ALA 101 - Updates

Back in the day....(damn, I sound like a geezer), I posted a series of notes about ALA and its structure and governance. When I last changed format of the blog, I took the index to them and made it a "page."

Today, I updated that page to include a couple of new links. One is to a guide on the ALA web site which has some important definitions of terms, and the other is linked to a blog which aggregated some of the links commonly used by a Councilor.

Here is the link to the updated page: http://michaelgolrick.blogspot.com/p/ala-101.html

Louisiana Library Association Conference 2014 - Day 2

Google Analytics:

The program was presented by Karen Niemla & Cyndy Robertson (UL-Monroe). For some reason, I seem to go to the program presented by Karen at every LLA conference. She often talks about tech stuff that relates to my life.

You need a Google account to start. Either use your own account or make one for library use. Recommended that you create a library account rather than tying to a personal account. You can add other Google accounts so that they can see the data. It will change from time to time, since Google does that.

GA is designed for people who are trying to make money, so there are some things which will not make sense to us. There are even some metrics which have dollars attached to them.

The kind of demonstration of what you actually see is hard to capture for a blog report. The presentation is on the web: http://www.niemla.info/lla14

Listening to Your Patrons

Samantha Becker is at the UWashington Information School. The Impact Survey is a tool to help libraries survey their patrons especially about technology. She will also talk about the EDGE Initiative, a library benchmarking tool, which allows libraries to look at how it provides services.

What do you need to know?

Need to align library resources and services to community needs. About 70% of those who use library technology have access somewhere else. One reason is that home internet connection is not good, so the library connection is so much better. Also "household competition for access" which means that there are multiple users competing for the one device.

People are going to library to do their jobs. May be normally working from home, but need personal contact in order to feel productive. "The library is a productive space." Is there anywhere else in the community where a person can go to use technology without being expected to buy something.

Need to show that responding to community needs, and figure out the areas for improvement.

Used a case study -- Altamont -- a fictional community with a number of challenges and based on a number of real communities across the country.

 Gathering Data

1.  Assemble a working team
1. Library managers
2.  Board/Friends representatives
3.  Local government
4.  Peer agency staff
5.  Members of the public/library users
2. What do you need to know?
1. What are the most important issues facing your community?
2. What do your community members need to have, know, or do to be successful?
3. What kind of community do you aspire to be?
4. What kinds of programs can meet community needs?
5. How well do our programs meet community needs?
6. Who aren't we serving as well as we could?
7. What's going on in your community?
8. What are your community goals?
9. What information would help you make decisions about programs to support those goals?
3. Existing Data
1. What existing data can tell you:
1. Who lives in your service area
2. What kind of lives they lead
3. What they might need
4. How patrons are using the library
2. Data Sources
1. Census/ACS
2. Broadband USA
3. Community indicators
4. City/County Surveys
5. Education agency
6. Employment agency
7. Library records
8. Other research
3. Compile into a community survey
4. Compare to other research/surveys
5. Needing, doing, being
   Theory of change says that you have an unmet need, the library provides services, which leads to people being able to do something that they could not do before.
6. Data collection methods
1. Community fora
2. Focus groups
3. Interviews
4. Surveys

She presented a great deal of detail on how to actually do focus groups, community meetings, and interviews, along with the pro/cons and specific kinds of information from each type of data collection.

Data collected from focus groups and interviews is qualitative data.

Analysis and Reflection

1.  Write up impressions of results from fora, focus groups, etc.
2. Approach systematically
1. write up brief summaries
2. categorize
3. look for themes
4. look for alternates and exceptions
3. Validate findings with other methods

Surveys aren't just for satisfaction. Libraries are victims of social desirability bias. Use surveys to validate findings from other methods. Use to understand the extent of the phenomena. Can learn about outcomes (how many experience a specific outcome, like "did you get your GED"?). Phone surveys are expensive, and may not be reliable. Areas with high cell phone use will result in results that are not accurate.

Library patrons are unusually willing to participate in surveys and to answer questions. Try combination of web and paper survey. If you mail, be sure to include a return envelope. Use PR to make folks aware of your survey.

Want to focus on factual information. But be careful how the question is worded. Limit number of open-ended questions. Avoid compound questions. Always pre-test your questions. Watch how much you ask. About 10 - 12 questions is ideal. You have to balance between limited number of questions, and analyzing the data. Ask multi-check questions (e.g., top three priorities). Use questions from other surveys.

What is the Impact Survey?

This is a survey tool to help libraries survey their users about how they use technology. Very simple to use list of questions, includes information on activities in core outcome areas. Includes tools to do analysis and professional-looking results. [impact.org]

What is EDGE for Libraries?

Edge is a way to look at your library. Includes benchmarks and indicators. Has tools to analyze what your library is doing and how to do better. It has a toolkit. There is synchronous web-based training. There are many kinds of training available as part of it.

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

Elizabeth Elmwood, now Meta-Data librarian, formerly Government Documents Librarian. In June 2013, Xavier University (New Orleans) left the Federal Depository Library System (FDLS). Reasons: limited resources and a duplication of effort.

Her full presentation is here. She looked for published accounts describing the process, and found little. 15 academic libraries left in 1998-2001. Most were smaller academic libraries located near larger libraries.

Reasons for discontinuation:

• Tangible item use was low
• fewer than 1 item per month re-shelved
• technology requirements barely met
• Limited staffing
• 1 librarian with other duties
• No support staff, spotty student worker coverage
• Use of space
• Library reconfiguration in process
• Extensive print weeding of entire collection
• Cost of ownership versus use of collection

Reasons to keep:

• Intrinsic value of an informed citizenry
• Enhances library prestige, and is unique to libraries
• Your documents collection may have its own specialties
• Your collection supports a department, major, or program of instruction
• Leaving FDLP does not yield instant savings in space labor or money

Process (mechanics)

• Consult with regional coordinator, then write a letter (library director/agency head) to the Superintendent of Documents
• Physical mail is irradiated
• May need to scan and send
• Expect to list everything (!) as usual for documents disposition
• Consider the regional depository library's workload when submitting items
• Pulling data from ILS into an editable file to upload into the disposal database
• (PPT has a crosswalk from MARC to ASERL DDD fields) / Note 074 is the shipping list number, can be a good field to look at

Xavier Library after withdrawal

• Collection remains on the shelves during disposal
• Librarian became Meta-data Librarian
• Unclaimed items offered
• Student workers did the grunt work
• Government information accessible via LibGuide
• Did some uncommon listings (e.g., Foreign Relations of the US from 1915 +  offered on Craigslist)

Recommended reading list (from PPT)

If were to do it again, would double check list from ILS against shelf for actual format. Once offered and not claimed the library can keep the material, and it becomes a regular part of the collection and does not have to be offered again through the disposition process.

Celebrate the Freedom to Read @ your library

Attendees were welcomed as "Intellectual Freedom Fighters." Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read, rather than celebrating the banning of books.

Judy Krug Grant: there are 5 - 8 grants awarded each year, since  2010, and last year, for the first time ever, two libraries in the same state won the grant: LaFourche and Livingston Parish Libraries.

LaFourche Parish Library received  $1,000 plus ALA Graphics supplies. The funding was used for programs. The LaFourche program was aimed at teens. Livingston's program was aimed at adults. The Livingston program focused on Southern literature.

Next round of grants is open until April 30, and is not overly difficult to apply for.

Louisiana Library Association Conference 2014 - Day 1

Benefits after BTOP Laptops

The program was a panel of library directors who talked about the success of the program. They included stories about people sitting in the parking lot to use Wi-Fi. One even mentioned that they received phone calls from people in the parking lot asking them to re-set the router!

The best of the stories was from one library director who went out to retrieve an overdue laptop. She walked up to the trailer where the person lived. With no argument the woman gave it back. As the library director was leaving, the patron said: "Oh, would you sign me up so that I can borrow it again when it comes back."

One of the directors noted that the BTOP-funded classes were very popular, and that he would willingly take more laptops.

[Cypress - software for writing resumes - more to come]

Patron on the Edge: Customer Service in Difficult Circumstances

Sarah Creekmore, Admin Assistant to the library director in Lincoln Parish presented the program. Prior to her current position, she had worked in reference, and had an extensive experience in customer service in banking and retail. She notes that one of the differences is that in public service, we are the product, and we need to focus on delivering the best possible product.

React v. Respond
Reaction is generally negative "gut feeling" "not thinking, feeling"
Respond, thought out, have a plan, able to see alternatives, logical tools in advance of the situation
Observe behavior, and respond in a way that is most effective

Mood Swings

• Anxiety (necessarily a problem....)
• Give them your undivided attention
• Speak more softly and calmly
• Let them vent (don't interrupt)
• Make it right (if library is wrong)
• Belligerence
• Acting Angry
• Accusatory
• Bad language
• Take control quickly 
• Keep eye contact (otherwise may think trying to get away, but don't look down -- submissive look)
• Control (Out of)
• Communicating threats, intoxicated = call the cops
• Get additional staff/co-workers for back up
• Safety is paramount
• Calm
• Not usually a problem (unless, just out of control, if this happens don't fall for it)

Attack Strategies

• Bullying/Manipulating
• Sometimes need to think through to figure out what they want
• Critical to find some truth in what they say
• Disagree without arguing
• Ask for input
• Smarty Pants-ing
• Patrons who know the rules better than you do
• Attempt to overwhelm with information
• Energizer bunnies -- going and going and going (try to paraphrase briefly)
• Ask specific questions, the more specific the better
• Thank for input
• Back Stabbing
• Call them out.....ask for their direct input/opinion
• Gloom and Dooming 
• Eyore - perpetual pessimists
• Acknowledge the part which is true

Derailment Tactics (deny, defend, or counter-attack)

• Broken Record
• Repeat: "Really sorry you feel that way, but this is our policy"
• Can apologize for the inconvenience (not necessarily effective)
• Fogging (for manipulations and counter-attacks)
•  Acknowledge remark (take the meat of what they are saying)
• 
  
• Bargaining
• Alternative solutions
• Defusing Triggers
• Triggers are personal (bad bullies will find them and poke)
• Sometimes you need to have someone else intervene and deal with patron

Keeping Cool

• Avoid losing control
• Accepting emotional responsibility
• Find the trigger
• Put things in perspective
• If necessary, use an exit line
• If you lose control
• Interrupt yourself
• (scream stop inside your head...take a breath and tell patron what is going on)
• Communicate your feelings (no blame or apology needed*)
• Continue or reschedule as needed
• *Unless actions were negative, i.e. throwing or yelling

 Examples/Real Life

ADA does allow you to ask for service animals to leave if they urinate or defecate in the building or if they are creating a disturbance. Can ask if a service animal and can ask what their function is. Can ask the animals to leave, cannot ask the patron to leave.

State of the State Library

Presentation is on the State Library web site. Full presentation is here.
The good news? The current budget proposal includes $1.4 million in State Aid. This will help the State meet the federal MER (Minimum Expenditure Requirement).

Overview of the Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act (UELMA)

States used to produce their own codes. But then they came to realize that there were companies that were doing it, so they chose a private publisher to do it. In Louisiana, West Publishing is the official publisher. Many states have moved to online to "save money."

There is a site which AALL maintains which indicates sources of online codes and whether the online copy is official and the copyright status. (List is state by state.)

In 2007, NCUSL (National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws) approved a study explore digital authentication. in 2011, the new legislation was approved.

UELMA definition is narrow: constitutions, session laws, codified laws, and administrative rules. States may expand the definition if they want, but it is a local decision. The act applied to electronic legal material that has been designated official.

• Official designation
• Must name and agency or official as the the "official publisher" for each set of materials
• No definition of relationship between state and commercial publishers
• Authentication
• Provide a method for the user to determine that the record is unaltered from the official version
• Preservation and Security
• Publisher shall ensure integrity and preservation of the record
• Public access
• Should be permanent
• "Reasonably available"

Adopted in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Minnesota, Nevada, North Dakota, and Oregon.

There was conversation that AALL was going to target Louisiana for enactment, but searching for bills does not find any proposed legislation.

Prediction...it will come to be that the online version will be official.

AALL: http://community.aallnet.org/DigialAccesstoLegalInformationCommittee/stateonlinelegalinformation/Louisiana

UELMA: http://www.aallnet.org/Documents/Government-Relations/UELMA

(Re)Organization: Recruiting, Training, and Retaining a Diverse Library Staff

State Librarian Rebecca Hamilton, and LSU professor Robin Kurz did an excellent presentation on the topic of diversity. Full presentation is here.

LLA Book Dinner

Richard Paul Evans was an absolutely captivating speaker. I only took notes on my phone, and here are a couple of gems:

• He told a very humorous story about how one day he appeared for an early morning talk show (Atlanta?), and there was a dispute between his publicist and the show's producer. The result was that the station agreed to promote his book signing, and he came back the next morning. While being set up with his microphone the next morning, the technician let slip that he had been "bumped" the previous day. For whom? Elvis Presley's podiatrist. Who arrived with a container of Elvis' toenail clippings!
• "The map you see is not the road. The way you see the world is not how the world really is."
• Every revolution started with a book.

He talked extensively about his philosophy about life as contained in his book on the "four doors."

It was a great end to the day.

ALA Executive Board Elections

There has been a recent discussion on the ALA Council List about parts of the process for electing ALA Executive Board members. Anyone can read the postings. Go to the ALA List of discussion lists http://lists.ala.org/sympa and look under Governance for the Council list. Once you click on it, look for the box on the left side of the page for Archives, or look here for the threaded discussion.

As background, you may want to read Bobbi Newman's wonderful post The First Rule of ALA Executive Board is You Don’t Talk About ALA Executive Board. It gives all the foundational documents (and links) and some insight on her experience, which is more recent than mine. I highly recommend that you read the comments also, not just because I commented. Peggy Sullivan, who was both on the ALA EB as President and as Executive Director, offers some perspective as well.

In the comments I said a couple of things that I want to repeat for those who don't bother to go there:

I served on the ALA EB from 2003 – 2006, and started my blog most of the way through my term. I did talk some about being on the Board, and certainly on the blog have talked about service on Council. ...

One of the wonderful things that happened when I ran was that the six of us nominated by the Committee on Committees all went out to dinner at that Midwinter. It was a very congenial group. Two of those six were elected (the other person elected was nominated from the floor and could not join us for dinner). Of those not elected two were elected in later years.

One of the important points that Karen has raised, is the fact that it is easier to publish, even share, intentions today than it was. It is also true that there was (I am no longer a member of ALA Council, so I can't judge the current climate) a climate of this election being one of "standing for election" unlike for President, Treasurer, or even Council itself, of "running." After all, I have helped candidates with handing out flyers, talking up platform issues, even doing electronic mailings. I did so gladly when I felt that I could, and that it did not compromise my position.

[An aside: I spent my first two terms on Council as a Chapter Councilor. I perceived my role as that of representing my state, and of representing ALA to my state. For Presidential and Treasurer elections, I was (well, tried to be) as even-handed as I could. The only opinion I would offer would be a private one, privately. As a member of the Executive Board, I felt that I could not in good conscience campaign since I would wind up serving with the successful candidate, and if I had vocally backed the "other candidate" that would have felt awkward to me. That is a statement of why I acted the way I did. As a Councilor-at-Large, I did as I wished, and did publicly endorse and actively support candidates.]

A part of me agrees with the idea that there should be more discussion prior to Midwinter, and more opportunities to interact with the candidates. When I "stood" for election, I did not really stand still. I made it a point to talk to fellow Councilors at the reception (Midwinter only event) for new Councilors. I chatted with them before and after sessions, each meeting of the Council Forum/Caucus, at the Chapter Councilor meeting, at committee meetings, etc. I did ask those I knew to vote for me. As many know, I am usually vocal, and did not silence myself during the period. Today would be different.

There is also not always someone nominated from the floor. There was the year I was elected, and that person was one of the successful candidates.
 

ALA Elections 2014 - My list

Some years I have written more about this, and other years less. This year is going to be a minimal post. Below are listed the folks for whom I will vote for ALA Council. I am still undecided about ALA President, I know both candidates slightly, and am still trying to make up my mind -- unlike in some past years where I had a clear favorite.

Not making the list does not mean that I dislike or disagree with a person. More likely, I just do not either know them well enough or know their work well enough to support them. The list below is alphabetical, because that is the way my ballot is/was.

Vivian Bordeaux
    I worked with Vivian at the Bridgeport Public Library. She is very thoughtful.

Matthew Ciszek
    I met Matthew through working on Council. He is very well-spoken and articulate. (Plus usually agree with him!)

Emily E. Clasper
   Emily is a dynamic library trainer from New York. I think she would be a great addition to Council.

Roberto C. Delgadillo
    Like several of the folks on this list, I met Roberto through Council. He brings a wealth of knowledge to Council.

John Desantis
    Like several of the folks on this list, I met John through Council. He is in tech services which is a part of the 
    profession often under-represented on Council, and John is articulate on the issues he chooses to address.

Ed Garcia
   Ed has been the Rhode Island Chapter Councilor, and is articulate and thoughtful.

Rhonda K. Puntney Gould
   I have known Rhonda for a number of years. She is active in ALSC, and has worked with the Wisconsin Library
   Association prior to her recent "removal" to Washington (and a different WLA).

Dora Ho
   Dora is a former ALA Exec Board member. I worked with her on the Membership Committee. She has the 
   broad perspective that is important on Council.

Em Claire Knowles
   Em Claire is a former ALA Exec Board member. She has the broad perspective that is important on Council.

Susan L. Jennings

    I met Susan as part of my work on Council.
Margaret L. Kirkpatrick

    Margaret is a long-time support of Youth Services issues. She has a long and distiguished record on Council and, 
    I think deserved to be elected.
Charles E. Kratz

   Charles is another former ALA Exec Board member. He has the broad perspective that is important on Council.
Rodney Eugene Lippard

  Rodney is a former Chapter Councilor who is also thoughtful and well-spoken.
Mike L. Marlin

   Mike is a vocal advocate for people with disabilities, and I have come to respect his expertise in this area
Dale K. McNeill

   I have known Dale electronically for many years, initially from the PUBLIB discussion list. He would be a great 
   addition to Council.
Michael J. Miller

   I have worked with Michael on several committees over the years. He is thoughtful and articulate
Jerome Offord

   I got to know Jerome primarily through his work in diversity at OCLC, and our overlapping group of friends. He is
   thoughtful and well-spoken.
Andrew Pace

   Andrew is a well-spoken and thoughtful person who also is an advocate of appropriate use of technology.
Kevin Reynolds

  Kevin is another former ALA Exec Board member. He has the broad perspective that is important on Council
  He previously had served as the Tennessee Chapter Councilor. It is important for the Chapter perspective to 
  be represented by more than just the official Chapter Councilors.
Jules Shore

   I know Jules mostly from social media. He is a medical librarian, and as such, would represent a segment of libraries
   which is under-represented on ALA Council.
Christian Zabriskie
   Christian is one of the founders of the Urban Libraries Unite, an important new library advocacy group. 

So...that is my list.