Transforming Texas Libraries

1
Transforming Texas Libraries

• Highlights of Presentation by George Needham and
  Joan Frye

2
Edward Deming

• Change
• It is not necessary to change. Survival is
  optional.
• People are starved for time
• Will not take the time to master search skills
• Specific information still hard to find
• Constituents see librarians as waiters, with
  menus

3
General Tips

• Dont be quick to judge success or failure
• Seek out other inquiring minds
• Go outside your usual frame of reference or
  comfort zone
• Broaden our vision

4
Constituents

• Whom are we supposed to serve?
• What do they value?
• Not only in libraries, but in other service
  providers

5
Quality of Life (QOL)

• How is your library contributing to their
  work/learning?
• Not just users, but constituents

6
Adapting to New World

• Flexibility
• Important to libraries
• Many paths/options toward achieving program goals
• Digitization Projects
• Such as shared by several universities
• Community colleges might wish to join the above
• Share expertise and training

7
Online Reference Services

• 24/7
• Between community colleges and universities

8
Proximity to Public Libraries

• Near schools
• Adult learning centers
• Community centers

9
Marketing Library Services to Administration

• Printed reports and brochures
• Power Point presentations
• Always build into our programs and alliances
• Rationale for stakeholders to join with us
• Assessment of outcomes for individuals and
  communities

10
OCLC Environmental Scan (2004)

• Many insights on Social, Economic, Technological,
  and Research and Learning trends

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Three Trends

• Self Service Cult of the e-mateur
• Self Service does not equal No Service
• RESPECT our constituents
• Disaggregation fire-hose of Information,
  i.e., too much!
• Librarians better at aggregation (forming
  collections)
• Recombination of resources
• Mainstream data formats
• Easy import/export

12
Enhance Discoverability!

• Universal Access
• ssreleasesbucket/pressreleases2003jun/litapresiden
  tandnum8217s.cfm
• Search engines, not OPACS
• Crawl-able databases
• Digitization, with captions

13
Finding Partners

• Contribute to non-library sites and sources
• Collaboration is an unnatural act. Robert
  Martin
• Extend librarys reach
• Interdisciplinary collaboration
• Find common constituents

14
Library Strengths

• Abundance focus on assets
• Minimal rationing (limits on checkouts)
• Fast, convenient service delivery
• Demand-based resource allocation
• Radical Trust
• Publics goodwill toward public radio, museums,
  and libraries

15
Success Insurance

• Provide information at point of use
• Minimal gate keeping
• Minimal library only procedures
• Remove clutter, excess terminology

16
Sense of Humor Important!

• Computers in libraries are like icing on cake
  they add to the whole experience, but just make a
  sticky mess without a firm foundation. Warrior
  Librarian
• Considering the increasingly rapid obsolescence
  of technology, computer theft is a community
  service. Warrior Librarian

17
OCLC Report Perceptions of Libraries and
Information Resources

• 3,400 people surveyed
• 6 countries, English-speaking only
• Survey was online
• 71 respondents use Google vs. 21 use library
  website
• Worthwhile Information
• Search engines 88
• Libraries 79
• Trustworthiness
• Both sources about 70

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Professionalism of Librarians (as perceived by
public)

• Librarians status as professionals should be
  reinforced
• Dont position librarians at front desks
• Clerical staff up front
• See librarians by appointment (Academic
  libraries)
• No roving librarians
• Too much like retail sales

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How can librarians encourage, inspire, stimulate
and support learning and reading?

• Hospitality!
• Inspiring destinations
• Cleanliness
• Pleasing views, both interior and exterior
• Improvisation, such as in displays and exhibits
• Surprises, such as I didnt know you had .!
• Pleasure

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Virtual Outreach

• Investigate using to librarys advantage
• YouTube for PSAs
• Myspace
• Del.icio.us
• Wikis