No classes booklet for Fall 2015

Due to the uncertainties of the off-site moves and the limited availability of training spaces associated with the renovation of Central, we will not be producing the "booklet" of classes that we usually send out at this time.

There will be classes scheduled during the next few months, we will be sending out email notices and posting to the blog when these are scheduled, and of course you can always check the SD&T calendar to see what's available.  We just won't be producing the booklet with the photos and the 3-month schedule.

We apologize for this and hope to have things back to normal by the Winter/Spring class schedule.

SD&T

23 Mobile Things is Here (almost)!

23 Mobile Things is a self-paced learning program that will identify 23 types of apps for mobile devices.  These include many of the most popular apps like Pinterest or Instagram, but also apps that are related to our work at the library and apps to help our customers.  We hope this will be an informative and fun introduction to using mobile devices and they possibilities they present. 

All EPFL staff members are welcome to participate in this program, although it is strongly recommended for public service staff.   Each session of the program will be limited to 25 participants.  Participants are strongly encouraged to BYOD (bring your own device) although we will be focusing on using iPads and tablets rather than phones.  Staff can also use the iPad that was provided for their location/branch or borrow an iPad from Systems.  You also need to know how to find, download, and install an app on your device from whatever source you use. 

We will provide you with a list of the 23 things and suggestions for using them, but it is really up to you to explore the options and see what works for you.  We will be sharing a variety of app types, including social media, curation, e-books, and even music.  We’ll also be looking at apps which you can use daily, like checking email on your device and even setting up a mobile meeting.   There are a lot of options for exploration and experimentation, with the goal of determining which will work best for you professionally and personally.  You may use many of these apps already, but we hope you’ll find new ways to use them, especially for your job and as customer service tools.

You must complete 15 of the 23 things to receive credit for the program, so it is a commitment.  However,  it is (roughly)  one hour a week and you can earn up to 24 hours of CEU credit if you complete the entire program.

If you are interested, you MUST complete the initial "thing" which will be an overview of the program and a discussion about online identity and privacy.

There will be two sessions of this first class, and you will need access to a computer because we are presenting the class via Blackboard  to get you into the right "techie" mood (and so you don't have to come downtown).  When you register we'll give you more information about how to access the Blackboard for your session.

Thing 1 - Online Identity

Thursday, September 10 
10:30 - 11:30 a.m.  

Tuesday, September 15
1:30 - 2:30 p.m


If you are interested, but cannot attend either session let us know and if there is enough interest we may run a third section of the class.

To register for Thing 1 and the 23 Mobile Things program, send an email to SD&T.

Coming Soon - 23 Mobile Things

23 Mobile Things

23 Mobile Things is a self-paced learning program that will identify 23 types of apps for mobile devices.  These include many of the most popular apps like Pinterest or Instagram, but also apps that are related to our work at the library and apps to help our customers.  We hope this will be an informative and fun introduction to using mobile devices and they possibilities they present. 

Who Can Participate?

All EPFL staff members are welcome to participate in this program, although it is strongly recommended for public service staff.   Each session of the program will be limited to 25 participants.

What Do I Need?

Participants are strongly encouraged to BYOD (bring your own device) although we will be focusing on using iPads and tablets rather than phones.  Staff can also use the iPad that was provided for their location/branch or borrow an iPad from Systems.  You also need to know how to find, download, and install an app on your device from whatever source you use. 

HOW WILL THIS WORK?

We will provide you with a list of the 23 things and suggestions for using them, but it is really up to you to explore the options and see what works for you.  We will be sharing a variety of app types, including social media, curation, e-books, and even music.  We’ll also be looking at apps which you can use daily, like checking email on your device and even setting up a mobile meeting. 

There are a lot of options for exploration and experimentation, with the goal of determining which will work best for you professionally and personally.  You may use many of these apps already, but we hope you’ll find new ways to use them, especially for your job and as customer service tools.

IS THIS ELIGIBLE FOR CREDIT HOURS?

Yes, you can earn up to 24 hours.

Check back soon for more details!

Some humor

http://www.howtogeek.com/130302/geek-comic-for-december-6th-social-media-reading-trends/

ALA 2015 No Sugar Coating Allowed: Four Honest Perspectives on Change Management

No Sugar Coating Allowed: Four Honest Perspectives on Change Management

This session was presented by Skoie Public Library located in Skoie, IL.  It was presented by 4 staff member of Stokie public: Deputy Director, Community Engagement Manager, Adult Services Manager, and a Young Adult Librarian.

Their plan was to focus on:

 1. Providing Access

 2. Fostering Learning

 3. Building Community

From the perspective of the Deputy Director, change meant: to reach out and be human ( be more personable and approachable), to choose positive and think critically (zoom out and not focus on negativity), to listen and communicate (reality vs their perception).

From the perspective of the Community Engagement Manager, tasks included: building a new department, making community engagement division operational and managing staff transition. 

Three transitional phases were identified:

1. Ending and losses- loss of office space, bathrooms, some job responsibilities, etc.

2. Wandering in the wilderness- time between old identity and new, conversation about what was and what will be, high anxiety, low energy and lower productivity, difficulty getting things done, resignations/ retirements, and reduces sense of competence

3. New beginning- emotional commitment to a new way (staff begin to consider the office as "cozy"), positive community reaction, new services

During all these phases manager were encourage to:

a. Provide a safe place for staff to talk about concerns, questions, etc...

b. Listen, listen and listen some more

c. State, when appropriate, the purpose of realignment

d. Help facilitate the change by painting a picture of what's to come

e. Facilitate connections to answer to questions the manager can not answers

From the perspective of the Adult Services Manager, learning to stop worrying and love the realignment

A personal account of how the changes affected her and how she changed her perspective. Initially she dreaded going to meetings and hearing about the upcoming changes and experienced a roller coaster of feelings but over a period of time and through conversations with her manager, forums about the changes and presentation about the library's new direction, she began to change to her perspective.  Suggestion to help cope with the change:

a. Recognize that the things you lost matter, grieve them and move-on

b. For feelings of being left behind and not feeling important- get involved in the new role, start to change your mindset by beginning to say yes!

From the perspective of the Young Adult Librarian, new kid on the block

A personal account of how the change affects a new staff member. She experienced: resentment from seasoned staff because of her positive outlook on the change and how embracing the change didn't protect her from the negativity.  She overcame the negativity and found her stride by continuing to express excitement and enthusiasm when working with others and her positive attitude be infectious.

Excellent program that can be easily applied to a renovation.

More from MLA/DLA Annual - Documenting the Lives of Veterans

MLA/DLA Annual Conference

May 6-8, 2015

Documenting the Lives of Maryland Veterans: How to Provide Access

Mary Mannix - Maryland Room Manager, Frederick County Public Libraries, Melissa VanSchaick and
Kathryn Ryberg - Practicum Students, Jill Craig - Digitization Librarian, Western MD Regional Library

The librarians of Western Maryland presented nontraditional resources to use with researchers. 1) Local smaller newspapers published information about local people. The articles are much more detailed than national newspapers. 2) Scrapbooks as a resource. These are archival (usually) and held by local libraries or genealogical societies. 3) Local Oral History Projects: The Oral history project in Western Maryland has been partnered with Library of Congress’s Veterans history project. For the oral history project, interviews were recorded on DVD. The information in the DVDs needed to be more ‘discoverable’. 

The FCPL’s interns created subject rich summaries of each interview (Full transcripts would take too long to create). The summaries in turn were added to the catalog with an original cataloging record. Subject headings (650 fields) and full text searching will make it easier for researchers to find information by name and by topic. The oral histories included local ‘Rosie the Riverter’ as well. Women working in the Fairchild plant in Hagerstown were interviewed for an oral history project in 2004. The interviews, photographs and memorabilia are available at Western Maryland’s Historical Library (WHILBR).   Excellent presentation and very useful information.

Sarah Kuperman

Collection Management

More from Computers in Libraries 2015

Computers in Libraries 2016

March 8-March 10, 2016 Washington DC

Year after year this conference has keynote speakers who hit the highpoints of library issues. Mary Augusta Thomas’ keynote “Technology & Libraries: Now & Into the Future” connects the past with the future. Librarians provide researchers access to resources format doesn’t matter. The Smithsonian’s mission statement includes the statement that “our expert staff and extensive collections are a crucial resource for research and education communities at the Smithsonian, within the United States, and around the world.”

The Smithsonian library’s diverse collections prove that statement.  The Super Searcher Workshop always offers exciting new resources from the web. The multi-tracked days full of workshops provides the opportunity to hear new ideas from libraries who are enthusiastically sharing their experiences.  My favorite take-away?  Library customers need librarians more than ever, as evidenced by multiple presentations which included a discussion of “one on one” appointments  to help customers with resumes, job hunting skills, business plan development, learning a new device, and writing a research paper.  It expands the reference interview into a learning session that helps library customers build skills in using library resources.

Sarah Kuperman

Collection Management