For months, nay years, I’ve been running around talking about how a library website should have all the earmarks of a branch library: materials, librarians, reference service, and programming. I finally got a chance to put my money where my mouth is.

This is Children’s Book Week and to celebrate I invited our staff to pose for photos with their favorite kids books. Then, in flickr, I added all the photos to our Manchester City Library flickr pool and then created a badge on the website for all photos in that pool and tagged with ‘cbw’ will show in the badge.

A blog post invites patrons with a flickr account to take a photo, add it to the group, and tag it appropriately in order to be part of the children’s book parade on our website. No one has done so yet, but I’m extremely hopeful… I don’t see why you would have to be a resident of Manchester so please, if your moved, join in!

After many months of spottily focused work, I was thrilled tonight to launch the upgraded, updated, preferred, deferred Tamworth Library website.

When Casey and I began to expand the concept he proved with wpopac into what has become Scriblio we quickly realized we would need a development partner. In order to create a tool to meet the needs and limitations of small and rural public libraries we needed to know, first hand, what the users those libraries expected from their library online. Enter Cook Memorial Library in Tamworth, NH. Serving an incredibly strong community of 2500 and with a staff who was dedicated to learning and implementing online services, Tamworth made an ideal beta site.  We learned lots and everyone was happy with the result but as Scriblio grew and evolved, it was hard to keep Tamworth up to date. With both of us working day jobs, Tamworth’s site, while always growing in popularity, fell behind the latest and greatest Scriblio developments.

Those days are over. This evening we happily launched a new tamworthlibrary.org complete with a cleaned up and consistent database and a new look. Casey and Jay (Cook’s director) were extremely patient and supportive and patient during the slow process - thanks to both of you.

Sarah Houghton-Jan

• Why? Save money, improve customer service, should institutional commitment to lifelong learning, increase staff retention rate, motivate staff to keep learning.
• Staff training takes time and money
• Competencies based training cycle
  • Step 1: Planning and Brainstorming - What does your staff need to know how to do with technology to do their jobs well. For: Creates equitable expectations of all staff, reveals training needs, accurate job descriptions, helps with performance evaluations, consistent customer service, helps staff adjust and handle change. Work with staff to brainstorm and create a list. Staff know what they need to know. Reassure staff they don’t have to know everything now. Solicit input via a blog/wiki. But they don’t know HOW to do so?
  • Step 2: Creation. Work with a taskforce. Representatives from units and branches and different position classifications. Get management buy-in. Don’t call it competencies. Ideas: Terminology - create a glossary. Hardware. Office Software. Email. STAYING CURRENT. Keep it core and task-based. Add to job descriptions and new hire checklist. Present list online with each item linked to a how-to.
  • Step 3: Assessment. Online survey tools and/or self-assessment. The psychology of maybe - yes, no, maybe. Review indivividual results and group results. Work with supervisors to create individual training needs list for each employee.
  • Step 4: Training. Training budget. In-house? Offer a small prize. Use real world examples. Make it fun. Highlight tips and tricks.
  • Step 5: Reassess. Rewards for success and consequences for failure. Nurture hidden sparks.

Tips and celebrate successes. Make them feel management is engaged. Have cake. Recommended resources.

Technology training - Maurice and Annette Annette is my secret, alter-ego name.
Staff survey showed them they needed to learn about newer technologies and things like how to work their digital camera. YA committee. High buy-in. = Tech Fair/Petting Zoo.
First steps: Get organized and get help. Get buy in and get excited. Used the tools we would teach to promote the fair.
Content: Wikis/Open source - Work tool; gaming; streaming media; IM/Myspace; Blogging; MP3s/iPods.
Visible support from the top.
Mandatory and helped with scheduling and provided financial support.
One hour lecture and two hour lab. Class of 36. Rotating stations.
Station masters and Hosts. Partnership with a big box store. Provided equipment and experts.
Finding people: Techies at all levels, all levels of staff.
Equipment: Computers/Keyboards/Mice, Projectors/Projection surfaces, cords… do a dry run.
Preparation: minimum and maximum numbers, team skills and personalities, communicate again and again, have a floater.
Practice. Do a full scale dry run. signs.
Blog during the zoo - post pictures. Do a survey afterward. Ask what you’d like to use, learn more about?
Make expected outcomes clear to everyone.

Roy Tennant
Kill off the term OPAC
Discovery system = public facing tool, public interface, doesn’t replace the ILS. Veneer on top of back office operations.
Worldcat Local is a different and particular type.
Sytems Highlighted: Koha, Evergreen, VUFind, LibraryFind, Worldcat Local.
Harvest records out of ILS for Discovery system, which queries ILS for circ info.
Want to replace your ILS or just the public interface?
VUFind from Villanova University. Tabs for info, holdings, toc, comments, and reviews.
LibraryFind from Oregon State. Metasearch tools for articles with books.

Kate Sheehan from Darien Library
LibraryThing for Libraries in Danbury
Radical overhaul is difficult
Library Thing is a niche social network for booklovers - LibraryThing for Libraries uses the data in a local catalog.
It’s good and a quick fix, but good enough? No single search box. No integrated non-book data. No feeds.
Library Thing takes data from what people have read and not what they have bought.
Tag cloud shows other books in the local catalog and searches by isbn.
Good for Readers’ Advisory.
Look for searches by isbn for stats.

Them and ME

• Companies are letting things out that are not from the PR department. Even police and schools
• Barriers to Web 2.0 implementation. Mine is that libraries don’t invest in a position devoted to innovative technology, if they do invest, they don’t also provide that person with the support they need to follow through on those their initiatives.
• Locked down library web sites help captive by overzealous IT departments or marketing/PR offices.
• Technology decisions without staff buy-in.
• Transparency: multiple avenues, visit font lines, cross-train, consider the role of anonymity, what would you add?
• Conversations: Open and honest - happens easily online, solicit input and USE IT, don’t ask staff for input if you are not going to use it.
• Speak in a human voice. People (patrons) have LOVED the human voice on our blog
• Administrators have to understand all the roles staff play in the library. Administrators should be able to work any desk in the building.
• Darien Library clerks blog and make purchasing decisions.
• ALL administrators should be able to create an email attachment.
• Hands on technology
• Anonymity can be good or bad, but it is difficult. Will get good survey results, if you can look passed the snarkiness and unconstructive negatives.
• Discussion of how to get staff involved and begin a conversation. Suggestion to include communication in the review process or offer a survey and give them access to the account for results.
• Parking space: ‘Reserved for Romance Reader of the Month.’
• Make sure the staff knows the mission statement. Do they care? If they don’t know where you’re headed or it will fail.
• CULTURAL SHIFT NOT SHINY NEW TOY. Blogging policy: support the mission and quote it.

I follow Marshall’s writing so I’m interested in what’s on his radar. Also, want to get a tip of two about what to ask Polaris.

Him and Me

• OCLC study showing that users do not turn to libraries for info needs. Only 2% of students start with library and only 1% in libraries. Uh huh, that’s not going to change. So we need to get OURSELVES in the search engines…. sigh.
• Users use amazon to find a book and then try the catalog. DUH, most librarians do the same thing. I know I do.
• We need better interfaces, better search capability that work how the web works, MEET user expectations… less underwhelming tools
• OPACs need to be put out of public use. Ahem to that
• ILS tools are crummy at delivering electric content. Why should there be a distinction between an OPAC and a Digital Library (Sorry, Jill)
• library catalog and OPAC are NOT descriptive.
• Not only know what we have, but deliver it to them.
• Redefinition: More comprehensive, NOT limited to print, access to digital content can’t be an afterthought, systems should be inclusive not exclusive.
• NOT federated search. if it’s built correctly, Google will search all the content. Just like other industry’s rely on.
• All of OCLC can go on an ipod - we are no longer battling a problem of scale.
• Web 2.0 now is an afterthought. NH just had a vendor fair for ILSs. 45 minutes for each. Word is that NONE offered an interface as good as Scriblio. Why? Not because Scriblio is brilliant, but because Scriblio is user focused and obeying Web2.0 conventions is a development priority.
• Ideal= unified user experience, single point of entry, print AND electronic, local and remote, locally created content, user contributed content. I would add PORTABLE.
• Features/Functions: single point of entry ONE search box, facets for narrowing HELP the searcher, don’t alienate them with ‘No Results, you dummy’, query enhancement ie. spelling correction…
• Sometimes I think we spend altogether too much time thinking and not enough time doing - by the time we’ve thought it out, the conclusions are obsolete… Break through? That’s maybe we’re always behind.
• We have great content, it needs to be available on the wider web.
• Make the response better than the query provided.
• FAST = Faceted Application of Subject Terminology
• Personalized user experience
• Back-end complexity should be as seamless as possible to the user. Let’s not insult our own educations and frustrate our users by assuming they can do what we do. ILS’s were made for US, we need something totally separate and built for them.
• We’re PART of a larger world and we have to be able to integrate.
• Decoupled interface HELLO SCRIBLIO - sometimes frustrating, I feel like Casey and I have been saying this for years. I believe I even said it to Marshall…
• Great cost… Doesn’t have to be, think about it.
• Open Source - Koha and Evergreen… hey, SCRIBLIO! YAY.
• POLARIS is one of the most forward thinking. Yay, GMILCS

Good presentation for an introduction, but I certainly feel like it’s been said. More people need to implement Scriblio in order for it to get higher on the radar.

In this session I’m hoping to get ideas for how to interest the uninterested on my staff. Or even how to empower the interested but reluctant or shy or, at the very least, convince those who think what I do is needless play, that it is actually an important and relevant initiative.

Him and me.

First: Donovan Deakin (WebJunction)
Market Research Trends.

• An increase in interest and adoption of online tools. Shoot, is this about HOW to get online staff training and not HOW to train staff to even get online? Darnit anyway.
• F2F is most popular, conferences, online training
• Blended learning.
• Wimba classroom; livemeeting.
• Formal training plans.
• Patron Services Content

I am not following this very well. It’s too much theory and not enough of what to do actually do.

• Information technology, computer applications and tools, web 2.0
• Impact and ROI of training: morale/job satisfaction, attendance and evaluation of trainings, job performance ratings, improved library services. What if the staff doesn’t want to come or if they do, they don’t show an interest in implementing it on behalf of the library?
• fit training design into current schedules
• Budgets static, projected to increase

More now by Rebecca Ranallo Kahl
Maybe this will be more what I was hoping for.

• Contracted to get training from community college for staff and then implemented it in house.
• New public website with increased staff responsibility. All staff responsible for web content. This is what I would like to do.
• Dedicated staff for training helped to comfort staff who were reluctant to adopt.
• Intranet which runs on same system as their cms so those may be comfortable contributing to intranet can then bring it to the cms.
• Committed funds for training and external trainers.
• Let staff PLAY with tools before they have to do it in public. How to get them to try and give it time to learn?
• Test case: Employee time and payroll software. System upgrade. All employees training by online tutorial. Sustainable. Designed for current staff. Useable as an orientation tool for new staff.
• Strategic Planning interactively! Included collaborative planning… video. ***
• Second Life. No staff computers can handle Second Life - create content. Not so sure about this.
• Cuyahoga Conversations: Community issues and interests, library hosts the site, library manages the conversation. Staff are excited, but also scared.
• Orientation Center includes online modules for Intellectual Freedom, Corporate Culture, Customer Service, Marketing, and Diversity. ***
  Barriers: Buy-in from Staff and from Managers, Bandwidth, Updated technology, union, fear of technology, complacency.
• Outcomes: Deliberate training plans, competency based evaluations, more working sessions (everyone brings in a project to work on and apply it), responsibility for learning, more on-demand opportunities.

Q&A Biggest challenges are fear and that they’re not required to immediately use what they learned.

Not so bad afterall. The question at the end really resonated. I have some ideas about effective staff training, but need a plan to present to the managers.

I couldn’t get on the wireless so I’m not liveblogging, really which really bums me out.

Them and Me

Firefox tools

• SafeCache protects your privacy segments the cache so one cookie can’t read another.
• SafeHistory similar, but hides your history. Good for public computers.
• Fox marks allows you to share book marks and go to my.foxmarks.com to see them.
• FEBE - Firefox environment backup extension. Sychonizes computer at work and computer at home.

Wait, I got on, commence liveblogging.

Other webtools

• Meebo chat widget. When you login it shows you are available. Libraries embedding it on the no search results page. In license databases.
• LinkBunch. Puts multiple links into one small link.
• DocSyncer. Automatically finds and syncs your document files to Google Docs. Yay, this would be great for reluctant Google Docs users. (You know who you are.)
• Twhirl - Twitter helps to keep in touch with colleagues. Join a river of conversation. Fades in and out as new tweets come in so you can glance.
• Polldaddy: creates a poll to put on your website.

Other web development tools

• VisCheck: simulates how images will look to someone who is colorblind
• Feng GUI feng-gui.com: Automatic alternative to eye-tracking and creates heat tracking.
• Browsershots: shows your site in different types of browsers. I need this for the new tamworth site, because I think it’s a mess in IE. When will I learn to code in IE?
• Flickr Photo Badge
• Photoshop Express www.photoshopexpress.com/express - photoshop you can use online.
• Forget location of website, think distribution. Put your stuff where they are. We need bookmarkable pages - permanent URLs.
• Google gadgets: put a countdown countdown widget on your site. Announce upcoming events.
• Altavista Babelfish site translator. Widget on the page: translate this page.

Cool utilities

• ProcessTamer: monitors CPU usage
• FileHamster: real time backup and archiving of your files while you work.

For this, I’m just looking for more ideas about how to punk our city’s cms. I heard Darlene and Jeff when I went to Monterey a few years ago.

Him and Me

• Improve the site incrementally. Iterative change - small stuff instead of big stuff. This model is so much easier on us web folk… especially with other responsibilities.
• Update your copyright date and last updated automatically. People DO pay attention to your site’s freshness.
• Outdated information = NO credibility. We’re always preaching about credibility, but we ignore how civilians judge it for themselves.
• Add photos to contacts! YAY! Put a face on the library Increases a users trust with the library website.
• Turning contacts into microformats, hcards. Note to self: order a book for the library on microformats hcard creator = cool! Firefox extensions for microformats: tails and something else I missed
• Replace all “click here’s”
• Three question survey: What is the purpose of your visit? Were you able to complete your task today? If you were not able to complete your task today, why not?
• directory links need final slashes.
• web 2.0 stylr for web 2.0 logo creation.
• Say things visually. Use icons. commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Clear/
• Stop slow loading. Diagnose at firebug with yslow FF extensions
• Get site-wide static content into the users cache. In the server config file set certain file types to stay fresh/not expire. Image file types, css, js files, pdfs. Have an .htaccess in your server root and add a FilesMatch for pdf, jpg, jpeg, png, gif, js, css, swf and set to expire in 2010.
• Eliminate inline scripts - put that stuff in external files and call it, except for the homepage. Even CSS should be inline.
• Spring cleaning with w3c validator. validator.w3.org/#validate_by_uri+with_options
• Clean css - looks for redundant and improperly nested. Also compresses it and makes it smaller.
• banner blindness. people read webpages in an F. I always thought that was interesting
• SEO, get good page titles. Check into Google Webmaster
• Format title tags: document title | section name | Library/site name
• Add labels to your forms
• Radio buttons = mutually exclusive; check boxes = one or more option
• SMO (social media friendly): add social media bookmark links to your pages. Use: Social Bookmark Creator

I have to admit that I was skeptical of this session, but it was super terrific. I’m going to take some cues from Jeff for my NELA talk.

I’m here because MCL is really acting on an initiative to raise our profile and move services beyond the library walls - my role, of course, is to do so online. I’ve been really wanting to blog about our town and its inhabitants: good restaurants, walking trails, potholes… Is that kind of thing appropriate from the library? I’m hoping this will help me decide.

Him Me
Why libraries are primed for local This is part of our goal for scriblio, to expose local richness to the internet.
Google = “Organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” But what about where you are now? I TOTALLY agree, this is an ongoing frustration.
The internet puts the world in your coffee cup… but not your community. The internet makes it easy to sip globally, but not locally. It’s easier to learn about Iraq or see satellite photos than it is to find out what’s happening in your own community. It took three of us to find the menu for Amicci’s in Balitimore last night - the spaghetti we finally got ended up spilled onto my lappy keyboard… maybe we would have been better off with sandwiches from the 7-11.
Google is trying to scale down from the global to the local.
Starting to comingle local search results with global. I did notice this last night.
Google bought Sketch Up and looking at local news. this is great, but I’m more concerned with what I can do in my library than what Google is already doing. Google is not the competition.
What is the Local web?
Local search: search engines, local media, photos, maps, social networks. I’ve been thinking about starting one by the library.
Social: User-generated, participatory, amateur, civic, grassroots, citizen’s journalism.
Localized: information about neighborhoods, communities, blocks, streets, buildings.
HA! He’s mentioning potholes - I had the same thoughts! Manchester potholes don’t mean anything to anyone NOT living in Manchester. It’s MORE important to us than Obama or Iraq.
Local web is the joining of the real world and the virtual world. Fringe benefit = if they find local, non-threatening information, reluctant virtual users might be more comfortable exploring its potential.
Internet = isolating and anti-social? NOT true, it’s supplementary, not conflicting.
Local web is bringing a sense of place to the internet.
Are libraries bringing a sense of place to the Internet? We are in the sense of place business - local history, heritage, genealogy, community information.
Can we do more? Join the virtual and the real. This is strange, I’ve said the exact same stuff SO many times.
Everyday life is still local. We live our lives within a 20 mile radius.
Become expert users of local resources and help the community, redefine the types of local information available. We can become active in locally focused resources. We can create our own resources.
Look at the most popular searches for your local area.
Libraries can register in the local search engines.
Libraries are creating their own - rollio, qwickie (?) WHY isolate? The goal is to put yourself in users’ way and not make them come to you. I’m SO not digging this idea. Sorry, library, they’re not going to come to you, they believe in Google, face it and play along.
Local blogs: placeblogs, metroblogs, neighblogs. Viable source of local info. Place blogger local. Blogdigger. Metro Blogging. I’m thinking these tools won’t work small rural areas, only urban
Libraries doing place blogging this is what I’m interested in Darien is doing it - hmmm…
Libraries creating online communities. Skokie Talk, myhamilton.ca. I love this idea. I’d be a bit concerned about appropriateness. This is something my town needs. Should it come from the library?
Even if this stuff is available it’s coming from the government who posts in a pdf or a database which is not searchable from Google. YES, that’s what I mean - it’s so difficult to use or find anything on most governments sites.
hartfordinfo.org libraries… local data aggregation.
Wikipedia… how about localpedia. Would a wiki be a good way to provide such information? I’d be afraid no one would participate.
Geotagging. I’ve only done it with flickr and I found it prohibitively cumbersome.
Libraries aggregating local photos.
Custom maps?
Local can be cheap - these are free sources. The investment, though, is in training and time. Both valuable resources, make no mistake.
No successful business model on local - they’ll all labors of love which is a good reason for libraries to get involved.
There’s lots of local data that hasn’t been put on the web.
Garner community goodwill. Academic libraries as well as local.

Monday @ 10:30