Thank you Stacey Nordlund. Stacey has created the eBooks Made Easy: How to Download Library eBooks to eReaders and Mobile Devices. I’ve used her excellent, easy to follow instructions, with my iPad as well as with a Kobo and Sony eReader and they were/are a life-saver. Why is it so easy to download ebooks we purchase, yet so complex to download ebooks to be borrowed? I know this situation for public libraries will eventually be simplified, but, in the meantime thanks, Stacey, for creating this and for your permission to share; do most libraries have instructions like this for their users?
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Jim Morgenstern of dmA Planning & Management Services is a Planner (a real planner, with degrees & certification) who has literally completed dozens of community, recreation and library master and strategic plans. He’s seen it all – seen it work well & result in an actionable plan that truly makes a difference, and seen it fail miserably resulting in a document that gathers dust and no moss. Here’s his presentation on why some strategic planning goes off the rails and the key factors for ensuring the planning stays on track & blows through the station to a successful future. Jim Morgenstern Library Strategic Planning View more presentations from Rebecca Jones Guest Blog by Ryan Patrick, OLA Store Coordinator Thanks, Ryan, for sharing your idea with us! Like many Canadians who have received electronic readers over the past year I have gone through the steps in setting up accounts, downloading apps, trouble shooting and jumping through the hoops to be able to download e-books from the library on to my reader. Well, trying to download e-books. Unfortunately most of the e-books at the public library are currently on loan and so I wait on the waiting list with others until the book I’ve requested becomes available – much as I would for a new book “in print”. That’s when I think… this is crazy. In the world of cyberspace and the globalization of the Internet why am I limited to my municipality’s or city’s e-book selection. Why can’t I log on to any library system in Ontario, for that matter Canada, and download the book that I want? Why are municipal libraries using more and more of their funding to put into electronic resources to then turn around and say that they are only for their patrons and not for folks outside of their constituent boundaries? Why do we not let libraries do what they do best – serving patrons on a face to face basis in our local library? Why don’t we put our collective efforts into a lobby for the federal government to create an e-book lending service for all Canadians? Or at least start provincially – with an Continue reading E-books in Libraries: Ryan’s Rant Thanks to OCLC Next Space Newsletter Dec 2006 http://www.oclc.org/nextspace/005/1.htm A few libraries we’ve worked with during recent years have reviewed their approach regarding fines and decided that fines aren’t “fine” at all. These libraries have determined that “revenue” generated from fines just doesn’t compensate for the negative image associated with penalizing clients, the stress front-line staff endure dealing with those penalized clients, plus the staff time allocated to tracking down late items. Yep, I said “penalizing clients”. Hm….let’s consider that for a moment. Fines are a penalty for not returning items at the time agreed to (otherwise known as the “due date.”) In some public libraries fines for overdue items are charged even when the item is finally returned; this is to cover staff time spent following up on the item, and to discourage the client from returning items late again. In some post-secondary libraries students cannot receive their grades or graduate until all fines are cleared. There’s logic here — the student is in possession of the university/college property, and all loans for any property must be returned or paid off prior to receiving degrees or diplomas. The loan is a point of leverage. Hm…… I’m not suggesting that these policies or fines are wrong; I am suggesting that libraries do some critical, strategic thinking about the purpose, cost and implications of fines. Particularly as digital items replace physical items. What’s the implication of withholding marks and diplomas pending payment? Will the student then want to be an Continue reading Fines: Worth the Cost? Thanks to Gary Price’s ResourceShelf for reminding me that the world’s first airport libraryhas opened at Amsterdam’s Schiphol. It is part of an “ambitious Holland Boulevard” to create a “strong Dutch sense of place.” This new “zone” in the airport “aims to deliver a strong flavour of Holland to the five million departing and transit passengers through the area each year”…with… “a Dutch Kitchen Bar & Cocktails outlet.. a Bols Genever Experience unit, displaying the history of the well-known Dutch brand…. Rijksmuseum store, a Kids’ Forest play area, a Baby Care Lounge, a Back To Life massage zone, an area selling premium chocolates and flowers, a unit offering long-stay transit passengers the chance to undertake excursions into Amsterdam, plus a series of ‘living rooms’ with fireplaces and televisions…” and the casino. The MoodieReport.com writes “The zone fits with Schiphol Group’s vision to devote 10% of space at the airport to entertaining passengers and non-revenue-generating activities such as the library, museum and baby care areas.” What’s more, the library is seen as adding “a touch of class. Supported by the Dutch Public Libraries, it’s not a revenue generating area for the airport, but it does enhance the consumer services offer and sense of well-being, especially for the many transit passengers that pass through the Boulevard. I wrote last week about architect Francine Houben musing that public libraries may be the new cathedrals in communities. In previous centuries many saw the cathedral as a a gathering place, a place of community pride, Continue reading Library at Schiphol Airport Part of “Sense of Place” Intelligent Life, The Economist’s quarterly “culture magazine” profiles architect Francine Houben, and in so doing, looks at the role of the library building in the community. Houben is designing Birmingham (UK) Public Library, which the Council and chief librarian, Brian Gambles, see will be an image-changer, for the Library as well for the community. How many public libraries are “image changers” in their communities? The article, Reinventing the Library, also looks at the game changers over past centuries – including technologies – that have impacted communities and libraries. The building is designed to be provisional, with flexible spaces that can adapt when the next technology takes over. Houben’s design focuses on how the “new library could be a social hub, a place where the target of 10,000 people a day come to meet, or be alone, or be alone in a crowd; a place for co-operation or silent study, for fun or hard work, a place to learn or just to linger over a skinny cappuccino. A place the whole city could use. A part of its soul.” In fact, she sees “Libraries are the new cathedrals – secular cathedrals.” Is your community library viewed as a “cathedral”? What a concept…….. So wonderful to see the creativity & fun in public libraries. Ontario Library Association challenged libraries to “pimp their booktrucks” – and they did! Ontario Library Service – North in Sudbury and Springwater Library (in between Collingwood and Barrie — hopefully that doesn’t offend anyone!) took the Gold & Silver medals. Way to go! We’ve been so privileged to work with both of these organizations — fabulous staff & hotbeds of humour. We need more of this! I’m working away on my pet project & keen interest-area, Organization 2.0 — how organizations are evolving their structures, approaches, roles and responsibilities (plus governance, accountabilities, etc.) to truly leverage collaborative 2.0 tools and technologies. By the way, some of you should be prepared since I’m about to embark on a series of interviews to see how organizations are coming along with this evolvement or if, in fact, you’re experiencing more “stalledment”…. And I come across a link to the “Chief Happiness Officer” , Alexander Kjerulf, who writes and speaks on the importance of happiness in the workplace. This isn’t a new concept by any means, but it is one that most organizations try for a bit, particularly around the time of off-site meetings, team building and 360 appraisals, and then “get back to work!” The first time I heard this concept was in the mid 1980′s when the VP I reported to at Imperial Oil Ltd. started to actually DO something about building and maintaining a “happy” work environment. A “happy” work environment? The guffaws were loud and long. An “effective” work environment was the goal — maybe even a “motivating” work environment. But “happy?” Good heavens — if you were aiming for happy you might get sleepy, and we already had enough dopey and grumpy. But he was not deterred and those of us who worked there benefited from the incredible learnings of what it really takes to create and manage a happy work environment. Read the first Continue reading Chief Happiness Officer – now THERE’S a role for organizations’ leadership teams At long last, here is Jane’s presentation to the Spring 2008 conference Ontario Library Service-North held for its incredible public library clients. We so enjoy working with the public libraries in northern Ontario; in this discussion Jane talked with them about “applying and learning web 2.0 tools in 15 minutes/day”, originated by Helene Blowers at Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. Learningtalk Jane For Olsn Spring 2008 View SlideShare presentation At CIL on April 8/08 Bonnie Peirce from Dover Town Library, one of Library Journal’s Movers and Shakers and known to many for Library Goddesses blog gave a fantastic session on open knowledge networks as a service model for youth services. Bonnie has initiated the B3OK pilot exploring the possibility of any physical or virtual object/location/space. Check it out. They’ve given kids a physical object they would be interested in – in this case a fossil – with a QRCode, and then let the kids explore all the various connections to pursue their interest in the fossil. This has led to kids talking with other kids locally and all over the world, forming new connections. Bonnie also posed 6 questions that she is posing as they look at the service model for engaging youth in the library —– but, really, these are questions librarians need to be asking about all service models: how can we enable people’s participation with objects, topics, places, etc….? how can we increase community knowledge, and trigger communication among people? how can we enable their participation in their own communities? will I lose my job today? can I keep the platform open? what stories or knowledge are hidden here that could be shared? We particularly need to ask that 4th question: will I lose my job today? Am I pushing the boundaries to the edge to question the traditions and norms of what we do and how we do it — cuz the norm of yesterday Continue reading CIL Tuesday Ah Ha’s! |
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