Librarian by Day » information

Transliteracy is 3D

Bobbi Newman — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:10:23 +0000

Since posting the Libraries and Transliteracy slideshow I’ve been asked many times to define transliteracy. Its a slippery term, people often confuse it with digital literacy or technology literacy. Sometimes I’m not sure I even have a good grasp on the concept. So a colleague and I sat out to hash out the details, here is what we came up with.

Transliteracy is 3D

View more presentations from Bobbi Newman.

In collaboration with Brian Hulsey

Special thanks to Sue Thomas and Tom Ipri for their input & approval.

If you’d like to learn about libraries and transilteracy please visit my Transliteracy page

If you’d like to know more about transliteracy in general please visit transliteracy.com and follow the conference on February 9th.Similar Posts:

Andy Woodworth’s 5 Universal Truths That All Librarians Can Agree Upon

Bobbi Newman — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:38:35 +0000

Andy has put together a list of 5 Universal Truths That All Librarians Can Agree Upon Right Now.

Perception of information is changing
Literacy is changing
Libraries are now part of greater information chorus
Communication is our friend
The underlying philosophies of the library have not changed

I like the focus on the positive and of course I want to know – do you agree?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:

Library 101: More Than Just a Pretty Face

Bobbi Newman — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:10:27 +0000

The newest video from David Lee King & Michael Porter debuted at Internet Librarian to a room full of people and a live remote audience thanks to streaming by the Shanachies.

Library 101 is more than just a video, it’s a project with a website that includes essays from libraryland leaders about what Library 101 means to them. It also has a great source page that lists 101 Things to Know.

Disclosure: I’m in the video and listed in the blogs on the Things to Know page (no pressure right?)

PS The video made Boing Boing!!!!Similar Posts:

Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy Warns of “Second Class Citizens” in the Digital Age

Bobbi Newman — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:34:19 +0000

The Knight Foundation has released a new report Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy. A good deal of the content either is or could be applies to libraries. The entire report is 148 pages, you can also download a 2 page summary that includes recommendations like these

2: Increase support for public service media aimed at meeting community information needs. Read more …
6: Integrate digital and media literacy as critical elements of education at all levels through collaboration among federal, state, and local education officials. Read more …
7: Fund and support public libraries and other community institutions as centers of digital and media training, especially for adults. Read more …
10: Support the activities of information providers to reach local audiences with quality content through all appropriate media, such as mobile phones, radio, and public-access cable. Read more …
12: Engage young people in developing the digital information and communication capacities of local communities. Read more …
14: Emphasize community information flow in the design and enhancement of a local community’s public spaces.. Read more …
15: Ensure that every local community has at least one high-quality online hub. Read more …

The Foundation has also taken actions that affect libraries:

$3.3 million to improve free, public Internet access in libraries in 12 communities

$2.28 million in broadband access projects in underserved neighborhoods in three cities

Similar Posts:

5 Easy Steps to Stay Safe (and Private!) on Facebook from ReadWriteWeb

Bobbi Newman — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:10:08 +0000

Sarah Perez at ReadWriteWeb has put together 5 easy steps to help you stay safe on Facebook.

Make Friend Lists
Who Can See What on Your Profile
Who Can See Your Address and Phone Number
Change Who Can Find You on Facebook via Search
Stop Sharing Personal Info with Unknown Applications

Number 5 refers to an earlier post What Facebook Quizzes Know about You, I still see a LOT people taking these, so pay extra attention to this one!

They really are easy so you have no excuse go read how to do them!Similar Posts:

The UNICEF Bee and the Digital Doorway

Bobbi Newman — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:45:19 +0000

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.Similar Posts:

What’s the matter with our profession?

Bobbi Newman — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:58:33 +0000

It’s a question many of us with an MLS, and those without, struggle with. Just take a look at the Library Day in the Life blog entries. You’ll see a wide, and I mean WIDE, range of variety in how we spend our days, weeks and years and our education levels.

Matt Hamilton wrote a post with some observations on the field, he’s about to graduate with an MLS and he’s the Library Innovation and Technology Manager at the Boulder Public Library. He points to some problems in the field, namely the wide variety of what we do. I agree with him when he says :

The field is not in good shape. I don’t think adding “information” to the MLS is the answer, either. I don’t think that by further genericizing the profession by calling ourselves “Information Professionals” is any kind of an answer either..

I don’t completely agree with his solution.

It’s time to stop making our field generic in the I-schools, and to let our students get the specialized skill-set they need. And I don’t mean that you take a “track” that consists of three classes providing a shallow introduction to your area of specialization. I mean we need real, exceptional, challenging programs tailored to the specific specialties within our field.

Or Karin Dalziel (a recent MLS graduate) – Why every Library Science Student Should Learn Programming

But the thing is I have to give them credit for trying. I mean it. That’s not snark. Because the thing is, I agree with the problem both of them are discussing, I just don’t know what I think the solution is. So I’ve been practicing the fine art of shutting up if I don’t have anything of value to add.

Then I realized I do have something to contribute. I may not have an answer, but I can spread the message and the more people that are aware of it, that think on it, that talk about it, that work towards a solution, the more likely we are to come up with an answer.

Do you think we have a problem? What do you think the probelm is? What do you think is the answer?Similar Posts:

Do you know what information is?

Bobbi Newman — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:18:09 +0000

As librarians we often say we’re in the information business. But do you really know what information is?

I know I’m guilty of confusing the medium with the message, maybe not always, but definitely sometimes

blatantly stolen from the MLxperienceSimilar Posts:

FriendFeed takes stalking to a new level

Bobbi Newman — Mon, 26 May 2008 14:54:15 +0000

Or maybe it’s just me. :-) Like most of us I spent a lot of time checking out new sites and online tools. Some of them like, twine, zigtag, and brightkite, I play with for a while then drop for one reason or another. Others stick with me, likeFriendFeed. I know it’s been around awhile, but I just started playing with it. There is a lot I like about it, but sometimes it makes me uneasy. I feel like I’m spying on all these people, I mean I can see their blogposts, del.icio.us bookmarks, Flickr favorites, books they plan to read from Goodreads or Librarything. Granted I’m probably their friend in all those places anyway and already have access to that information, but now I don’t even have to look for it, FriendFeed brings it right to me (even emails it to me if I want) Of course there is also the obvious fact that they created the FriendFeed account for just this reason. But still I feel a bit like a stalker. Does anyone else feel this way or is it just me?Similar Posts: