IOLUG Spring Meeting Details Announced

The Indiana Online Users Group Spring Meeting will be held on May 14th, 2010 at Indiana Wesleyan University Indianapolis Education Center North.  The theme is “You Can Take it With You: Libraries Moving Into Mobile.” Details and registration can be found at http://www.iolug.org/index.php/programs/spring-2010-program/ .

The keynote speaker will be Jason Griffey, Head of Library Information at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.  His talk is titled “The Future is Mobile.”  I will be sharing a session with Bill Helling, Assistant Director and Head of Reference (former Systems Librarian) for the Crawfordsville District Public Library.  Our session is titled “How Friendly are library Websites and Databases?”  Bill’s session will be titled “How Does Your Library Website Really Look Like?”  This focuses on how to create a library website that usable for mobile devices.  My session “Bill Helling, Assistant Director and Head of Reference (former Systems Librarian) for the Crawfordsville District Public Library” is on accessing commercial and free databases with mobile devices.  I will demonstrate using an iPhone.  Right now I am looking at demonstrating EBSCOhost, WorldCat, Encyclopedia Britannica, and USA.gov.  I may add in additional databases if time permits.

Registration is $45 for IOLUG members and $65 for non-IOLUG members.

Outsourcing Librarianship to an iPhone App

Yep, I’ve found a way to marginalize our profession with a simple iPhone application.  I bought an iPhone last week and I LOVE it.  It’s the best invention since the iPod and will be even better once they make the storage on them big enough to hold all my music (other 50 GB right now).  I downloaded an app called “Librarian.”  Yep, our days are numbered!  You turn it on, set the noise sensitivity meter and when the volume goes over that point, it goes “Shhhhhh!”  THAT’S IT, WE’RE FINISHED!!  I mean, yeah now we have more time to check out books, but that is also being taken over by self checkout systems.  So I guess we’ll get to just sit around and do the part of our jobs we enjoy the most, READ!

Seriously, isn’t that what many people think about our profession?  Come on, we’ve all heard it…we tell people we are a librarian and they say “OH!  I love to read!  That would be a great job.”  Or when I was in library school I would have people ask me why I needed a special degree for to do that?  I heard that more when I lived in Kentucky than I do in Indiana – I’m not making Kentucky jokes, just stating a fact.  But even in Indiana, among other professionals and highly educated people, there is general lack of understanding of what we do.  I’ve spoken to people who realize it is a profession and that a Masters degree is required.  They have respect for the field, but still ask, “so what EXACTLY do you do on a day to day basis?”  They don’t know.  So I guess next time someone asks me, I will break out my iPhone, turn on that app, and say, “Well, I used to do this” (and play the Shhhh sound), but now my iPhone does it for me.  I figure that might be a good starting point when having to once again, explain what exactly librarianship is all about.

Windows 7 – So far, I LIKE IT!

I built a new PC for my home last week and this is my first experience with Windows 7 and I have to say, I’m impressed.  First off, let me say that I never used Vista at home or work, so this is quite a big change for me.  Second, this PC replaces my old PC which is now 5 years old.  It was high end at the time, but not so much now.  My old one had an AMD Athlon 3000 with 1 GB of RAM (later updated to 2 GB),  256 MB A ATI video card.  My new PC is a monster… Intel  i7 920, 6 GB RAM (3DDR), 1 TB hard drive with a 32 MB cache, Radeon 5570 video card with 1 GB cache a high quality case and power supply and Windows Professional,  64 bit.  So the performance is greatly improved.

What I like about the Window 7:  I like the new task bar.  That allows me to avoid having to use RocketDock.   However, you can’t add ANYTHING to it.  Some things are tricky to add like directories and I don’t think you can add libraries to it.  I also THINK I like the “Libraries” concept although I am not sure if I will be using it to its fullest extent.  For instance, my “Photos” library may only link to photos in my “Photos” folder and not from other places.  I am too much of an organization and control freak for that.  I want to know in my head where all my files are.  I also like the search capabilities.  Searching for files in Windows 7 is so much faster than in XP.  I also like the customization options and the background themes.  I know that is window dressing (no pun intended), but I still like it.

What I don’t like:  I am not crazy about the start menu and how that expands.  Maybe it can be customized, I don’t know.  I also don’t like how when I click the Explorer button in the task bar when I already have an explorer window open, that it just opens that explorer window.  I want it to open another one.  As it is, I have to right click it then select it to open a new explorer window.   I’ve only been using it for a week and so I know I have tons to learn.

This summer, Rose-Hulman will be doing a mass migration from XP to Windows 7 for all faculty, staff, and student computers.  I am not sure how they plan to handle this transition.  The last time they did this was 2002 for Windows XP.  Back then, just about every version of Windows was being used on campus and so that summer, many many new PCs were purchased to meet the computing needs for XP.  I am sure a similar situation will need to be dealt with this time.  However, not only is it a matter of CPU and memory requirements, but software as well since Windows 7 offers a 32 bit and a 64 bit version.  Previously they only supported the 32 bit version of XP.  I hope they do not choose to go solely with the 32 bit version, but either both or only the 64 bit version.  The library staff members all have PCs that are 64 bit, but some of our work stations (circulation desk, reference desk, back room, Ariel computer etc.), are all using Pentium D’s so I am not sure if all of those will need to be replaced.  If also, it will be a significant expense to the library.  So I will have to deal with this transition in addition to our migration to a new ILS system, weeding project, etc etc etc.  But I welcome us switching to Windows 7.

My First Mobile Library User

Yesterday I was at the reference desk and a student came to me with a call number and asked where he could find that book.  No big deal right?  Well, the call number was on a catalog record on an iPhone.  I thought “hey, cool, we have not gone mobile yet and the users are pushing it first.”  Usually we implement a new technology and then see if it catches on.  This is promising because we do have plans to create a mobile presence withing the next 8-9 months.

On My 14, 2010, IOLUG’s spring program will be titled “You CAN Take It with You: Libraries Moving into Mobile.”  I will be doing a session titled “Tested and True-How friendly are library websites and databases?” with Bill Helling.  Bill’s part will be on mobile viewable library websites, mine will be on databases with mobile capability.  I am compiling a list of these databases now but won’t be able to fully experiment until March when I get an iPhone of my own.  In other developments, Logan Library will be moving along with our consortium led by Indiana State University to Innovative’s Millennium with the Encore add-on.  One of the features that Millennium is supposed to have is a Mobile version of the interface so I’ll have to wait until its launched this summer to experiment with it.

How to use a book

In case your forgot, here is a quick refresher as to how a book works.  Watch it!  learn it!  Use it!  Have a great week. Medieval Helpdesk on how a book works

The Library Website with a Face: Digitally Connecting to People Where They Are

http://thisthatotherthing.wordpress.com/2009/11/17/the-library-we…where-they-are
Yesterday I gave a summary of the Indiana Online Users Group (IOLUG) Fall 2009 Meeting in Plainfield, Indiana on Nov 13, 2009.  Today I would like to expand a little upon what I spoke about.  I only spoke for 15 minutes, but it was about something I discovered that has profound implications for a small college library like mine.  My topic was “The Library Website with a Face:  Digitally Connecting to People Where They Are.”  In summary, creating a website where the users can always see if a librarian is available to help them and the ability to connect to them instantly through a chat widget.

At Logan Library, we experimented with a third party virtual reference service for one year.  We had very few virtual reference sessions.  First, to keep the price down, we could only have one librarian logged in at a time and there were large chunks of time when nobody was online.  Second, the chat link, a button that said “Online” or “Offline” depending on whether someone was logged in or not, was only located on the library website’s main page.  At the time that we stopped this service, we began a subscription to LibGuides, a Web 2.0 platform for creating subject guides.  By default, each LibGuide adds the guide owner’s profile to each page of the guide.  Profiles can include numerous types of contact information as well as a chat widget from almost any of the major IM services.  While the most commonly used widget by librarians is for Meebo, we decided to use AOL Instant Messenger and use their widget directly.  We found this best to suit our needs.  We also use Trillian instead of the actual AIM software because it allows us to set the time for the “away” message to coincide with the screen saver; thus we can set it to a very short amount of time so that if we walk away from our computer, the away message will kick in shortly thereafter.  This decreases the chances of users sending us a message and not getting a reply.  Since we only have two reference librarians, we also made it so that the profile of each of us was on the main page of each guide home page, thus they can see if either of us is available.  Finally, we added a “Help” tab to each guide which contains contact information and chat widgets to other library staff members who can help in other ways.  For example, our Interlibrary loan librarian’s box has her contact information, her chat widget, and her picture with the caption “I can help you with questions about Interlibrary loan requests.”   Likewise, each reference librarian’s caption says “I can help you with your research.”  This removes the ambiguity regarding who can help for certain questions.

As a result, we have seen virtual reference questions jump from a handful a quarter to a handful a day.  Most questions such as “what database would be best to search for a particular topic?” or “how can I find out if we subscribe to a particular journal?” can be answered quickly and easily.  In the past, most students would wait until they had time to come to the library to ask these simple questions.   If someone needs more in-depth reference assistance that is hard to do through chat, we can simply set up a time to meet them in the library to give them the appropriate attention.  Thus, knowing that most research is being done outside of the library and with the frequency of use, we know that we have filled an important void in our library service.

Our LibGuides site can be viewed at http://library.rose-hulman.edu and my presentation can be viewed at  http://www.slideshare.net/histrydude/the-library-website-with-a-face-digitally-connecting-to-people-where-they-are or by clicking the image above.

eBook Readers and Student Text Books

While I have never been a big advocate of eBook readers, I have found value in them. The value I have found tends to be more or less, the opposite of what the author in this article states. If I had the desire to read the epic novel, “War & Peace,” I would want to read it in a paper copy and then have it to place in my library. Back in 2000 when I started at Rose-Hulman, I was given the duty of experimenting with numerous eBook readers. The conclusion I came to then, I still hold today. I don’t see them replacing the type of book you would want to read cover to cover, at least not for most people, but I do see their advantages as a means of delivering text books to college students. The author of the article states that text books purchased for a class should be held onto when the class is over as part of their education. It’s an academic thing. He finds the idea of students not highlighting or annotating a text book so as to not degrade the resale value appalling. I can certainly relate to this notion as I held onto almost all of my text books. There were a few here and there that I sold, but most I kept. But the fact of the matter is, text books are extremely expensive, bulky, heavy, and for general education classes, will more than likely never be opened again. With students strapped for cash, it only makes sense to sell back these books that otherwise may one day be used as door stops or as I have used them, to prop up the head of my bed during times of sinus infections so I could breath at night. So what I said nine years ago, I still say today. Ebook readers would make a nice alternative for student text books. Being a laptop campus, our students walk around with back packs that hold their laptops, numerous textbooks, notebooks, and other items. You would think they were hiking the Appalachian Trail rather than walking across a small campus to attend a few classes the way these backpacks stick out two or three feed from their backs. I can envision a model where students could be given the option of either purchasing the eBook for permanent ownership, or by leasing it for a specific amount of time for a lower cost. There are barriers to this of course. While the Kindle has been the most successful eBook reader so far, the technology still needs some tweaking and the business model has a long way to go. Recently, Amazon removed copies of George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm from their website and from their Kindle reader devices, copies these users assumed that they owned. The alarm caused by this development has caused people to once again to lose faith in the eBook concept. Call it good timing, or good luck, but that same week, Barnes & Noble announced the launch of its eBook store and its reader, the Plastic Logic eReader device which will be released in early 2010. The eBook industry is still unstable, but as we grow closer to standardization and more and more mediums of communication (books, news, articles, audio/visual) are accepted into the digital realm, there will be a place for eBook readers. And while textbook publishers may be a late adopter, I still expect there will be a place for them in the future world of eBooks.
Reference: http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2009/11/03/golub

Multitasking is the brain seeking novelty

There is multitasking and there multitasking!  The former is what I do throughout the day, balancing various duties that must be done, website updates, reference assistance, library instruction, resource evaluation, etc.  I can’t do all of my duties every day, that would be impossible.  So I try to focus on specific ones and occasionally I get pulled away to attend to something unplanned such as a database bill that needs to be paid, or answer a phone call by a vendor.  The latter form of multitasking I am referring to is the dangerous kind.  It’s the kind that will pull me in several different directions, or as some have called “task switching.”  It’s checking email every few minutes or updates on my favorite news website when I am working on updating EBSCO AtoZ records or creating a LibGuide.  It’s having my phone attached to me all day buzzing me about appointments coming up, or text messages from friends, and phone calls from anyone and everyone.  It’s the kind of thing that can completely destroy my agenda for a week, month, or year if I don’t keep it in check.  I read a fascinating blog post today by a neuroscientist who suggests that multitasking and our attachment to our smart phone and other forms of technology has much to do with the brain’s craving for novelty.  He says that dopamine is more of a “gimme more” neurotransmitter than it is a “feel good” neurotransmitter like many believe.  It is like an addictive drug that keeps us coming back for more.  Furthermore, he states that like drug cravings, we can lessen that impulse to keep going back to these various stimuli by giving ourselves little vacations from them, thus allowing us to go back to living a “normal life.”  I often find myself needing to do this.  I will shut down Outlook for a good portion of the day to avoid distractions.  Or I may shut my cell phone off while at home and keep the computer off for several evenings so that I can simply “be home” and enjoy it.  I highly recommend reading the article for further information.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/russell-poldrack/multitasking-the-brain-se_b_334674.html

But I would like to reflect for a moment on attractions to Web 2.0 technologies.  Having jumped headlong into Library 2.0 implementation for my library in the past year, I have found myself constantly experimenting with different platforms.  I find that I get excited about something different and use it extensively, then I move onto something else.  For me, it has become somewhat of a drug.  Some technologies have stuck while some I have let fall by the wayside.  I think what is important is to stay focused on a set of goals and objective and apply these tools as a means to accomplish these goals and not a means in themselves. I am very interested in hearing from other librarians, especially Web 2.0 junkies like myself, who may have some thoughts on this topic.

Editing OCR Transcript Field in CONTENTdm

Are you a user of CONTENTdm 5.x?  Have you fooled around with the OCR feature for TIFF images?  If you have not or have and found it frustrating, here are some tips.  First, it works best with text with basic, easy to read fonts; the larger the better.  Like most OCR software, the smaller the font the more likely there will be mistakes in the OCR text.  The same goes for fancy fonts.  We scanned a yearbook from 1901 that used this font that was similar to Old English and we had to make corrections on almost every line.  But even with good clear text, there are bound to be issues and sometimes images can be interpreted as text and so a string of strange characters will be entered into the transcript field.

Here is the BIG TIP!! If you are building a compound object of many pages such as a yearbook and using the OCR feature, edit the transcript fields for each page while still in the CONTENTdm Project Client BEFORE uploading the object and its files.  This method is much faster than editoing the transcript fields once it has been uploaded.  I have found this out the hard way.  I uploaded about 5 yearbooks and then had my students find each page in the web administrator module.  This is very inefficient as you have to first search for the page, then open and edit it, and then close it.  All this is a slow process for each page.  A much quicker way is to do it right in the CONTENTdm Project Client, after you have built the object, but before you upload it.  You can edit one page right after another much faster.

Becoming Library 2.0 the Right Way

http://thisthatotherthing.wordpress.com/?p=132
As Logan Library moves towards Library 2.0 by integrating Web.2.0 technology, there is already discussion in the blogosphere about Web 3.0.  Any discussion of this by librarians at this point is premature at best.  Many libraries have rushed to embrace Web 2.0 technologies without having asked themselves why they should.  Many have jumped headlong and into creating a library blog and adding other features without it being tied into their library’s strategic goals.  An article in Information Today “Making Web 2.0 Work—From ‘Librarian Habilis’ to ‘Librarian Sapiens’ by Milica Cvetkovic makes the point that it must be tied into a library’s strategic goals.  Without doing so, two problems soon become apparent.  First, technologies are adopted by the library and not by their patrons.  Second, librarians often do not have the time to work on these technologies once they are launched.  It is something extra that they take on their own and considered secondary to their job.  On both of these points, I have something to say.

On the first point, I have always been reluctant to adopt something without foreseeing a direct benefit to our users.  However, I did try a few things through trial and error.  First, we started virtual reference a year and a half ago, it was hardly ever used.  But we used an external commercial service where we could only have one librarian logged in at a time and we had the link to the service only on the library’s main page.  With our implementation of LibGuides, we have placed chat widgets for each of our reference librarians (2) on every LibGuide.  Every Libguide page has at least one chat widget.  Thus, they can see if we are available wherever they are on our website doing research.  The response has been excellent; we get several IM reference requests per day.  The second experiment was to use Twitter to inform a class on updates to a specific LibGuide as well as for other library news.  In three weeks, we have only gained only four followers.  I have conducted a survey by show of hands of over 300 students during Freshmen College and Life Skills classes, asking how many use Twitter.  I often got zero hands or occasionally one or two.  But Twitter does have a scrolling ticker widget that we were able to put on our webpage so it was not a total waste.  On the second point, the title of my blog says it all.  I already do many jobs and so engaging in blogging and managing Web 2.0 platforms is just more work for me…and more stress.

It was quite timely that I read this article today (it came out today) because just a few hours before, I decided to conduct a study.  The study will 1) survey our users on what Web 2.0 technologies they are currently using (social networks, social bookmarking, communication, etc;  2) Reevaluate how our library resources are being utilized by all of our user population (database usage, location usage, etc); and 3) survey our students on their research practices.  This purpose of the study will be for publication in a peer-reviewed journal and for our own knowledge as we revise our strategic goals and objectives.  As Logan Library wades into the murky waters of Library 2.0, we will do so armed with factual knowledge of our users and not just assumptions.