The Delicious Burden

Making time for Web 2.0

I really enjoyed David Lee King's talk at CIL 2008.  As a former public librarian, I have a lot of healthy admiration and respect for public librarians and the (many times) difficult work they do with tight budgets and (in some cases) administrations who do not support their work on the "frontlines".  So, seeing what David is able to achieve at Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library is absolutely amazing!  David posted his CIL presentation today; plan to leave time later to peruse it in detail.  I already wrote down some ideas I got while listening to him last week, but want to spend some more time thinking about how to approach library administration for some support in doing staff technology training.

'Thused about innovation and leading change

Read Karen Schneider's blog post today about Twitterprose and was happy to see her link to Helene Blowers' CIL 2008 slides from her talk on innovation.  Everyone here keeps asking me about what I did, what I learned, what was happening at CIL this year.  There was almost too much to absorb.  What I did come away with:

1. Innovation is about doing things, not thinking or haggling about them endlessly.  I like the quote, "don't ask for permission, beg for forgiveness". 
2. You need to make time for Web 2.0; there will never be enough time for it in the regular course of a day, and one hundred other things are going to come along to interrupt, so schedule it and stick to your schedule.
3. The technology doesn't make it 2.0, the technological tools make it easier for humans to interact with each other, which is the 2.0 factor.
4. Get ALL your staff involved in Web 2.0!
5. Focus, focus, focus!  Know your limitations and prioritize your projects.  No one is going to do it for you and no one should.

Need more time to gather my thoughts and would love to see this morph into a workshop or meeting with all our staff.

Leading technology in libraries with TSCPL

4:00pm session at CIL 2008
Leading Technology in Libraries
with Gina Millsap and David Lee King
Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library

shared leadership in the organization
Personal Democracy Forum
-technologically savvy
-influence on how technology is used in libraries

Engaging users
-power of technology to provide community and important services

Why is technology important?
-manage operations more efficiently
-keeps us relevant

Barriers
-isn't this just a fad?
-I don't have time for this
-my staff aren't interested
-I'm afraid to look...
-I have lots of questions
- No staff to do it
-no money

Boss as barrier
-if you support it, do you talk the talk??

Library Director 2.0
-less hierarchy
-trust staff
-transparency
-involve all levels of staff
-explain decisions (how are they made?  why are we making it?)
-structured for quick decisions and implementation
-train staff & allow play time
-LISTEN!!!
-Offer structures for feedback

Library Director 2.1
-make customer service job #1 (don't assume you know!!)
-set priorities through the budget process
-if the money isn't there, look elsewhere
-make the resources available for staff
-define the work to be done and organize your resources around it
-avoid "one-size-fits-all" model
-experiment and do pilot projects
-Paco Underhill "Why we Buy"
-treat staff as customers
-build your leadership team
-understand the context (scan your environment and look around you)
-data-based decision making
-two no's: 
  1.  no turf
  2. no passive-aggressive behavior

Learning, changing, communicating
People, not stuff

Asking the right questions:
-What are the top 5 things we need to preserve? Why?
-What are the top 3 things we need
-What makes you feel valued?
-What do you most hope I do as the director (supervisor)?
-What are you most concerned I might do as the director (supervisor)?

What are the organizational priorities?  Find out by asking the above questions!
Customer service
valuing staff
programs, services, etc.

Digital Branch >> www.tscpl.org

That vision thing:
All library services are available
Create fun, cutting-edge experiences for customers
For many customers, online services are the only way they use the library

Making Time for Web 2.0
1.  Why make time for Web 2.0 initiatives??
2.  How do you make time for it???

Why make time for Web 2.0 initiatives?
    1. Be relevant to the next generation of customers/users:
       * IM/texting
       * current websites are using 2.0, why aren't we
    2. Teach the current generation:
        * information literacy
       * show grandma how to use Flickr
       * small business owner and vanity searching
       * news junkie, RSS feeds
    3. Teach user how to use/subscribe to your library:
       * for example, with RSS feeds to your website, have you taught your customers how to use them??
    4. Save time!
       * professional reading
       * bookmarking
       * IM vs. phone vs. email
    5. Patrons want to participate!!!
        * Time magazine 2006 (?) person  of the year (You!)
        * Ann Arbor Public Library blog
        * YouTube videos
    6. Be a community leader
         * become a community resource
    7. Land a cool job :)
            * NextGen Librarian
            * Emerging Technology Librarian
          * Web 2.0 Librarian

How do I make time for Web 2.0?
Finding time...
    1. Changing focus:
       * finding time vs. willingness and priority
        * you have to want to change
        * change job descriptions...
    2. Schedule your time:
        * schedule your priorities
        * put it on your calendar!!
        * write more than one post at a time
    3. Make time to play:
        * must play with tools to learn how to do it!!
        * Learning 2.0 initiative
        * 23 Things list
    4. Granting time (this is for the supervisors/directors!)
        * give time - for reading, playing, learning, creating
        * send staff to formal training
        * don't ask for input, if you are not going to use it!!  let staff innovate
        * buy books for training

Your library is mobile and changing rapidly; access your library anywhere!

Data visualization tools

2:30 session at CIL 2008
Data Visualizations
w/Darlene Fichter

social data
Data visualization
social + data

Web 1.0

Web 2.0
-everyone participates
-"amateur"professionals
-question & answer services

New Stage: DIY Data
-not all datasets are equal

Power of Visualization
-conveys information visually
-numbers may not do it
-Darlene showed examples of two families used in the project "What we Eat" which showed the dramatic differences in what families spent and ate around the world
"Tangible" visualizations

Google My Maps
-maps.google.com
-click on My Maps
-add pushpins plus notes to create a map
-embed it in the website

Web Site Structure Mapper
-blue: links
-red: tables
-gray: divs
-yellow: forms
-purple: images
-green:
-orange: breaks, paragraph
"Websites as Graphs" (reveal our code in a whole new way!!)

Data Visualizations Explosion
-it's a visual world >> growth of visual graphics

Newsmap
-different countries of the world and mines Google News and looks at % of stories based on certain categories
-explore cultural differences

What do we need for social data (Data "Ecosystem")?
-open data
-open set of services & apps (APIs)
-Us (creators & consumers)

How "Free" is Data?
-DataPlace
-chart or tables tailored to your community

Advantages of "social" data
-idealistic view
-cautiously optimistic view
-skeptical view

Idealistic View
-apathetic people before; engaged people now!

Skeptical Authority view
-data authority (garbage in, garbage out)
-provenance
-privacy

What Happens when...
-you combine the people and data and web 2.0 tools??
-less "going with what my gut says"
-"workable" data
-reproducible results; now we have a way to do peer review of data
-borrow from others
-level the playing field
-disseminate the expertise

Spontaneous Communities
-conversations around collections of data
-example: Flickr + High Dynamic range photography

DataPlace
-data and maps
-chart
-comparison to other communities; rankings
-many activities to "harmonize the data"
-What are the data sources?  EveryBlock
  *civic information (building permits, crimes...)
  *news articles and blog entries
  *web stuff (Craigslist, Yelp)

Timepedia & Chronoscope
-stories about our past
-Chronoscope is a visualization platform under beta

TracknGraph
-walking tracker
-investment tracker
-Social Features
  *control access
  *group updating
  *publish anywhere
  *Create team trackers
  *embed on your website

Tabular Data search and display
-graphwise
-political contributions by state

Freebase
-3.38 million topics
-facts and statistics

Social sites for data visualization
-allow new kinds of social data analysis

Social Data Musts:
-value from contribution
-contributions should provide value to peers as well
-aggregate value to host

Examples of social data websites:
1. Swivel Data
2. Many Eyes from IBM AlphaWorks (will analyze textual works!!)
3. Beplasma (????)
4. Trendanalyzer
5. Google Visualization API
6. Yahoo Charting API

3 Ideas:
1. One chart a week.
2. Create a google map for your library
3. Frappr

Innovation and change at CIL

Day 2 at CIL 2008:
Transparency, Planning & Change: See-Through Libraries
Michael Casey and Michael Stephens

Examples:
-CEOs and filtering of company information through the PR department
-blogging transparency (chief of police, superintendent of schools)

What are the barriers? 
Examples of barriers & roadblocks (signage, limiting access to social networking sites)
-What are our roadblocks?
*we've always done it this way!
*control freak IT support
*I don't have administrative privileges
*only making cosmetic changes
*budgets
*no staff time
*excessive love of process
*Luddite Trustees

How do we make it transparent?
-multiple avenues for communication
-visit the branches
-provide learning for all staff
-way to submit ideas from all staff
-consider the role of anonymity

People (i.e. staff) want:
-open and honest conversations
-don't ask for staff contributions if you are not going to use it
-speak in a human voice (no PR speak!)
-administration to go out to the field and visit the "front lines"

Darien Library
-Circulation staff are blogging
-Also buying books for the collection

Learning
-including ALL staff
-deliver training in person, online, etc.
-use a library "sandbox" to play
-have the director show up!!

Anonymity
-can be good and bad and is always difficult
-can give you good survey results
-look past the unconstructive negatives
-staff who don't want to do anything; what is the carrot to get them communicating

Face-to-Face
-need some time face-to-face with staff
-"office hours"
-the only time some people will be honest

Throw out the culture of perfect
-"lets go over this document one more time"
-listen to your users' needs
-say "Yes!" to innovation, to making a change
-make sure your staff knows the mission of the library
-get your staff involved

Best practice for implementing Web 2.0 tools:
-make sure it meets the vision and mission of the organization
-fulfills the library's mission by...

What would you add to this road map for transparency planning?
-talk to your customers/users!!
-don't waste people's time by making them show up to meetings they don't need to be at
-mission statement for department - have staff write it!!
-we have to play; build relationships
-need sideways communication; getting together in meetings, having retreats off-site
-just keep feeding it; keep pressing forward!
-involve staff who are interested and enthusiastic about the project, not just those with the skills to implement it

What we need to do at my library:
-We need people from Circ, from IDS, from cataloging & technical services to serve on our committees
-input from staff on these major decisions regarding products and services

The "I" in innovation

Day 2: April 8, 2008
CIL 2008
Innovation & Change
Helene Blowers, Columbus Metro Library
DEAL Day (Drop Everything and Learn)
Tony Talent, Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County

Ingredients for change is NOT:
Strategic planning
Process improvement
Best practices
Change agents

Innovation IS:
Intersection of ideas
Pivotal point of opportunity
Doing new things
Putting ideas into action

Seeds of Innovation
3 types of innovation:
efficiency (Book bundles)
evolutionary (Taco Bell – open 24 hours; now have ATM; bringing parts together)
revolutionary (iPod; vending machine for iPods (Zoom!))

Creativity   (great idea!!)
Strategy (
Profitability (reacting to your customers; ROI)

Innovators are…
I have an idea!
Do your homework (has it been done before?  How do I make it fresh??)
Do the initial legwork (talk to people; talk to others outside the organization)
Staff are leaders too
I will take risks with you
partnership between idea person and the organization
give your staff a framework around which to be innovator
Put the resources behind these expectations
“I support your work”
Celebrating your success
Taking risks together

Progress
improvement
change
ideas
excellence

Change
Tell a story; use a composite person

Strategy
Create your alliances; get their buy-in; get other people in your organization to support you
prototype your idea; wireframe it; build something to test your ideas
Think of it as a test lab; All of your outlets/venues are test labs
Don’t ask for permission, ask for SUPPORT (not forgiveness, because nobody
Never sell your ideas on paper!!!!! Ask for time at a management team meeting or with a manager; walk them through the vision

What does innovation look like to you?
Wild success is not business as usual!!!  Could feel like panic 
Learn from the experience

Habits of innovative people:
Persistence
Take risks; reward mistakes; reward people for taking initiative – CliffJumper Award
Write things down; stick post-its all over the wall!!
Look for unusual patterns or connections; look for total opposites – do they have a relationship you could build upon?
Ability to stay curious!!  Challenge your co-workers to say, “what-if?”

Big problem arises and no one addresses it…
Staff members use shortcuts to do something
A conversation changes the way someone does something
Why can’t we do it this way??
What if we just…
Investigate
Imagine, re-imagine
invent
Interest

Ideas for collection development:
Audiobook loans (digital content)
iPods
Book club
Faculty publications & scholarship program
Liaison program
    Help with book selection
    Reference databases

User-generated content

Day One of CIL 2008:
4:15pm session
User-generated Content
Roy Tennant
User-Generated content on library-managed sites
How do users contribute content?  More (decent) content is better!
Access to content – more access is better!

Keche

Descriptive content:
1.    Local history images – allowing users to contribute knowledge to the collection
2.    Lowering barrier to participation
3.    Worldcat.org  & worldcat Local– add to section, review it, write the review, rank it
4.    LC loading images into Flickr and allowing people to tag (they got 10,000 unique tags!)
5.    They also got more than 11,000 “friends” in Flickr - -these are their new contact
        A.  Sparked discussion
B.    Corrections made to metadata
C.    Higher profile for its collections
6.    Boston Public Library postcard collection on Flickr
7.    Bookspace at the Hennepin County Public Library; users own content into the library website/space
A.    Add reviews
B.    Add to booklists
C.    Get an RSS feed of these booklists
8.    Tagging (whatever the user wants!!)  low barrier; uncontrolled; useful to the individual doing the tagging
9.    Steve.museum  The Art Museum Social Tagging Project
10.    Library Thing  (critical mass helps the erroneous tags “fall to the bottom”)
Third party services
1.    LibGuides
2.    LibMarks
3.    LibraryThing for Libraries
4.    ChiliFresh.com for patron book reviews

Lets put 2.0 posts on the blog and direct users to 2.0 resources