Part III: The New Oases (a/k/a A Nomadic Environment)

April 29, 2008 at 7:37 pm (Learning 2.0, Library 2.0, philosophizing, web resources)

Summary of, and commentary on, Part III of Andreas Kluth’s special report.

Summary:

 Kluth examines how the new nomadism has affected architecture, citing examples of specific nomadic workspaces.  The phrase “third place” is defined, and the history of its manifestations is traced from 1989 (when the phrase was first coined) to the present.   One major challenge facing contemporary third spaces is techno-isolation, to which many “third spaces” have responded by proving more opportunities for human interaction.  The effects of third spaces on city planning and traffic patterns is analyzed.

 Random Thoughts:

According to Kluth, the new nomadism has strongly affected the creation of new architecture, which makes me worry just a little when I look around our beautiful building, which was built in 1895. For the moment, it passes the William Morris test in that it’s both useful AND beautiful. It’s also a historic landmark, so there’s no danger that it’s going anywhere anytime soon (whew). But, as a third space, can our library remain competitive with new creations specifically designed for a new culture?

Take, for example, the notion (which I did not know, and I’d love to see the research) that “people working on laptops find it comforting to have their backs to a wall.” Could that really be the make or break function for whether or not somebody might choose to use the library? If you’ve been Googling or searching databases all afternoon, and you still can’t find what you’re looking for, do you care if your back is to the wall, or do you want to be where you can find what you’re looking for? That being said, if a space can be altered so that it’s a more amenable environment, why not try it?

In terms of what our patrons seem to need and want, space-wise, here are some random thoughts and observations:

  • Pittsburghers love long tables.  The more they can spread out, the better.  The few study carrels we have are used far less frequently.  I’d scrap them in favor of more long tables, or large round ones, which are also popular.
  • Computer users on our floor would rather sit down than stand up.  If it were up to me, I’d transform the six “express” terminals into 60-minute sit-down workstations.  Hardly anyone chooses to the 30-minute stand-ups, even when all the sit-down slots are filled. 
  • Quiet spaces are still important to many folks.  I think the most embarrassing moment of my career to date was when I was shushed by a patron while enthusiastically explaining to another patron how to use one of our databases.   And the two quiet reading rooms in the south wing are steadily populated, even when the main room is not.
  • The encyclopedia island should probably be in the front of the room rather than in the back.  We get a lot of students from the nearby high schools and universities, and their teachers–bless them–still give assignments that require print encyclopedias.  Ergo, front and center!
  • Shelf labels for the reference section might be a good idea.  We have a lot of books lining the walls, and they’re only designated by call number.  This works for people doing focused searches for specific reference books, but what about casual browsers?
  • Our reference desk is still a huge, intimidating barrier.  I’d love to see the two wings on a slant, with space for people to walk around and behind us., with the computer signup island remaining in the middle, and the “Ask A Librarian” sign between us.  All the better to dance around!

That’s all I can think of off the top of my head, for the moment.  Objections?  Spatial factors I hadn’t considered?

As for traffic patterns, I’m in favor of anything that would make Oakland more parkable, beginning with more bike racks for the public and ending with telecommuting (an alchemist can dream).  Like many bookstores and other third places, the library offers lots of programming; the problem is, it’s tough for people to take advantage of it because it’s hard to find someplace to park (and we’re only open until 8, but that’s another issue for another day).  I’m not sure how much we can do about that, and if that’s out of our control, how should we adjust our programming strategies to take advantage of an inflexible reality?

One objection that comes up whenever issues like these are raised is the argument that the library as we know it is vanishing. Some people feel very strongly that this is a bad thing; I’m a little more confident about our ability to preserve what’s worth keeping while still making room for new perspectives. As long as we continue to use solid criteria to select our materials, does it really matter if we choose to arrange them in a more aesthetically pleasing fashion than we have heretofore? As long as library staff observe the ALA code of ethics, does it matter if we all come to different conclusions about whether or not we want food / coffee / cell phones, etc. in our respective libraries, or how we arrange the furniture, or whether or not it’s comfy-squooshy? As long as libraries retain their committment to taking care of things that are big issues for librarians, we can agree to disagree on the ones that are, ultimately, smaller in terms of our missions, but bigger in the minds of our patrons. In other words, most of the audience doesn’t want to know how the magicians do their tricks. They just want a good show.

Too radical? Perhaps. But that’s how we get anywhere in life – by pushing the envelope, trying the back door when the front door is locked, putting ideas out there, and taking risks.

More Kluth on Thursday.

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Interlude – Page update

April 29, 2008 at 1:31 pm (Learning 2.0, Library 2.0, web resources)

New resource on the Everyday 2.0 page – why not take a gander while you’re waiting for today’s main entry?

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Part II: Labour Movement (a/k/a “Working From Anywhere”)

April 26, 2008 at 10:57 am (Learning 2.0, Library 2.0, news, philosophizing, professional development, traditional library services, web resources)

In which we discuss part two of Andreas Kluth’s special report on contemporary nomadism.

Summary:

 According to at least one set of current research data, workflow for so-called “knowledge workers” is evenly divided in thirds between a traditional office space, the home, and a “third place” of choice.  Unlike telecommunting, which took place in isolation, work nomadism combines periods of solitude with periods of connectivity, in the ratio and manner of the worker’s choice.  The complexities of negotiating communication and “office” politics are examined here, and the challenge of preserving work-life balance (in a world where your work can very easily become your life) is discussed at length.

Random Thoughts:

 The “money quote” from today’s Kluth excerpt is as follows:

James Ware, a co-founder of the Work Design Collaborative, a small think-tank, says that nomadic work styles are fast becoming the norm for “knowledge workers”. His research shows that in America such people spend less than a third of their working time in traditional corporate offices, about a third in their home offices and the remaining third working from “third places” such as cafés, public libraries or parks.

Librarians, the archetypal knowledge workers, have embraced nomadic technologies wholeheartedly.  But how about the workflow?  As I surf my newsreader, I read about a lot of innovative projects various libraries are implementing, making good use of Web 2.0 phenomena.  As far as I can tell, though, most folks are still working in an office in a library.   Would anyone like to share their current experiences?

My own dabblings in this regard are minimal, but, I think, significant.  Take, for example, the blog branding project.  Technically I’m on vacation, but I choose to peek at work mail from time to time.  This is mostly because, if I don’t, my mailbox fills and shuts down with alamring rapidity.  While winnowing for the key messages, I found the .jpg proof of the custom blog banner graphics has been working on for Eleventh Stack. The sooner we get the blog up to CLP graphics/IT standards, the sooner it will be more prominently placed on the website. This will lead, we hope, to better outreach and customer service.

So I sent the file to the blog team listserv and waited a day or so to round up comments. I’m in the process of writing up that feedback and sending it back to the Communication and Creative Services Team. Did I have to be in the office to do that? No. Should the team have to wait until next Tuesday, when I’m physically present, for the project to move forward? No. Did doing twenty minutes of work in the middle of a long, glorious series of recreational activities seriously impair my ability to enjoy a life outside the office? Emphatically, no. And that’s not the only bit of business I was able to take care of quickly and efficiently from a distance, either.

You could make the argument that working from home or a “third place” puts an unfair burden on the folks who have to staff the desk and take care of other tasks in your absence. In my own library’s situation, I would counter with two key arguments:

  1.  The number of in-person reference questions we’ve received has dropped, slowly but consistently, over the past few years.
  2. The reference questions we DO get require a greater amount of legwork.

In other words, people are using Google, Wikipedia, etc. before they turn to us.  Librarians used to be generalists.  Now that general knowledge is more easily available due to technology, librarians who work at a traditional reference desk are forced to become specialists,  skilled at using traditional resources that are not yet available online in full-text (including, at CLP, certain engineering standards and the local artists’ files). Some people are suited for this kind of work, but it’s not the only way to be a librarian anymore. Ergo, why not save the bulk of the desk work for the people who truly enjoy the desk and the tough questions? Though it’s not always clear-cut, current library rhetoric treats the differences between “old-schoolers” and “twopointtopians” as if it were a fight between the Capulets and the Montagues, when it really isn’t.

The question instead, it seems to me, is, “What kinds of librarians do we want to be?  Generalists, or specialists?”  And the beauty of that question is that people can self-select based on their own interests and inclinations, and everybody can contribute to the organization in the manner that works best for him/her.  Gone are the days when you had to work an 80-hour week and never have a life to prove your loyalty to an organization.  Now, provided your mind is engaged and contributing, your physical body can be in the environment that works best for you.  Again, a win-win situation, with librarians who identify as introverts probably benefiting the most from nomadic arrangements. This is not always clear-cut. I’m a professed introvert, but I truly relish the few hours a week I spend at the reference desk. And I can name at least four regular readers of this blog who move beautifully between both workstyles – true Renaissance librarians!

The work/life balance issue is a complicated one that folks with considerably more experience have debated in various forums. Only the individual, however, knows for sure when s/he has achieved balance. Many of us became librarians after dabbling in other professions, and some of us perceive our profession as a vocation rather than as just a job, or even as just a career.  Those of us who feel that way might be more likely to take the TIPS home, for example, or spend a lovely Saturday morning writing in his/her professional blog. That’s why I think one thing libraries might want to consider doing, if they aren’t already doing so, is investigating workplace wellness initiatives, to help us keep each other balanced and accountable. Granted, we CLP folks have access to a great EAP. However, I’d really love to see a more personal initiative, one on which staff and administration actively collaborate, for everybody’s benefit, just to make sure that we don’t start thinking like attorneys.

Thoughts? Questions? Comments? Critique?

We’ll pick up with part III of Kluth’s report on Tuesday.

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Part I: The New Nomadism

April 22, 2008 at 7:40 pm (Learning 2.0, Library 2.0, news, philosophizing, web resources)

As promised, commentary on part one of Andreas Kluth’s special report on mobility.

Summary:
Once upon a time, states Kluth, people needed lots of stuff to communicate. Since most of this stuff had to be plugged in to a power source for it to work properly, that meant people also needed spaces for their stuff. For a little while, it also meant that when people traveled, they had to take all kinds of stuff with them, in order to stay connected. Nowadays, that’s not so much true. Inexpensive, lightweight, portable devices, and the wi-fi networks that sustain them, have evolved to the point where we, as a culture, are forced to re-think our concepts of space, place, and connectivity. Scholars in various discipoines are studying the technological use and social behaviors of the “new nomads” to see what the implications are for cultural institutions and organizations.

Somewhat random thoughts:
Kluth begins with a quick overview of theories of nomadism, then contrasts these paradigms with the way events have actually played out:

Urban nomads have started appearing only in the past few years. Like their antecedents in the desert, they are defined not by what they carry but by what they leave behind, knowing that the environment will provide it.

In other words, people expect that, wherever they go, their environments will have already have all the tools and circumstances they need to stay connected. Is this true of libraries? More to the point, is it true of OUR library?

I think it is, for the most part.  As Kluth gets more specific in subsequent parts of the report, I will mention specific wild and crazy ideas I got while reading the articles.  For now, though, let me just say this:

cell phone lounge.

I know.  I could feel you shudder.  It sounds so…non-library.

But consider this:  if cell phone use has permeated the culture–and it has, to the point where the person talking to him/herself on the bus might not be crazy, just Bluetoothed–then organizations need to adapt to reflect the culture.

Note that I did not say “toss out the baby with the bathwater.”  There will always be a need for quiet, restricted places, where people can study and read in peace, especially as the world gets noisier and more connected.  But the best way to preserve those quiet, almost sacred, spaces is, in this librarian’s opnion, to make room for the changes.  To honor and respect them.

Hence, the cell phone lounge.  Picture it:  One room, in Main, soundproofed if possible, where you are welcome to take your calls and be as noisy as you like.  Put in a new carpet, some comfy, cunning tables that look like miniature restaurant booths (catalog available on request), and let them have food.  Wi-fi access is, of course, already present building-wide.

This lounge accomplishes two things:

  1. Acknowledges that cell phones have permeated the culture and meets patron expectations for new nomadic spaces.
  2. Gives the library more control over how those nomadic spaces are governed.

Our current cell phone policy asks users to take their calls in the hallway.  While this is respectful to patrons who desire quiet, it’s kind of like asking your adult relatives to sit at the kids’ table for Thanksgiving dinner.  Why not create a situation that’s win-win, as opposed to “some people win, some people lose?”  It’s also beneficial for staff in that security guards–and reference librarians–will be able to enforce policies more easily when there’s a designated space that’s just as nice as the spaces everybody else gets to use. If somebody’s using a cell phone anywhere other than the lounge, we can point to the lounge and say, “We respected your needs. Please respect ours.”

Thoughts? To be fair, I did start out with an esoteric, atmospheric example, as opposed to a concrete need (like CD R/W drives, but don’t get me started!). Still, I think I’m on to something here…

In an amusing twist of irony, I will now be taking a blogging break for a few days–or will I?–to enjoy a well-earned vacation. Given that we will eventually be discussing Kluth’s take on the blurring of boundaries between work and home, thanks to connectivity, I reserve the right to chuckle. So, stay tuned!

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Nomads at Last – Introduction

April 21, 2008 at 3:58 pm (Learning 2.0, Library 2.0, news, philosophizing, professional development, web resources)

In a perfect example of how our brave new world works, the intrepid RK e-mailed the Reference staff from abroad to tell us about Nomads at Last, a special report from The Economist. Our assignment? To read the report and think about our library in light of current social phenomena.

To organize my thoughts, I’m going to dedicate my next few blog entries to the articles in this series. Since I’m due at the reference desk in a few minutes, I’ll confine today’s entry to the amusing advertisement that appeared on the back page of the old-fashioned print version I enjoyed while drinking a nice cup of spiced chai in my own “third place”: GoToMeeting is a virtual service that allows far-flung employees to share information and hold meetings without all that pesky room reserving and physical travel. You can sign up for a free trial here.

My gut impression is that this, and other products of its ilk, could come in really handy for branch folks who might be able to swing off-desk time, but have difficulty physically traveling to (and parking at) Main. For those of us in the building, though, it might be overkill – and, alas, no virtual coffee or snacks. You’ll just have to get your own.

Tune in tomorrow for part one of “Nomads”!

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2.0 Brainstorming

April 17, 2008 at 5:10 pm (blogging, creativity, databases, innovation, Library 2.0, philosophizing, podcasting, professional development, web resources)

The 70-degree weather and balmy breezes have inspired me!  Here’s a short list of the ideas I’ve had about where Main library can go, 2.0-wise (or is it 3.0-wise?) in the months to come, if my informal feasability studies indicate experiments have a reasonable chance for success:

  • A weekly CLP Main podcast, archived on the website
  • Video tutorials for the website [just where IS the mezzanine, anyway?]
  • Booktalk video library on the website [adults, children's, teens]
  • An electronic resources blog to show off our databases and eCLP innovations
  • A library tour, pre-loaded on an mp3 player that we can lend to tourists/visitors for self-guided exploration (the CMOA does this)

These are just a few samples of the kind of notions that flash through my mind on a daily basis – I’ve decided to start keeping notebooks, like Leonardo Da Vinci.  I’ll not presume his genius, but it would be nice to have a record of that great idea I had the other day that has now completely slipped my mind…. :)

 

 

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Trends, Fads or Folly? Notes on a CE Class.

April 14, 2008 at 3:29 pm (Learning 2.0, Library 2.0, philosophizing, professional development, web resources)

As promised, here are a few thoughts on last Friday’s CE teleconference, which you can watch here, if you missed it. You can also check out the speakers’ PowerPoint slides here.

I have to confess that, based on the title, I was a tiny bit disappointed by the content. “Spotting the Library Trends That Really Matter” implied, to my mind, that some sort of rubric or discernment process would be set out that would allow staff members and administrators to do so. The program, however, seemed to assume that phenomena like Second Life and tagging were givens that all libraries should pursue. The questions and concerns from the audience told a different story.

For what it was, however, the presentation was an excellent one. I didn’t know much about Second Life, and now I do. Do I think it’s a direction our library should pursue? Bandwidth is a huge concern, as are staff time and costs. I believe that libraries should invest in virtual worlds, but I think this is a project best left to the folks exploring the Virtual Branch, rather than as an add-on for Main Library.

Use of folksonomies is another issue fraught with peril; I’m currently reviewing a book on responsible cataloging for SRRT, and I can understand the objections to tagging. However, this, more so than virtual worlds, seems to have more practical applications in the CLP setting. If we could purchase or create a system where controlled vocabulary and folksonomy, via tagging, existed in harmony, we’d have the best of both worlds: tags allow users to express interest and investment in an organization. They also allow librarians to learn about how non-librarians label and classify things, which can help us help them. Win-win, really.

“New Reading” has a great deal to do with visual literacy, but it also has applications for accessibility. My greatest fear is, as ever, the digital divide. Luckily, in my surfings, I’ve uncovered at least one organization that provides training and support in this regard – now there’s another project that needs doing – a list of resources for free/low-cost computer training that we can give to folks for whom our own class times and costs are not convenient.  Shiny new formats plus training equals a library everybody can get behind.

To return to my original question, though: how do we know which trends are worth following, and which we can leave behind? If you’re not Faith Popcorn, what do you do? I’m no market analyst, but here are some tactics that, in my opinion, couldn’t hurt:

  • Talk to your patrons
  • Talk to your colleagues
  • Talk to your managers
  • Check out what other libraries are doing
  • Yes, including reading their blogs
  • And the blogs of their cutting-edge staff, like David Lee King
  • Keep up with professional journals
  • Go to conferences
  • Try new things
  • Give yourself permission to fail
  • Don’t assume every project will last a lifetime
  • Have fun

 In absence of more formal criteria, which my very best Googling could not unearth, these will have to do for me, for now.  Thoughts?  Opinions?  Challenges?  Strategies?

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Sustainability. Also, questions I ask myself.

April 11, 2008 at 11:18 am (access, blogging, fundraising, Meebo)

Remember me, your friendly neighborhood alchemist?  I know – bad library blogger!

Or am I?  I’ve just read Helene B.’s thoughts on sustainability, and couldn’t agree more. Perhaps not everything is meant to last forever? The original goal of this particular blog was to chart my learning curve in my new position; after eight months, it is probably time to change focus.

There are certainly a number of different possibilities I’d like to explore; in fact, most of my recent ponderings don’t necessarily involve Web 2.0 applications. Some of the questions I ask myself as I look around the library are:

  • Why is there no index to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette? Who would be foolhardy enough to take on such a task, and how would we pay for it? Would there be grant money for a project like that?
  • How can some of the wonderful tools the Reference Department has be made more accessible to the public?  I’m thinking, of course, of our wonderful ready-reference file cabinet, our trade catalogs, and the Pittsburgh Art and Architecture files, on which some work has already been completed.
  • What’s the best way to provide good customer service to the public while the latest journal inventory / reorganization is going on?  Can we take the inventory data and create a temporary tool, like an Access database, that would help staff find journal holdings more efficiently while we iron out the cataloging issues?  Or would that be a duplication of effort?

During my long blogging absence I’ve been attending a lot of meetings about EleventhStack. It’s been very well received, and now the team is collaborating with other departments to make sure we’re in compliance with the bigger organizational picture. It’s great to collaborate with other departments, and fascinating to see how each of us contributes strengths and perspectives to the whole.

I’ve also started weeding our LibraryThing account; intended as a temporary stopgap container until orders are placed into Millennium, the account has mushroomed to about 1200 books. What’s really great about LT is that, if an order doesn’t make it to Millennium, the tags contain all of the information necessary to track the books. Of course, this relies heavily on librarians properly tagging orders as they enter them, but with a staff of our caliber, that was hardly an issue. :)

 The Meebo project went to the steering committee at the end of March. As most of the committee was unfamiliar with Meebo, they had lots of questions and concerns. This is a great opportunity to think about the project differently, and RK and I will, hopefully, meet with einetwork again soon to see if we can give them some answers. The backup plan, if a catalog widget doesn’t pass muster, is to pilot the project somewhere on the CLP webpage. Stay tuned, and wish us luck…

 On today’s docket: a CE class about knowing which library trends to follow – will report back in a more timely fashion next week, with any gems gleaned therein.

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