Matt Hamilton : Libraries and Innovation : creating environments for encouraging and supporting creativity and innovation among staff
How do we begin the messy job of creating a culture of innovation
What will you need? Patience, perseverance, vision and a way to empower staff
Patience is hard to come by for innovators, we see something and want it now, and have made the change before others even see it coming
Get comfortable with ambiguity
incubation
Don’t be afraid to use the word – pilot, even if it fails it encourages others to try new things
Look before you leap, but don’t be afraid to leap
To lead others – we need to create and communicate a compelling vision, build ways to communicate and to listen even if you don’t like what you hear
Keep articulating vision until its truly shared, this means address the concerns of people who aren’t on board
Look for hidden treasures, mine the skills that already exist, find out what ppl did before they came to your organization, discover passions and hobbies
Push power down org chart wherever and whenever possible
Empower staff at all levels of organizations
Create an environment where people enjoy coming to work, this helps the best people come to you
Give your ideas and your people the time they need – you’ll get the most out of your people if they are allowed to grow, the same is true for your ideas
Let your staff play – like google allows employees to spend 10% of time on project of own design
Question – if we are gonna have these new duties how will we get everything done? Allows staff to work on things of their own choosing if they found time
Demonstrate that we trust and respect our staff to made good judgement in pursuit of noble goals
If you lead them to freedom they will follow, freed from monotony, cubicles and stifling policies
Sing praise of colleagues in and outside of org
Don’t try to do too much, some of your project will rust while pursuing others

We can’t all move at the speed of our ideas

Where the world sees trash Africa recycles – balls of trash childen in afica use to play soccer

Questions:

You talked about pushing power down the chart, do you have examples for directors on they can do that? Let your staff make decisions

Have you ever crashed and burned trying to start a project if so how do you reinstile confidence? Yes, build up a peer group so you can demonstrate the idea outside of the organization, then inside might reconsider

With new duties how do we find time? How do you motivate people who just say they are too busy? Talk with staff, background, career goals and what got them excited? They were so excited that they could select something and follow through with it that they were able to find time.  There are some people who are particarlury motiviated to do anything other than to come to work and get their paycheck

Rick – Likes idea of project  and things being in beta, can sometimes do things because it’s a trial, sometimes can bring others on by saying where just gonna try this for a while

Symantec tagging
Microformats – hcard
Web as a database – rdf, subset of xml
Rdfdata.org
Instead of holding all info in proprietary databases data will be coded
Data.gov
SPARQL – sql for rdf
Web as application – mashups
Questions:
How many security issues are we looking at? Shouldn’t put any info out there that is sensitive
Has anyone looked at DDS attacks against this sort of thing, it would be pretty easy to take one down – no that she knows of
When you say microformats I think fiche – what does microformat mean in a web3.0 context – way to tag your content in a semantic way, defines text
Are we putting metadata in there, like subject headings? \ doesn’t know of one geared towards books
Tim Donahue – Zotero (FF extension) uses a lot of microformats
Are there any CMS embracing microformats? Drupal has modules that will produce content in microformat and maybe wordpress

Instead of focusing on mobile needs of library users, focusing on mobile needs of librarians, some librarians were more interested in a netbook
Every librarian got an ipod touch or a netbook
Ideas that are needed the most will probably be the most difficult to implement because involve a proprietary ILS
Geeks just waiting to program things, look for collaboration in your community
Create buyin
Petting zoo
Don’t’ be afraid to play
Share your experiences
Questions:
Which IlS are you hoping to build a mobile interface for? IEEE
What apps will be discussed in class? Where is the book, some sort of call number guide, being able to renew a book

All the ways you can read stuff that is not in a book anymore – ipod touch, amazon kindle, has its own wireless network and email address, eink technology, biggest group of kindle owners over the age of 50, price dropped last week to $300
Audiobooks – not just bcds and cassette, but need to deal with drm and compatibility issues, overdrive still doesn’t work with Mac,
Playaway – great for
Kindle plays audible,com files
Over 52% of users get their audiobooks fro a library
Do you think the kindle is a step on the way to something bigger and better? Discussing more linked in content – Jessica – no, she thinks all of that could come to the kindle

Jason Griffey – I do lots of stuff google me
Ubiquitous computing – computers everywhere, mobile phones, net books, kindles
Devices to devices, no longer devices to server
Metcalfs law
Free – Chris Anderson
Cant compete on cost so much make things easies
Questions & Comments from Office:
What about server costs? – how can you distribute free content when backend stuff costs? Jasson – bit torrent you distributed over a number of people who willing to share cost
When you talk about servers are you talking about Tech or traditional such as a reference librarian might provide.
Why itunes succeeds is an interface issue
People will buy it because its easy and there is a uniform front
Does quality have any role here? Should we rebrand ourselves as quality – Griffey – no

I’m at the ALA Unconference all day today. They have a great set up for as many topics as possible, with a lot of short presentations that are 7 minutes with 5 minutes for questions a couple of break out sessions. I’ll be blogging the short presentations separately to keep topics and possible comments separate. So lots of short blog posts today!

The most repeated advice - comfortable shoes

Tomorrow I’m off for my first ALA conference, it was a bit of a last minute deal but I’m pleased to be attending!  I will be blogging the sessions I attend both here and on LITA’s blog.

When I found out I was going I sent out a call for tips on Twitter and got a some great responses on FriendFeed and Twitter. I’ve blogged conference tips before and thought I’d recap and add some new ones as a reminder to myself.

• Give people your name, wear your name badge up near your face rather than on a lanyard so it’s easy for people to glance at it while talking to.  Introduce yourself, even if you’ve already met the person.  Some of us have hard time with names and there are a LOT of people to remember.
• Don’t hang out with the people you came with – Go to different sessions, maximize your time at the conference you can share with each other what you learned.
• Meet new people – you’re probably not going to meet new people if you’re hanging out wtih the people you came with.  Get out of your comfort zone, ask people what they want to get from the conference, how far they traveled etc, you never know what you’ll learn or who you’ll meet.
• Review the program before you go so you know what session you will be attending and when you’ll have free time to have coffee with someone you meet.
• Know what amenities your hotel offers – internet access, gym, fridge, breakfast etc
• Make time for down time, conferences can be overwhelming there is so much to do, so many people to meet.  Don’t wear yourself out early.
• Wear comfortable shoes
• Layer your clothes, bring a jacket, temperature can vary widely in rooms and you want to be comfortable
• Drink lots of water

From FriendFeed & Twitter – I tried to give credit where credit is due without violating anyones privacy settings, but if I messed something up, feel free to let me know.

• Write down the sessions you want to go to, rip the maps out of the program and leave the program at home. If you should need the full program, there will be 2,000 librarians in your general vicinity you can borrow from. – Steve Lawon
• In the exhibits, ask youself before taking swag “would I want this if it weren’t free?” And it is unseemly to push people out of the way to get an advance reading copy. – Steve Lawson
• Anything you acquire, you will have to bring home. I like to stick a small flattened cardboard box and a roll of packing tape in my suitcase to mail home free books. – Jason P.
• In Chicago, just plan on spending the day either at McCormack place or at the other hotels. Getting back and forth between McCormack and the rest of the conference takes forever and a day, and you end up missing half the sessions you wanted to get to.  Laura
• Make sure to attend the BIGWIG Social Software Showcase on Monday morning at 10:30 in the convention center. The exhibit hall normally has a shipping area, collect free books and take them there to ship them home. Most of the really good stuff happens during the social hours, not the sessions, plan accordingly. My fav “social” events include the OCLC Blog Salon and the LITA Happy hour, but if you want you can go the entire weekend without paying for food or drink, if you smooze with enough vendors. More as I think of it. – Jason Griffey
• Good shoes, go to hear people of interest despite topic, Lots of time at exhibits, easy on swag you pick up there itsanno
• Don’t schedule too much per day. Choose one or two things you really want to attend, then chose other stuff by proximity stevelawson
• ALA is very spread out. You need to factor in where a session/meeting is when planning a schedule Tombrarian
• wear comfortable shoes!! know what sessions you want before you get there (at least some ideas). Be Flexible! library_chic
• comfortable shoes, be prepared to ship things home, and it’s okay to ask politely if they have galleys for certain titles BethSaxton

Recommended further reading:

• Tips from Stephen Abrams
• Advice for the Shy
• Be Sexier in Person
• Tips for Conference Bloggers
• Maximizing the Conference Experience

I don’t normally blog about customer service issues (although I have been known to tweet complaints) but I feel like I should blog this, in part because I am not so angry I can’t see straight, which is usually a hint for me that blogging is not a wise decision and because its about brand loyalty which in light of returning my iPhone I am thinking about.

I’ll provide some background, but if you’d like to get to the point it’s don’t buy a camera from Casio and think hard about Customer Service.

My first digital camera was a Sony, but my second was a Canon Powershot and two subsequent cameras have been Powershots.  I love taking photos and I know I am working my way towards an SLR. Last October I traded in my Canon PowerShot SD870 IS  (great point & shot by the way) for the Canon SX10 IS, love it! But found I missed having a small point & shoot in my purse handy in case I wanted to take a photo of something.  Having sold the SD870 (I so regret this) I looked at my options, I didn’t want to spend a lot as I already have a nice camera, but I did want image stabilization and a wide angle lens.  Canon had an option but of course it was more expensive than the one Casio offered.  So I put aside my brand loyalty and bought the Casio.  I’m not completely thrilled with the functionality of it and wouldn’t want it for my “good” camera but it worked.  Until 2 weeks ago when I dropped it and the screen broke.

I’d had it for less than a month and it was under warranty so I sent it into Casio to be repaired.  Today I got the estimate for repair, now keep in mind I indicated the screen was broken when I filled out the forms & they did not indicate it what it would cost and I paid about $10 to ship it.

• Flat Amount: $69.00
• Labor: $0.00
• Parts: $0.00
• Shipping & Handling: $10.00
• Sales Tax: $4.74
• Service Total: $83.74
• Remarks: review screen broken

I only paid $124.95 for the camera! Seriously?  Worse there is no view finder so it is useless without the screen, but there is no freaking way I’m paying them $83.74  In truth I’m more frustrated with myself than Casio, I know that sometimes cheaper is cheaper for a reason and you end up paying for it in the long run.

update 6:30 pm EST – just realize I have to pay them $10 to send it back to me or allow them to keep it.  Now actually mad.

Now I wish I’d bought the Canon. Why? Because several years ago, when I had my very first Canon, I broke the screen.  I foolishly left it laying on the stairs and someone (I can’t remember if it was me or a roommate) stepped on it and broke it after it was almost a year old.  I sent it to Canon, they repaired it and mailed it back to me a no cost. I’d almost forgotten this was part of my foundation for loyalty to Canon (I get flack for it sometimes you know) until this little incident.  In truth it probably cost them very little to fix it for free and it earned them a life long customer, I’ve since purchased 2 more Canons, each increasingly higher end, therefore more expensive models. I’ll be replaced the Casio with a Canon thank you very much, and I’ll also be advising other people not to buy a Casio. I am the techie friend that so many friends and family come to for advice when they are thinking about a new gadget. Sometimes it is the little or not so little things that matter.

Ok so how does this relate to libraries? Customer service matters, and not just in the front line smile and be nice kind of way, but in the don’t offer excuses and just fix my problem sort of way.  I’m sure Casio has very good reasons for these fees, and I’m certain its their policy.  I can’t argue with that.

But sometimes by sticking with our very good reasons and policies we’re digging a hole.  You may gain a small amount in fees or fines, but what did you loose in the form of customer relations, good feelings and PR?  How much do you spend on marketing and PR?  What if by providing exceptional customer service your patrons could be doing positive PR for you instead of negative?

I know times are tight and we’re all looking to save a buck, but what you gain today in $10 or $20 (or $83.74) of  fees you could pay back many times over in the money you could have saved on marketing and PR.

photo by debaird

I love the idea of an ebook reader, but I have problems with Amazon’s Kindle, foremost being price and inability to load my own content on without sending it through Amazon. I’ve been playing with the Sony Reader the last week or so but I don’t love it either. Since I want to love ebook readers I’m on the look out for anything that might improve them. The Cooler is an interesting venture in the market.  It’s sleeker and well, prettier, it comes in 8 colours including ruby red, vivid violet and hot pink, you can view jpg, pdf, txt, and mp3 files right to it yourself.  Its not without its problems, only one navigation buttons and books in the cooler store are more expensive than Amazon Kindle Books, although the selection seemed good.  Overall its compares to Sony’s version than Amazon’s.

More Reviews:

• Cool-er eBook Reader Review
• Hands on: Cool-er eBook reader review
• Cool-er ebook reader: is this the iPod for books?

This video, The Future of the Library, has been making the rounds on library blogs and after watching it I visit the blog Everywhere is Here.  Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the digital divide and the bubble I spend most of my time in so I was much more interested in this video.  It is about the Digital Doorway and the UNICEF Bee, providing access to the internet for those in remote areas.  The project was inspired by the Hole in the Wall experiment (perhaps more famous for inspiring the movie Slumdog Millionare)

The information and access we take for granted, so for granted in fact that we we’re concerned about the future of libraries as they have been traditionally, is something a great many people don’t have.  This video and the projects linked to are in Africa and India but the divide is real, right here in the United States.  There are a great many people without access to the internet access or a computer or a smartphone. People, who, if they did have access wouldn’t know how to use them. Just something to think about.