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August 24, 2006

Kim Dae-jung's Kick-A** Speech About Libraries

Excerpts from the moving and powerful keynote speech delivered at the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference is must reading for all people who care about libraries. Former President of South Korea and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kim Dae-jung delivered a powerful and moving speech about the vital role libries have and will continue to play in the world. He also stresses the increased importance of libraries and encourages taking a more bold and proactive role in shaping the world. WOW!!! Read it, read it now!

Libraries: Key Movers for Age of Knowledge, Information

Following are excerpts from a speech former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung delivered to mark the opening of the 72nd World Library and Information Congress Sunday_ ED.

In the 21st century, the age of knowledge and information is in its high gear. In a knowledge and information-oriented society, creative brains become leaders of the economy and knowledge workers, not manual workers, are in great demand. This is an age when intangible knowledge and information take the role of prime movers, leading all sectors.

I think the time has come for libraries to assume a role that is unprecedented in importance. Needless to say, libraries performed many important roles in the past agrarian and the industrial society. But those roles were only secondary and limited in scope. In the 21st century, libraries will perform pivotal roles in determining whether this age of knowledge and information will succeed or not in attaining its desired goals...MORE

Posted by anna at 3:39 PM | Comments (0)

August 22, 2006

FANTASTIC article on Wikipedia

I know, I know, you are probably sick to death of reading about Wikipedia but, I beg you to read just one more. I thought this article from The Atlantic Monthly was really interesting.

Posted by anna at 9:35 AM | Comments (0)

Technology is Business

Part of my job is to scan various sources and spot new trends and figure out how they might impact libraries. One of the non-traditional (at least for libraries) sources is a host of free newsletters and briefs from Forrester Research. One such article came to my computer this morning.

The piece argues that technology is no longer the "seperate" entitiy it used to be but, helps to drive and shape the business using it. Information technology (IT) should be rechristened business technology (BT) to reflect this change of status and importance. I agree with the premise that IT should not be viewed as a seperate rarified department but should be viewed as an integral part of the daily functioning of any business or library and is crucial to customer satisfacation. However, I was really disappointed by the following paragraph:

"If you are the head of IT, you are no better than a glorified librarian, dispensing information. In contrast, if you are the head of BT, you are shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow executives who are running the operation. You're focused on improving process and finding new sources of revenue. You apply technology for business results, not as a way to create information of questionable value."

EXCUSE ME!!! The I in IT is just as important, if not more so, than the T. If we live in an information economy than it seems to me that librarians should be the superstars. Librarians are expert at collecting, organizing, and dissiminating information. Maybe it is time we go a step further and do more in the way of anticipating the information needs of our library, business, community and patrons.

I suggest that we better utilize our library's resources and create specialized online newletters and blogs that provide people with the information they need before they even know they need it. When I worked in law firm libraries, anticipating the information needs of the lawyers was a big part of my job. WE would get a request for a specific piece of information but then we would have to determine what additional information would be beneficial.

I think public libraries can dramatically increase their standing in the community by creating special newsletters for local buisness, gardeners, investors, genealogists, fans of graphic novels, readers of certain types of genre, various ethnic groups, etc.,etc., etc., Basically, what I am suggesting is to examine all of the resources we have, determine what might be of interest to some self selected groups, and create a "package of information." We could describe our resources, why we selected them and think they are good , and how the patron can use them effectively.

When our profession is faced with people like the author of this article, it is time for librarians to step up to the plate and prove that we do not just warehouse information but, are capable of getting of getting the right information into the right hands when they most need it. We must move to a more proactive role to make sure librarian's are not left out of the information economy.

Posted by anna at 8:16 AM | Comments (0)

August 10, 2006

Do we focus too much on the "how" and not the "why'?

This morning I was taking a quick look at today's (Aug.11) issue of Marylaine Block's Neat New Stuff. And had to click on this posting:

Creating Passionate Users
http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/
"The Creating Passionate Users bloggers [Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates, Elisabeth Freeman, Eric Freeman] are all authors of bestseller Head First books (http://www.wickedlysmart.com)--a new brain-friendly series from O'Reilly. They're all passionate about the brain and metacognition, most especially--how the brain works and how to exploit it for better learning and memory." Their ideas will be as interesting and useful to librarians as to web and product designers. "

WOW! Doesn't that sound cool. I have always wanted to figure out how to help people get the information they need. So I started loking at some of the posts. The only one I have had a chance to skim is the one titled "Are your users stuck in P mode?" It talks about how many people have very sophisticated tools like SLR cameras and can't get beyond the "P" or program mode. The quote below does a good job of describing the situation.

"It wasn't simply a camera problem--it was a photography problem. The camera manuals describe precisely how to turn the dials and push the buttons, but never tell us why we'd want to. They focus on the tool rather than the thing the tool enables (taking pictures). What good does it do to master a tool if we haven't understood (let alone mastered) the thing we're using the tool for?"

How often do we tell people how to find things in the stacks, operate the copier, access the Internet without really using the skills and knowledge people turn to librarians for? Have we begun to focus too much on how users can get the information instead of making sure they actually find what they need?

I think there is a pervasive idea that "anyone can find any thing they need on the Internet." So if a person can't find "something" they either assume that it doesn't exist or they are too stupid to find it. Neither attitude is conducive to having their needs met.

This all goes back to the librarian's lament about patrons not using those expensive databases we all purchase. How do we get ourselves and our users out of the frame of mind that focuses on getting online and not on why they want to get online to begin with?

The Internet is a tool, it is not the end objective. When do we as a society move from focusing on all of the things the net can provide to determining what we really need to get from it? In other words maybe it is time to get over being enamored of the Internet and get back to the business of information and how to not only find it but to evaluate it and best use it.

Maybe it is time we realize the Internet, in and of itself, just isn't that into us. It wants to sell us things and ideas and guide us down many a primrose path but, do we really need this? The Internet has many uses and purposes but should it be the dominate player and provider of the world's information needs?

Posted by anna at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)

August 8, 2006

Complete WorldCat database open to the public!

This late breaking news from OCLC (via DIG-Ref)

Announcing the release of the new WorldCat.org Web site.

This site---and a downloadable WorldCat search box you can easily add to your Web site---opens the complete WorldCat database to the public, not just the smaller data subsets utilized by Open WorldCat partner sites such as Google, Yahoo! Search and others. WorldCat.org builds on the success of OCLC's Open WorldCat Program that has elevated the visibility of library materials on the open Web since the summer of 2003.

The main attraction of the new site is the WorldCat search box. Web users can now search the entire WorldCat database with the method most familiar to them: simple keywords. As in Open WorldCat, each linked result leads to a "Find in a Library" information page. From there, users can enter geographic information such as a zip or postal code, receive a list of nearby libraries that own the item, and link right to a library's online catalog record to initiate circulation activity or access electronic content directly. Users can also create their own WorldCat account and add book reviews, table-of-contents information and notes to many WorldCat items, helping to personalize their library search experience.

From WorldCat.org, any Web user or organization can also easily download and install the free, WorldCat search box to their personal or commercial Web page, allowing even more people to discover library content through WorldCat. Libraries and other groups inside and outside the OCLC cooperative are encouraged to add the box to their sites. We believe that sharing the ability to search for library materials to as many other sites as possible will help increase the awareness of libraries as primary sources of reliable information and helpful personal assistance.

To try the new WorldCat search box and download the box to your own Web site, visit the site at http://worldcat.org .

Questions? Contact your OCLC representative or regional service provider for additional information.

To view a Web version of this e-mail, go to
http://whatcounts.com/bin/archive_viewer?id=6FB64ED51A04512E8B0B3DDE31E5
303C .

Posted by anna at 10:21 AM | Comments (0)