twitter for Professional Development and, Book Discussions?

It took me a long time to jump on the Twitter bandwagon. I’m usually keen to try out new social media tools, but for some reason, I couldn’t warm up to Twitter. Why should I care what 10, 20 or 50+ people are doing in 140 characters or less? I don’t care if you’re at the grocery store, if your child was just potty trained or that you’re having take-out for dinner because you had a long day. Really, what is the point?

However, this past Fall I did decide to finally create a Twitter account and I’ve been pleasantly surprised. While I’ll never tweet to the degree that some other members do – btw, how do they have time for tweeting so much?! – I’ve forged some excellent professional and personal relationships through Twitter and I find that my use of this tool is more like a news-ticker in Times Square. In essence, it’s a highlight of all of the latest library-related news stories for the day – throughout the day – and in a far more timely manner than waiting for a weekly newsletter or monthly journal article. And, when I’m really interested in a topic, I click on the link and read it.

I’ve discovered colleagues throughout the world with similar professional interests, as well as personal interests, and am enjoying these connections and the resulting conversations. However, most recently, I have discovered another use for Twitter.

A couple of weeks ago I received my copy of Conversations with Catalogers in the 21st Century in the mail. Excited to announce my most recent book acquisition, I tweeted my excitement and found a handful of other cataloguers throughout the world who are also reading this book. As a result, we decided that in a few weeks’ time, we will share snippets of interesting thoughts and comments on the book through Twitter. Not only will this increase sharing of ideas amongst each other, but will also provide our followers with exposure to some of the key concepts and ideas within this publication. What a great way to share professional ideas and to start conversations, ideas for additional blog posts, articles or publications!

I am now expanding my narrow view of what Twitter was to a much grander view of how it can be used and the many benefits it has for networking, professional highlights and current/timely news within the profession. In fact, I can see the benefit of creating departmental Twitter feeds for cataloguers to follow so that they, too, are exposed to the most recent cataloguing trends and ideas. This does not necessarily require the department to tweet, but does expose staff to new technologies and encourages professional development in a new way. (and acknowledges that many non-librarian staff are otherwise left out of professional development opportunities and access to tools such as this unless they do it on their own time)

Up until this point, I have only seen individual professionals tweet and libraries tweet out their services, programs and blog posts, but haven’t seen departments or in-house library teams use it as a professional development tool. I wonder if this is a new trend and use for Twitter that will begin to grow – or if another social media tool with develop to address this need/purpose.

Readers’ Advisory Services in the Library Catalogue

Last week, I had the opportunity to speak at Dalhousie University’s School of Information Management. Speaking to a readers’ services centered class, I tailored my presentation around my theories regarding the perfect marriage between RA work and the library catalogue. Although this is an area only starting to be recognized, and still meeting resistance on many ends (RAs, Cataloguers, software shortcomings, etc.), I wanted to introduce the class to a new way of thinking about RA work, and collaboration outside of branch staff. For those of you who are interested, the presentation is below:

Yesterday’s ALCTS Webinar on RDA – Recording and Slides Available

For those of you who weren’t able to attend the free ALCTS webinar – RDA Ask-the-Experts, the audio recording and slides are now available. I’m one of those individuals who wasn’t able to attend it yesterday – so I’m looking forward to taking some time to listen to it and review the presentations.

Where are the kids’ catalogues?

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about kids’ catalogues and how children access our collections. While many of us will point out that the primary users of our kids’ catalogues are parents or teachers looking for books and resources for their children and/or classrooms, we cannot forget that there are a number of children who are just starting to read or are beginnimg readers that use our library catalogues and borrow from our collections.

Unlike in the past, our youngest patrons are on computers all of the time and wow, a lot of them know how to use computers better than we do! But, are their information needs and ability to process all of the text on our next generation catalogues or even existing catalogues, sufficient? Are we serving these children? What about parents and teachers?

One of the unique features I have always found in kids’ catalogues is the dependency on visual cues; icons. Rather than text based catalogues, these catalogues always tend to rely on colourful images, library mascots or some other larger text and clean interface that provides intuitive navigation based on the needs of children, rather than adults. Even parents and teachers could navigate effectively. For example, in systems such as SirsiDynix’s Horizon, the Kids Information Portal (KIP) only retrieves items in the J collections; this includes boardbooks, pictures books, J fiction, J films and television shows, etc. KIP (another library example) weeds out adult and ya collections. Rather than having to sort through or limit searches in an attempt to isolate juvenile collections, parents and children are presented with the content targeted and designed to suit their needs.

For new parents, icons represent pre-structured lists created by staff that may include highlighted boardbooks, family movies and children’s music. For kids, our kids’ catalogues focussed on holiday and seasonal lists that are timely and may relate to school projects. In the end, whatever their needs, the results retrieved could always be relied upon to exclude adult and ya materials.
Three years ago, I started looking at kids’ catalogues around North America to get an idea as to what designs were popular and to gather ideas as to what makes a good catalogue for kids. This was in an attempt to discover what types of catalogues (vendors) are being used, their design, how they can be improved and if they ever realized their potential. Today, I decided to examine some of the links I collected three years ago. To my surprise, many of the libraries that had designed innovative catalogues for children no longer support a kids’ catalogue. Instead, many have migrated to next generation catalogues such as Encore, BiblioCommons and AquaBrowser , abandoning the idea of a kids’ catalogue.

However, are these new catalogues sufficient for children and parents in providing them with access to juvenile collections? Can we point to faceted navigation and spell check as a replacement for larger images, more white space and simplified interfaces? What about the targeted retrieval of specific collections? We must acknowledge that as powerful as next generation catalogues are (and may be in the future), we cannot claim they replace the need for a children’s catalogue and that they are successfully filling the need that our kids’ catalogues do or rather, did.

Will the vendors of next generation catalogues start to implement features for children? Will we be provided with alternate interfaces for our youngest patrons?

Before we throw out our kids’ catalogues, we need to understand why we implemented them in the past and, with a growing computer savvy population of children, why we are doing away with them today. Do our new catalogues, which rely heavily on text and therefore serve our most literature users really respond to the needs of children and replace the need for a kids’ catalogue?

Free ALCTS Webinar on RDA: February 17th

Do you still have questions about RDA that you’re hoping someone can answer?  ALCTS is presenting an “RDA Ask-the-experts” webinar that may be just what some of us need to get those questions answered.

If we submit our questions by January 25th, the panelists will do their best to answer the questions during a 75 minute webinar that will take place on February 17th.

Who are the experts?
* Linda Gabel, OCLC
* Erin Stalberg, North Carolina State University
* Trina Grover, Ryerson University, Toronto
* Kathryn La Barre, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
GSLIS

You can find out more information on the registration site and submit your questions by taking this survey.

Cataloguing Humour: Patron Saint of Cataloguing

Who would you pick to be the patron saint of cataloguing?  St. Minutia, of course!

Here’s an excerpt:

June 21, 762 A.D.
Death of St. Minutia, patron saint of catalogers. The birth date of St. Minutia is unknown. The only reliable chronicle has an unlucky lacuna: “Sa. Minutia in [.......an]no domini nata est”, where only the last two missing letters can be supplied with any certainty. Vitae of the saint written later naively abbreviate the “…no domini” as ‘n.d.’, and this is the form traditionally cited for her birth. Minutia is said to have been born in the former Roman province of Nova Panonia (part of the present day Czech Republic), in the village of Sineloco (modern day Odnikud). Her time and place of birth, therefore, are usually given as “s.l., n.p., n.d.”

You can find out more about our esteemed patron saint on the Great Moments in Technical Services History page.

And, a thank you to Celine (@cjclib) and Becky (@yo_bj) for posting this on Twitter!

Conversations that Cataloguers Aren’t Hearing

In my last post, one of the comments sparked an idea for a new blog post. It is based on the comment “…what if the title of your post was ‘You let an RA catalogue a book??!!’? We would probably be having a similar conversation, acknowledging that public services staff have an area of knowledge and expertise, not to mention daily conversations with the public, that could compliment the catalogue.

These are conversations that cataloguers don’t hear and aren’t usually alerted to. In fact, unless you have friends working in branches who don’t hesitate to approach you with concerns or ideas, you won’t hear these conversations because you’re not invited to each other’s “tables”. By this, I mean, frontline staff often don’t invite cataloguers to meetings that spark collaborative opportunities and projects and vice versa. Even meeting agendas that appear unrelated to the “other side” of library work are often related. But when one party is excluded, there are missed opportunities.

While sweeping generalizations never work and this is not the intention of this post, (and yes, I am aware of libraries that are starting to welcome and provide a chair at each table) many libraries continue to see frontline services as strictly something that impacts branches and backroom services as something unrelated. As a result, each library “group” meets in isolation, while frustrated because each side sees deficiencies or has identified issues based on their own area of expertise and library service.

However, I do think, and maybe it’s just my perspective of sitting in the cataloguer’s chair, that we are actually very aware of what frontline staff have to offer with respect to their expertise complimenting what is in our catalogue. In fact, features of our new catalogues, certain changing aspects of cataloguing practices and an increased effort on the part of many cataloguers to join frontline committees to hear these conversations all reflect a growing acknowledgement that none of our services should be practiced in isolation.

However, there are some existing practices that often harm the collaborative relationship between frontline and backroom library services despite being well intentioned. For example, in the public library environment, we receive emails on a daily basis from librarians and other library staff asking us (and sometimes telling us) to change something in the catalogue, add additional information or reclassify a title. Rather than initiating a discussion that revolves around mutual respect, it is one side telling the other what to do. I don’t believe this is intentional, but it certainly leads to mistrust and a degree of resentment. This is especially damaging as a dialogue in the opposite direction – such as a cataloguer providing input on frontline services, is not solicited and often, not welcome.

Even in the above comment wherein the catalogue (and likely implied cataloguers) are held out as separate and apart from “public services staff” creates a chasm and acknowledges what has long been a sore point in library services – the debate over whether cataloguing is a public service and cataloguers are also public services staff. This differentiation, again while unintentional, also leads to feelings of resentment, superiority or lack of understanding as to expertise, knowledge and skills.

This is a conversation with a long history; the debate regarding the divide between frontline and backroom staff. In fact, much of the content in my upcoming book addresses this issue and offers many collaborative opportunities meant to breach this divide – starting with both sides acknowledging their biases, expertise and fears. (I know, shameless plug!)

However, it is my hope that many of my posts encourage cataloguers to continue to look for collaborative opportunities – which are usually in the form of expanding how and why users want and need the catalogue, and how the catalogue can enhance all of our core library services. To do this, we need to seek opportunities to collaborate. I do hope there are advocates among frontline staff doing the same so that a mutual sharing of expertise will not be something that occurs in a handful of public libraries, but becomes commonplace.