CIL2008: Technology Training for Library Staff

Sarah Houghton-Jan, San Jose Public Library
Maurice Coleman and Annette Gaskins, Harford County (MD) Public Library

Houghton-Jan presented five steps to success in staff technology training:

• Planning and brainstorming - what do staff need to know to do with technology to do their jobs well - use list of competencies to create a training program - work with staff to do the brainstorming
  
• Creation - work with task force to create list of competencies but don't call them "competencies" - keep it core and task-based
  
• Assessment - of what staff know - better to use self-assessments than tests since people have negative reactions to tests - add "maybe" as an option (that you interpret as "no"C even though you don't call it that)
  
• Training - based on revealed needs - offer training in variety of formats - offer a small prize as an incentive - use real world examples
  
• Reassessment - on regular basis - rewards for success, consequences for failure
  

Coleman and Gaskins talked about technology training they did in their county library system. They held a Technology Fair / Petting Zoo. The challenge was to train all public service staff and most support staff in the entire system without interrupting public service. They used the tools they were going to include in the fair (e.g., wiki and blog) to promote the Fair. They did a one-hour lecture followed by a two-hour lab. Six persons at each of six stations for twenty minute sessions. They partnered with Best Buy to provide flat-screen displays, set up help, etc. Since doing this, they have seen evidence of staff using the new technology tools in their work and customer service.

CIL2008: Tech Tools for Effectively Managing Information

Roger Skalbeck, Georgetown Law Library
Barbara Fullerton, 10-K Wizard

Speakers demonstrated 20 technology tools that are useful for managing information. Approach is to start from an information management problem and then describe tools useful in addressing them. The tools discussed in the presentation are listed with links at http://cil2008.pbwiki.com/Roger .

The "problem" areas addressed (and tools) are ... RSS without a reader (SendMeRSS), color palettes (Kuler), inexpensive online demonstrations (Glance), branded persistent access (Conduit tool bar), manipulate PDF documents without Acrobat (PDFHammer), how site works without images or javascript (Web Developer Toolbar), RSS from site that doesn't have it (Ponyfish), persons use various bookmarking services (AddThis), what is this DLL (Processlibrary), easy way to install application on ISP via script (Fantastico), search fixed set of web site (Rollyo), how site works in various browsers (BrowserShots), screenshot (SnagIt), site color (Firebug), update page (Watch That Page), post to multiple blogs directly from page (Scribefire), need slideshow now (GifUP), organize and cite research (Zotero), screen recorder for demonstrations (Camtasia), YouTube Off-line (TechCrunch and Adobe Media Player).

CIL2008: Keynote: Libraries as Happiness Engines

Elizabeth Lane Lawley, Rochester Institute of Technology

Libraries should be the emotional center of their communities, should be in the happiness business. One author has identified four components of happiness: satisfying work to do, feeling competent at what we're doing, interacting with people we like, being a part of something bigger.

In games, the "grind" is the repetitive tasks that you have to do over and over again in order to proceed to the next level, yet gamers are happily willing to do the "grind" because there is a reward.

Key components of the mechanics in virtually every game: collecting, points, feedback, exchanges, customization. Can we build these same mechanics into work and learning tasks? -- "Putting the fun into functional".

Seriosity's Attent: Corporate "game" where each staff member has a certain number of "serios" to spend each day. Each email/recipient costs one "serio". Effect is to diminish the number of unnecessary emails and to increase the value of emails that you receive.

Social Genius: Points for correctly identifying colleagues from their pictures and for updating your online picture and profile.

Passive Multiplayer Online Games (PMOG): Can create mission that takes persons through a number of web sites like a pathfinder. Persons get points for following the mission and you get points for persons who complete your mission.

Games can also serve as "gateway drugs" -- e.g., persons who play Guitar Hero learn to play the guitar. "Online rebound": going from real to virtual back to real again. The key for libraries is not just to get better and better at the virtual--it is rather to tie the real and virtual together.

CIL2008: InfoTubey Awards

Winning videos from the second annual InfoTubey Awards can be found here: http://www.infotubey.com/ .

CIL2008: Catalog Effectiveness: Google Analytics & OPAC 2.0

Rebekah Kilzer, The Ohio State University Libraries
Cathy Weng and Jia Mi, The College of New Jersey

Kilzer discussed her library's use of Google Analytics to understand how its OPAC is used. Google Analytics provides information on search terms, browser information, time on site, geographical information, and site overlay. It's used by applying a bit of Javascript to every page. She's aware of other libraries that are mashing up Google Analytics with Google Maps. There are certain security concerns ... it does not gather personally identifiable information and is subject to Google Privacy Policy.

Mi and Weng presented about efforts to revitalize OPAC's with respect to interface / searching and to bibliographic display. They did a study of 123 ARL library OPAC's. In the presentation, they reported on what they found and the issues they observed.

CIL2008: Harnessing New Data Visualization Tools

Darlene Fichter, University of Saskatchewan

Web 2.0 has brought about the "amateur" professionals (e.g., citizen journalists). In the data world, this has led to the rise of the amateur statistician. We've come to a new stage: Do It Yourself Data -- less than 5 minutes to set up a data collections, less than 5 minutes more to build on tables to create data visualizations.

How "free" is data? It's free but in a raw state that is not yet usable by most people.

Social data leads to ... less "going by what my gut says", workable data, reproducible results, expertise dissemination, leveling the playing field.

Some web sites of interest: DataPlace, EveryBlock, Timepedia and Chronoscope, Track-n-Graph, Graphwise, Freebase

Social data sites: Swivel, Many Eyes (from IBM AlphaWorks), Gapminder

CIL2008: Facebook Apps & Libraries' Friendly Future

Laurie Bridges, Oregon State University
Cliff Landis, Valdosta State University

Why should librarians care about Facebook? Popularity of web site (most popular web site for persons 18 to 24), serving generation Y, social aspects of information sharing, organization of information, outreach opportunities, advertising opportunities, virtual networking with librarians. The real upswing in popularity of Facebook came in May 2007 when Facebook opened their API to the world. Facebook is the "stickiest" web site in the world--average user spends 20 minutes on the site.

Applications for Libraries: Notre Dame Library Search (2 active daily users), WorldCat (47 active daily users), JSTOR (20 active daily users). Why are library applications not used very much? They're still not social.

Some ways that libraries are using Facebook: pages (Hennepin County Public Library [183 fans], Aurora University [120 fans -- used give-away entry to get fans]), events, advertising.

Ways in which social objects are ranked: most viewed (low level of interaction), top rated, most discussed, most responded (high level of interaction).

Library catalog are social networks for ideas. The line between social space and intellectual space isn't blurring ... It was never there in the first place. It is never a mistake to give users more options.