LibraryBytes

Strategy … Tactics … and pizza delivery?

2008-07-22T22:29:00.006-04:00

Strategy and tactical planning is something that I’m sure every library and organization to some degree struggles with. Trying to balance priorities and opportunities with budget constraints and organizational capacity is a never easy task. The challenges associated with having to make tough decisions can often lead to a lot of heartburn, both figuratively and literally.

For the past few weeks I’ve gained a tremendous appreciation for all planning and effort that goes into building a tactical plan as I’ve worked alongside colleagues to lead this year’s annual planning process.

Right now we’re in phase 4 of a 6 step process, which we’ve call our Tactical Camps. The tactical camps provide an opportunity for all staff to participate in the planning process and creates a clear and direct channel for staff to submit ideas for consideration.

I really like the video that our communications team did with Pat Losinski, CML Executive Director, to kick-off this effort. The video covers all the critical points of strategy, tactics and even a little bit humor...

Yup, I’m learning a lot in my new position at CML under Pat’s leadership. And high on this month’s list is

a) strategy
b) tactical planning
c) the fated partnership of a pizza & book reserves delivery service. :)

oh, and most importantly...

d) our staff have great ideas.

Don't forget the Invitation...

2008-07-22T21:45:00.001-04:00

Totally *heart* this thought left by the Type A Librarian a few days ago in response to this post about Google's 10 user experience principles.

"I'd like to add principle #11...(so much for keeping it simple.) #11-Send an invitation. I think every time we interact with someone in person or otherwise, we are provided a brief opportunity to send an invitation...To discover something new or to appreciate the familiar-to have an unexpected experience (wow them!)-to build a relationship-to learn our value-to come back again...I wonder how many opportunities like this we miss?"

Thank Jennifer! Your 11th item is so spot on. There is so much to gain when you to take the extra step to surprise your customers with the unexpected and offer them an "invitation."

Iceberg Thoughts on Succeeding with Change

2008-07-21T23:11:00.000-04:00

One more than one occasion within the past two weeks, I’ve pointed people to this small (& extremely easy to read) book that I read well over a year ago which address the big question - how to succeed in leading change.

I won’t spoil the storyline for those who might be reading. It really is an easy read. You can tackle the whole thing it just under an hour. Anyway, in thinking about the title, it got me wondering if anyone out there had made a slide adaptation* of the book... The Slideshare (I love this tool btw) community didn’t let down…

Our Iceberg Is Melting - Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions

view presentation (tags: leadership change change management green)

But don’t stop at viewing this slide adaptation … read the book. If you don't have a copy in your library, you can also view it online. But I mist tell you that Google's version is missing the images...

... and IMHO that's half the appeal. :)

*Bonus: This adaptation also focuses on "green"

50 ways to ...

2008-07-17T22:04:00.006-04:00

Last week I had the pleasure to participate in a Columbus Metropolitan Club panel conversation on social media tools. My co-conversationalists were Walker Evans founder of the Columbus Underground and Tim Eby, WOSU Radio Station Manager and social media guy extraordinaire. During the session, we fielded lots of great questions, but one that stuck out in my mind was the question from an ad exec who asked how do you decide what to do and how to get started?

Tim had a great reply (you can watch the video if you're interested in his exact response). And, when a colleague forwarded me this post yesterday, I couldn’t help but think that this would have been a great list of suggestions to get her started.

50 Ways to Use Social Media Tools, listed by Objective

PS: Thanks Cat for the link :)

Planning Paradoxes

2008-07-17T21:58:00.002-04:00

Perhaps it’s because I’m helping to lead my library's annual strategic planning process this year that I find this slide set on business planning paradoxes so interesting…

| View | Upload your own

It’s so true, there are so many contradictions to balance whenever your trying to plan and determine the best course of action to follow. The decisions are never easy and from my past experience I can attest... that it seems that the harder it is to move forward, the more paradoxes there are to address.

How about you and your library? Do any of these planning paradoxes sound familiar?

#3 is the give-a-way...

2008-07-16T20:40:00.003-04:00

Jason Hyatt over at LibraryLearner.com posted some good thoughts about some certain company’s guiding principles for creating user experiences. Here are the principles…

1. Focus on people- their lives, their work, their dreams.
2. Every millisecond counts.
3. Simplicity is powerful.
4. Engage beginners and attract experts.
5. Dare to innovate.
6. Design for the world.
7. Plan for today’s and tomorrow’s business.
8. Delight the eye without distracting the mind.
9. Be worthy of people’s trust.
10. Add a human touch.

Now here’s the questions…

a) What principles here do you see that relate to customer experiences in libraries? (like Jason, I also see several)

b) Can you guess the company? (guess before you click)

Homepage Preferences

2008-07-13T23:08:00.006-04:00

Homepage preferences? Everyone has an opinion. Some people prefer the Amazon approach with lots of content to choose from. Others prefer the Google approach, the simpler the better.

In my recent travels I stumbled across Queens Library new(ish)* home page which allows visitors to select their preference, “full homepage” or “simple”. What a brilliant way to satisfy both preferences

* To be honest, I don't know how long Queens' site in this format has been live, but I like "simple" option. Now how I do I set this as my default... [off to peruse the site some more]

Conferences – The dozen business card challenge

2008-07-10T23:50:00.006-04:00

Stephen Abram posted his a recent Information Outlook column titled Getting the Most out of Your Conference Experience and it made me reflect a bit on the value of conferences and the advice that I often also give first-time conference attendees. Great article BTW with lots of great tips.

It took me two major conferences before I figured out the secret to making at a conference like ALA truly valuable. The real value in attending isn’t found anywhere within the program guide itself; the real value is found by closing the guide, looking around and saying hello to the person sitting next to you.

Last fall when I took two former colleagues to their first Internet Librarian conference (and also first library conference of any kind) I jokingly told them I would only expect one thing from them when they returned … “a pile of at least a dozen business cards or list of names” of colleagues in other libraries that they talked to. In a big way I was serious. I wanted them to know that I expected them to use their first conference experience for more than gathering information ... I expected them to also make connections.

The truth is most of the program stuff that you find at conferences, you can actually read about in trade journals or online. Sure it’s valuable to get it all in one place and hear from the source in person. But if that’s all you do when you go to a conference is sit silently and listen to programs -- Seriously, that's what nearly 90% of newby attendees do. I've watched them. -- then you’re missing out on the most important reason for attending - people. Making connections, comparing stories, and learning about different library approaches to solving familiar problems is definitely the biggest return on your travel value and attendance. It’s these type of conference take-a-ways that will serve you and your library best whenever you need a different library’s perspective on a policy change, a new program idea or just an outside colleague to bounce idea off of. And it’s also these type of take-a-ways that make the next conference even more valuable then before, because now you have the opportunity to reconnect with an old acquaintance.

If you’re not getting much out of the conferences that you attend (or sending a staff member off to their first conference as well) I might suggest the 12 business card challenge. It will change your/their whole conference experience... for the better! :)

Learning 2.0 Interview

2008-07-10T22:39:00.008-04:00

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of speaking with Sarah Long, director of the North Suburban Library System and former ALA president, as part of her Longshots podcast series.

>>> Longshots #109 (17 min)

Download [17:25]

The topic won't surprise many of you ... yup, Learning ! :)

SLJ launches Learning 2.0 !

2008-07-10T21:29:00.005-04:00

When I ran into Brian Kenney at ALA I was excited to hear that the School Library Journal was launching their own version of Learning 2.0 and that it would be open to anyone. :) Today Brian blogged it.

"For a while now (and prodded by our Technology Editor, Kathy Ishizuka) I've realized it would be a great idea if all of us here at SLJ went through a "23 Things" like experience. After all, we are always writing about different 2.0 applications, shouldn't we experience them as well? Walk the walk, talk the talk, and all of that...So I resolved that we'd do it this summer.

Then I got to thinking: if we're going to do it, why not open it up and invite everyone to join us?

So that's what we are going to do. But we're not going it alone; we've asked 2.0 guru, Dominican faculty member, and season trainer Michael Stephens to join us for the ride. Beginning Monday, July 21, Michael will author a blog here on SLJ.com that will lead us through the different exercises, offer guidance, answer questions, and even provide a little hand-holding. We're calling it "All Together Now: A 2.0 Learning Experience."

As you might guess, I'm personally thrilled to see SLJ pick-up and support this program. I'm also thrilled that Michael Stephens (aka 2.0 guru*) will be leading the effort -- a great choice !

And for my fellow CML colleagues who might be wondering ... Yes, we will be launching our version of the program for staff very, very, verrry soon (look for announcement shortly). And I also might add that Michael Stephens, himself, will be joining us to kick it off. :)

* sorry Michael, I couldn't resist :)

Digital Services' Passion Quilt

2008-07-03T06:25:00.001-04:00

Since joining CML, I’ve always felt that there was an incredible amount passion among the staff for the work that they do. So when I asked my team last month ago to indulge me in a little exercise for our next departmental meeting, I didn’t quite know what to expect. Nor did I know what they might think about creating a square for own department’s version of the passion quilt.

Click on image to view slideshare of images

When Kelly (aka dept. asst. extraordinaire) compiled the results that were shared during our last meeting, I just have to say that I was blown away. In fact the images have left me with a lasting impression. I feel blessed to work with such an incredibly passionate, dedicated and talented team. And all I think is that as we continue to growth as a department (and tap into each others passions) we’re going to seriously rock!

Those of us that have chosen to work in libraries no all too well that a career in this field is rarely motivated by money. It’s the passion for what we do … either for helping people… or enriching lives … or making a difference … or whatever … that is really what drives us to work in libraries. I believe our “passions” are among our greatest assets. And, when we can align these to our work and skillset, well... it's quite simple, really ...amazing things happen !

PS: Thanks team again for indulging me with this exercise and also for allowing me to share your incredible passions that continue to help CML shine.

[Reposted from The CML Digital Services Department blog. Sorry, that blog is internal only]

An open letter to Maggie

2008-07-02T22:14:00.005-04:00

At the LITA President’s session this past weekend I sat next to young woman who was obviously an exceptional multi-tasker. As she listen and took notes during the session, she kept toggling back and forth to coding a style sheet that seemed to be for an online resume. Before I got up to leave, I passed her one of my cards and asked if she was job hunting. She indicated that she was still in library school, but one day hoped to land a job as a web developer.

Fast forward to yesterday and a follow-up email I received from Maggie* -- a smart girl. So many people forget to follow-up on simple things that spark a future opportunity. Anyway, thought I’d openly share my reply to her for anyone else out there who might also be considering a career in the digital side of libraries.

Hi Maggie,

Thanks for your email and follow-up. It was good to meet you, even if briefly during the session. Working in libraries within the digital space, I couldn't help but look over your shoulder a bit as you worked on your project. I hope I didn't seem nosey.

As you continue in your studies at [the University] -- and especially with a desire to work in web development -- I would encourage you to begin to actively develop your online presence. It will serve you well when you start to look for that first position in libraries to stretch and build your skills.

Again thanks for the email and best of luck to you in finishing your studies. I know you indicated that you were mainly interested in working an academic setting. Having worked 15+ years in the public libraries, a dozen or so specifically in the web services, I might also recommend public libraries. In comparing notes with colleagues from academic libraries, many have been envious of the greater freedom that public libraries often have to innovate and try new things. And, in the digital space that can be a huge benefit. :)

Take Care,

Helene Blowers

If you're library school and are looking for a career in libraries (or any organization for that matter) within the digital space, nothing IMHO demonstrates your knowledge, capabilities or interest more than a strong digital presence. If you don't have one, get one! And if you do, then... continue to strengthen it. :)

* Note: Name has been changed to protect the “interested” :)

PS: Thanks "Maggie" and best wishes.

ACPL Library Camp

2008-06-30T23:03:00.000-04:00

Sept 16th is the date and David Lee King is headlining ! ACPL Library Camp. Be there or beware :)

Sept 16th, 2008
Allen County Public Library
Fort Wayne, IN

A great opportunity for some smart library...

2008-06-28T10:22:00.004-04:00

... to hire Matt Gullett

When I got an email from Matt Gullet this week saying he was planning on moving to the pacific northwest, I wasn't surprised. Matt's always been a bit of an entrepreneur and risk taker whose bold moves and great ideas seem to always produce success... and I'm betting his pending move to the Seattle area will produce the same results as well.

Pssst... Matt's leap of faith is also a great opportunity for some smart library to nab a great talent, mover & shaker, and overall great guy.

See Matt's announcement on his blog.

Wordle me

2008-06-24T22:46:00.003-04:00

I know I'm a bit late in discovering and playing with Wordle, but I just have to say that I'm throughly amused. Here's the wordle that I created by selecting and pasting all the text off my about page.

If you haven't played with Wordle yet, I'll warn you it's addicting.

[signs off to go wordle some more]

Anahem bound

2008-06-24T13:26:00.001-04:00

I’m heading off to ALA tomorrow and for the first time in about 6 years, I’m not giving a talk or even participating in a panel discussion. Yes, it actually feels heavenly in a way to attend just as a regular participant.

To be honest, I hadn’t planned on going to ALA this year at all. With so many other great tech events and conferences available to attend this year, I originally thought I’d pass on ALA and allow someone else the opportunity to experience ALA. But plans change with a new job and new responsibilities…

Anyway, I’ll be Anaheim Wednesday PM through Sunday. You will definitely find me at ULC’s ForeSight 2020 conference on Thursday, Movers & Shakers luncheon on Friday and LITA’s award ceremony on Sunday. In between I’m looking forward to meeting up with a few key vendors, catching up with old colleagues and blogging friends and trying to avoid the hype of Disneyland. :)

NTRLS Workshop

2008-06-23T22:02:00.004-04:00

I’m a few days delayed in posting my slides from my recent workshop for the North Texas Regional Library System. But since I’m determine to go green (no handouts) with all my workshops and talks these days, I feel a little bad that I didn’t have up on before hand.

Originally at 78Mb and 196 slides, it was a killer to crunch 3 hours of content into something that Slideshare could handle. But I finally succeeded.

Learning 2.0: It's about ...

Thanks Adam, Carolyn, Donna and all the folks from NTRLS. I had a great time and enjoyed the conversation.

23 Things: Impact & Results

2008-06-22T22:36:00.005-04:00

One of things I’m often asked whenever I'm doing a talk about Learning 2.0 is what type of post evaluation did I do to measure the success of the program. The answer I usually give is that the post evaluation was built into the program as the 23rd thing and that if you want to see transformation that the program had, all you have to do is read participants blog themselves. For me, their words say so much more than any survey can convey.

Even so, I know there is a lot of merit to the evaluation question that is being asked. That’s why I was so excited to see these research results gathered by Melissa Rethlefsen as part of the Mayo Clinic Libraries Learning 2.0 program. Melissa has shared the results in a great slideshare.

Here's one image from her slides that shows pre & post knowledge:

Thanks Melissa. This research is fantastic!

10 "musts" for innovation

2008-06-21T00:00:00.002-04:00

As blogged by Paul Williams over at Think For Change.

This post is sooooooo to the point that I really have nothing to add. Here’s what Paul said..

“I recently had a prospective client ask me, "How can I make my employees just "do" innovation?"

Well...it took a few back and forth discussions to clarify that statement, but what she was essentially asking was, "How long until my employees innovate without even thinking about it?"

Whew...that's a tough one!

I actually get asked this question a lot when presenting at conferences and other speaking opportunities, so I thought I would give out my Top Ten of Making Innovation Happen Every Day:

Innovation MUST be tied to the organizational strategy

Innovation MUST be on the leadership agenda and discussed at every leadership meeting

Innovation MUST be led by at least one C-Level or SVP-Level person

Ideas (from ANY source) MUST have a path/process to follow

Customers/Consumer MUST have a voice

Resources (People, Money & Time) MUST be made available for innovation

A culture of risk taking, fast failure, experimentation and imagination MUST exist and be supported/protected

The organization MUST be made up of skilled and diverse individuals who are set "free"

The organization MUST seek to be a leader of "next practices" not a follower of "best practices"

The organization MUST have the courage to KILL projects, ideas, lines of business, etc. that don't work

Once you have these ten "MUST's" in place, I think you will find that your employees, front-line managers, middle managers and senior leaders will be innovating...everyday...all day...”

Wow ... Amen!

Web date ... 1934?

2008-06-18T21:05:00.003-04:00

Interesting article in the NYTimes yesterday: The Web Time Forgot

"In 1934, Otlet sketched out plans for a global network of computers (or “electric telescopes,” as he called them) that would allow people to search and browse through millions of interlinked documents, images, audio and video files. He described how people would use the devices to send messages to one another, share files and even congregate in online social networks. He called the whole thing a “réseau,” which might be translated as “network” — or arguably, “web.”"

Thanks Buckeyebrarian

Patricia Martin on Ren Gen & libraries

2008-06-18T18:56:00.001-04:00

I had the pleasure to be part of the team that brought Patricia Martin to my former mpow over a year ago to talk to staff. Her talk about the rise of a new renaissance was fascinating and many of the analogies that she drew made a lot of sense. So I was pleased to hear her talk about Ren Gen again to Sarah Long of the North Suburban Library System as part of Sarah's Longshot podcast series.

Take a listen: Longshots #105 - Patricia Martin and RenGen (26 min)

PS: It's also great background listening while spring cleaning on your inbox :)

20/20 Vision Workshop

2008-06-16T22:56:00.009-04:00

Last Friday I had the pleasure to participate in a strategic “visioning workshop” as part of CML’s 20/20 Vision Plan. It was first in what is planned to be several community workshops over the next few months to engage the Columbus community in helping shape CML’s next generation of libraries and services.

The visioning exercises themselves were interesting and really helped participants step into community. For the morning round of exercises we were asked to assume a persona and address different aspects of our personal needs and what elements of a thriving community (education, culture and arts, safety, etc) would look to each personally. On my team Amida, a 36 Somali transplant with a household of seven struggled with maintaining her cultural identity while Richard (my character) a 40 year old architect with family and demanding career struggled to find community connections to the arts & culture scene because of an 80+ work week. It was interesting to try and document the type of transformation that both these characters (and other personas from other teams) would require to address their needs and even more interesting to think about the role that the library could play in assisting these kinds of transformations.

In the afternoon, the tables turned a bit and we focus instead upon the elements of successful businesses and/or enterprises that had also in some way had transformed or evolved perceptions and practices over time. Starbucks, ATMs, even the “slow food” movement offered elements of customer engagement and fulfillment that libraries could incorporate or benefit from.

In the end the greatest take-a-way for me really didn’t come the exercises or the roll playing with personas themselves. Instead it came from my careful listening to community member participants in not only the things that they said, but more importantly what they didn’t.

What I didn’t hear from anyone was nostalgia for libraries and a return to traditional library services of past. Instead what I heard continuously I can only best describe as a passionate affirmation that libraries are not only seen as vital to future health and well being our communities, they are essential.

In order for libraries to continue to grow, everyone seemed to agree on the idea that “i”volution (my play on words) was important. And as one team’s vision (it was one of many great visions shared with all) emerged at the end, the term “i”brary seemed to strike an echo with those that were gathered. Not an “i” as information. But instead “i”brary as in Individual, Innovate, Invigorate and ?? ( oh, someone help me out, what was the other I?) A library designed for individual interpretation, personalized use/innovation and community invigoration. In all another words … it was “i”ssential :) Ok, I know, I’m over-killing the idea a bit. I think you catch my drift.

Anyway, it was the type of day that I wish our time, talent and resources would allow every single community member to attend. But I am grateful for the those that could and from what I saw last Friday in this first of what will be many opportunities to dream, engage and envision… we’re definitely in good hands.

See more images from the Strategic Visioning Workshop

Email Overload

2008-06-16T21:50:00.006-04:00

I’ve been struggling with this one for awhile now. In my old job, I remember finding some solace once I developed a routine of only checking my email twice a day (once before noon & and once more before heading home). But the pace of email overload seems to have tripled in the last year and I find that even in taking one day off means with almost 100% certainty that I’ll have 80+ emails to comb through.

In most cases CCs and FYIs make up almost 50% of my Inbox's unread entries and it makes me wish that there were easier protocols to separate the “Need your approval” and direct “to me” messages from those that are merely professional information courtesies meant for later consumption.

An old colleague I know well uses “email free Fridays” to help add some levity to his week. I’m seriously (very seriouuuuusly!) considering adopting this strategy in order making way for some much needed productive office time. But I’m wondering if there may be other options… how about you? How to you cope with email overload? Are there protocols that your organization uses to help make the work week more productive?

Read Lost in E-Mail, Tech Firms Face Self-Made Beast, NYTimes 06.14.08

Back Stories & Social Currency

2008-06-12T21:19:00.010-04:00

Libraries have often been associated with newspapers because of their traditional dependence on “pulp” as the delivery mechanism for their services and products. And although it’s easy to recognize the digital shift has changed this dramatically, the connection is still there … looming.

I guess that's why, I find this recent research study released by the Associated Press so intriguing. From my quick read through the 71 page report (it’s an easy read. Good job AP) two distinct points resonated with me.

Need for in-depth back stories

”Participants in this study did show signs of largely shallow and erratic news consumption, however the study also suggested that people wanted more depth and were trying to find it…”

”Participants in the study consistently mentioned the importance of sports and entertainment news in their lives. People enjoyed their sports and entertainment
news regardless of format, and it is worth noting that sports and entertainment news on TV borrow heavily from oldschool broadcast journalism formulas. Audiences get a series of updates and headlines balanced with in-depth back story, future story and editorializing.”
News as social currency

“Consumers are using news as social currency in a variety of ways: to stay connected with loved ones, to be the hub in their circle of friends, to advance in their careers and to engage with others they don’t know. Current technologies and globalization have led to changes in the value chain for news. Is it the news industry or consumers of news who produce social currency from news? Today, it is both. News is no longer simply delivered, in a one-way transaction, from producer to consumer. Communications are twoway, and news is widely shared among consumers themselves. Understanding the dynamics of this new environment and creating mechanisms to enable better search and sharing of news will harness the power of this emerging social currency system…"

These have me thinking a lot about ways libraries can help satisfy these information needs for our customers. Heaven knows we have volumes, tomes and even access to hundreds of exabytes of potential back story files. But are our current organizational structures (Dewey, MARC etc.) and search tool interfaces optimizable in their current formats to support these news and information needs? More directly stated… how can we help our customers fulfill their back story needs which in turn allow them to turn information into “social currency”?

Read the full report, A New Model for News: Studying the Deep Structure of Young-Adult News Consumption (pdf)

An ACPL Conversation

2008-06-11T23:42:00.003-04:00

Back in April I had the pleasure to visit with the great staff at Allen County Public Library. After a day of giving two back-to-back talks, Sean and Kay stuck me both in front of camera and under bright lights. Here is the result of all their weeks of editing:

Thanks Sean & Kay. Despite feeling nervous at first, I think you managed to skillfully edit out my bloopers :)

Other ACPL Conversations: Michael Stephens, Stephen Abram & Jeff Krull