heidi go seek

Thursday I participated in the second Ann Arbor Library Camp (and also the second I've attended!)  The event was hosted again at the Ann Arbor District Library.  There were roughly two to three sessions per time slot, I think it was a good mix of things and every session I attended was interesting and lively.

Eli from AADL kicked the event by editing the agenda on the wiki.  The agenda was as follows: 

9:00-9:30 AM

• 4th Floor Board Room: Coffee, Bagels, and Schmoozing

9:30-10:00

• 4th Floor Board Room: Welcome and construction of Agenda

10:00-11:00

• 4th Floor Board Room: Drupal users and user wannabes
• 4th Floor Conference Room A: Killing NetFlix Dead
• 3rd Floor Freespace: Digitization Standards for Digital Libraries

11:00-12:00

• 4th Floor Board Room: ILS
• 4th Floor Conference Room A: Virtual Reference & IM

12:00-1:30

• Lunch on your own. Check out http://arborwiki.org/index.php/Category:Restaurants for some ideas!

1:30-2:00

• 4th Floor Board Room: Reconvene and adjust afternoon schedule if needed.

2:00-3:00

• 4th Floor Board Room: Developer Collaboration
• 4th Floor Conference Room A: Selling 2.0 in a 1.0 world
• 3rd Floor Training Center: Subject Resources Pages & Pathfinders

3:00-4:00

• Lower Level Multipurpose Room: Show & Tell / Super Smash Bros. Brawl Tournament.

4:00

• Lower Level Multipurpose Room: Wrapup & Farewell!

Notes and thoughts from the sessions I attended are included below:

Killing Netflix Dead:  Alternate Circulation Models

A discussion of library circulation models with the popular DVD rental service, Netflix, in mind.  Some points discussed:

• Library Delivery Services
  • Some libraries offer these services to patrons, but many only to homebound patrons.
• Can the Netflix model for queues and hold be applied to library services?
• Are libraries more like Blockbuster given that they have a physical and online presence?
• How will "watch instantly" online service change library services
  • Netflix Instant Movie Streaming
  • Hulu.com
• How can patrons control when their holds come in:
  • Improved queuing systems
  • Handle long hold waits
• Some libraries mail all their holds, would this be a premium service or an expectation.
• Wishlists vs. Holds
  • AADL is working on implementing this in their catalog.
  • Need to balance "I want this item as soon as possible with I want it someday."
  • It's easy to have "too many holds" in your queue with a wishlist implementation.
• Vendors vs. IT
  • Evergreen and Open Source ILS may have an advantage to implement changes quickly
    • Individual institution ILS vs Consortia
• Netflix Model with Friends
  • Can we implement a community model into our catalogs?
• Digital Divide
  • Still an imbalance between the people who have the connectivity and those who don't.
• Test it first then figure out how it works later
• BookMooch & Paperback Swap
  • Existing models for swapping and mailing books users.
• Hold Waits
  • How long are you willing to wait?  Some might be willing to wait long, others might not be.
• Digital Content
  • How long will be before we're not physically picking things up from a library?
  • Where do libraries fit in?
  • Libraries circulating popular materials may go away (note: I can see this happening, one comment I made during this discussion is that services like Netflix and Rhapsody are not expensive and are often more convenient than the library)
  • Digital Divide again?  Are we really just there for the patrons who can get this stuff?
  • Ebooks and readers will become more accessible over time.

Virtual Reference & IM

• Meebo still seems to be the tool of choice for IM reference and libraries
  • Bar is low to use
  • Lightweight
• QuestionPoint for Virtual Reference
• Co-Browsing
  • Rikhei doesn't think co-browsing works
  • Technology is hit or miss for this
  • In theory a good idea but harder to implement and may not be very useful for patrons
• Fewer steps and questions for patrons may enable them to become more engaged
• They like to know that there is a person there
  • Away messages if you are busy
  • Indicating that you're helping another patron and will be with them shortly is beneficial
• Two different chat models
  • Focused completely
    • This may be more of what the librarian is or expects of the patron
  • Multi-tasking
    • This may be what the patron is actually doing while you're helping them
• How to implement in library services?
  • Schedule staff for IM
  • On the floor?
    • Chat reference may not be easy or appropriate when you're also trying to work the desk.
  • Staffing Issues
    • 24/7 Reference?
• Nature of Questions
  • One person commented that there is a variety but more reference questions (public library)
  • Another person commented that questions happened in the late evening (academic)
    • Policy Questions
    • Problems using electronic resources
    • Sociology/Psychology Students seem to use virtual reference more
    • Helping students getting started on papers
• Filtering on the Front
  • Could filtering be turning people away
    • I likened this to calling Customer Support, and how frustrating this is
    • I also commented that we don't bounce patrons around to other staff immediately when we're on the desk, we help the patron first and then transfer them to a subject specialist if we're running into walls
  • Virtual Reference tends to hand people off to different people
  • Physical reference desk have no filters
• Text Reference
  • Smart Phones
  • Set up texting through AOL Instant Messenger (Rikhei has some experience with this)
  • Consider shorter IM names for texting
  • Limiting characters
  • No additional training
• Gaim (Pidgin) Software, Trillian
• Like Meebo, but download software to computer
• Twitter Reference?
• One librarian pondered it
• Also discussed recently on Uncontrolled Vocabulary
• Younger people don't check their email anymore
• They are texting
• They are using MySpace
• I commented that this may change when they go to school or enter the workforce, I personally don't see email as a communication tool leaving these institutions anytime soon.
• Libraries on Facebook
• UM Did a Survey
• 60/40, don't want libraries on their Facebook
• Say it's kind of creepy
• But found that Facebook Marketplace is a great way to recruit people for usability studies
• I commented that I find the only people who add library applications to their Facebook pages are librarians, kinda funny.
• Second Life
• Huge Overhead
• Download Software
• Huge Learning Curve
• Have to learn to walk before you can even visit the library
• Portable Devices/Roving Reference (jblyberg)
• No Reference Desks, how do you connect with patrons on the floor
• Virtual Library Initiatives
• iPhones in the Library?
• What do you use for Roving Reference?

Lunch

Raja Rani, 400 S. Division St, Ann Arbor MI

Indian buffet, yum!

Subject Resource Pages & Pathfinders

• LibGuides
• Rikhei talked a lot about LibGuides at GVSU
• Grand Valley State University
• Good stats on particular databases
• Fun to use!
• Great customer service and tech support
• Hoping to see library guides as a portal for students in their subject areas
• Other Uses
• Hennepin County Public Library
• Looks like html implementation
• Norwich University
• Wiki implementation
• St. Joseph County Public Library
• MediaWiki implementation
• WikiMatrix - Wizard for choosing wiki software
• Public Libraries
• How do you communicate your resources?
• Not sure anybody really had an answer.  I know that this is difficult given the array of questions and interests we have in public libraries compared to the needs to academic library patrons.  Our wiki resources pages are meant to be internal, I have designed our wiki resources around class projects, but printed handouts for parents and students as I pull the books they need for display.
• From personal experience I think I focus mostly on making sure that staff has access to the resources they need to help patrons. My most updated and frequently used wiki page is our Tax Resources page.  It can stay relatively the same every year, but I keep it current by adding and deleting FAQs based on changes I see from the IRS.
• Are the products we use just too hard to use?
• YES!!!!
• Do we need to convince vendors to make things more usable for our patrons?
• YES!!!!
• Google Scholar with Link Resolver
• One of my personal faves at Wayne State
• http://www.lib.wayne.edu/
• Google Scholar right on the front page, off campus access link allows me to use Google Scholar off campus with the link resolver
• Federated Searching
• Nautilus (GVSU Federated Search)
• http://www.serialssolutions.com/ss_360_link.html
• AquaBrowser
• Pulling in databases and other sources
• Tagging
• Quality over quantity in regards to links and electronic resources.
• This was one comment I made during this session.  I personally think that a patron can type in a search in Google already and come up with an overwhelming amount of resources on their own.  The library should be providing quality resources, just a few good links is better than linking to everything you can find on a subject.
• How do we integrate these subject guides into catalog?

Show & Tell/Gaming

We did show and tell first, from 3:00 to 4:00 and unfortunately had to scoot out at 4:00 to get to Detroit for class.  It's too bad because I really wanted to play Guitar Hero too!!!  Here's a list of the great things some people shared with the show and tell though:

• Eli presented on awesome 10 minute video on gaming at the Ann Arbor District Library.  I have to say that I think it made me more proud to be an AADL patron than it did to be a librarian.  I've been to a AADL gaming event once before and the teens there impressed me.  They were engaged and it was fun!
• University of Michigan Libraries MTagger
• Detroit Public Library Teen Blog - The renovations they are planning for the main branch teen area look very interesting too.  I would love to pop in and see it when it's done someday when I'm out at school.
• Allen County Public Library Blog - I liked how Melissa commented about how they are very proud of their blog at the library.  Library staff have posted reviews and information and they see it as a very open and relaxed forum to share with their colleagues and patrons.  I think that's how blogging should be!
• Columbus Metropolitan Library Toolbar - The used Conduit to create the toolbar.  I'm not a big toolbar person but I thought this looked pretty sharp.  I definitely saw potential for something like this in creating standard browser setup for patrons and staff in a library.