Librarian by Day » Patron Services

Taking Traing to Patrons – 21 Things for 21st Century Parents

Bobbi Newman — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:54:28 +0000

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 21^st 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!Similar Posts:

If Your Patrons Continually Use Your Catalog the Wrong Way the Problem Isn’t Them, It’s You

Bobbi Newman — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:39:45 +0000

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.Similar Posts:

Libraries and Transliteracy Slideshow

Bobbi Newman — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:20:30 +0000

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 and Transliteracy

View more presentations from Bobbi Newman.

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Libraries Need to Focus on Transliteracy

Bobbi Newman — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:33:59 +0000

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.

Who do you help first?

Bobbi Newman — Thu, 14 May 2009 11:56:19 +0000

I presented this scenario to groups of librarians all over Minnesota in April

You’re sitting at the reference desk and as someone approaches the desk the phone begins to ring and an instant messaging window pops open, who do you help first?

I heard a lot of answers

it depends on how the person in front of you looks
answer the phone ask them to hold, type how can I help you in IM and ask the person standing in front of you how you can help them
it depends on which you noticed first
the person in front of you, they took the time and effort to come in

It was that last response I was trying to get them to rethink, sometimes I would point it out and sometimes someone else from the audience would – each of those people took the time and effort to contact you, not just the person standing in front of you.

Each of them did it in away you told them was acceptable when you provided the contact information.

I worked retail for years and this was a standard interview question – there is a person in front of you and the phone is ringing who do you help first? Everyone knows the answer is the person in front of you. Libraries seem to have adopted this attitude. Here is the problem with that – it makes sense for retail, the person in front of you is more likely to buy something. But libraries aren’t in the business of selling things, we’re in the business of providing information or service and each of those people has an equal need.

We don’t answer questions in a different order based on the types of questions asked, helping the Danielle Steel reader after the one looking for Shakespeare. So why are we answering them in a different order based on the form of communication used?

Who would you help first?Similar Posts:

David’s Digital Branch Stye Guide

Bobbi Newman — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:52:27 +0000

David Lee King knows a lot about digital service, he’s the Digital Branch Manager at the Topeka Shawnee Library (and an author and a speaker). If you are interested in digital services and aren’t already reading David’s blog, add it to your feedreader right now, go on, I’ll wait.

This wee he shared his Digital Branch Style Guide and it’s definitely worth passing around. He covers

General Guidelines for Blog Posts

Citing/Attribution

Featured Section

Comments – What to do with them

Creating a “Voice”

How Can I Get a Conversation Started?

I have a suggestion/problem. What do I do with it?

Staff Responsibilities

Go read the whole thing.Similar Posts:

Library Usage Will Go Up During a Recession – Management Are You Really Prepared?

Bobbi Newman — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:49:48 +0000

I’ve seen many news articles and video lately about usage of libraries increasing during a recession. I’ve personally noticed my library seems busier. While many have celebrated the increase of use and the public attention we so rightly deserve, we also need to consider the down side. Our funding might be cut, the public is less likely to approve bonds or tax levies to increase services, in some cases staff may be laid off. Libraries are masters of doing more with less and we are really going to need that skill now.

The other side of recession is that is causes stress. Patrons are likely to be less happy about paying their fines and, in general, be a little more on edge. Staff are aware of the news and what is happening, even those who feel secure in their jobs, have family and friends who have been affected.

So why am I asking management if they are ready? All of this stress means an increase in irritable, angry, demanding, stressed out patrons who are rubbing up against your irritable, angry, tired, stressed out staff. See where I’m going with this?

The one thing you can do is try to decrease the stress level of your staff. Happy library staff makes everything run just a little smoother (not to mention they are healthier and less likely to call in sick). So given the hard times how can you do this? You probably don’t have the funds to hire a masseur to be on call in the break room. I found a great many articles on workplace morale, some things kept popping up :

make sure staff feel appreciated
encourage open communication
training (almost any it seems)
provide clear goals and expectations
encouraging a sense of team
empowering staff
be flexible with time and schedules.
And there is always the fish books

These are great general principles for all workplaces. Oddly enough I couldn’t find any article or recommendations that were specific to libraries. I can think of a few library specifc ones and a few general ones:

ensure employees get break time away from a service desk
make sure they have a clean, comfortable place to take that break
make sure staff feel supported by management in customer issues
empower employees to waive fines or make other concessions that will smooth patron interactions
cross train staff so they are comfortable working all service desks and understand what each point of serivce does
pay attention – just being aware of employee attitudes will allow you to intervene to boost morale faster and more appropriately when/if need
be ready – have a plan, know how will you boost morale overall and on a case by case basis
take action – don’t wait to see the need before you put your plan into place

What suggests do you have? If you’re a manager what steps have you taken with your staff? If you’re staff what things could management do to boost morale?

Using WordPress for Bibliographies or Readers Advisory Sites

Bobbi Newman — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:50:27 +0000

Remember how last month I blogged about using a wiki for the library’s Readers Advisory Site? It looked like this. Well we ran into some issues, the IT department was having some problems with the input form and the other Librarians didn’t like it (I’m not gonna list their complaints), so I started rethinking it. Since I was going to be building a new one from scratch I knew I wanted patrons to be able to print out the lists as well as be able to use it to see the record in the catalog. I also wanted something other staff were comfortable and familiar with. I knew many of the staff set up a blog during our Library Learning 2.0 program. I’m very familiar with blogging & WordPress, and I knew I could tweak the pages and post to make it function the way I wanted. The library already uses WP for it’s main blog so it was a simple matter to have another blog set up. I got to work and it worked out even better than I’d hoped! See it here, read on for the how I made it happen.

First I created 7 Pages, including “About” & “Local Lists”, which has links to locally created lists for adults. I set the Home page of the blog to “Local Lists”.

I then used Posts to create the individual local lists, each Post is a different list. Once the Post is published to I grap the URL and add the link to the appropriate page. Since the homepage is set to the Local Lists Page, the blog posts don’t show up.

For example when I was creating the “If you liked Harry Potter” list for children, I wrote a new post post, titled it, added the content (title, author and call number) in the body of the post, hyperlinked the title to the catalog, and added some tags. When it was complete, I published it, grabbed the URL, went to the “Local Lists for Children” page edited it by adding the new list title and link.

Other staff can be given a their own user name and password and WordPress allows me to set their administration rights individually. After they’ve created a list, then let me know it’s ready and I add it to the appropriate page.

A couple of very cool things that I hadn’t considered, happened once I started posting the lists. First I realized I could assign tags to the lists, which make another way patrons can find them.

Secondly because it’s built on blogging platform people can leave comments, and they have! Patrons can leave feed back or suggestions or authors can plug their books, which is fine if teh ocmment matches the subject of the list.

Right now I’ve chosen a fun theme, the library is in the process of updating the website, so in the future I may change it to something that more closely matches the main site.

Pros:

Easy to add new pages as the site grows
Easy to Post new lists
tagging makes finding a list even easier
Patrons can leave comment
Lists can be used in the library & from home
Links to the catalog make is easy for patrons to check the status of an item or place a hold
Lists can be created using mostly copy & paste
I get good stats
Each staff member gets their own username and password and administration rights
Theme is easily to update

Cons:

Staff need to be comfortable with creating hyperlinks
There is no “undo” button is something gets accidentally deleted
WordPress needs to be updated pretty often
It does look like a blog, although I know it could be further tweaked so it doesn’t.

Similar Posts:

Using a wiki for Reader’s Advisory

Bobbi Newman — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:21:15 +0000

One of the first things we started when I came to MRRL was create online Reader’s Advisory lists for patrons. We’ve used a couple of different services for this in the last 3 years, but they cost money and were controlled by outside vendors. Earlier this year I was looking for funding to be able to add some new services and it occurred to me that the Library could save money by using a wiki to provide What to Read Next list. I got the go ahead from the director, we installed Mediawiki and I’ve been busy coding. So I’m pleased to announce the new Reader’s Advisory wiki. It is pretty “bare bones” looking, as wikis are hard to customize, but our logo is there and it has a nice clean look that matches our blog. It includes links to lists created internally, pdfs, and lists other places on the web. I’m still working on it and in the spirit of 2.0 it will always be changing.

Remember wikis are the platform for the content your patrons are looking for. They don’t care how it gets delivered as long as they get it. Using a wiki just make your life easier and seamless integration makes your patrons life easier. I’m not sure how many of our patrons will realize this is a wiki but they will be able to find the next book they want to read. How are you using wikis? How could you use wikis?Similar Posts:

One more way to use Flickr – videos!

Bobbi Newman — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:31:21 +0000

Earlier this month I attended a Mobius conferernce session about vodcasting in libraries. I came back all inspired and fired up. I don’t think our patrons are ready for vodcasting yet but that didn’t stop me from making videos. Even better is was perfect timing for Flickr allowing 90 second videos that are much better quality than YouTube.

Our reference staff has been talking about proactive reference, empowering patrons to use some of the online tools themselves. So I started making videos of how to do some basics and posted them on MRRL’s flickr account. Right now they’re getting a lot of views on Flickr, and we’re getting a wiki set up that is linked from all the OPAC pages so the videos are always available to the patrons from the online catalog

[flickr video=2625853778]

Does your library have a Flickr account yet? What other video topics could you cover for your patrons?Similar Posts: