Taking Traing to Patrons – 21 Things for 21st Century Parents
The fabulous Gretchen Caserotti and staff in the Childrens Department at the Darien Libray are kicking off a learning 2.0 class for parents. From the website:
You are raising kids in a digital world. Facebook, Twitter and a growing number of websites and social tools are becoming increasingly important in most aspects of our 21st Century world. Information Literacy is crucial to your children’s success in school and technology is now completely integrated into your child’s life. Today’s students want web 2.0 tools to be a part of their learning lives because these are the tools that enable them to connect, collaborate, create and engage in learning that is relevant, contextual and experiential.
Why should they have all the fun? Join us through 12 weeks of learning through engagement in online technology in 21 simple activities that you can do on your own time, at your own pace. This program is designed to help you learn about, and how to use, web 2.0 technologies so that you may better support, guide and parent your digital native kids safely and confidently through both the perils and the possibilities that this brave new digital world offers.
Kids don’t just learn in school. You are your children’s first and forever teachers.
So, join in the fun – come play and learn with us!
The official kick-off party is February 2nd and the program runs 12 weeks. I can’t wait to see the lessons and hear how it turns out!
If Your Patrons Continually Use Your Catalog the Wrong Way the Problem Isn’t Them, It’s You
I was reading through an article (Found via What I Learned Today) on The Chronicle of Higher Education website about improving library catalog search functionality, when this comment caught my eye.
The problem is people are trying to use the catalog the wrong way. Instead of a keyword search like on the internet and online databases, the catalog offers something unique– direct access to exactly what you want through a browse or exact search using subject headings, authors, titles. An old idea but it still works–give it a try!
CC image used courtesy of JanneM on flickr
“The problem is people are trying to use the catalog the wrong way.” Wow. Really. Are we really still blaming the patrons for the archaic, non-intuitive functionality of our catalogs? Wake up and smell the musty old books people! If libraries were a business and we were selling books using our catalog we’d have gone bankrupt ages ago. Frankly, if this is the attitude we’re spouting off we are damn lucky if we don’t go out of business tomorrow.
The right way IS the way your customers are using your services. Continuing to insist they use them the way you want them too will only lead to your failure.
Your product is what your customer says it is. If they continually use the catalog the “wrong” way, the problem isn’t them it’s you.
There is a great essay, Somethings Just Don’t Translate, in The Big Moo that illustrates this point from a non-library perspective. A very successful Italian businessman who sells handcrafted housewares decided to expand his business to Washington D.C. Many people came into the store to browse but no one was buying. When he finally approached a woman and asked how she was finding things, she replies that she didn’t understand why he was selling the bud vases in packs of 6 and the water glasses were sold individually. What this customer saw as a bud vase was a drinking glass for people all over Italy. What she saw as a water glass were flower vases in Italy. He changed his definition of the items to meet customers definitions.
If this man had insisted that Americans learn the correct (Italian) uses for these items, do you think he would have been successful? No. It doesn’t matter how beautiful or functional the items are, if customers can’t find what they are looking for, even if it’s right in front of their face, the business will fail.
It doesn’t matter how well organized your collection is, how extensive your services are, if your patrons can’t use them, if they can’t find what they are looking for, you have failed.
Insisting you are right wont make people to search the catalog the *correct* way it, will make them stop coming to the library.
Libraries and Transliteracy Slideshow
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about transliteracy and how important the concept is for libraries and librarians. I’ve created a slideshow I hope conveys the message and is easy to share.
I have also added page with information on transliteracy.
Libraries need to focus on transliteracy
Libraries have focused on literacy, the ability to read, write and interact, for years. It is an important service to our patrons and our communities. People need to be literate in order to be involved in and contribute to society. Times are changing, technologies are evolving rapidly, it’s no longer enough to focus on the ability to read and write alone. If we only focus on literacy we are doing a disservice to our patrons. Just as libraries took on the task of helping to ensure all people are literate, now we need to take on the task of ensure all people are transliterate.
What is transliteracy?
Transliteracy is the ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film, to digital social networks. – wikipedia
Soon people will need to be transliterate in order to be involved in and contribute to society. It is already a requirement to participate in some aspects of our society and it will only become more so. Government agencies are no longer issuing print forms, you have to access them online. Your health insurance plan was a website and you have an account, when you call they will tell you to go there to get information. Banks are sending alerts and account balance information via text messages. Facebook privacy settings are complex and change frequently. The price of computers is dropping allowing more people to own one. Free WiFi access points are increasing, allowing more people internet access.
For many people all of the above are new experiences. Experiences they can have with no training, no supervision and no support.
In order to best serve our patrons we need to move from literacy to transliteracy. Add it to your strategic plan, mission, statement and goals. Commit to it. Talk with your coworkers and colleagues about it.
Read more about transliteracy.
- Transliteracy: A Trend of Amplified Organization
- Transliteracy Project
- Transliteracy: Take a Walk on the Wild Side pdf
- Transliteracy Research Group
- Transliteracy: Crossing Divides
Libraries and Transliteracy Blog- Media Skills Integrated into Core StandardsA draft of K-12 standards put forth by the National Governor’s Association, as part of the Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI), integrates media skills as a key design consideration of these standards. The draft points to the importance of these skills: To be ready for college, workforce training, and life in a technological society, students [... […]Tom Ipri
- What is Transliteracy?I attempt to answer some questions about transliteracy including what is it, in my Librarian by Day blog post – Defining Transliteracy I have been asked this question many times by librarians so I am way overdue for this post. Most recently I was asked “….are librarians the people best equipped to define and interpret transliteracy (as opposed [...] […]Bobbi Newman
- Digital Literacy Skills Essential to Closing Broadband Gap #knightcommThe Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy sites the Broadband Adoption and Use in America (pdf) report released by the Federal Communications Commission in Digital Literacy Skills Essential to Closing Broadband Gap when emphasising the importance and need for digital literacy The survey findings reinforce the growing body o […]Bobbi Newman
- Media Skills Integrated into Core Standards
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- Feel free to quote blog posts and link back to the site. Please do not copy my entire post on your site. Thank you
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