Forty-seven enthusiastic library staff attended, from a wide range of public libraries from across Victoria. After a quick introduction and some guidelines, people put down their topics of interest on presentation paper. Astoundingly, after a big of juggling with the program for the day, we managed to find a place in the schedule for all 15 topics – with three concurrent sessions over 5 time periods.

As organiser, I tended to float around the different sessions, putting in my two cents worth and picking up gems of wisdom from the amazing people who work with ICT and the Internet in libraries.

You can see our final program at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tang02/7009523295/

In the first concurrent session, the Library Design for Tech sessions discussed new building design and the things we hope to try and plan for the future (difficult when we don’t know what they will be) ,as well modifying our existing buildings for things that weren’t even imagined when they were first built. Thinking revolutionary challenged us to think outside the box. To leave aside our preconceived ideas of everything and to consider ideas that we wouldn’t normally associate with libraries. Staff training explored how we keep our staff up-to-date with new technologies and more.

In the second concurrent session the Mobile web design and apps session discovered that there are some apps already around suitable for our public libraries that we didn’t already know about. Lending e-readers and iPads discovered what Geelong is doing with their program and explored issues around this and Internet speed/NBN discussed what type of speeds should be considered standard and just what we will be wanting and able to do once we have the NBN in our libraries and our neighbourhoods.

A lunch break, where most of the attendees ate and then stuck around and networked and then it was back into the program.

The third concurrent session explored what we would like in a Digital Media Lab – everything from creative software suites, to tech staff and 3D printers.  Responsive web design talked a bit about options for making our library websites the way we want, from choosing the platform to getting in with Council’s IT on choosing same. RFID Devices and Returns was the largest session by far and the queries of those who are planning to or embarking on the RFID path, were well-answered by those who have been there and done that.

We then all came together for our next session, which was supposed to be two guest speakers, but which fell through. Taking the idea from Library Camp Oz, we ended up with a bunch of wonderful volunteers, who each gave 2 minute lightning talks on innovative things that were happening at their library. I thought this ended up being one of the highlights of the day!

The topics covered were: lending iPads, using Pinterest in the library, iPad program for toddlers, automated suggestion for purchase system, next phase Learning 2.0 program for staff, library apps, touch screens for kids, Yammer group for Library IT communication and more……

The fourth concurrent session explored the IT Department and Vendor relationships – how to improve them and get the best out of them for the library, eBooks which are on everyone’s agenda for this year and Statistics and how we can get some useful data from those resources we use that don’t give it to us.

The final concurrent session expanded on iPads as tools, using Tech for local history and I finally sat down for an entire session, which was on Social integration. In Social integration, we discussed how to amalgamate our web presences, how to get more users to those same presences, using tricks and tools that are readily available, but not necessarily well known.

So finally, what did I learn as an organiser of the event.  I learned that:

• the day truly does belong to those who attend. We had great feedback and from that alone, I would like to run another unconference. Not everyone had been to an unconference before, but almost all of the 47 attendees so it was perfect for IT and libraries.  
• that you can’t run it alone. I had great organisation skill and arrangements from Elisabeth Jackson at PLVN, who took all the bookings, handled all the payments and organised all the food.
• that you can’t run it alone, part 2. The PLVN ICT Committee, which was responsible for this event, not only were invaluable in the organisation of the day, but also in convening concurrent sessions and sharing their expertise and in stepping up and giving lightning talks with virtually no notice.
• that you can learn a lot from others doing the same thing – so thanks to Yarra Plenty Regional Libraries and Library Camp Australia who both gave me wonderful examples of library unconferences to learn from.
• that you can either organise or attend, but can’t really do both to any level of satisfaction – I was really only able to attend the lightning talks (where I was time keeper) and the last concurrent session, as I was too busy organising and then keeping an eye on the sessions the rest of the day.  Still, it was absolutely worth it.  Even with only being able to attend those few sessions and picking up bits and pieces as I checked, I still got a lot out of the day, as an attendee as well as an organiser.

If you haven’t attended an unconference, then you must add it to your list of things to do. And if you ever get the chance to organise one, do it – its a fantastic experience all of its own.

There is millions of pieces of data being collected every hour of every day. Data on every corner of the world is being collected. One of the last areas of global mapping is the oceans, but even now they have robotic vessels covered in sensors that are exploring our oceans – they can stay underwater over decades.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced that UK’s personal health information – anonymised , so that everyone can become a health researcher. You can pay $99 to get your personal genome data and then share it with the world. Companies are gearing up to track your retail transactions through your smart phone – Google Wallet.

One in every 5 people on earth is on Facebook – 30 billion pieces of content are shared on it monthly. Flickr gets 3000 images per minute. 450,000 new Twitter accounts daily. Every minute, there are more than 138,000 new tweets. And that’s all data on the airwaves.

Data is the new oil, yes, but is more like soup – its messy and you don’t know what’s in it.

Quantified self movement – self knowledge through numbers. Recording your bodily functions, physiology, moods etc. and using that knowledge to improve your life. The DIY approach to managing data.

The Herculean and Heroic approach to dealing with data includes the search for the God particle. The data is so massive, that external teams are being brought into CERN to help filter it.

Crowd-sourced approach, such as amateurs involved in helping discover new planets.

Researchers need to help to manage their data, which librarians can do with a bit of re-engineering.

1.Leadership – getting attention of the academics is one of the hardest things. Six reasons why you should care about data management.

• Risk: where is your data – a fellow UK university lost a lot of data in a tragic fire

• Reputation: data access, FOI – climate Gate case, universities have become reluctant to share data around certain topics

• Quality: data gold standard – to prove research assertions, you should be able to replicate the data that underlies them

• Scale: an explosion of data – there has been a massive explosion in the amount of genome data, which is costing less and less. Sharing data has led to progress on Alzheimers.

• Funding: research councils are expecting universities to develop road-maps for resource data management, that align them with that council – otherwise funding will be cut.

What libraries can offer is some carrots (after the sticks being imposed):

2. Research Data Management services – providing tools and support

• understanding data requirements – what data do you have, its types and its state – can use Data Asset Framework or Cardio to help in these assessments (DCC Tools) (ANDS is Australian equivalent)

• data management plans – tools include DMP online and DMP Tool

• advocacy and training – informatics, storage etc.

• data licensing

• tools to track impact eg. Total Impact – can be used on all online output

At Bath, they have a partnership approach. Internally, they work with UKOLN, the Library, IT, Research Support Office and Doctoral training Services. Their research is then often in partnership with external organisations, including commercial enterprises. http://blogs.bath.ac.uk/research360/

Library and institutional stakeholders were identified and tables with their responsibilities, requirements and relationships.

 3. Developing data informatics capacity and capability (the skills)

These are explored well in “Managing research data” by Sheila Corrall and “Reskilling for research”from RLUK.

 Points to consider:

• there is a skills shortage for data informatics support in libraries

• what is being taught in our LIS curriculum that fits to support today’s researchers?

• people of what background are enrolling in LIS courses?

• do we get credit for informatics work?

 A plan for action:

• define core components of data informatics – visualisation, workflow and analysis

• analyse LIS entry qualifications and increase STEM entrants

• International Data Informatics Working Group to explore, promote, recognise and reward

Lots of jobs becoming available for this skill set, internationally. In other sectors, there are already data journalists (The Guardian) and data artists (the New York Times), who tell stories with data, using visualisations.

Lots of implications for big data and data science. McKinsey Global Institute predicts a shortage of 190,000 data scientists by 2019.

Many of the tasks that data scientists carry out have a lot of synergies with what librarians do.

Managing research data effectively will give an organisation a business advantage.

The ability to take data – to be able to understand it, to process it, to extract value from it, to visualise it, to communicate it’s going to be a hugely important skill in the next decades, not only at the professional level but even at the educational level for elementary school kids, for high school kids, for college kids. Because now we really do have essentially free and ubiquitous data. So the complimentary scarce factor is the ability to understand that data and extract value from it.

I think statisticians are part of it, but it’s just a part. You also want to be able to visualise the data, communicate the data, and utilise it effectively. But I do think those skills – of being able to access, understand, and communicate the insights you get from data analysis – are going to be extremely important. Managers need to be able to access and understand the data themselves.

Hal Varian – Chief Economist – Google

Libraries are on a data journey – the Informatics Transform is a step in a new direction.

Insight into Victorian Public Library Experience with Downloadables – Thursday 10th June 2010 101m-4pm

Kenneth Harris – Port Phillip Library

They have recently implemented Wave Sound eaudio downloads.

Not many choices in terms of vendors.

They use IP addresses for inhouse downloading. External was organised through referring URL, with authentication provided by the library itself.  Clunky but it works.

Raised awareness through high level links in the catalogue, which link back to the referrer page. Unfortunately you have to login to the catalogue first to get authenticated, so it then has a quick link to the ebooks from the account page.

Once you have logged in, you have to create a Clipper account. Once that is done, you don’t need to authenticate a second time.

Marc records are part of the sub. Links are displayed to everyone – so they needed to be changed to the link to ebooks info.

Took a while to upload the records (588) – took some fiddling and lots of discussion to get it right.

Stats can be retrieved on use, including popular titles, users, checkouts and renewals, activity by subject and more.

Have a 10 item limit for users.

In 6 weeks, they have had 245 accesses 197 checkouts ad 48 renewals.  95 User accounts have been created.

What they’ve learnt so far:
- not much they didn’t already know
- problems with DRM – macs cant play wma files (1/3 of files are wma)
- public PCs can’t  download the wma files due to an issue with DRM and PC deployment
- WMA files wont play on your car stereo
- users find it difficult to locate files they can download
- if it takes more than couple of minutes, people give up
- needs to be improvement in catalogue and subscription integration
- authentication should be done by the vendor, done off the library catalogue login (not by the library)

Marketing – didn’t tell people it was coming. When it came, they used a screensaver on their catalogue PCs, Wavesound provided brochures and posters and want to come and talk to users and staff about the product. Have to promote more – difficult at this time due to RFID project in process.

Authentication: after initial authentication with library card, and setup Clipper account, they can go to straight in to the Clipper page. When they setup, it refers to Port Phillip, so that’s where the account is based and Port Phillip’s limits etc apply.

EZ Proxy authentication is available, but only if it is done by the library. Don’t offer SIP2. However, they may be able to connect using WebFeat, which is what Port Phillip has – but will still be adding extra steps.

Stats don’t show where people come from to get there – whether its from the catalogue or direct from the website (once the account has been created).

Knowing what they know now, they still believe that they made the right choice. A major reason for going with them was that there were no extra software requirements. Works on a yearly contract – they start with a base library and get an extra supply of titles each month. You can opt to choose titles or let them be chosen for you. You have the option to change titles.

Loan period is 3 weeks and can be renewed. Up to 10 titles at a time. Files disappear at the end of the loan period. Can’t return early.

Its a totally separate loan system to the LMS. All statistics are kept separately. Could happen in the future if we get SIP2 connections with our ebook providers.

All the products run using an online store model like Amazon.

No limit on simultaneous users. Fees based on population.

Wavesound has both ebook and eaudio, but Port Phillip only has eaudio.

As login is based on username and password, can’t tell age, where joined etc, etc.

Jennifer Khan, Greg Evans and Tony Brooks from Melbourne Library Service
Melbourne has had Overdrive eaudio books for 12 months.

Have introduced downloadable audio first not ebooks – due to degree of uncertainty in ebook market. Used a staged approach. As there are a limited field of vendors, decided to go with Overdrive because of their proven track record and a good market share. Overdrive provide professional and free marketing support and a very slick product.

Once they signed up, they sorted out policy definitions such as circulation, connection and IP issues, membership exceptions and different card types, which was all pretty straightforward with good technical vendor support. Got access to a development site for testing.

Support from local rep was not good, so dealt mainly with the US via email and teleconferences (6pm there to 9am here).

Greg had already introduced it at ACT, so had great experience to begin with.

Collection management:  never handed it over to Overdrive but eaudio content has been limited. Shifting market makes things very difficult as titles can change with changing publishers agreements.  However, users have taken to them with great enthusiasm.

Overdrive have a number of specialists – Collections, IT and marketing and the support is fantastic. Did a user survey to gauge interest and find out what they would be interested in. Got a lot of people provide email addresses and become their testers and feedbackers.

Marketing – lots of support from Overdrive. Library branding throughout. Got media engagement. Day after it was written up in the Green guide, everything went out. Had to buy more titles. Have about 400 titles now.

Have concluded that they will need to use more eaudio vendors. Next challenge is how to create a seamless interface to all the content being provided by these different vendors.

Vendor training to staff user group was very complex – consisting of a teleconference from the US which was very thorough but over the top. Too much information delivered. Had a overarching marketing emphasis however, rather than technical/user experience. Once completed, they played with the product some more.

Cascading information to general staff was simplified to customer needs and
was compulsory for all staff. They quickly learned what issues may be encountered in a real environment, the key features and bugs and then
redesigned the training again for the public.

Training public was easier as they were all keyed up and ready to go by the time they launched, the integration with LMS was seamless. Public sessions were very well attended – running 2-3 sessions a day for 2 weeks – many people brought own laptops. They also did some individual follow up with special need users and they are getting constant feedback and making minor changes as they go.

Needed a lot of patience throughout the launch process, to help get people on board. Overdrive provides a help service, where individual issues can be addressed – has a 4 hour turn around.

Interface is seamless with the Melbourne website. Although the Overdrive site is external, it looks like the Melbourne website. Overdrive has 2 to 1 WMA to MP3 format. WMA files can be downloaded to a PC however and then transferred to an iPod, during which it gets reformatted to a iPod readable.

However, you do need to download an Overdrive media console to access the content.

Future:
ebooks next – would be easy to go with Overdrive as DRM is less problematic and they have a great range of titles, a nice interface and great support. Checked out different options and have gone with Overdrive.

Issues for ebooks included limited reader functionality and availability, in a market where there is a huge range of devices. Sony ebook readers and Nooks will play the content, but not available here yet.

However, users are fascinated with mobile devices and readers. May yet lend some of the older generation ebook readers that they own, with pre-loaded content. They area also considering the options of bookstores vs vendors and online sellers. iPhone app is also now available for Overdrive. Have been advised to go with ePub format with ebooks.

Issues: format issues – ie WMA vs MP3, licensing vs ownership – different models and some vendors let you own the book, DRM and access to content and limited Oz content. Overdrive is licensing, Bolinda is ownership.

Check out BLIO? – downloads the software with the content and can be played on any device. May be major DRM issues so getting content from publishers may be difficult.

Success factors: critical mass strategy, group of early adopters, DRM minimal vendor, concurrent users, Marc records, ease of circulation, availability of stats, review and user group.

Lot of success due to holistic approach – collections, IT and marketing working together with staff. Staff are enthusiastic and the service has had great use and feedback from users.

Overdrive – one copy one user model. If you want more users, then have to purchase more copies.

Authentication – user is presented with a login screen – uses SIP2 to library system. Overdrive manages the user account, SIP2 is only used to verify that it is a valid user. If you login to catalogue, you still have to login to Overdrive.

Offer optional load periods – one or two weeks. Items cant be checked in, you have to wait for it to expire. Some titles are available in a single file – many titles are in multiple files to download (like CD based audio books). Can download progressively over your loan period.

User stats – have not done much as yet.  Will now look at it now that they are 12 months down the track.

User Experience panel

I was then on a panel of three committee members, who used the Overdrive and Wavesound services as brand new users, using a PC, a Mac and an iPhone (that was me). We are still compiling experiences and hope to add more. If you are interested in the report thus far, let me know and I’ll get a copy out.

Vendor presentations

The early part of the afternoon was taken up with presentations from Wave Sound, NetLibrary – newly purchased by Ebsco, and Bolinda. The first and last only offer eaudio at this time, NetLibrary does both. Overdrive does not have an Australian based rep at this time. Each vendor gave a short marketing spiel and then demonstrated the user interface and answered questions relating to the IT structure of their product.

Vendor panel

We finished the day with a panel involving the vendors answering questions from the attendees. They were:

Will you be offering streaming content now or in the future?  Not yet, but its on the radar for all of them.

Can you see a future where all content is device neutral?  Yes, but no timeline though, everything is changing so fast and at different rates. Eaudio market is much more mature than the ebook market, which is why its much more device adaptable.

What do you mean by fully accessible?  Bolinda downloads can be used by all – including screen readers. Files can be played on most devices – they are all MP3. All titles are remastered into chapters with logical breaks.

What do you mean by exclusive rights?  Why exclusivity?  Lots of money is involved in purchasing rights and publishers aim to get the best possible deals for their content. There are licences for print, audio and downloadable. Not all arrangements are exclusive.  Rights are for a certain length of time, somewhere between 5 and 10 years.  Also depends on the model – purchase model means you have it forever, subscription model means you only have it whilst you have the sub and the vendor has the rights.

Will we end up getting this content from multiple vendors? Yes, the issue then becomes how to make the whole process seamless so that the users experience one process. Library processes are changing. Moving from print to digital including how we join and access collections. Is getting to the point where the whole interaction that users have with the library will be totally digital. Collections offered are different, but so are our users. So we will have to pick and choose from vendors.

Is reciprocal borrowing available? It is through Overdrive in the US, where you can borrow between different libraries. Publishers much prefer consortium purchase, rather than reciprocal borrowing.  Ebsco does consortial arrangements, as does Wavesound. Bolinda does not do consortia, because they believe they are affordable and give each library service flexibility.

Do you have plans to intergrate with LMS’s? Definitely on Ebsco’s radar. Libraries would like to have all their account information in one location, so they can check all their holds, all their loans etc, in the one setup. Bolinda says it can be done because the technology is available.  Importing this data back into our circulation modules for statistical purposes is a lot more problematic. Bolinda has established Web Services with Aurora and SirsiDynix LMSs. In discussions with other vendors, but have confirmed that they will be establishing a SIP2 connection with Civica. This will also require an extra software install at both ends to help improve security.

Do you have any thoughts on offering other media for download?  eg. Film, games, media etc. Bolinda is already looking to do this. Not Wavesound, but Ebsco will look at this as well.

Are there any plans to integrate back into social media platforms? Ebscohost has a module EIT – which has an array of tools with widgets etc, that can be inserted into a range of tools. Bolinda is looking at it. Wavesound works on Ebsco’s platform so they have access to the same tools as Net Library, through Ebsco.

Summary

The day was well received and well attended with about 50 people coming from over half of Victoria’s public library services, most for the whole day and some from quite a distance away. As an organiser and attendee I was very pleased, not only with how the day ran, but from what I got out of it. I feel much better prepared for when we venture into the world of downloadable eaudio, which will be soon.

Kathryn has covered the days with our tweets, through a Cover It Live session at Librarians Matter. It is well worth checking out. So instead, I will go over what we covered in the two day workshop and outline what I got out of it, as a presenter and on the side participant.

Day 1 was Kathryn doing all the hard work. We began with a few introductions and then some get to know you exercises, which gave us and all participants information on their sector, their library size and the openness of their IT systems. It was useful information for us, but also for attendees as straight away they knew they were learning alongside people who came from pretty much the same sort of environment they were working in.

Here’s the fast forward bit. Kathryn did presentations on Web 2.0, Shift in power and Library 2.0 and after morning tea I presented on Web 2.0 tools. Which means to say we had a list of 36 types of tools which we had participants research and present back to the group. They had to explain what it was and why libraries should care, with me filling in the gaps.

Most of the way through lunch, I did a quick Twitter clinic, showing how to sigh up etc.

After lunch it was Kathryn again with eBooks, the library in the cloud and opening up the library. We finished with some futures dreaming exercises. Kathryn and I finished our day with a lovely relaxing dinner at Lygon Street.

Day 2 was me carrying most of the load, although I’m still convinced I had an easier time of it than Kathryn. We began with a recap and an indication of things that attendees would like covered (which I think we did).  We then gave them some time to think about three projects they would like to undertake when they got back to work.

I then presented on Library 2.0 and users and Learning 2.0 before Kathryn took us on a fun journey on Creating media. The end of lunch was filled with an informal Sharepoint sharing session for quite a few attendees and Kathryn and I did quick demos of both Word Press and Drupal as content management systems.

After lunch, I did overviews on Creating Social media policies and let them explore some online, then on Marketing and Library 2.0, Creating an online community of practice and by the time I got to Building a strong foundation, was pretty much exhausted.

Fortunately, after afternoon tea, we got participants to plan out an action plan for one project they were going to undertake once they got back to work (chosen from the three they had written down earlier), using the worksheet provided. They then had to practice an elevator pitch with the attendees at their table, giving them immediate practice at explaining their plans.

It was an exhausting, but ultimately very satisfying two days, mainly because:

• I worked with Kathryn to create and run this program. If you have to do something like this with anyone, Kathryn is your person.
• Passion takes you a long way. I was getting very tired by the 2nd half of the second day and had a sore throat as well, but my passion for the topic and helping others to see the value in these tools, carried me through and them along with me.
• Our attendees were a great group of people who were passionate in their own way. Passionate about their libraries and enthusiastic about the possibilities that could be opened up to them through using these tools. I really loved seeing them think of ways to get around restrictions imposed on them by their workplaces.
• The collaboration that happened between the attendees with similar interests or situations. Whenever we weren’t presenting to them or they were using their workbooks, they were sharing ideas, possibilities and more about their work environments. I think it was very encouraging for them to be able to spend that time with colleagues in similar circumstances and it was wonderful for us to see that collaboration happen.

As for what I got out of it:

• Felt lucky that I work with a fairly open IT environment, especially compared to pretty much all of our attendees
• Encouraged to create more media, particularly since discovering how easy it is to do so using Windows Movie Maker  (which I must get started on and soon – thanks Kathryn)
• A desire to find some more opportunities to collaborate with Kathryn and to investigate more options for professional development presentation content – either presenting or printed, with other colleagues – online or in my workplace (offers gratefully considered, lol)
• Inspiration to think outside of the box, which came as a result of our futures dreaming session and from hearing of our enthusiastic attendees plans for projects in their workplace.
• A need for rest. Fortunately, Easter started a day later.

I’m back at work this week and this whole event already seems like a long time ago.  But it has helped to fire me up further with possibilities and plans of my own, which makes me even happier to know that it was more of a two way process than I realised.

Check out more photos at Flickr.

An icebreaker activity of teams creating the fartherest flying missile got things off and running and the topics were quickly created and scheduled. And here they are…..

First thing I noticed was that it was a very different group to last year. There were a number of people who attended last years unconference, but at least 70% were attending their first. This means that the knowledge level and interplay with attendees is very different to last year – not bad, just different.

I nominated cloud computing as a topic and was lucky to have the wonderful David Feighan to help me facilitate it, as one of the first groups for the day. We had about 30 people in the room and I was pleased David and I were able to give a mini workshop on the topic, as most people did not know what it was or the implications for libraries, both positive and negative. Fortunately, as we were in the computer room, we were able to show them relevant links and examples that answered some of the questions they were asking.

After morning tea, a group of about 50 got together to talk about social inclusion, the digital divide and the challenges for libraries brought about by the fast changing technology and online environment. We didnt come up with any eye opening solutions to the issue, but it was a good time of revealing all aspects of the issue, including the many types of digital divide that still exist even in this time of high broadband penetration.

It was a beautiful day, so we took the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful food outdoors, along with some great networking with old and new friends.

The first session after lunch for me, was a leadership dynamics session the the days facilitator Ann. A group of 17 librarians became a business creating greeting cards, with different departments and the issues that came with fulfilling the order (and yes, we actually created cards – pretty badly, but we did make them). It was an eye opening session, giving us a great insight, not only into organisations, but also into leadership and even into ourselves.

The final session I again helped facilitate (I nominated one of the topics), this one on the interesting topics of open source, interactive media and mobile platforms. David Feighan (gotta love him), showed us some great things happening in interactive media – including the Portable Film Festival. As David pointed out, many millions are being spent on these websites, but we can still do some things that dont cost the earth, that make our sites more interactive.

With the introduction of the iPhone in Australia and its instant popularity, the need for mobile accessible content is becoming more important. Until phone plans come down in price in Australia, the demand wont be huge, but its something that libraries need to have on their radar. We also discussed QR codes and how libraries may be able to use them.

We also talked about open source software. Many libraries are using Linux on servers, some are even using them on some their public PCs. More than a few libraries offer open source software, such as Firefox, Open Office and the Gimp as well. A couple of libraries are looking at open software OPACs to sit on their proprietary ILSs and there has been discussion in some circles about creating consortia and moving to an Open Source ILS such as Evergreen or Koha, but no serious moves at this stage. It was interesting to hear what is going how and what people are thinking about.

Feedmate from colleagues who wouldnt usually attend such events, was that it was a great networking opportunity and they learnt and were able to share a lot about what we were doing in our libraries that was relevant to the discussion.

The day concluded with door prizes of an iPod and massive chocolate basket – which I unfortunately did not win, and drinks. It was a long day, but well worth it.

Congrats to Chris Mackenzie and the team at Yarra Plenty for another great conference – It was very much appreciated.

Denise Stewart, my host, is one of two staff who works as support for the Web Junction website at the Dublin offices, amongst a team of approximately 10 support, development, and QA etc staff. The hardware/software side of the operation is also based here, with the content team in Seattle. “Web Junction is a cooperative of library staff sharing and using online resources that enable us to identify and embrace appropriate technologies and apply them to our daily work.” They use forums, a wealth of free resources, training and partnerships with cultural organisations in order to achieve this. Much of the courseware is provided through a consortia arrangement with Mind Leaders, so is available at a greatly reduced price, to any Web Junction member.

There are currently over 24,352 enrolments on Web Junction courses, which includes restricted content, such as the courses they host for the University of North Texas. However, there are individuals who enroll for 10-15 courses at once, so this does not translate to the same amount of students. Enrolments expire after a year, so these are current enrolments.

Denise and Mike monitor the email and phone help desk support, which is monitored using OCLC’s Relationship Management System, which enables them to keep good track of and statistics on any support requests coming in, from first receipt, through all touches, to completion.

Network administration of the Web Junction website and the other OCLC products including First Search, Question Point etc, are monitored 24/7 in the same building, with three shifts of staff. The Web Junction site runs on two servers: an Application Server which manages the incoming traffic and the Database server from which the content is transferred. These are supported by two redundant servers, which kick in if there is a problem with the primary servers. They also run development and QA servers for testing before going live, which along with their power sources, cooling etc, all have redundancies including two optic fibre networks which connect them to the internet.

They all also have a lab especially for usability studies, where both staff and non-staff are invited to come in and test software which they are unfamiliar with. This also includes an observation room for OCLC staff to monitor the usability interactions.

Of all the courses begun through Web Junction, about 30% are completed, with the vast majority “in progress”. Many users sign up for a particular course in order to learn a particular skill set and so may never complete the entire course.

The Library at OCLC is fascinating, particularly their collection of early DDC’s. They have a duplicate first edition (a lot thinner than the current editions) and a digitized copy of a first edition which Melvil Dewey wrote his notes for the 2^nd edition all over. Check it out at – it’s something to behold. Also amazing was the printed cards which are still done in the card room at the rate of 400,000 per month (check out the photos on Flickr). Old meets new in this space as it is also the print/copy office.

Thanks to Denise for a great day at an awesome location and to Chrystie Hill from the Seattle Office, who I caught up with at Computers in Libraries. You guys are doing some great things and I will be looking to stay more in touch with them.

What this presentation is about is wikis, blogs, podcasts, screencasts, surveys, polls, and other tools.

Learning occurs everywhere, not just in the classroom. Librarians teach one shot instruction sessions, often attempting to squeeze too many learning objectives into the one session.

Pre-class preparation – alternatives to handouts which are often left behind – blogs and wikis. Chad uses these tools and sometimes teaches straight off the blog or wiki, especially for students at libraries that don’t have the same resources as the main library. ie. Biz Wiki. Can walk into any class and be ready to teach those students, because the resources are all there to access. The students just need the address, there is no handout to lose.

He got the professors to put the assignments onto the wiki and then Chad would link to the relevant resources under each question, rather than having all 80 students coming to see him the day before its due. Pre-class Prep tools, include Media or pbwiki and internally or externally hosted Word Press.

In Class Feedback tools can be proprietary and expensive, so better to use Polls and IM. In your locally hosted version of Word Press, there is a plug in – WP Polls that you can use to create internal polls. Can use the results, which are visible to the survey participants, to drive the discussion. Still have the problem of having the right questions. He did a live demo of how this worked on his blog – created a quick poll and blog entry. Can lock it down so each student can only respond once. Chad uses the meebo widget to allow them to ask questions in class, without having to put their hands up publicly. It can alleviate student boredom, allows students to have partial ownership of the class and helps develop instructor skills.

Post class tools. Survey linked from a blog post. phpESP, data lives on your server, more functions for the price, including great statistics. Alternatives include Survey Monkey, but free version is limited and the data doesn’t rest on your site.

Additional instruction maybe supplementary or complementary to the class. They are using podcasts in multiple languages for a library tour. From Sep 06 – Jan 07 it was downloaded 700 times – hence saving staff time. They used Audacity to create it – showed us how to do it, very simple. Once its posted to the blog or iTunes it automatically has an RSS feed.

Screencasting using Wink (http://www.debugmode.com/wink/ – not open source but its free. Allows you to do screen captures and record voice over it. You can scroll down the pages whilst your talking, click on links and so much more. Automatically saves it as a htm file, can upload it and more. Chad demoed it here and is is sooooo easy too! We could use it straight away and move to the paid software later.

Videos – record video with a camcorder, capture screen video with CamStudio – records AVI format (open source) – again he demoed it – again very easy to do. Can also convert it flash, but its still a linear recording process. camstudio.org

Audio and video can have a bit of a learning curve, initial experiences can be very time consuming, but he end product is well worth the investment, it adds a human element to what your are doing.

Typical follow up support includes IM, email and blog and wiki. Can also use del.icio.us with tags as to how the resources may be used. Also Facebook or MySpace, linked from the blog, wiki etc, where students can read the RSS feed from your blog, you can answer questions through your inbox etc.

Online FAQs and online scheduler. Knowledge Publisher is an open source FAQ generator, which includes comments and rating facilities. They can also ask a question through it and the answers can then be posted to the FAQ. PHP Scheduler where students can book time, at Ohio they are using it to book study rooms. Can also use it to book time to meet with librarians etc.

Closing thoughts:
- don’t be afraid to get under the hood
- learn from failures and successes
- try new things and get momentum to get buy in
- try looking at other tools with an eye for potential library uses

All feeling the technology surge, which is getting better. Like a wave, trying to stay on the rest of the wave, not fall in front or fall behind. Greater demand for services, high user expectations and more. New model for libraries is technology as a foundation on top of funding, providing highly skilled and trained staff, real and virtual connections, real and virtual services.

PLCMC Information Technology Core Competencies are at 4 levels. Not providing service when it is someone elses job to support technology. Lori Reed is their core competencies trainer. Core I – every staff person should be able to do it, eg. access the intranet, enter timesheets, print, save files. (will have a link to all the core competency lists via Helene’s blog) . Pre-assessment showed that biggest need was in core troubleshooting. Core II includes patron support competencies such as searching the catalogue and using ILS (Horizon). Core III – envisionware & LPT for PC management and printing, One competencies. Core IV – more librarians and public trainers needed basic AV knowledge (ie. connecting laptop and projector), imaging and Public Technology training. The Core Competencies are aimed at supporting public service, so not management or administration. http://tinyurl.com/yo2zmh

Technology Competencies and Training for Libraries by Sarah Houghton-Jan recommended, as well as Web Junction – two tiered.

Core competencies support the changes that have already happened and are integrated into our everyday work. Different approach required for new changes, hence the Learning 2.0 program. How do we prepare and stay current in the information arena. Its all over the media.

Learning 2.0 started as Tech Bytes where they introduced RSS and blogging to staff. They came for 1 1/2 hr workshop, but after 3 months, they had reached 65 out of 540 staff. The info has to get out quick as it is all changing so quick. Had to do something different. Inspired by Stephen Abrams 43 things. Trimmed it back to 23 Things – Learning 2.0 was born. Learning program to encourage staff and expose them to Web 2.0 tools that are out there.

9 weeks of program, plus 1 month of extra exploration time. Mostly free, apart from time and the cost of a microphone (apart from the cost of the staff rewards for completing it). All done using freely available web 2.0 tools.

It was all about exposing staff to new tools, encouraging play, empowering individuals, expanding the knowledge toolbox and eliminating fear. Encouraging staff to learn and have fun.

Its also about staff controlling their life-long learning, not about having it all delivered to them. Learning 2.0 is a weapon of mass instruction.

Learning 2.0 best practices:

- don’t confuse learning with training

- building the program for late bloomers

- allow participants to blog anonymously

- communicate weekly using 1.0 methods

- focus on discovery and encourage challenges

- encourage staff to use each other and work together

- Remember that its not about acceptance or doing it right – its about exposure

- Practice transparency and radical trust

- And continually encourage staff to play!!!

Been duplicated by many different libraries. Its out there for free.

]]> http://connectinglibrarian.com/2007/04/17/cil-2007-from-core-competencies-to-learning-20-helene-blowers/feed/ 0