The Main Event! Blogging Librarian vs. Blogging Library

Who Makes The Best Use of Emerging Technology?

Jason HammondOrganization Development Specialist

Regina Public Library Emerging Technologies Interest Group

CLA Pre-ConferenceMay 29, 2009

And Who Are You Again?

• BA – English (1996)• First “Real” Job = SPG “Virtual Book Festival”

Coordinator (1997)• First Librarian Job = Branch Supervisor,

Southeast Regional Library (2007)• “And if it weren’t for that blasted Julie Jones, I could’ve got away with it too!”

(It’s hard to see but yes, that is a cake in the shape of a computer that my mother made me for my 21st birthday. Not a hockey stick. Not a sports car. Not even one of those joke cakes of boobies. A cake… In the shape of… A computer.)

Southeast Regional Library

• Hired as “Branch Supervisor”

• Responsible for oversight of 46 branches in towns from 200 to 2000 people across SE Saskatchewan

Southeast Regional Library

• Main use of technology = e-mail, web site…and cell phone!

• Dynix Classic as ILS

• No wireless in non-city branches

How I Was Introduced At My First Coffee Break…

“This is Jason Hammond. He’s from Indian Head. He did his MLIS at Western. And he has a blog.” (cue ominous music)

To Be Fair (aka “What’s a G-U-R-U?”)

• One of the first systems to automate online catalogue in North America (early 1990’s)

• Assigned E-Branch Research Project

• Did 2 ½ months of staff and general public training at all branches. (“ Ask The Guru” works better as “Ask the Expert”)

•Used Writeboard, Survey Monkey, LibraryElf and other 2.0 services

whenever I got the chance.

Emerging Tech in Public Libraries

• Ambivalence, lack of trust, understanding

• Often seen as time-consuming rather than time-saving

• Many libraries think they’re ahead of the curve when they’re actually behind it.

That’s the Warm-up…Now For the MAIN EVENT!!!

Who’s Better At Using Emerging Technologies?

• A chip-head blogging librarian who gets asked to present at an Emerging Technology Pre-Conference and whose mom makes him computer-shaped birthday cakes.

• The public library system of a mid-sized Canadian city that is one of the best-funded libraries, per capita, in the country and which has a long history of innovation in a number of different areas.

In the Red Corner…

• Born 1973

• Weighing in at…more than he should.

• Reach: Worldwide via his blog and Facebook friends (but mostly librarians and library-types.)

In the Blue Corner…

• Born 1908

• Weighing in at225 staff members.

• Reach: Worldwide via web site, blogs and Facebook (but mostly the citizens of Regina.)

LET’S GET READY TO RUUUUMMMMBBBBBLLEE!!!

“Expected” LibraryServices

Web Site

• No longer has one, the one he had was crappy anyhow.

• Static HTML for the most part – labour-intensive but also most flexibility.

• “At the Library” as PDF • New “Virtual Services

Manager” position coming• Move to CMS?

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Intranet

• Uses LogMeIn.com • Uses Sphider open-source PHP search engine

• Oodles of useful info• But no remote log-in so

no point for you!

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Message Board

• None. • Staff regularly use free Boards2Go.com message board to buy & sell, provide recommendations

1 2

Traffic Analysis

• Internal Blog Stats & Flag Counter & Google Analytics

• Nextstat.com for web site stats and blogs have stats as well.

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Additional Technology Related Services

Blogging

• One main blog since 2006 plus occasional contributions to others that are online and private (work, volunteer)

• Multiple blogs, both internal and external

• Frequently cited as “how to do it” by other libraries and observers

• Many staff have role in maintaining blogs.

2 3

Wikis

• Use Wikis as needed but not integrated into my blog

• Internal and external Wikis plus use of PBWiki on occasion

2 4

RSS

• On every post. • Only on content generated by blogs or wikis

3 4

Instant Messaging

• Have accounts on every service. Use none of them regularly

• Reference Services uses Meebo

3 5

Podcasts

• Have uploaded one audio clip of myself from an appearance on community radio, mainly because it was Freedom to Read Week and I kept saying “nutsack”

• Dunlop Art Gallery site (also maintained by RPL web coordinator) has podcasts as MP3`s and also on iTunes.

3 6

Specific External Services

• Mostly pics of my two-year old.

• Hosted local history “scanning party”

• Have albums for every branch as well as some other events and services.

3 7

• Mostly clips of my two-year old.

• Have account but only has two “test” videos on it, both from over a year ago.

4 7

• Dumping ground for pretty much everything I find online that I’ll only want to visit once.

• Prairie History Room has Delicious account for staff and patrons doing research.

4 8

• Updating just once a month or so gets me a point here?

• Yes, because RPL has no Twitter account (though our Deputy Director is a regular user though not about RPL-related issues.)

5 8

• 638 friends• Published first-ever

article in Feliciter about Facebook.

• 676 fans of our nine branches in total. (885 if you count Dunlop Art Gallery)

5 9

• “Does anybody use MySpace anymore?”

• “I don’t know, do they?”

5 9

• I have four presentations up (soon to be five?) which have thousands of views

• I set-up RPL’s Slideshare account but got questioned by a manager as to why I would use it instead of the Intranet

6 9

• I use for my online resume and to upload promotional posters for events.

• No account.

7 9

Mash-Ups

• I got a takedown notice from Universal Music for using a Loretta Lynn song in a video photo montage I made.

• Prairie History Room has Google Maps mash-up to show service provider locations and local historical sites

8 9

Other Emerging Technologies

Gaming

• If you’d asked me this ten years ago, I’d have won…now, my son is my home entertainment system.

• Have Wii for use in branches but with very few games

• No video games for loan in any format

8 10

Mobile Services

• My wife and I only have a cell phone in case our car breaks down.

• We have a mobile version of our web site with links to core services (OPAC, Hours, Film Theatre)

• Our managers love their Blackberries! 8 11

Downloadable Books

• I don’t own an iPod and my Sony MP3 player won’t work with my new MacBook

• Launching Overdrive at the start of July.

8 12

Wireless

• I have it at home and it’s secured – though I sometimes debate whether I should open it up completely.

• We have wireless in all our branches with no log-in required, users just need to agree to a TOS page

8 13

Participating In the Conversation

• I use Google News Alerts, blog comments and trackbacks, NetVibes, referrer stats to monitor what’s being said about me/my blog/my areas of interest.

• At least one librarian at RPL uses Google News Alerts and Google Blog Search among other methods to monitor what’s being said about RPL.

9 13

New PAC’s

• I just bought my first MacBook Pro a few months ago so, computer cake be damned, I’m finally cool!

• Change in focus to roll out latest, newest computers to patrons then staff instead of reverse.

• New PAC’s have graphics software, Chrome, various games AND a Bit Torrent client (not Azeureus but that`s what I prefer so I`ll like to it!)

• Talk of loaner laptops in newest branch.

9 14

Innovation

• Not at the library but I just helped a political candidate launch Canada’s first “money bomb” fundraiser.

• RPL has a history of innovation and continues to be cited for our use of technology on blogs, by students, and in books.

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Some Other Tech Related Stuff At RPL

• SILS (Single Integrated Library System) for entire province. Innovative Interfaces instead of Evergreen.

• Have LibX and custom RPL Search Bar available for download

• One embedded video

• Job postings as a blog

Final Thoughts…• “Emerging Technology” runs the whole gambit in public

libraries. For some, having a web site with a guestbook is still cutting edge.

• Bureaucracy is the enemy. For example, a library that`s similar to RPL in size and funding might battle just to get a single blog approved (with all kinds of restrictions requested – moderated comments, formal policies approved and posted, language restrictions.)

• Often times, the innovation is based on a “better to ask forgiveness than permission” model coming from tech-savvy staff.

• With that said, having sympathetic managers makes a huge difference.

Final Thoughts…

• “Meet your patrons where they are” is a popular maxim in libraries which is why emerging technologies are so important. If we don`t do this, we`re increasingly missing a huge swath of people.

• Much emerging technology is antithetical to traditional organizational practice so it’s a major adjustment. (Openness, empower staff, generational shift)

• What Would Google Do? by Jeff Jarvis

Any Questions?