TLA 2008 Conference Notes, Day One: Session on school librarians and professional reading

Session title: Be PRO-active: Encourage Professional Reading.
Presenters: Mary Ann Bell and Holly Weimar, of Sam Houston State University.

(This session was an example of bad advertising. When it comes to conferences, this is a pet peeve of mine: sessions that on paper look pretty good, and then you discover they are not quite what they say on the program description. For reference purposes, here is the description as listed in the program).

Program description: "Overwhelmed by professional literature? Explore management solutions for busy faculty and staff with limited time. Inspire professional reading by providing resources and technological tools to organize materials and encourage critical and creative thinking."

(My first clue should have been that it was sponsored by the Texas Association of School Librarians. Now, that clue would have told me that it was not geared to those of us in academia. Having said that, I have been known to go to sessions for school librarians since I was a school teacher in a previous life, plus being an education subject specialist, it helps me to keep up. However, the program description made it sound like a more general session about professional reading. Somewhat far from that. In essence, this was for school librarians to learn how to get their faculty the professional reading they need. Nice, but not exactly academic level. However, I did find a silver lining: I learned some things that I can pass on to our education faculty and their students getting ready to go into classrooms. I think I will modify my notes a bit and post them over in our library blog with an "education" tag.)

Notes:

Two websites, which belong to the presenters: http://hweimar.pbwiki.com/ and http://forwhomthebelltold.pbwiki.com/.

(By the way, a lot of this presentation boiled down to the presenters simply showing their wikis. If I wanted that, I would ask for the link and look at it myself. Note to any potential presenters out there: don't do that. Actually present and discuss. I can look at the website later.)

• Issue: having time to read. This presentation is based on a study of school teachers and reading. ALA used to have a statement on professional reading collections. This is now gone (would be nice if I could have seen that ALA statement. Makes me wonder why they got rid of it since I would think encouraging professional reading would be in the interests of ALA. Then again, ALA is the American Library Association, not librarian association. Anyhow, tried to do a quick search for examples of places with a professional reading collection, and they are pretty slim. Jackson State Community College offers one as a service to faculty. The South Dakota State Library also offers it. See the note here, then find their bibliography, which is a Word doc. And apparently, the Texas State Library offers a library science collection. I need to look into that later. At one point, in my previous job, I had mentioned having some kind of professional reading collection. Idea did not get too far off the ground. And given the budget where I am at now, suggesting it here is probably not advisable.)
• If we are not reading, we can't be an example to others who are also expected to read (nice idea). Administrators should be seen reading professionally too. If they share it, it is found that staff will do the same. (Careful on this. Forwarding articles because they look good does not equal actually reading them and thinking about them.)
• However, in schools, lacking other reading is discussed. If not professional reading, it is not seen as OK (I think the point here is about teachers actually reading other things and seen doing it once in a while).
  
• Professional reading can lead to other activities. For teachers, it can lead to things like professional development.

On locating the right professional materials (this is addressed to school librarians, but I think with a little modification, we in academia can learn from it t00):

• Talk to teachers to find needs.
• Promote things like WorldCat and TexShare.
  
• Note: observation that teachers often went to bookstores on Friday or Saturday evenings. This was the only time they had available (heck, when I was a school teacher, I often did not even have those times available. However, the point of the presenter was to observe the school teachers went to the bookstore at those free times considering their public libraries were usually closed at that time).
  
• School librarian needs to give some guidance. Maybe start by providing some abstracts to the teachers.
  
• School librarians: while providing services, do collect data as well.
  
• Remember your online resources.
  

TLA 2008 Conference Notes, Day One: Session on Library Value

Day One was Tuesday April 15, 2008. I will basically put in my notes taken at the time. Any extra comments or thoughts on my part I will put in parenthesis.

Title of session: "What's it worth? The Value of Library Services as an Advocacy Tool."

You can find the powerpoint for this presentation here, along with many of the other presentations. TLA was trying to be "green" this year, so they made a lot of the presentations available electronically so you could print them out as you saw fit.

To the presentation then:


(This was a presentation about how to use spreadsheets and what to put in them in order to calculate the value of your library. While they did not focus as much on the nuts and bolts, they gave enough of a sense for anyone who may want to replicate the process. Given my new job focus on outreach, which includes marketing and being the library evangelist, I thought this presentation would be relevant for me. I learned a thing or two).

• To create the spreadsheets, use information that is readily available. This kind of information is often found in annual reports. What you are figuring out is ROI (return on investing).
  
• Ask what value items you want to use. Some examples are circulation stats, reference transactions, databases, etc.
  
• Tool: Maine State Library, Library Value Calculator.
  
• The value of website hits. Base this on Google's rate for clicks (this is based on the advertising concept).
  
• They noted that a $3 to $8 ROI was considered good (I take it that it was based on their situation). Remember that this is services returned to the community.
  

On Advocacy:

• Constantly communicate value to users. Focus on service quality.
  
• Show cost-effectiveness. Ask: what if you had to buy the services?
  
• Library users take good technology for granted in the library. (I know this is the case here. The day before I had a student I had to teach at the reference desk who told me her story of how she lived in a rural area where nothing better than dial-up was available. She had to come to campus to use the faster connection, going to the point of staying out in the library parking lot after hours to get the wireless. You want to talk digital divide sometime? Anyhow, this is something we can certainly use to show our value and argue for better funding.)
• Ask: what's in it for me? (well, we should encourage patrons to ask that). Ask: what needs does the library meet?
  
• Find stories and anecdotes from users. Use personal accounts and testimonials. (The concept of telling the library story is one I have been pondering for a while since I got here. One place I was doodling with the idea is here.)
  
• Ask: what difference does the library make? How does the library impact the community in a positive way? (Another idea or two I have been kicking around for a while. I have been reading things about it here and here for example.)

(As I am listening to the presentation, I am thinking how can I apply this to an academic setting. I do think there are applications for academia, things we can learn from. Some of the items I would want on my spreadsheet, if I ever got around to making one: reference transactions and any librarian consultations, value of the wireless, books and materials, technology and computers, study rooms, and a few others. I was also asking myself how to get stories from the patrons. Focus groups maybe? The recent usability testing we recently did provides, I think, a good model to use, but it does require a good amount of promotion work to get people to come talk to us. Still, worth thinking about it. By the way, as soon as I get the transcripts done, I will probably write about that usability test).

Back from TLA, brief note, more later

I came back from TLA last Friday afternoon. I learned a few things. Found a thing or two a bit disappointing. Had some good fun too. I will be posting my notes for sessions and so on along with an overall reflection on the experience later in the week. I just wanted to let folks now I am back. Wish I could blog things faster, but work is busy, and just because I took a couple of days off, it does not mean the drama stops. So stay tuned.

Heading to TLA (Texas Library Association) Conference 2008

Texas Library Association
Annual Conference
Dallas, Texas
April 15-18, 2008


As if I was not busy enough, TLA just creeped up on me. I will be in Dallas this year. I am leaving tomorrow morning, should be back by Friday. Yes, I know; I have not been blogging with any consistency lately, but work has literally been a madhouse these last two weeks or so, and it is not showing signs of letting up. To be honest, a part of me is not sure I should even go to TLA since there is so much to do here, but I know that if I don't take care of myself and my professional development, no one else will. Anyways, feel free to chat me up if we run across. I will be posting my session notes once I get back. This will be my third year attending now; first time while working for UT Tyler. How time flies. Since this is becoming sort of the one thing I do for my professional development, I am going to try to make it to a meeting or two and see if I get involved in something.

Best, and keep on blogging.

Article Note: On use of public libraries and large bookstores

Citation for the article:

Hemmeter, Jeffrey A. "Household use of public libraries and large bookstores." Library and Information Science Research 28 (2006): 595-616.

Read via ScienceDirect.

To some extent, this article restated a few things that now seem obvious to most of us in the library world. From the abstract, "the study finds that large bookstores reduce the probability of household library use for some, but not all, uses of the library." I think that is pretty evident without the study. A caveat is that this study is based on 1996 data; yes, the data set is ten years old as the author is drawing on the 1996 National Household Education Survey (NHES) and some other items. I say it's time someone took a new look because a lot of the speculations or observations the author makes as being possibilities have already happened. If nothing else, this is an example of an LIS article where the content is already pretty much well known to librarians. In other words, it's a bit of a day late and a dollar short. Usually, I would not have blogged an article I do not find too useful or practical, but I did get through the whole thing.

Some highlights:

• The author opens by recalling the economic theory where public services are often provided where the private sector fails to provide for a need (595). To which I say, in theory maybe, but the problem more often is that the market does not provide for X need, and it sure as heck does not do it out of any sense of common good. In other words, there are some things that if the public trust does not provide them for the community, they would never be provided. I am betting public libraries are one example. When it comes to the speculative question of having to start public libraries today, I tend to think the answer is probably no, mostly because I just don't see a sense of public good anymore, but I won't digress further.
  
• An observation: "Modern super-bookstores offer books at low prices in a library-like atmosphere" (596). To which I ask the author, "have you been shopping at a super-bookstore recently?" Thirty dollars minimum for a hardback is not exactly cheap.
• "Super bookstores, in particular, have begun to provide services that libraries traditionally offered" (598). Really? Such as? I don't see that lowly paid clerk moving to do any substantial amount of research assistance. I don't see bookstores either providing computers for internet access (sure, they may or not have wifi, but you do have to provide the laptop, which does indicate a certain level of income), or providing access points to various forms of government information. Story hour? A public librarian can probably do a better performance than the average bookstore clerk. I am sure one of my brethren in a public library could keep this little string going.
  
• "Another potential problem is that bookstores and super bookstores might locate in areas with high reading activity, which counties with high library use are likely to have" (605). Well, I wonder a bit if there might not be an income motivation as well. Let's be honest. How many bookstores and super bookstores would locate in a rural area or an inner city where there may be a very well used public library? Just because an area has a public library that has a lot of users, it does not follow as easily that the bookstores would go there as well. The cynic in me is thinking more in terms of suburbs.
  
• "The spread of the Internet increases the probability of library use for job search, work, and consumer information purpose, although the effect is quite small" (611). As any public librarian will tell you, the Internet also increases the probability of library use for MySpace, YouTube, Runescape, and the perennial favorite: porn. And before any L2 evangelist gripes at me for appearing elitist or other nonsense, let us keep in mind that public libraries ought to be about more than getting your social networking fix or your next hook-up. Balance, you know?
  
• "Household in wealthier ZIP codes use the library somewhat more often than those in poorer ZIP codes" (611). Could it be because those wealthier areas can afford to actually subsidize a decent library with a good and diverse collection? Could it be than in the lower income ZIP codes that is not the case, thus the library may be some dilapidated place no one would want to use? I think this is not too different from the eternal debate about public schools, their locations, and their tax bases.
  
• Something that already has happened: "The importance of A/V material relative to books suggests that use of the library as a popular materials center may prove to be a large source of future activity and expansion. The small, negative impact of library book collections is indicative of the public view of libraries as being warehouse for out-of-date books. This supports the general perception that households are changing their sources of entertainment and information from print media to more electronic-based media" (613). Well, maybe, maybe not. If you look at circulation stats for recreational reading, the view of being out-of-date may not be as bad, but overall, things have changed. See my remark above about the Internet.
  
• This made me take a second look. It is talking about how bookstores, to stay in business, have to carry the latest manuals for job searching, computers, so on. "Additionally, most large bookstores have extensive periodical and job search sections with which a person can search for a job" (614). Really? Bookstores now offer job ads and extensive listings? Is that another of those services bookstores now offer that libraries used to offer? Seriously, do people really think bookstore when they think they need to look for a job? Sure, they may go there to find a good book on how to write a resume or career advice, but actual job searching? I have not seen the bookstore that does that yet, nor the library. And no, I don't think a little community bulletin board with a few local ads counts. I think the author may be stretching here a bit. Of course, for libraries, the catch is they have to have those up-to-date career advice books or else.
  

So, there you have it folks.