Marianne Lenox

Giant List of Archived Webinars

noreply@blogger.com (marianne@mariannelenox.com) — Fri, 2 Aug 2013 13:07:00 -0500

I'm so grateful to the Library community for offering free and open webinars that I thought I'd share something I recently published on the internal blog at work.

Have a look through the listing of some of the events below that I've offered through the HMCPL Training office for the last several years. I've weeded the list to to provide current and relevant recommendations for library staff professional development, so it's certainly not a comprehensive list of every webinar archive that's been made available. I'd like to offer a huge THANK YOU to the following organizations for helping to provide resources to library staff:

American Library Association Editions	Library Journal
American Library Association Online Learning	NonProfit Webinars
American Management Association	O’Reilly Media
BookList	Pattern Research
Chief Learning Officer	Public Library Association
CSL In Session	SirsiDynix Institute
Foundation Center GrantSpace	TechSoup
GLA’s Carterette Series	The Ken Blanchard Companies
Google Search Education	WebJunction
InfoPeople

Please know that all the links below jump to the original content provider and that you may have to register at the site or have a plugin installed on your computer in order to view the presentation. Links were last checked July 29-30, 2013.

Category	Event Title (with link to the source) and Description	Original Air Date
Adaptability	Bridging the Digital Divide with Mobile Services The exploding popularity of smartphones and other mobile devices provides a unique opportunity for libraries to help bridge the digital divide. These devices are often discussed in the context of affluent populations and academic libraries, yet the demographics of mobile internet users are much more diverse than this, and the potential for mobile library services is correspondingly broad.	7/25/12
Adaptability	Carving Yin From Yang: The Curious Split Between Change and Innovation Are change and innovation really separate entities? Why is it important to differentiate between them? How do organizations use them to thrive? Successful organizations push themselves to always stay a step ahead of changing markets, new technologies and talent challenges. Mostly, this means two things: change and innovation.	10/20/10
Adaptability	Danger in the Comfort Zone Rationally we know that change is imminent and to stay competitive we must adapt quickly, but emotionally we want to stay in our “comfort zone.” For things to change, somebody has to start acting differently. Maybe it’s you; maybe it’s your coworkers. Join us for a thought provoking conversation on how you and those around you can break out of your comfort zones to move towards success in these challenging times.	6/6/12
Adaptability	Libraries and the Era of the Learner: A Vision for the Future Join us for a discussion exploring lifelong learning as an economic driver in the 21st century and the expanding role of libraries in this "era of the learner." Building on discussions about 21st century skills and workforce development, we’ll hear from futurist Garry Golden on the changing workforce and the role that public libraries can play. We’re excited to take a glimpse into the future and to hear how libraries can identify changes,	5/16/12
Advocacy	Building Bridges Series #1: Principles of Advocacy Public library professionals know the importance of demonstrating their value to their local communities. Are you looking for inspiration to jump-start your own advocacy efforts? Join us to better understand how ongoing community advocacy supports the vital role your library plays in the community.	11/2/11
Advocacy	Building Bridges Series #2: Community Outreach This one-hour online session focuses on the importance of building and maintaining strong community partnerships. You'll hear from both a small and a large public library on why they believe these partnerships are integral to their success.	12/14/11
Advocacy	Building Bridges Series #3: Communicating Your Value This one-hour online session focused on how public libraries can effectively work with the community and elected officials to align priorities and gain support. Guest speaker Ron Carlee, the executive-in-residence and director, Strategic Domestic Initiatives for the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), discusses the library’s value to the community and elected officials, how to talk with elected officials to gain their support and how to get to the table for important community discussions. He offers practical advice that you can use in your library.	1/18/12
Advocacy	Building Bridges Series #4:Your Library’s Future Martín Gómez, City Librarian at Los Angeles Public Library, discusses the future of public libraries, answering questions and giving practical advice about the continued success of public libraries in our changing environment.	2/2/12
Advocacy	Energize your base: Tips and tools to raise awareness and build support for library services We know that libraries are a good investment but with tight budgets, we need to energize our base – to take action to connect more strongly with community members, to find out what excites them, and to let them know how libraries are changing lives – one connection at a time	11/14/12
Advocacy	Introducing Grassroots Library Advocacy It’s no secret that library funding is frequently being cut these days, with disastrous consequences for librarians and patrons alike. In this free event, Lauren Comito, Aliqae Geraci, and Christian Zabriskie—founders of savenyclibraries.org and leadership of Urban Librarians Unite—will provide a roadmap for saving your library from these cuts or minimzing the damage that they cause.	8/2/12
Advocacy	Tell Me Something I Don’t Know - Meaningful Community Engagement boring for all concerned! This one-hour webinar will offer a ly look at practical, affordable, enjoyable techniques want to join this conversation! This webinar will be of interest to librarians in all types of libraries, as well as	6/12/12
Collection Development	Battle Bullying with Books: Celebrate No Name-Calling Week Bullying is a hot-button topic, and while kids and adults alike issue. Join Booklist Publications for an hour-long webinar on how high-quality children’s and young adult literature can	1/25/11
Collection Development	Healing Reads: Bibliotherapy for the 21st CenturyThe popularity of bibliotherapy has seen a resurgence in the last few years with an emphasis on using both fiction and non-fiction reading in highly creative ways. Its aim now is to increase individual well-being rather than simply focus on self-help and psychological disorders	4/17/12
Communication	Empowered Conversations: Moving from Debate and Discussion to Dialogue - Conversation is the DNA of organizational culture…and its transformation. We will look at an adapted version of a Dr. David Bohm’s model of dialogue and apply it to the evaluation and transformation of the organizational culture of a not-for-profit.	11/14/12
Communication	That's Not What I Said!: Foundations of Interpersonal Communication… Our personalities affect how we view and relate to the world. Each of us have different learning and communication styles, fears, insecurities and defense mechanisms.	6/19/12
Communication	The Power of Image: presenting with the brain in mind - The human brain is wired to respond to images. Scientific studies of the brain are providing powerful insights for designing and delivering presentations that grab the attention of the learner	11/6/12
Communication	Confessions of a Public Speaker For leaders, managers and anyone who speaks and expects someone to listen, Scott Berkun shares an insider's perspective on how to effectively present ideas to anyone. Loosely based on his third book, Confessions of a Public Speaker, this fun, interactive webcast brings you lively lessons and insightful confessions, giving you new insights into the art of persuasion--as well as teaching and learning--directly from a master of the trade.	12/2/09
Consumer Health	Libraries & Health Insurance: Preparing for October 1For many Americans, libraries are the “go to” places for consumer health information. Open enrollment for the new Health Insurance Marketplace begins on October 1 and libraries will likely see local demand for information.	7/26/13
Consumer Health	Operation Health: Resources for Veterans and Their Families Injured war veterans have always been a part of U.S. history, but the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have resulted in a significant increase of debilitating injuries. Returning veterans face many health issues, from physical injuries to mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, substance abuse and suicide. Women returning from deployment face additional issues, while spouses and family members have unique needs of their own.	6/13/12
Cultural Diversity	Reaching Spanish-speaking Agricultural Communities Spanish-speakers working in agriculture communities are looking to their libraries and other community technology centers for public access to computers. But like the recent Latinos and Library Perceptions Report confirms, there's more to be done to reach out to these communities. Join special guests, Patricia Rempel, PhD, Reference and Collections Librarian at Coutts Education Library, University of Alberta and José Garcia, Teen and Reference Services Librarian, King County Library System and NW REFORMA Past President, in this this free webinar archive as they share insights from research on perceived usages of community public access computers by Spanish-speakers in rural Washington gathered through interviews with information professionals.	11/10/09
Customer Service	Engaging Customer Curiosity… How do you engage library customers? People are naturally curious, and are driven to learn about topics of interest. Libraries can engage library customers and create a space for exploration, discovery, and collaboration.	10/17/2012
Customer Service	Taking Off the Blinders: Customer Service Lessons from Other Industries… Be honest. How often do you look ONLY at other libraries for examples of customer service strategies and enhancements? This session will broaden your view, drawing together ideas, lessons and examples of customer service strategies from non-library industries and organizations.	12/07/2011
Customer Service	The Customer Focused Library What happens when you look at your library to better serve and delight their patrons.	3/17/09
Customer Service	What Would Walt Do?: Quality Customer Service for Libraries… Looking for some magic to improve customer service in your library? The Disney Institute on Quality Service has set high standards for creating a quality customer experience and their ideas can be applied at your library.	12/12/12
Difficult Patrons	Conflict in a Peaceful Library Conflict happens! Many of us try to avoid it, some fight with it, some seem to enjoy it and still others seem to handle it with tact and skill. What’s the secret to effectively handling situations of conflict? How can we de-emotionalize ourselves to the situations so that we don’t get caught up in them? Join Andrew Sanderbeck as he explores our dealings with others in the library by defining the conflict situation and using one of three approaches to successfully handle or resolve it. If you don’t like to be yelled at by other people, you’ll really enjoy this fun and interactive webinar.	9/4/08
Difficult Patrons	Dealing with the Difficult PatronsLibrary staff can handle difficult patrons, resolve issues or problems quickly and efficiently and retain customer loyalty throughout. Join presenters Paul Signorelli, writer, trainer, and consultant with a strong focus on workplace learning and performance, and Maurice Coleman, Technical Trainer at Harford County Public Library, for this one hour webinar providing expert resources for working with a patron using common sense practices and techniques for bringing that customer back into the fold.	10/19/10
Difficult Patrons	Handling Challenging Situations: What Do I Do Now? Part I of II and Handling Challenging Situations: What Do I Do Now? Part II of II Is your library staff overwhelmed by users behaving badly? Does your code of conduct sufficiently address users’ inappropriate behaviors? Are staff resentful of having to act as de facto social workers?	5/14/13
Difficult Patrons	Who’s Pushing Your Buttons? Dealing with Negative and Difficult People It’s inevitable, at some point in your week you’ll run into one of them. Those people who seem to turn a wonderful day into a dark one.	9/19/12
Funding	Grantseeking Basics This introductory course provides an overview of the funding research process for those seeking grants from foundations, corporations, and grantmaking public charities.	1/7/13
Funding	How to Approach a Foundation Learn how to build relationships with foundation prospects and prepare for calls and meetings with funders.This class gives you insight into the grantseeking and grantmaking processes, focusing on the many opportunities for communication between grantseekers and potential funders.	10/26/11
Funding	Public Library Funding & Technology Access 2011 Study: Results, Trends, and Resources - Over 8,400 urban, suburban, and rural libraries participated in the to lost hours at more than 2,600 branches.	11/1/11
Leadership	A Primer for New Managers: Respect, Trust, and Accountability Stepping into the role of a new manager—or taking on a new make the transition from co-worker to boss.	9/22/11
Leadership	Accidental Leadership with George Needham Leadership may not be something every library staff member aspires as he explores this deeply personal subject. This webinar is available as an archive and can be accessed here . Contact Staff	5/5/10
Leadership	From Recovery to Prosperity: The Power of Vision and Leadership Vision always comes back to leadership. That's because leadership is about going somewhere. People look to their leaders for vision and direction. In this special 2-part webinar designed specifically for existing and aspiring executive leaders, you'll learn that creating a clear and inspiring vision is not an activity that can be checked off a list. It's one of the most critical ongoing roles of a successful leader. It means the difference between high and average performance, whether it's an entire organization, a department, or a team.	1/19/10
Leadership	Incubate leadership @ your library Effective leadership in a library community is not performed by any one person. Instead, it is a collective act of many players contributing their toolset of complementary and evolving skills. Leadership "incubates" best in an environment nurtured by collaborative and continuous learning; it often grows accidentally, sometimes unbeknownst to the leader-to-be.	10/16/12
Leadership	Innovative Use of Skill-based Volunteers in Public Libraries There is a growing number of younger members of our communities (the "net-generation") who are highly skilled with technology and the internet but view local public libraries as nice community amenities with little relevance to their "tip of the finger" world of information. There is also a notable increase in semi-retired, computer literate, actively engaged Baby Boomers. These two groups can be tapped to become the new volunteer base for libraries.	10/19/11
Leadership	Lead with LUV: A Different Way to Create Real Success Join best-selling business author Ken Blanchard and Southwest Airlines president emeritus Colleen Barrett for an extraordinary, wide-ranging conversation on the leadership secrets that have propelled Southwest Airlines (stock symbol: LUV) and other great companies to unprecedented business success.	1/26/11
Leadership	Leaders: Avoid These Fatal Flaws What are some of the common ways that otherwise successful executives derail their careers? How can you identify and moderate some of these behaviors in your own style to be more effective as a leader?	6/16/10
Leadership	New Lessons in Library Leadership Attendees got a fresh perspective on library leadership at this free webinar. A panel of three PLA Leadership Fellow Scholarship winners shared lessons learned from executive leadership training that included the “Senior Executives in State and Local Government” program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. These university programs draw participants from various disciplines in government, non-profit, and the private sector, allowing PLA Fellows to learn leadership and change management concepts among professionals with different perspectives and experiences. Fellows shared highlights from their programs and illustrated how executive leadership lessons make a difference in their work and libraries. Webinar participants received educational resources from the programs and learned how they can bring outside leadership ideas into their libraries.	6/8/11
Leadership	Reward & Recognition on a Limited Budget Just because money is tight, that doesn't mean you should put your company's reward and recognition efforts on hold. Don't let a shortage of cash keep you from being generous with other forms of recognition. In many cases, non-cash rewards can be just as effective-and sometimes more so-than monetary awards.	12/15/09
Leadership	Skills for the Everyday Leader Many of us regard a move into management as "going to the dark side," but leadership is not only reserved for those with manager in their title. Learning effective supervisory skills can benefit many levels of work in the library, especially if you wear multiple hats in your organization serving as both staff peer and manager. Find out the top 10 actions to take and the top 10 mistakes to avoid as an everyday leader. By the end of this webinar, you'll have some simple and effective tools to help you work more powerfully with your colleagues or become the supervisor you always wanted to work for.	4/3/12
Leadership	The Manager's Tool Kit, Listening and Feedback Proactive listening and the ability to deliver feedback effectively are two of the most important skills managers can develop for building trust and creating a supportive environment for direct reports. Yet in both cases, managers often overestimate their ability to listen attentively and deliver feedback objectively. In this webinar, Blanchard Senior Consulting Partner and author Dr. Vicki Halsey will show managers how to improve their skills in both areas in a way that leaves direct reports feeling heard and that helps them to focus on improving performance.	9/23/10
Leadership	We're Still Here Now What? Now that the dust has settled from the economic slowdown, it's time to take stock and assess the situation. The organization has survived, but there is not a quick turnaround in sight. Instead it looks like rebuilding your business is going to take a while and that it will require the best from everyone. That means providing people with the direction and support they need to perform at their best.	7/28/09
Librarianship	Challenging the Assumptions of Legacy Librarianship "Legacy librarianship" is a term coined by presenter Joan Frye Williams to describe the fundamental truths that have been passed down through the generations of librarians—in library school, on the job, and in our professional literature. For example, we've always been told that one-on-one assistance to patrons is our most valuable activity, and should be our top priority. Have you ever wondered if these "truths" would hold up under serious scrutiny?	4/4/08
Librarianship	From Libraries to Lifebraries As libraries continue to evolve to meet customers' needs in a rapidly changing culture, the concern over the future of print and the "book" remains core to their existence. However, in looking at current trends, there is evidence to suggest otherwise. The future of libraries may not be dependent on the creation or evolution of new service delivery models based upon the book, it may actually reside in something more "deeply local." Join Helene Blowers in a lively conversation about "new life" opportunities for libraries. As old formats and service models decline, there's a new phoenix rising from the shadows.	2/2/10
Librarianship	Intellectual Freedom: Basic training for new staff and a refresher for the rest of us A parent asks you to remove a book from the shelf because she feels it could harm her children. A library user complains that the current collection of magazines doesn’t include his political viewpoint and too much of a different one? What do you do? Learn techniques to approach these challenges and others, along with a firm background of intellectual freedom in libraries, including relevant laws and court cases.	1/12/12
Librarianship	Scholarly Research and Source Validation in the Age of Google Librarians, scholars, and publishers alike are asking questions about how to manage the increasing amount of unverified content (both good and bad) that is now easily available through our computers. We are all drowning in it. The situation poses a particularly challenging problem in the educational arena, where students and scholars need reliable sources of information. Whether today’s researchers are doing initial research for a book, working on a doctoral dissertation, or an undergraduate term paper, it’s harder and harder to know what sources to consult. Register now to hear our esteemed panel, moderated by Library Journal’s Cheryl LaGuardia discuss this crisis of validation in the Google age, and the new roles that Libraries, Publishers and Scholars play in the culture of information overload.	9/21/10
Librarianship	Building Bridges Series #2: Your Library's Future Martín Gómez, City Librarian at Los Angeles Public Library, discusses the future of public libraries, answering questions and giving practical advice about the continued success of public libraries in our changing environment.	2/2/12
Marketing	Best Kept Secret: Marketing the Small & Rural LibraryIs your small or rural library the community's best kept secret? Libraries are not known for "tooting their own horns" so valuable services and resources go unnoticed.	6/7/12
Marketing	Library Images and Video: Engage, Inspire and Tell your Story - In this entertaining and heartwarming presentation you will learn how two librarians teamed up to advocate more effectively (and boldly) while staying true to the personality of the communities, the libraries and the staff they serve. You and your library really can market your services and engage more effectively, and images, video and authenticity can be a key! Learn how you too can use images and video creatively and effectively to inspire Libraryland, engage the communities you serve boost staff morale and get more enjoyment from your job.	3/30/10
Marketing	Photographing Kids, Family, and (other) Weird Things Families, kids, holidays: we all want to capture them as fond memories, not stiff poses. During this not-to-be-missed presentation, Harold Davis will show us how to do so with more ease and fun in the shooting, showing us that "Cameras don't take photos, people do!"	3/18/09
Marketing	Putting the Public Back in Public Libraries: Community-Led Libraries - While public libraries are generally viewed as inclusive spaces, there are large segments of community that do not use them. Beginning in 2004, four large urban library systems from across Canada - Vancouver, Toronto, Regina and Halifax Public Libraries - spent four years working in socially excluded communities, to determine how to make public library services relevant to the needs of underserved communities	8/26/11
Marketing	Taking Your Ideas to the Next Level You have a terrific idea for improving your library's service. You excitedly share this fantastic new idea, only to have your enthusiasm deflated by picky questions, managerial indifference, or passive/aggressive resistance from your colleagues.No matter how good your ideas are, if you don't present them in a way that can be discussed and understood by the people who can make them happen, they won't be implemented. You'll be left frustrated. And your community will never experience that terrific new service.This webinar will describe techniques that prepare library staff members at any level to present new ideas effectively.	8/29/09
Partnerships	Foreclosure, and Bad Credit and No Job, Oh My! In these tough economic times patrons faced with increased financial challenges need help and are too afraid to ask. Discover how you can connect library patrons to trustworthy financial assistance information and learn how three county government departments in Washington County, Minnesota collaborated to get reliable and just-in-time information to county residents.	6/21/11
Partnerships	Libraries Partnering to Support Small Business and Entrepreneurs - This webinar will explore examples of library community partnerships and services designed for all types of entrepreneurs. Find out how SCORE has helped 9 million small businesses through their online and in-person services available at 364 locations nationwide. Learn how SCORE collaborates with public libraries to offer classes and one-to-one confidential counseling to help entrepreneurs start and grow their business.	5/17/11
Partnerships	Museum/Library Partnerships That Work! As informal education institutions, museums and libraries share similar missions and values and can benefit from forging partnerships. Benefits include resource sharing, outreach to new audiences, access to expertise and the potential for increasing goodwill and support between the organizations and the broader community. Participants will learn about a number of successful museum/library partnerships that are generating innovative programming, exhibits and creating new opportunities for outreach and how to identify potential partners and successfully manage joint projects.	11/18/10
Personal Learning	Discovering Your Inner Strengths Kathleen Sexton of Kairos Learning is a Nationally Certified Career Counselor. Her 15+ years of experience in training, organizational, and career development professionals at all levels in business, non-profit and academic environments make her a natural for a broad range of needs. In this webinar, you will: Learn how you can best determine your strengths. Know how to articulate your strengths to others. Discover how you can put your strengths to better use in your work.	12/3/09
Personal Learning	Circulating Ideas: Creating a Personal Learning Network for Librarians The field of librarianship is evolving at a rapidly-increasing pace, making it more important than ever to keep up with new ideas and trends. A Personal Learning Network (PLN) is one of the best ways to stay on top of new developments.	4/23/13
Professional Development	Developing Your Plan for Successful Career Growth and Advancement How can you determine which skills are essential for pursuing your chosen career path?	8/14/12
Professional Development	Identifying and Acquiring New Skills: The Key to Career Growth and Advancement In these tough times, how can library staff leverage their existing skills to their best advantage?	7/10/12
Professional Development	Kiss Your BUT Good-Bye to Achieve Professional and Personal Success This webcast will help you identify your BUTs and provide the tools necessary to shrink them. In addition, they’ll explore the importance of strong managers and demonstrate how a manager’s BUT can have a negative impact on his or her team.	7/10/13
Professional Development	Successful Librarians Share Their Stories of Career Growth and Advancement How are some librarians finding practical ways to cope, successfully navigate, and even thrive in the face of a lingering recession?	8/6/12
Professional Development	Telling Your Story: Five Secrets for Successful Career Growth and Advancement How can librarians and information professionals: Learn the secrets to the type of successful interactions that will lead to career growth and advancement?	10/10/12
Professional Development	WebJunction / CLENERT Webinar: Libraries as learning organizations Event date: May 26, 2009 - - What makes a library a learning organization? What does it take to build an organization-wide commitment to team and individual learning? Why make the effort, especially in these economic times?	5/26/09
Professional Development	WebJunction Webinar: Cultivating a Culture of Learning in the Library How much time does your library spend on "training?" Statistics show that most learning takes place on the job or with a coworker, yet as trainers we spend an inordinate amount of time preparing for and delivering classroom training. In this webinar you will learn why you need to get your staff out of the classroom and instead focus on creating a culture of learning in your library.	7/28/08
Programming	Adult Programs on a $0 Budget In just a few short years, the Laurens County Library, in rural of adult programs on a shoestring budget. Join us for a webinar, hosted in collaboration with WebJunction and the Association	3/26/12
Programming	eReader Classes for the MassesThe Pioneer Library System’s Virtual Library has been conducting classes on downloadable audiobooks and ebooks since January 2010. Initially they were lucky to get one staff person’s child to show up for class—and now their “Getting to Know Your eReader” courses are standing room only. So how do they do it?	6/6/12
Programming	Libraries Go Boom! Library Service to Older Adults and Baby Boomers - Douglas C. Lord, of the Connecticut State Library and active WebJunction contributor will share best practices related to services to older adults with a special emphasis on the baby boom generation. We'll discuss the characteristics and needs of boomers, and share ideas on how library programming can respond to those needs. We'll also look at what the future holds as boomers continue to age and the next generation enters seniority.	4/6/10
Programming	Library Reading Incentive Programs for Summer and Beyond - Join us for a showcase of reading initiatives that will draw readers of all ages to your library. Presenters will share how they plan, promote, and carry out successful summer reading programs, and will discuss year-round efforts that encourage and support lifelong readership in the community.	2/15/11
Programming	Reeling in Reluctant Readers Teachers and librarians are always looking for new ways to connect with children and teens categorized as “reluctant readers.” In this free, hour-long webinar a reading specialist and literacy coach—along with representatives from Orca Book Publishers and Saddleback Educational Publishing—will discuss strategies and resources effective in reaching struggling readers ages 10 and up, as well as present books that combine high-interest topics with accessible writing. Also hear about new releases and best-selling series from Saddleback Educational Publishing and Orca Book Publishers. Moderated by Books for Youth associate editor Ann Kelley.	9/25/12
Programming	Re-energizing Your Preschool Storytime: New Ideas for Busy Children's Staff It's Monday morning, AGAIN! Time to get your storytime ready for the week. Ho Hum. You could always recycle a previous storytime or... you can jazz up your repertoire with new fingerplays, flannels, puppets, and book suggestions.	12/2/10
Programming	Serving the Young Adult Population: It's not just about video games Need to develop or improve your library services to youth? This webinar will provide you with a basic primer on how to attract and keep young adults interested in your library services and programs and how to create an atmosphere of inclusion comfortable for you, your staff and your local young adults.	11/4/10
Programming	Teaming Up with Teens @ Your Library What is the absolute best avenue to getting teens involved and engaged at your school or public library? How can you encourage them to be peer reader advisors and library advocates in the community? Ultimately, if you want to encourage your teens to become lifelong readers, learners, and library users/supporters—and possibly even choose library work for their future career path—there is no better way to go than offering opportunities for active and involved teen library participation. In this webinar, you will explore ways teens can take part in your library, such as advisory groups, volunteering, short-term projects that use teen's special skills, and partnering with adults. You’ll also get tips on planning, organizing, conducting, and evaluating teen participation. When you team up with teens at your library, it's win-win! WebJunction is pleased to host this webinar in collaboration with the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).	10/25/11
Programming	Ten Tips for Book Programs for Babies In those few moments when a baby relaxes and cuddles in your lap as you read them a book, a wonderful thing is happening—babies learn that books contain words, pictures, and stories that interest them. You can start teaching early literacy skills to babies without them or their grownups even knowing that that’s what you are doing! Whether you are preparing programs for babies in your library or community center, teaching early literacy skills to daycare providers, or providing support to new parents in an outreach program, a few tips can make your work easier and more productive, as well as more fun and effective for the babies and their adults.	8/29/2011
Reference Tools	Encyclopedia Evolution Encyclopedias are the cornerstones of a library’s reference collection, but traditional encyclopedia publishing has been transformed over the past several years.	11/16/10
Reference Tools	Power to the User: Interactive Online Reference Sources Translation tools, visual searches, mobile applications—these are just a few of the features that let the user interact with reference databases in new ways. In this program for librarians in all types of libraries, a reference expert talks about the value and potential of interactive features, and publishers demonstrate some of their newest interactive tools and give us a preview of what's coming next. Don’t miss this look at some of the features that are shaping the next generation of online reference sources.	6/1/10
Reference Tools	Twenty-first Century Reference Collections - - Webinar from ALA's Booklist : Reference collections are changing, driven by technology and new patterns of use. Join Booklist’s Mary Ellen Quinn, editor of Reference Books Bulletin, and a group of library and publishing experts as they talk about how the traditional reference collection is being transformed.	1/12/12
Reference Tools	Writing Successful Google Queries I: Introduction to Predictive Searching Number one rule of search engines: search for you answer, not your question. But what does this look like in practice? How do you visualize your perfect source and use that to build a better query? Part one of this two-part webinar looks at this basic process of “predictive searching.” The second installment teaches Google’s most useful advanced operators (such as site: and filetype:) within the framework of predictive searching.	5/4/11
Reference Tools	Writing Successful Queries II: Using Predictive Search to Teach Advanced Operators Are you curious about what advanced operators Google search has to offer? Maybe you’ve learned about site: or filetype: and wondered what else is out there. Or, maybe you have wondered about the best ways to teach these operators to others. This talk discusses how to think about operators in the framework of predictive searching.-	5/20/11
Social Media	Digital Graphics – Yours, Mine and Ours. A guide to their legal use.Does your library have any protection when images that it posts on its website or social media sites start proliferating onto other sites without permission? Does it have any protection when images of the staff, the public, library exhibits, or the library itself appear in social media without permission? Who owns those images? When can the library use images created by others?	11/3/11
Social Media	Information Cartographer: Social Media Librarians of the Future Ever wonder if it's too late or too early to bring social media services to your library? Whether you are in a one-person library or one with one hundred staff, social media applications are impacting library services just like the Internet has. But how do you fit social media into your already busy schedule, and what has to change to make that possible? Will enough of your patrons use your new services to make it worth the effort? Come hear from a library that has successfully "operationalized" its social media services and actually has fun in the process.	7/20/11
Social Media	Libraries Build Community: from distribution to engagement Some view the public library as a central purchasing and distribution center of books, movies, and music. Today, that content is increasingly digitized and consumed on gadgets carried in our homes, backpacks, purses and pockets. Distribution remains germane and yet, libraries are well positioned to extend beyond the limits of this role, to facilitate what John Seeley Brown and Paul Duguid called the social life of information. Social media technology presents libraries with new opportunities to enhance and extend the distribution model, to empower and engage patrons to build relevant and vibrant communities via the library.	11/16/10
Social Media	Library Social Media Use Over half of the world’s 2 billion internet users interact with social media tools to create, share, and exchange information and ideas while online. Libraries are using these tools to market programs and services, and to connect and engage with their communities beyond the library walls	7/17/13
Social Media	Teens, Tweens and Social Networking This webinar will be of interest to library staff who work with teens and youth, as well as those responsible for library social media work.	9/13/12
Technology	Advanced Windows 7 Troubleshooting Windows 7 contains a great many features and tools to help advanced users troubleshoot and repair problems from the common to the complex. In this webcast, Mike Halsey MVP, the author of “Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out” and “Troubleshoot and Optimize Windows 8 Inside Out” will talk about these advanced tools, and how you can use them to save time, money and frustration.	10/4/12
Technology	Cloud Computing: Why You Should Care The term cloud computing is being used more and more, but what is it and why should you understand it? In this free webinar we will explain what cloud computing means, define the different types, discuss how it is impacting nonprofits and libraries, and outline some criteria for use.	10/14/10
Technology	Everything you Wanted to Know About Drupal but were Afraid to Ask In this live, online webcast, Drupal developers Jeff Eaton and James Walker will guide newcomers through the nuts and bolts of Drupal's content management system, content management framework, and community. They'll cover the evolution of CMSes and how Drupal fits in, discuss some of Drupal's philosophies towards concepts such as content management and software architecture, and explain some of the fundamentals about Drupal's extensible APIs. Finally, they will muse about Drupal's thriving community and how best to leverage and participate within it.	4/15/09
Technology	Finding a Legal Comfort Zone on the Web Allowing the public to contribute to, comment on and otherwise engage with your library's website content can be a scary thought, fraught with bogeymen real and imagined, lined with both success and horror stories, and seemingly paved with difficult policy decisions. But it really doesn't have to be that way. Eli Neiburger will present on how to move squeamish colleagues, administrators, or trustees to a point where web initiatives can be understood as less risky than the daily act of unlocking the front doors. He will demonstrate how to structure engagement on the web so that it doesn't require another written policy.	7/27/11
Technology	Gadgets: Personal Electronics for your Library Personal electronics such as ebook readers and MP3 players are now a common part of our media infosphere in the library world. Patrons are checking gadgets out from us, asking us for content that can be loaded on them, asking us for advice on how to use them more effectively	4/22/10
Technology	Personal Gadgets and the Library Personal electronics such as tablet computers, ebook readers, MP3 players, and more are now a common part of our information interactions in the library world. Customers are checking gadgets out from us, asking us for content that can be loaded on them, and at times just wishing that we could help them use them more effectively. This webinar will give a broad overview of personal electronics in libraries, focusing on iOS and Android based devices and their management, from both a user and staff perspective.	10/9/12
Time Management	5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity The workplace is an unprecedented minefield of constant demands from other people, technology, and a nonstop workday.We are forced to make critical decisions under pressure, creating a personal energy crisis that prevents us from thinking clearly and achieving extraordinary results.To succeed in this new work world, we need to learn how to make good decisions, focus our attention, integrate our technology and sustain high energy day in and day out.	7/24/13
Time Management	Coping with Information OverloadWe all know what information overload is but so few of us know how to manage it so it doesn't manage us. Join this webinar to learn quick and easy principles for dealing with information overload, including organization skills, how to filter your input, time management, and stress management.	5/18/11
Time Management	The Information Diet We'll talk about obesity -- where it comes from, and what's been done to prevent it. Believe it or not, publishing and publishers have a lot to learn from the fields of food and Agriculture. Clay Johnson, author of The Information Diet, will explain the parallels between them in this live webcast presentation.	4/25/12
Time Managment	Stop Managing Too Much with Too Little “Time management” is too often a code phrase for “Burn Yourself out for the sake of the team.” Instead, create an operations plan with precise target audiences and limited goals, but improved products and services. The most difficult step: deciding what you will stop doing, so you can free up time, money , and staff for better quality work. Throwing darts at a wall is not the best way to choose what to eliminate. We will review several tested, practical strategies that help make hard decisions. Topics include reviewing the iron triangle (time, cost, quality), creating a working strategic plan, establishing priorities, ethical constraints, and making hard choices.	9/19/11
Work Life	Creating Effective Work Relationships Strong work relationships are an important component of employee well-being and satisfaction. Don't let poor relationships ruin performance and productivity in your organization. In this webinar, best-selling author and business consultant Susan Fowler will share research and strategies that individuals and managers can use to improve relationships within their organizations.	10/21/10
Work Life	Playing Nice in the Sandbox of Life: Working on a Team: When your supervisor assigns you to a team to implement a new project, does your heart begin to pound? Do you feel a sense of dread wash over you? If so, this session is for you!	03/13/13
Work Life	The Hopeful Workplace There’s a fair amount of doom and gloom out in library land, but futurist Joan Frye Williams and strategist George Needham are having none of it! These passionate library advocates believe that dealing with desperate economic times need not make us desperate.	1/17/12

Enjoy!

"New Librarianship" Massively Open Online Course (MOOC) from Syracuse University

noreply@blogger.com (marianne@mariannelenox.com) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:48:00 -0500

What a great opportunity, I’ve signed up... let me know in the comments if you are participating as well!

Libraries have existed for millennia, but today the library field is searching for solid footing in an increasingly fragmented (and increasingly digital) information environment. What is librarianship when it is unmoored from cataloging, books, buildings, and committees?

The vision for a new librarianship must go beyond finding library-related uses for information technology and the Internet; it must provide a durable foundation for the field. New Librarianship recasts librarianship and library practice using the fundamental concept that knowledge is created though conversation. New librarians approach their work as facilitators of conversation; they seek to enrich, capture, store, and disseminate the conversations of their communities.

Join iSchool faculty for this online course that provides a foundation for practicing librarians and library science students in new librarianship. It builds on The Atlas of New Librarianship, the 2012 ABC CLIO/Greenwood Award for the Best Book in Library Literature and seeks to generate discussion about the future direction of the profession.

Faculty: The class will be taught and moderated by core faculty at the iSchool with international reputations: R. David Lankes, Jill Hurst-Wahl, Megan Oakleaf and Jian Qin.

To sign up or receive more information visit http://ischool.syr.edu/future/grad/newlibopencourse.aspx

Trainers, how many times have you heard this?

noreply@blogger.com (marianne@mariannelenox.com) — Mon, 3 Jun 2013 09:22:00 -0500

Is training really the answer? Ask the flowchart.
I hear this quite a bit. Cathy Moore’s flow chart, and related video offer an excellent guide to getting the choosing what is REALLY needed.

Blogging #ALA12: Train the Technology Trainer: Developing 21st Century Library Staff

noreply@blogger.com (marianne@mariannelenox.com) — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 14:56:00 -0500

Presenters:

Crystal Schimpf, Public Computer Center Trainer, Colorado State Library
Erin Kirchoefer, Public Computer Center Supervisor, High Plains Library District

Description:

One-on-one technology assistance and public computer classes have become essential instructional services in libraries, but it takes the right skills and knowledge to provide a true learning experience. Staff are often not equipped with the necessary experience to provide this level of service. The Colorado State Library delivers “Train the Technology Trainer” workshops to develop competent and confident library staff. Hear about their experience and learn how to implement similar staff training programs in your organization.

Crystal started the session casually with how she was worried about enough coffee being available and asking “What is training the technology trainer about? We’re not talking about trains but we ARE talking about high speed technology. Library staff are becoming technology trainers by default. If patrons come in and ask about it we should be able to help. When we tell them how to use the catalog we are teaching them and every question is an opportunity to teach. Services like The Edge place technology benchmarks and provide the competencies for the skills we need. Librarians may already have technology skills but don’t know how to apply the training. You don’t have to be a computer scientist to be a technology trainer; our goal is to provide better service to our customers.”

Crystal explained that she provides training to Colorado public libraries both rural and urban. She taught public technology training and is passionate about digital inclusion and that libraries are a key to digital literacy.

“If people have access but they don’t know how to use it then it’s not equal access.”

Erin introduced herself from the High Plains Library District where she manages the public computers. “We got a lot of strange technology questions which we answer by flying by the seat of our pants.”

Crystal asked who we are by show of hands and most of us were public librarians. She mentions that we may be coming from a public background but thinks these ideas can be taken to any kind of library. She hopes we can take away something that will make our services more complete and asked how many of us staff trainers and encouraged us to meet each other

Crystal covered the three main areas to be discussed today, sharing studies and examples of what works and what doesn’t work. She asked to please be prepared to share and move around. She then moved into a story about the questions she first received as a staff member which included Skype and off-brand eReaders. Attendees then shared the challenges they face in a public computer lab from basic technology questions to about Photoshop and eReaders. Other questions included how to help job searchers that don’t have an email address and need to attach a resume and inmates who need to search for legal info but have never used a computer before. Erin said the great thing about this is that patrons are turning to us for their technology needs.

Crystal admitted she wasn’t prepared to tech technology when she began this work. She thought she’d be helping people find books and information but it took her awhile to see the connection and that her job was her job to help people learn technology so that they had equal access… a tenant of intellectual freedom. She dove in a figured it out as she went. This is becoming a part of our role in libraries: more than 90% of libraries are offering technology training. It looks different depending on the library. We need to find a way to meet people’s digital literacy needs the same way we meet their information and entertainment needs.

We were next asked to write down our Tech Training Vision. Mine would read “To enable equal technology access to patrons by preparing staff for a global range of technology questions.”

Erin spoke of a technophobe staff member who had been assigned to the computer center. He was provided a mentor to role-play as the patron and eventually showed the staff member that he actually could do this. Crystal mentioned that we are all capable of being technology trainers and that we just need to know basic questions and answers. Staff are already doing this as a part of ‘assisting patrons’ or ‘other duties as assigned.’ The geeky types are the technology scapegoats. Go ask that young guy. Lol. Just because youre good at tech doesn’t mean youre good at teaching it. But you don’t remember what it was like to learn touse a mouse. It takes a lot of skill and patience to ease a patron into technology. She indicated that we need to map out a plan. She tells the story of her recent roadtrip across Colorado. They took out a road map and planned out possible routes. Along the way they altered their route, spending more time in one place and less time in others. They couldn’t see the whole state in one trip but have a list of places they want to go back to. Training is the same way, you can never be done at once but if you plan you can come back later.

The roadmap to technology training is Skills + Knowledge = Competencies. These are the skills and knowledge it takes to be competent at your job. We looked at a competency document and the skills included in them. There were 9 sections with details competencies.

Technology Skills: Applying knowledge of 21st century literacy skills, being prepared to answer technology questions, and adapting to the limitations of library computing.
Adult Learning Environment: Creating the unique environment in which adult learners are involved in the learning process, being aware of adult learning theory, and respecting the diverse culture and experience of learners.
Communication Skills: Using effective communication tools during training and demonstrating patience with learners.
Individual Instructional Skills: Using effective training techniques for individual instruction, promoting individual practice, and assessing the needs of the learner.
Class Preparation Skills: Preparing for classroom instruction and seeking opportunities to improve instructional techniques.
Classroom Instructional Delivery Skills: Using effective classroom training techniques, promoting active learning, adapting instruction to meet the needs of learners, and encouraging individual practice.
Instructional Design Skills: Applying instructional design principles, establishing goals and objectives, evaluating instructional tools, and developing online trainings.
Planning and Coordinating Skills: Coordinating instruction using individual and classroom models, conducting needs assessments, and managing instructional resources.
Professional Development Skills: Recognizing the importance of professional development with regards to technology, instruction, and learning.

Crystal mentioned VARK learning styles and that we need to learn a little about this, too, even though recent studies have shown that they may not be entirely true. Still, learners have a preferred method of learning.

It’s ok that we don’t know all the technology, we just know how to find the answer, said Crystal. “Where do we find technology answers and how do we manage those answers? Every night the internet changes and it’s hard to keep up. While competencies might influence, we can only use them as a guide for targeted training. Everyone doesn’t have to be competent in every area. Target your training to the people that need it and training that is most needed. You need to get staff buy-in and realize that it may not happen right away. We have to help staff find incentive and give a personal buy-in instead of just a work objective. Libraries could have a drawing for a kindle (or something) so that staff is already connected when asked. Hopefully if you have the personal buy-in you won’t have to retrain. The competencies alone will not do this; we have to target the training so they’re not overwhelmed. Erin’s library created a self-assessment that helped identify their prime need areas from simple computing to the ILS. A copy of the assessment is available at http://bit.ly/LSIvHt. Excellent, I thought.

Chocolate was passed around. Also excellent J

The assessments are part of the training factors for training workshops. Planning training is a general process:

· Beginning stage is to develop training

o Competencies

o Objective

o Target

· Middle stage takes the most time

o Content

o Interactive

o Format

· End stage might be the most important

o Logistics

o Assessment. Don’t just ask “Did you like it?”

We broke into groups to plan a staff training course based on the competencies. We had time for sharing a few of the class plans we developed, I wish that we could see each group’s work… there were some great class plans developed.

Crystal said to don’t reinvent the wheel; there are materials out there for these classes. She mentioned resources available like TechSoup and WebJunction for both public and staff training. Use and adapt them and get creative. If you sit down and share then it’s training, it doesn’t have to be classroom training. She shared the Colorado state library’s six different modules as well as public training outlines and links to web resources. Erin also encouraged us to use and share these resources.

Our final activity was for us to note the three most important points that we’ve gotten from this session:

1. If people have access but they don’t know how to use it then it’s not equal access.

2. There is proven methodology in creating a class or instruction and we should be taking advantage of it.

3. Anyone who works public service is eventually a technology trainer.

Erin shared several success stories including how the staff at Denver Public Library participated in her train the tech trainer sessions. After the workshops they began offering classes and ultimately sharing class outlines with each other and the rest of the state.

Overall, this was an excellent, well-planned session. Crystal and Erin were highly motivated and knowledgeable; the information given was extremely relevant and stayed on target. Also note that the presentation materials may be found at http://bit.ly/JTOqSh.

I often find myself grading presenters when I am in a session or class… these two definitely get an “A” for both effort and execution!

Blogging #ALA12: Ignite, Interact & Engage Adult Learners: Maximizing the Learning Outcome

noreply@blogger.com (marianne@mariannelenox.com) — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 14:49:00 -0500

Description: Audience involvement promotes learning. Explore tips and best practices for successfully igniting curiosity, promoting interaction, and engaging adult learners regardless of delivery platform: face-to-face, online, or blended. Discover how to effectively transform existing training into a different platform.

Presenters:

Paul Signorelli, Writer, Trainer, Presenter, Learning Advocate, and Consultant
Sharon Morris, Director of Library Development and Innovation, Colorado State Library

This was such an exciting and engaging session. Both presenters are consummate professional trainers, the room was literally buzzing with energy by the time we finished. Paul had everyone rearrange the room to make it more comfortable for training and invited everyone to share their experiences in the session via a Twitter back channel with the hashtag #ala12soclearn. I was so involved I didn’t take session notes and am relying on the Twitter conversation found at https://twitter.com/search/%23ala12soclearn. Below are selected tweets that summarize the session content well:

Jamie Hollier ‏@ValentineLuLu: Your presentation style should be informed by the level of expertise of the audience
Stacy Schrank ‏@librarytrainer: Telling, sharing, inquiring, experiencing, and creating - how to increase audience engagement
Karen Heskett ‏@heskettk: As knowledge of attendees increases you need to increase the participation in the room
Stacy Schrank ‏@librarytrainer: A learning session with great storytellers can make the whole experience very emotional
Karen Heskett ‏@heskettk: When using a "tell" format, it can help to use a short video to gain attention or help explain a point
Jamie Hollier ‏@ValentineLuLu: Use stories in your presentations, but tie to learning objectives, cause when u use story that is what ppl remember
Karen Heskett ‏@heskettk: "inquiry" format is to facilitate a conversation, to stimulate discussion, to stimulate exploring & discovery by the learner
Stacy Schrank ‏@librarytrainer: Engage the learners imagination and let them discover all the wonderful things they can learn!
Marianne Lenox ‏@MLx: soclearn despite some studies learners believe they have a certain learning style. As trainers, have to respect that.
Jamie Hollier ‏@ValentineLuLu: Framework elements for presenters and trainers: tell, share, inquire, experience, create
Stacy Schrank ‏@librarytrainer: What are the elephants in the room when conducting a training? We are currently addressing the 'couch' in the room!
Crystal Schimpf ‏@NoCoLibrarian: 5 levels of engagement: tell, share, inquire, experience, create - from@CSLSharon
Crystal Schimpf ‏@NoCoLibrarian: Lots of overlap in the five levels of engagement. Where does experience end and create begin?
Julie Zamostny ‏@jzamostny: It's helpful to use activities as transitions in between tell/share/inquire/experience/create
Paul Signorelli ‏@trainersleaders: "Ignite, Interact, & Engage" summary: Peer-sharing engaged learners and produces effective learning experiences
Stacy Schrank ‏@librarytrainer: Ask your audience to do something within the first five minutes of the session - Get them moving!
Crystal Schimpf ‏@NoCoLibrarian: Technology is the tool of learning, NOT the center of it - from@trainersleaders
Jamie Hollier ‏@ValentineLuLu: Multi-tasking is a myth: if you want a back channel build in some space for that activity within your presentation.
Stacy Schrank ‏@librarytrainer: Following a training 15% try it; 15% try and don't find it affective; and 70% don't do anything! Where do you fit in?
Stacy Schrank ‏@librarytrainer: The Backchannel, Presentation Zen & Made to Stick are great resources to enhance presentations & learning sessions

Paul’s blog post about the session found at http://buildingcreativebridges.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/ala-annual-conference-2012-addressing-the-couch-in-the-room/ captures the session much better than I could.

The session was incredibly invigorating. We were asked how we would apply what they had learned, everyone stood up , and with fists raised, chanted…

WE WILL NOT BE PART OF THE 70%!

Blogging #ala12: The Future of the Book (or perhaps the Future of the Narrative)

noreply@blogger.com (marianne@mariannelenox.com) — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 10:24:00 -0500

To a packed room for the President’s Speaker Series, Duane Bray, a partner at IDEO and Global Digital Business expert said, “The future of the book…It’s a big topic, isn’t it?” Bray brought his talk to the American Library Association’s 2012 annual conference in Anaheim into context by noting that he works across different industries and that several years ago he noticed several different conversations about books and traditional publishing. He and his company responded to that by furthering that conversation with publishers. The results can be seen in this video...

The Future of the Book. from IDEO on Vimeo.

He noted that the video started lots of conversations about books and publishing. He mentions that he’s not a futurologist or a librarian and that he loves physical books.

He talked about human-centered forecasting. “The future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed yet” and mentioned the first registered domain name, symbolics.com, the signs about the future of the books

1. For books and authors: Location based narrative emerges when we talk about where we are like Google maps, Foursquare and Yelp. He mentioned Sepiatown where people upload old photos of neighborhoods on a map. Storyverse layers greater context onto books like location data referenced in the book. What happens when we start to deposit narrative in their physical locations? HG Wells had no idea that we could walk through the physical context of the narrative or reveal narrative within a space. He then showed a video of a game, a girl has an app that’s sending her on a tour based on a mystery from untravelmedia.com. From location based services to ubiquitous data trails. Implications are:

a. When does the physical context detract from the story?

b. How do we promote ways to discover and engaged in location based stories?

c. What are the behaviors associated with location based narrative both solitary and as a group?

Next, a photograph of everyone sitting together in a physical space but looking on their smart phones. Actually they are augmenting the physical space, competing who can be mayor of the wino wagon and uploading pictures of the event to Flickr. There was a wine list posted on Facebook and she got recommendations for what wine to order. He talked about Instagram and how it’s used creative outlet; People are using it for telling stories. Tim Burton did an experiment on Twitter when he started a story and the crowd finished it and voted on the way the story should progress.

He also saw interesting trends in reading and k12 in that kids are sharing ideas and recommendations through social media. It’s still about analog books but its become a social reading list. Teachers are studying whether this is an enhancement or a detractor to reading.

From social media tools to collective intelligence

· For authors and publishers?

o Can social networks make reading lists social?

o More social tools inspire people to be creative

· For libraries

o How might we amp curatorial skills with social media

o Is there an online role for libraries to play in discovery of this new content?

o How might a library’s role as a community center encourage the social narrative?

Personal narrative

The tools we have to express identity. Some are intentional and manipulative. The online poker player, for instance, might not be Grandma Rose after all.

Dating services do incredible things with the data. OKCupid published a story about two women who get more contacts…. Same data but pictured with a guitar. The one with the guitar got more hits because her pic was telling a story and men asked about it. He showed a kids list of screen name choices and said he was forming his online identity. This is incredibly powerful stuff. Having info about yourself reflected back to you is useful. How does your info change and involve, especially when we are no longer here?

Online connections to threaded narratives

· Books and authors

o How do current tools express identity through story telling?

o Are we aware that some personal narrative is manipulative?

· For libraries

o How might we teach first person narrative?

o Can we teach this to younger audiences?

Co-authored narrative can express my loyalty and interest through mobile and different ways. He mentioned a new show called “Glass House” which puts the viewer in control. Pottermore is an example of a new way to interact with the story. He used twilight as an example and that they are appealing to a specific online fan base. Fan fiction is sometimes seen as an extreme but publishers are beginning to see these fans need to be embraced.

From create and publish to share and evolve

· For books and authors:

o What does it mean for authorship when fans can extend or modify the story?

o What role can authors play in prioritizing a fan contribution?

o What media support this type collaboration

· For libraries

o Might the lib position itself as a partner or publisher of fan fiction

o Is fan fiction a way to people to express their creative outlets?

Technologes for human centered forecasting

· Observation. Just like we sometimes background music some people pay attention to multiple monitors while working

· Empathy. Used this in study during a hospital from the perspective of a patient with a camera on his head. Hearing doctors talk about patients as is they don’t exist

· Inspiration. Find other solutions in a related or nonrelated field. Compared the surgery room with Nascar pit changers and it actually worked very well.be open to solutions

· Storytelling, building a narrative around new ideas. Capture behaviors and share findings before we start creating. Find ways to elevate or bring those stories to life.

· Space: environment as change agent. We encourage play in space design so that people are creative. Create a sense of adventure. An old VW turned into a meeting room…

· Prototyping to build a prop for what she actually she needed.

I’ve always respected thought leaders from outside our profession and was pleased to hear Mr. Bray, as well. Libraries do need to expand our services, hosting a format for a personal or community narrative is certainly a provoking idea.

Blogging #ALA12: Growing Leaders from Within: Cultivating your Library's Future Leaders & Managers

noreply@blogger.com (marianne@mariannelenox.com) — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 08:01:00 -0500

I'm in Anaheim, California for the 2012 American Library Association Conference thanks to the HMCPL Friends of the Library and am having a (crazy) busy, but delightful time!
I attended PLA's "Growing Leaders from Within: Cultivating your Library's Future Leaders & Managers" and was impressed by both presentations from the Orange County Library System (Fla.) and San Diego County (Calif.) Library.

Presenters:

Speaker: Bethany Stone, Branch Manager, Orange County (Fla.) Library System
Speaker: Danielle King, Orange County Library System (Fla.)
Speaker: Polly C. Cipparrone, Training & Web Services Manager, San Diego County (Calif.) Library
Speaker: Renae Bennett, Public Service Administrator, Orange County (Fla.) Library System
Speaker: Susan Moore, Principal Librarian, Community Relations, San Diego County (Calif.) Library

Description:

Training staff to take on leadership roles in your library addresses their interests in assuming additional responsibility as well as cultivates successors into leadership positions. Especially in difficult times, libraries need to continue looking forward and developing their future leaders and managers. This presentation will discuss innovative ways that San Diego County (CA) and Orange County (FL) Library Systems have fostered and developed leaders and potential managers from within existing staff as well as introduced three leadership programs to assist staff into ascending the rungs of leadership.

Below are my (rough) notes:

The session started with the Orange County Public Library: Why does leadership development matter? It recognizes our internal leadership needs within the organization. Having the ability to offer leadership development to our staff increases internal movement, long term succession planning. It’s our way of engaging staff, acknowledging their efforts and move us all into the future, These three programs focus on internal leadership needs which include Budget, Staff Development and Long Term Planning,

Spectrum:

· Opportunity for Asst Managers to grow professionally

· Exposure to new experiences

· Learn leadership skills

· Develop own leadership styles

How does it work?

· Flexible and fluid

· Focus on goals of individual and the system

· 18 months, 2 year rotation

o Rotating helps them see how other managers work

o The managers also learn from their assistant managers

o The asst mgr picks top three locations in which to work, the administrative team looks at projects that need the asst mgr special skill as well as a skills they want the asst mgr to develop

· Sharing ideas and listening to feedback

Feedback from participants suggested the rotation system, a mentoring aspect and Spectrum team projects.

Results:

· Mentoring: Managers who wanted to be mentors chose top three picks, then the admin team made assignments. The admin team gave them special excercises. Mentoring is going on at every level in OCLS.

· Training programs such as monthly meetings for sharing and special projects. 13 managers have made the transition to full managers!

Executive Edge

This program exposed experienced managers with a variety of positions in the library to differing administrative responsibilities. There is no guarantee of future employment, however it is an opportunity to learn the skills from those types of positions. They think holistically about the system.

Participants are assigned mentors for monthly meetings. The Admin Teams are made of 4-6 members and meet biweekly. When membership opens up, participants are asked questions like “What benefit do you see this program in your career with OCLS?” They also have to write a letter to the Director that exposes a weakness in the system and offer up a suggestion for that problem. Applicants are selected on readiness for administrative duties and training history.

Each group works on specific purposeful projects, but also at case studies and big library issues. The HR director sometimes attends and is a valuable resource.

Projects included producing a disaster video which showed scenarios to groups who then dealt with the issues. This projectultimately lead to their current disaster plan. While studying customer interaction statistics, they evaluated and retooled the existing customer service survey.

Career Pathways

The newest program for employees which can prepare them for increased responsibility and leadership roles. The goal is to look for future leaders. During the application process potential participantes were asked about experiences within the library and what interests them about the program and what they hoped to learn from it.

Existing management were asked for feedback, it was very important that all manner of staff was engaged. Commitment from managers is essential for time management and mentoring needs. The project also needed commitment from the admin team.

The initial program accepted 8 applicants and there were 2 hour monthly workshops. Topics included Leadership styles, System Perspective, Communications, Learning How to lead, interpersonal skills, project management, statistics, initiative and accountability, how the budget works, customer service, keeping things legal. There was lots of dialogue and free exchange of real world experiences. Fast Forward, a new strategic planning project with staff involvement, was born from this initiative.

The next presentation was from San Diego County Public library “where all the staff are leaders and we look to them all for leadership.” They push staff and management to grow their strengths. At the beginning of the recession they wondered how can they could leverage the people to withstand the upcoming financial burden. They felt that technology was the answer and all the staff worked with vendors to bring in RFID and ultimately redesigned the library. All levels of staff and management were involved. Administration wanted more hours and more access. They leveraged resources and found that in leading vs. managing anyone within the organization as a voice. They used continuous learning and team modeling to make a stretigic plan real for ppl in the organization. Give them something easy to remember. They recognized the value of staff by modeling transparent and accessible leadership. Administration publishes the minutes of their meetings and regularly visit branches and special events.

They created institutionalized vehicles for staff recognition including Thank You notes to staff who do amazing things. These are notes are published to the rest of the staff, if an employee receives five Thank You notes they receive a monetary bonus.

They use existing staff strengths to highlight certain skills: One project involved creating a training video asking real customers their opinions of a particular staff member whose customer service skills were renowned.

Staff present at national conferences and are leaders in library organizations. They invest in staff leadership because training and knowledge gained is shared with others. For training scholarships, staff write an essay and bring back at least five “take aways” from the conference.

Discover through teamwork: At an annual all staff retreat focusing on change they worked on the strategic plan and exchanged ideas. Table leaders were the ones who were early adopters. They created vehicles for staff to share and learn.

· Sharing the knowledge column

· Program services exchange: eBlast

· Everything YS wiki

· Library Lowdown newsletter

They created opportunities for staff to develop into leaders:

· Quarterly regional trainings encouraged staff to study the big picture training focusing on talents and strengths of everyone in the organization

· Job shadowing for adaptability and flexibility was also used as a test drive for managers

· Library manager internships are often used for to fill in during management vacations. They last from one to two weeks withno increase in pay. Participants write an essay about the experience

Discovering Leaders through Conversation

· Use the phone instead of email

· Library School Student meet and greet

· Branch visits

· Consult with library trainers

Teachable moments and coaching to leadership

· Peer expert panels

· Pilot programs: adaptability and flexibility

· Informal mentoring

· Stretch assignments

They wrapped up with a story about rescue dogs in the aftermath of September 11. Handlers noticed that, at one point, the dogs laid down and just wouldn’t work any longer. Ultimately they were taken out to play, and after some Frisbee play they were ready to go back to work. We can all find our Frisbee factor: Run to the fire but take care of ourselves with some much needed fun!

After the session I was totally energized with ideas on how we might apply these concepts at my work place.

Congratulations to the 2012 Salem Press Blog Award Winners [OPML]

noreply@blogger.com (marianne@mariannelenox.com) — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 08:45:00 -0500

Image by Salem Press

Salem Press once again surveyed the library blog landscape in search of exceptional thinking, writing, and information. I've learned so much from some of these very smart people and would like to share this year's winners with you all. Individual links are below and here's a Google Reader bundle (Atom feed or OPML file) of them all. Enjoy!

General Library Blog Winner: In the Library with the Lead Pipe
General Library Blog Honorable Mention: Stephen's Lighthouse

Academic Library Blog Winner: Musings about librarianship
Academic Library Blog Honorable Mention: No Shelf Required®

Public Library Blog Winner: Librarian by Day
Public Library Blog Honorable Mention: David Lee King

School Library Blog Winner: Adventures of Library Girl, The
School Library Blog Honorable Mention: Cathy Nelson's Professional Thoughts

Special Librarian Blog Winner: davidrothman.net
Special Librarian Blog Honorable Mention: bizologie

Quirky Library Blog Winner: Screwy Decimal
Quirky Library Blog Honorable Mention: This Is What a Librarian Looks Like

Academic Institution Library Blog Winner: Scholarly Communications @ Duke
Academic Institution Library Blog Honorable Mention: Facts From the Stacks

Public Institution Library Blog Winner: Eleventh Stack
Public Institution Library Blog Winner: InfoBlog

Which reminds me to start blogging again...

Alternative Literature (Or Why I Love XKCD Comics)

noreply@blogger.com (marianne@mariannelenox.com) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:16:00 -0500

Alternative Literature

Blogger's Dynamic Views are Awesome until they Suck

noreply@blogger.com (marianne@mariannelenox.com) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 12:02:00 -0500

I couldn't stand it and had to play with Blogger's Dynamic Views after their last update. While it's moving more towards customization by allowing header images and other basic deviations from the templates in the Template Designer, it's still very, very buggy.

Comments are totally screwed and the form doesn't always show up below the post in some. I did have Discus commenting installed, and they show up fine in the mobile view.

Huh.

In the meantime, and if you don't see a comment form below, please feel free to contact me through this site, on Twitter, Facebook or Google+. Reactions to posts should show up, but I can't really tell. Either they'll figure it out by listening to users or I'll find the time to revert to one of the more stable templates....

One Halloween, in a Parisian Bookstore...

noreply@blogger.com (marianne@mariannelenox.com) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 05:45:00 -0500

I adored this stunning Spike Jonze Film titled "Mourir Auprès de Toi" Set in a Parisian bookstore, the Ghost of Macbeth, a very randy skeleton, finds true love in Lady Macbeth. They get delightfully raunchy at the end!

The Celebrated Filmmaker and Designer Olympia Le-Tan Co-create a Tale to Pierce the Heart Designer Olympia Le-Tan's embroidered clutch-bags spring to life in director Spike Jonze’s tragicomic stop-motion animation Mourir Auprès de Toi (To Die By Your Side). On a shelf in famed Parisian bookstore Shakespeare and Company, the star-crossed love story of a klutzy skeleton and his flame-haired amour plays out amidst Le-Tan’s illustrations of iconic first-edition book covers. "It's such a beautiful and romantic place,” offers Le-Tan of the antiquarian bookstore. [Nowness]

Are you concerned about Freedom of Access to Information? Google Reader Isn't.

noreply@blogger.com (marianne@mariannelenox.com) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:07:00 -0500

Many of you know that I'm a huge fan of Google Reader and have taught several sessions on using it for keeping up with your learning network or for mass information retrieval from trusted sources.

Google, however, plans to remove its sharing capabilities when they integrate Reader into Google Plus. Initially, I thought Google Reader's users (including myself) would just have to adapt, but then I learned that Google Reader is the #1 website in Iran because it's citizens use it to get unfiltered information from an otherwise oppressive government.

As explained by Amir on Amirhm.com, Google Reader is not a separate domain (i.e., it’s available at www.google.com/reader) and it’s available behind a secure URL beginning https. This setup makes it hard for the government to directly block and filter Reader, even though many other social services, including Twitter, Facebook, FriendFeed, YouTube, Tumblr, Flickr and Picasa, are routinely banned in Iran, a country that’s ranked as the world’s worst oppressor of online freedoms. [TechCrunch]

If this troubles you, read more about how The World Is Surprisingly Angry About the End of Google Reader. Join The...Whatever Percent Who Use Google Reader. Let's let our voices be heard to Save Google Reader by signing the Petition to Google: don't kill Google Reader!

Is Siri an Evolutionary Milestone?

noreply@blogger.com (marianne@mariannelenox.com) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 09:42:00 -0500

Having just upgraded to the iPhone 4S, this review might just as well say two words:

Holy crap!

I've played with the 4S for about a day and a half, and yes... I'm blown away. I've had smartphones for years and have never experienced this level of intuitiveness in its' design. It's like I can see the future of human-computer interaction and am a part of it. Siri, the virtual personal assistant available on the device has gotten a lot of much deserved press since the announcement and release, I'm finding her to be quite pleasant, with a decent sense of humor for a robot.

Perhaps she's meant to be personal, so that we can get to know her and become comfortable when verbally asking, (instead of using a keyboard or mouse) our devices to do things and have them intelligently respond.

Read this article on how the iPhone4S will reaveal the Mac of the future and apply it to the larger evolutionary process of humans in the digital age.

Your thoughts?

Digital Library Books: DMZ to the Kindle App on an iPhone

noreply@blogger.com (marianne@mariannelenox.com) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 08:33:00 -0500

The Kindle iPhone App provides a great way for those of us who don't actually own a Kindle to download library books onto our iOS devices. Here's a quick, impromptu screencast to show how our digital library patrons can benefit from the Overdrive / Amazon partnership...

Transcending the worldview of librarianship today, one radical comic frame at a time

noreply@blogger.com (marianne@mariannelenox.com) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 08:35:00 -0500

From The Atlas of New Librarianship, headed by our 2010 Staff Day keynote Professor R. David Lankes
Happy Friday!

Improvements to Google+ Hangouts make it a potentially awesome free training tool

noreply@blogger.com (marianne@mariannelenox.com) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:41:00 -0500

From Lifehacker:

We've always been keen on Google+ Hangouts, but a recent update provided some extras that make the experience even better. Now you can share your screen, collaborate in Google Docs, and even draw together in SketchUp. Additionally, the Hangouts API provides developers with the ability to integrate Hangouts into their own web apps. This could become a very interesting way to not only collaborate on work, but also share media and play games with other people across the web. More »

What a great tool for in-house staff development and training! I've been using Livestream's Procaster for a while and am very unhappy with the ads and consistency of the recordings. But now, the screencasting, document collaboration, whiteboard and archiving capabilities in Google Hangouts could very well replace those other on-demand collaboration, online meeting, web conferencing and videoconferencing applications for free. Woah.

Update: I've been playing with Hangouts quite a bit this morning and definitely see the potential for learning with this tool. Currently participants must have a Google Identity and the voice and video plugin. Soon, we're told, they'll roll out "Hangouts on Air" for everyone and the training sessions could be broadcasted on live on youtube.

That? Will indeed be awesome.

Borders’ Last Gasps of Irony

noreply@blogger.com (marianne@mariannelenox.com) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:43:00 -0500

Bye, Bye Borders

Image and title courtesy mthruf.com

Reflections on my recent Personal Learning Presentation

noreply@blogger.com (marianne@mariannelenox.com) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 23:04:00 -0500

I had such a great time at WebJunction / ALA Learning Roundtable online conference Trends in Library Training and Learning 2011. Thanks to the excellent production team, the whole conference was a real learning bonanza for those interested in library training and instruction. My session, Happiness through Personal Learning, went well, I think. My voice wasn't in best form, but for the most part I was pleased as I listened to the archive.

I've done quite a bit of thinking on my own Personal Learning habits in the days since the presentation. During the second half of the session I discussed how I use Google Reader almost exclusively as my communication hub and pointed out the question mark around Blogger's icon in my model...

I do want to document the changes in my process from the 2007 model, since analyzing one's methods is such an important part of the Personal Learning Environment. In the webinar I said I don't really use my blog as a reflective tool any longer and that I wasn't sure of the reason why, I think I've figured out that it's because lately I've dedicated more personal time for that pursuit of happiness in my analog world than in this one. Also, as those in my Learning Network may know, I am not a prolific writer by any mean, and the 140 character limit on Twitter or a shared link at Facebook or Google Plus seems to suit the reflective requirements for me right now.

If you attended, (or view the archives) I'd love your comments on the presentation. For evaluation purposes, did you remember my three main points a week later? What did you like or dislike about my delivery? The content or premise? Really, I'd be very interested in your comments and welcome any critique. As a trainer, your evaluation of my presentation is a very real way for me to learn and improve my skills. My subjective well-being can take it, I promise. :)

I'd also love to hear of your own Personal Learning process if you'd like to share!

"Learn" is compelling, indeed

noreply@blogger.com (marianne@mariannelenox.com) — Thu, 4 Aug 2011 22:43:00 -0500

LEARN from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

Discription: 3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and almost a terabyte of footage... all to turn 3 ambitious linear concepts based on movement, learning and food ....into 3 beautiful and hopefully compelling short films.....

= a trip of a lifetime.

Just beautiful!

Can you really find happiness at an online conference?

noreply@blogger.com (marianne@mariannelenox.com) — Thu, 26 May 2011 21:11:00 -0500

I'm so excited to be a part of a collaborative online conference titled "Trends in Library Training and Learning: Developing Staff Skills for the 21st Century" slated for August 10 - 11 of this year! WebJunction and the ALA Learning Round Table come together to offer two days of free learning that will "help library trainers, managers and staff to find new ways to train, learn and keep up" according Sharon Morris, ALA Learning Round Table President 2010-11. And what a line-up! I'm honored to be among those very smart people who know a whole lot more than I do.

For several years I've been thinking about happiness and how I could ever possibly achieve it. I've also been passionate about personal learning, or the ability to better myself with only a few simple online tools. Several months ago a great big light went off inside my head and showed me the connection between the two. When Sharon wrote and asked if I'd do a presentation I knew I had something to share...

Happiness Through Personal Learning
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - our unalienable rights. While life and liberty are often dictated by circumstance, happiness usually remains a goal. How do we obtain it? What makes us happy? No matter what your answer to this question, one thing is certain, happiness and the things that make us happy are learned. Using online tools afforded to us by the digital century, in this session, Marianne Lenox will help you define your own unique learning methodology and set you on a course for pursuing both personal and professional happiness.

Can you really find happiness at an online conference? Join us and find out!

If you're ready for a zombie apocalypse or the 2nd deadliest tornado outbreak in recent history...

noreply@blogger.com (marianne@mariannelenox.com) — Thu, 19 May 2011 22:42:00 -0500

... then you're ready for any emergency.

If our library had an Emergency Manager, it would be me. I've been the lead on writing and implementing our disaster plan. First, the committee and I enacted a comprehensive emergency plan in 2008 and then ultimately rolled in into a full disaster and recovery scenario. I'm very pleased to say that the disaster plan was finally published and approved by our board and the State library service.

The most difficult part to convey was the section on "Shelter in Place". Our plan states that if our local Emergency Management Agency gives the order, we're to lock the doors, seal them as best we can, and move into protective areas. No one gets in... or out.

When training for the plan I used the Zombie analogy for staff. Not a pleasant thought, but it does well exemplify what we'd have to do if there were a major toxic threat in the area. Coincidentally, this week, the CDC even made it official with this blog post and social media campaign.

Also coincidientally, three weeks ago today, April 27th, I was to introduce the overall plan and conduct another session of "Person in Charge in Case of Emergency" training after our monthly manager's meeting. The first round of tornado warnings came in as we concluded the meeting and took a break before training. Staff and patrons went into our protective areas, we ultimately closed the library early in the afternoon during a break in the storms. It got worse, but fortunately none of our staff were hurt and none of our libraries were hit by the storms. Statewide, the official death count stands at 238 and there is an estimated 2 to 5 billion dollars in damage. Only the Super Outbreak of 1974 beats this in tornado event history.

Alabama is still recovering and will be for a long time.... but recover we will. You can help at http://www.servealabama.gov/.

Locally, our planning committee meets next week, the first since the tornadoes. A part of the disaster planning process, we have to analyze what we did right and what went wrong. And find out what we can do better, despite those things of which we had no control.

In both cases, there's still so much to be done.

Infographic: Anatomy of a Librarian

noreply@blogger.com (marianne@mariannelenox.com) — Wed, 11 May 2011 17:06:00 -0500

How could I not post this from Infographics Showcase? It's sexy and smart, just like librarians. You'd think though, with the title "Anatomy of a Librarian," that we'd get more stats on how many of us actually wear glasses or what percentage of us can use a mouse, write and talk on the phone at the same time. I do like the left brain / right brain section, as highlighted in the thumbnail to the left.

See the entire chart below, or click to the original at Masters Degree Guide.

The Future of Books (According to McSweeney's)

noreply@blogger.com (marianne@mariannelenox.com) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 10:28:00 -0500

McSweeney's Contributing author James Warner contemplates the Future of Books in what might be the the most ~~hilarious~~ ~~frightening~~ apropos article you'll read today....

2020: All Books Will Be Cross-Platform and Interactive.
Future "books" will be bundled with soundtracks, musical leitmotifs, 3-D graphics, and streaming video. They'll be enhanced with social bookmarking, online dating, and alerts from geo-networking apps whenever someone in your locality purchases the same book as you— anything so you don't have to actually read the thing. Authors will do their own marketing, the reader will be responsible for distribution, the wisdom of crowds will take care of the editing, and the invisible hand of the market will perform the actual writing (if any). Writers will respond either by going viral or by going feral.

2030: All Books Will Be Crowdsourced and Cloud-Based.
Novelists will start out designing their characters in the form of sets of vinyl figurines. If these generate enough buzz, fans will produce the actual novel collaboratively as a wiki. As you read it, thermal cameras will measure your physiological signals, including flickers in eye movement, facial muscle contractions, and heart rate, to determine where you want the story to go next—it will be expected to read itself to you, explain itself, and unobtrusively weave your incoming text messages into the dialogue. You will also be able to fine-tune details of how the characters are digitally rendered, fire at them, and (when imperative) indulge in cybersex with them. If a novelist is posthumously discovered, his or her vinyl figurines may wind up as collector's items.

2040: Authors Will Become Like Tamagotchi.
Having determined that what readers want is a "sense of connection," publishers will organize adopt-an-author promotions, repackaging writers along the lines of Webkinz and other imaginary pets. "Feeding" your favorite authors by buying their books will make their online avatars grow less pale and grouchy. If they starve to death on your watch you will lose social networking points. Book clubs will cultivate with their favorite writers the warm, fuzzy, organic bond a trainer develops with his or her Pokémon, a process that will culminate in staged fights-to-the-death between your author and the author sponsored by another book club. These fights will occur offline, since there will be one or two bookstores left and something has to happen there.

2050: Analog Reading Will Be Digitally Simulated.
As people spend more and more of time immersed in massively multi-player role-playing games, they will begin to crave some downtime. Virtual simulation worlds will start to include hideaway "libraries" you can lock yourself into. There you'll be able to climb into a virtual bath and lovingly turn the pages of a pixilated representation of one of those dog-eared tomes—reliant on old-school linear narrative— that by this time will have been made illegal in the real world. Perfectly reproduced will be the sensation of turning the pages, the crack of the spine, and even the occasional paper cut. By 2052, 95% of the activity of 73% of role-players will take place in these hideaways, since they'll be the only place to escape the incessant building of community and connectivity that will by then be such an infuriating aspect of offline reality.

2060: Physical Books Will Make a Comeback in Annoying Contexts.
As printed matter gets harder to obtain, Antiquarian Archipelago will become a popular infotainment show, starring heavily-armed archivists who teleport from island to island in search of rare gems. Meanwhile new printed works will continue to be released—in the form of dust jackets made from edible fungi—as faux-antique treasures at Renaissance Fairs and related nostalgic historical reenactments. The last bibliophile will traverse the city in a daze, wondering where the bookstores went. Meanwhile all of human knowledge will be encrusted onto a chip and sent into outer space by sixth graders, as a ploy to get out of doing their homework.

2070: We Will All Become Cyborgs.
New brain-computer interfaces will redefine narrative, as electrodes implanted in the neocortex induce stories to form, without the intervention of a third party, as sustained hallucinations. Hence the "readers" of the future will spend most of their time in an epileptic fugue state. Artificial intelligences will use deep-structure pattern-recognition, predictive modeling, and information theory to ensure each new trance state is popular enough to get upvoted on the hottest content-ranking platforms. Nanobots in our bloodstream will inform us how to behave, coordinating our actions with real-time marketing data on behavioral and attitudinal trends, until the very concept of individuality is reconfigured, resulting in the death of independent thought and the elimination of many of our descendants by transpersonal mindviruses.

2080: A Golden Age of Informational Fluidity.
For the benefit of those people at future-of-publishing panels—there's always one, for some reason—who insist it's really not about the text but the smell of the book, books will by this time be available exclusively as lines of fragrances. Subsequently, humans will modify themselves into a species with a powerful olfactory sense, able to read underwater by decoding strings of pheronomes. Aroma-bibliography will triumph, as vast epics are composed for newly developed scent receptors, transforming the rising seas into a giant bath of community-assisted transmedia content. Also around this time, the oral literature of dolphins will be deciphered and will turn out, inexplicably, to be all about vampires.

(© James Warner. I think.)

I, for one, welcome our Nanobot overlords.

And your point is? Exactly.

noreply@blogger.com (marianne@mariannelenox.com) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 11:36:00 -0500

How To Have A Rational Discussion by Thought Catalog

Congratulations to Ros Lett, 2011 Mover & Shaker!

noreply@blogger.com (marianne@mariannelenox.com) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 07:25:00 -0500

I was thrilled to just read that my friend and co-worker, Rosalind K. Lett, has been named as a Library Journal 2011 Mover & Shaker.

No matter what role I play," Lett says, "I will always be advocating for the right to information access for all citizens and making sure that I can help facilitate seamless access to information." Library Journal, 3/14/2011

Ros is HMCPL's Associate Director for Library Services and I am honored to work with her on a daily basis. She is inspiring, smart and funny... and wholly passionate about her work. Congratulations, Ros. Well deserved!