Conversations...

How does a library remain relevant in a community? What does it mean to transform libraries? These are two questions that I often find myself trying to answer…that is, until the other day someone I admire in the field asked me if those were the right questions to be focusing on.

This thought caught me completely off guard! What conversations and questions does this profession need to focus on? What conversations am I choosing to be part of?

I agree that “relevancy” and “transforming libraries” are the wrong questions. Why are we asking ‘how do we become more relevant?’ We already know we are relevant! We are about access: access to knowledge and discovery; leveling the playing field and helping patrons transform. We are relevant and play a vital role in the information age.

We shouldn’t be reactionary to the negative claims that google is replacing us or books are not the future. These are the wrong conversations to join. Let's show more people what we do and prove we are relevant by tackling the right questions that are challenging our field – that are challenging access to information.  It is easy to be distracted by the wrong conversations, but as a student I can make sure the right conversations are happening. Let's be part of the conversations that are moving the field forward and align with the future of librarianship we are passionate about.

"Library Schooled" - FFL Student Blog

This month I had the opportunity to contribute to the Fayetteville Free Library's student blog "Library Schooled." Check out my post here and join the conversation about the future of eBooks at the FFL.

Also, I encourage you to meet the other amazing students contributing to "Library Schooled" and read past posts about tweeting, teen spaces and more.

Enjoy!

Week 10: Public Libraries

This week in 511 we had two presenters from public libraries. It was refreshing to hear them share stories that reinforce my beliefs, ambitions, and goals for librarianship. They are both following a mission that supports a future that I want to be part of!

My favorite story came from Meg Backus, who believes that the role of librarians is to empower a community to be active in shaping society. One example that showcased this belief revolved around the issue of “access to culture.” Meg explained that patrons are often forced into the position of consumers, due to copyright law and patents. She believes as a cultural institution, libraries should be promoting the use of culture. I strongly believe that libraries need to help communities move from a position of content consumers to content creators. Librarian as curators of content is an old model that will soon lose relevance to an entire community. Librarians as content collaborators is a new model we should strive to achieve. I believe if we take on this unique role, we will find ourselves in a position that can provide value to an entire community. One can already find examples of this in action at libraries across the country, from writing centers to recording studios and Fab Labs, librarians are empowering people to better their communities by giving them the tools and resources to create!

Reflection on 511 Week 9:

Great class last night. I want to thank Professor Lankes for sharing his experience and inspiring stories from the Salzburg Global Summit, Libraries in the Era of Participatory Cultures. It was a wonderful reminder of why I chose this program because they support a future of librarianship that I hope to be part of and help shape. A future where it is not enough to just learn the basic skills of librarianship. The values and skills we learn in this program will help us improve society by empowering communities and helping them realize their dreams. We are no longer the curators of content, but the content collaborators.

We also met two amazing local school librarians, and although I am not interested in pursuing school librarianship, they both shared lessons and tips that translated to librarianship across the field. Helpful tips included:

-Leadership (don’t be the victim)

-Offer a service that others don’t; fill the gap that is missing in your school or community

-Empower others to be your advocates (iStaff)

-Put customers first (don’t worry about how orderly the library is or creating the perfect MARC record; if your patrons are happy and it works for them, then you are doing great!)

-Reverse advocacy (difficult and time consuming, but very powerful)

Communities Thread

I really enjoyed the Communities Thread in the Atlas of New Librarianship and the discussion that was generated this week online. The group that was facilitating the discussion asked great questions that not only recapped the theories that were presented in the Communities Thread, but uncovered examples of community engagement in action.

I believe it is often difficult to find an active community that willing to converse. As Lankes and the facilitators of the discussion pointed out, “communities are notoriously bad at communicating what they’re after.”  It’s one thing to get the community in the door (and I know this is an issue worth discussing on its own), but what about the next step? Many libraries have a supportive community, where patrons come in regularly and use the collection and vote to support the library, but isn’t there another step? Don’t we want them to participate in a conversation and be strong advocates for us? How do we make this happen? I am curious if other organization (for-profit or non-profit) have found a way to facilitate this conversation. What was the platform they created or used to encourage participation?

It is great to find others who align with this belief that libraries need to meet the needs of their communities by inviting their communities to be part of the conversation, but now I would love to find others who have put this plan into action. What did they do to get people involved? What are they doing to build lasting relationships with their community? How are they creating an environment where everyone is eager to participate and contribute? I know there are still people we need to convince of our mission, but let’s show them our mission in action and how powerful a conversation can be. What steps have you taken to realize this mission? What steps have you seen others take?

"In Pursuit of Elegance"

Have you ever experienced a moment of clarity where different aspects of your life align on one topic – where work, school and entertainment all focus on a single idea and shine new light on its meaning? This week the topic of “elegance” was what linked work, school and librarianship; it was the “buzz” word in the media and everywhere I looked.

First I should explain why I was even thinking about the concept of “elegance.” Tomorrow I am participating in my first staff development day at my new work place and we were asked to read In Pursuit of Elegance by Matthew May. I thought it was an interesting selection for a group of librarians but soon found myself enthralled with the book, relating the theories outlined in the book to so many aspects of my life. Matthew May believes that the power of elegance can “change minds and mindsets.” He listed many tips to help one define elegance and find elegant solutions to problems that one faces in life. Some pointers included:

·      Simplicity - refrain from adding what is not absolutely necessary

·      Leave room for others to co-create with you; provide a platform for open innovation.

·      Doing something isn’t always better than doing nothing

·      Elegance can be found in the not-so-big idea that changes everything – a small step back or an intelligent edit.

·      Think long enough to ask the right questions and fight natural tendency to arrive at an immediate answer

This sort of thinking outlined above is counterintuitive to how we try to be innovative. It requires a lot of discipline to “discard what doesn’t fit” or to break away from tradition. More importantly, May lists the reasons why we need to find “elegant” solutions:

·      we have no choice but to become more resourceful

·      we often succumb to the same kind of thinking that created the problems in the first place

·      we need a way to replace the value-destroying complexity with the value-creating simplicity

·      we need to make room for what matters by eliminating what doesn’t

I cannot wait for tomorrow and see if my co-workers find his way of thinking too radical or just what we need to be innovative in the workplace.

As I said before, as I read Matthew May’s book, I kept finding ways to relate it to different aspects of my personal life. One major link I found was to my studies in librarianship. I believe May’s theories about elegance align with Lankes’s mission of librarianship. I believe if one can follow May’s “rules” for elegance, they will be able to uphold the values and mission of librarianship. They will find success in changing the mindset many people have about librarians and their role in a community. Elegance also opens the door for a two-way conversation necessary for innovation.

The other interesting link to elegance I encountered this week was in David Pogue’s segment on CBS Sunday Morning.

Pogue reflected on the passing of Steve Jobs and challenged us to be more like Jobs, outlining the unique characteristics that helped Jobs succeed in business. Jobs was able to see the potential in new ideas, he kept questioning why we do things and built beauty/simplicity into everything he did. The main point of Pogue’s segment was that it is possible to make beautiful, simple, elegant things and still be successful. When he challenged us to be more like Steve Jobs, he challenged us to be elegant.

So in an attempt to find an ending to this week’s lengthy blog post, I encourage everyone to look for the “elegance” that appears in their life from time to time. It will be a challenge to always find elegant solutions to the problems that occur in our life and work, but if we are aware of the elegance that surrounds us, we may be able to capture that elegance and use it in our daily life and help us along our career path to success.

References:

May, Matthew. (2009). In pursuit of elegance: why the best ideas have something missing. New York, New York: Broadway Books.

“Libraries are Screwed” Video

“Libraries are Screwed” Video

One of our assignments for this week was to watch Eli Neiburger’s video on YouTube about how libraries are screwed because of the rise of ebooks. When I first started watching the video I must admit that I was a little discouraged because coming from a music industry background and watching Neiburger discuss parts of the music industry as “a shadow of its former self” was not an optimistic comparison. But part 2 of Neiburger’s video presented a future role of libraries that I never imagined. Neiburger’s solution discussed a new position for libraries in a community that still held true to the mission of librarians that Lankes advocates.

Eli Neiburger’s Solution:

“The 20^th century library brought the world to its community. The 21^st century library will bring its community to the world.” In other words, libraries will take on a new role of being a 3^rd space/new platform that enables a community to create works. The library will no longer be about the collections it circulates but about the creations of the community, “giving access to production tools and venues and a permanent noncommercial online home for patrons’ creative works.” Neiburger believes circulating collections are outmoded, but it is possible to build a new platform that the community will embrace.

With this model, I believe every library will look drastically different because we (the community and librarians) will help shape and be shaped by the libraries and the knowledge created in these new learning environments– the conversation theory in action! I know it is important to be realistic and understand that this is a new model that will take a lot of planning and investment from both the community and librarians. It will change the physical form of libraries drastically, which I imagine will require a lot of resources and energy, but I believe we have the time to make this dream a reality. It is inspiring to imagine what the library in my community will look like with this new model and I hope I will have the opportunity to contribute to this change, as either a librarian or community member.

The Year of the Patent Wars

 This week in class we started to talk about copyright and patent law, due to the patent reform bill that was passed in September. Before the bill was passed I remember listening to an interesting story on NPR’s Morning Edition that focused on one point that Lankes brought up in class -  many companies are racing to acquire as many patents as possible to gain strength in the market place. For example, the reason Google now owns Motorola Mobility is due to the 17,000 patents that company had registered.  Lankes went into more detail to describe the value of patents and inevitably the potential payout from lawsuits these companies file. NPR stated that 2011 is now being called the “Year of the Patent Wars.” I enjoyed the NPR story because it also gave interesting examples of lawsuit that companies are battling today and how it actually impacts us, the consumer.  The fact that the “patent wars” are having a negative effect on innovation was the most startling. The companies that are involved in the “patent wars” have one goal in mind – to stop competitors. In turn, they are pushing out small companies and new ideas that try to enter and compete in the market place. It is believed that no end is in sight for the “patent wars” and I am curious if companies will find themselves in a weaker position in the future due to the negative impact it is having on innovation. For now, I will keep listening for fate of Kodak.

The full story can be found here: http://www.npr.org/2011/08/26/139924549/patent-wars-could-dull-techs-cutting-edge.

Types of Libraries

When I made the decision to go back to Syracuse University for my Master’s degree in Library and Information Science, family members and friends would ask, “What are going to do with that degree?” My automatic response was, “to be a librarian!” Often I was pressed to go into more detail, but I never had an exact answer; that was the whole point of going back to grad school – to figure out what path of librarianship I was interested in. Of course, I was determined to pick a degree that could lead to multiple career options after graduation. I didn’t want to be stuck on one specific path (I should note that I majored in music during my undergrad and having worked for the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra after graduation, you can now imagine my employment situation and fear of entering a field with little opportunities). I am optimistic about my new career path and excited about the different job opportunities that are available in the field of librarianship.

This week in IST 511 we discussed the different types of libraries – public, academic, school and special. It was the perfect lecture for 1^st year graduate students in the iSchool program, inviting everyone to think about the path they are most interested in. I am attracted to the idea of public librarianship. I love working for an organization that is valued and embraced by a community. When I worked for the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, I enjoyed assisting with the community engagement initiatives and working with volunteers and members of the community that shared a love for the orchestra. I think public librarianship will provide similar opportunities that focus on patron relations and community outreach.  I also like the idea of academic libraries. I was a recent employee at Le Moyne College and the library supports a community of faculty members and students (a great community I would love to continue to be part of). I know I keep going back to the issue of community engagement and all types of libraries support a unique community. Whereas this issue will not necessarily help me find a specific career path, it will allow me to continue to explore the different options available in the field of librarianship.

My Path to Librarianship

I am excited to start my first blog as I embark on a new chapter in my career – returning to Syracuse University to purse a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science. Most blog posts will reflect on the classes I am enrolled in, but I hope to find the time to expand on topics I discover outside of the classroom. For now, I will begin by reflecting on my first class, which reminded me why I wanted to follow this career path.

The class started out with everyone sharing a “headline” to describe who they are; these “headlines” provided an interesting perspective into the path each individual took to librarianship. My path was relatively unique – I enjoy working for non-profit organizations that are valued and embraced by a community. It slowly dawned on me one day that libraries are amazing non-profits with a mission that has survived hundreds of thousands of years. I would love to learn how libraries continue to reinvent themselves to ensure that they are relevant in today’s society. I have worked for many different non-profit organizations in the past (most with a mission to promote music and the arts) and I believe that these cultural organizations can learn a lot from libraries.

This belief was reinforced by a conversation in class that focused on “how to define librarianship.” The definition that resonated most with me stated that librarianship is dependent on the mission – it is what you want to accomplish to improve society. The definition of librarianship didn’t focus on function of libraries (such as managing collections) or the history of libraries, because the role/purpose of libraries has evolved over time. I believe this idea of social action is what is helping move the field of librarianship forward. This is exactly what arts organizations need – to have a social service mission focused on improving a community and meeting the needs of a community.

Now I am sure two years from now when I finish this degree I will look back on this blog entry and think I was completely crazy! But I do hope I can draw some parallels between libraries and non-profit arts organizations because I believe libraries have found a great model and continue to strive in today’s society thanks to innovative leaders.