Gwyn's Blogging Do's and Don'ts

As the semester draws to a close, I would like to take the opportunity to give my advice for future 753 students on blogging based on my experience. Who am I to be giving advice? I am unsure myself. However, I would like future blogging students (who feel like their muses fell asleep) to read these thoughts in case they may help. Here it goes:

1.) Blog Often!: Establish a pattern with a set time of day to blog. Blog the entire duration (a 1/2 hour? 15 minutes?) daily, or on odd days. Fit blogtime into your regular life (like grabbing a cup of tea each morning, or feeding the cat) and blog directly after. You decide, just get on a firm schedule, where you are posting every Tuesday and Thursday, etc,. The more blogging, the better. Looking back, I wish I had posted more, because I missed out on many of the good conversations that ensued.


2.) Don't feel like you need something EXTRAOUTOFTHEORDINARY TO SAY: Feel like you must be completely original? You're not going to blog that often, then. It's ok to softly blog about something you read, or start with a paper you wrote for another class to find your voice, and build on your text while linking other ideas and questions you had never quite considered. Some writers may like to have a guided experience, where they are given a topic each week. I would suggest Rory Litwin's "Library Juice", which provides questions and paper starters. This resource is great for getting creativity flowing.


3.) "I" is good sometimes, but not always: It is easy in the context of blogs being like "journals" to talk about yourself more and how you view the world than comment on how others think through the links you provide. Publishing your own material without a middleman is wonderful, but be professional. And if you feel passionate, so will others. But to be important, like any paper, blog entries must be supported by research. Consider each blog to be a mini-paper.


4.) REREAD REREAD; REVISE REVISE: "Quit" instead of "Quite"? "No" instead of "None"? Double check, not just for typos, but for understanding. Does it make sense? Are you repeating the same concept? It's ok to change errors. I would even suggest taking one day to go through as editor rather than writer.

5.) Don't delete bad posts! Keep!: Even if the posts seem trival, keep everything. Unfinished thoughts? Keep. You can work on them later. Of course if you truly feel you should remove an entry, do. But remember once blog posts disappear, they are not easily retrievable.


6.) READ!: If you do not read other blogs, you are not going to be as successful in writing your own. Ideas spread like wildfire, and before you realize, your opinion may already be outdated.

And of course, as they say in every advice column, but I mean this genuinely: HAVE FUN!

Blogging has added so much to our profession. Every voice counts. :)


The other day one of my peers gave his business card, containing a link to his blog. I thought this was great, considering some people would not want future employers reading the thoughts. What a statement to not just let employers stumble across your blog through Google, but to GIVE them the link. His blog link, to me, was the equivalent of showing his authentic, improptu voice as a member of the profession.

When people create their own websites for public viewing, they may use the best pictures and the best writing samples. Since a blog is more current and updated, there is no time for primping and perfecting. Therefore? A blog is REAL. How often to employers allowed to read and understand what topics you have been dappling? A blog can provide a positive sharing experience on paper: informative yet with hints of informality.

NEWS JUST IN! I just realized I didn't have 2 links in this entry, and searched, "business card" and "blog", which lead me to this interesting article about JUST THAT. Again, I came up with an original idea only to realize there is nothing original about it...;). Good thing though, it means others are thinking, and that's ok with me!:)!

Library Anxiety

Research has shown "library anxiety" exists among college students. Constance Mellon has contributed vastly to this field through her studies. Information for our project on IM reference demonstrated the same truth--leaving ones' chair for the reference desk to ask a question can be stressful, or intimidating. I read a very interesting article which related the variable of academic procrastination to library anxiety. The authors could not be more right. Anthony Onwuegbuzie and Qun G. Jiao found a positive correlation between students who procrastinated and those with library anxiety.

What I like about the article is they show postive correlation, but the relationship is not necessarily causal. My assumption is that students who have library anxiety have trouble finding research, and because they fear failure, procrastinate until they are in a pinch to get the research they need, either through ILL or Internet. Conversely, one could argue people who procrastinate put off going to the library anyway, and after it is too late, they are afraid of asking for help while being cut down to the wire.

Entering my second semester of this program, I wonder if I too suffer from the same anxiety, even though I am going to be a future librarian. How many library students ask other librarians every day at the reference desk how to find information on a certain topic? Or for plain help?

I think library students are under even more pressure. I feel sometimes like "I should know the answer because I'm a library student. Why can't I find the information I am looking for?" and instead of asking (which would save time and be beneficial to my understanding of how to search) I choose searching alone. I wonder how many LIS students feel the same.

My advise would be to always ask even if you feel stupid, because the people who ask questions are usually the ones who find out more information and are better able to understand information in the future.

My brother always says if you ask questions to your professors now and look stupid, you won't look stupid in front of your boss. He's right.

Paperless Academic Library?

This is something that causes a great deal of concern. If you can try to change my mind, please do!

There has been a great deal of discussion about whether academic libraries in the future will no longer have physical materials, but rather, only electronic materials. Does a college or university really NEED a physical library? My answer is YES. Below I have highlighted a few of my own concerns with moving from a physical library to a paperless foundation.


FIRST CONCERN: BEGINNING RESEARCH:
Pretend you are a new undergraduate. You are barraged with a variety of courses the first two years before deciding upon majors, and are given advice left and right about what direction to follow. Where do you start? For those who have been educated in a geographic area lacking strong public or school libraries, the academic library may be the first exposure to scholarly research materials. The university's library should serve as a base for beginning reference instruction, include books as well as online resources, and introduction to materials. I know in my own searches, I will use one set of words only to discover different words can yield better results. By having a set of books on a shelf with different titles and content, but within the same subject, students may be able to explore a more thorough understanding of their own research topics.

SECOND CONCERN: THE POOR STUDENT AND ACCESS
The absence of a library assumes a great deal about the economic circumstances of the student body. The mission of the library is to provide materials to support the student body and faculty. For some, this may mean checking-out textbooks which cannot be afforded. Sure, providing e-textbooks may potentially cost less for students, but will each student need a laptop to turn to page 52 in class and read aloud? Some students like the materiality and convenience of a book, and knowing said book will arrive on interlibrary loan in time for class. Some libraries do not like students holding on to textbook materials for a semester, but that is a different argument altogether…

The mission of higher education is to provide a worldly conscience. If the materials are not readily available, institutions are going to have a more difficult time fulfilling their mission.

THIRD CONCERN: ARE ELECTRONIC MATERIALS THE ONLY RESOURCES OUT THERE?
Just like we earthlings assume our planet is the only one with sustaining life, others assume all information can be provided through Google or a subscribed search engine. As librarians, we know this may not be the case. Or, the metadata could be stored but difficult to retrieve.

FOURTH CONSIDERATION: SPACE
If institutions of higher education no longer support libraries or books, what will they place value? Newly enrolled students may develop an understanding that other facilities are more important, like a hockey rink, or a bowling alley. Deemphasizing the role of the library further emphasizes the role of other buildings on campus. Many academic libraries, like Dominican University, have considered the importance of revamping the environment to provide a more comfortable, new-age look.

FIFTH CONCERN: PROFESSOR AND LIBRARIAN?
Will librarians continue to exist in wireless computer labs? Of course I see the necessity, but some academics may not. Currently, library staff and faculty are separated at most colleges to specialize their consecutive professions. They meet to discussion acquisition development. They each play a different role in the acquisitioning process. By eliminating the role of the librarian, the faculty may wear the suit of both purchaser and educator. Without a centralized area to collect materials, the institute of higher education may question allowing faculty to purchase materials that would not be made accessible to all. Will a library’s budget only be put toward electronic resources from that point forward? What if a good text is not offered in electronic format? Will it be scanned?

One has to wonder what a university without a library would be like, or how it would function in a decentralized research environment. Any thoughts?

Who are your Users?

I had only been to the Oak Park Public Library a few times, during early morning hours. The users were predominately mothers with young children and retired folks. You can image my surprise when I visited in the late afternoon and observed a completely DIFFERENT situation. Junior-high and high-school students freed from class were zooming between stacks, conversing by the cafe, and wandering through the gallery. My first impression was, "My experience would be TOTALLY DIFFERENT depending on my shift."

This caused me to wonder if library workers in the exact same environment, have completely DIFFERENT perceptions of users.

Spacey Libraries

"Life moves pretty fast...if you don't stop and look around once in a while...you could miss it."--Ferris Bueller

In Law Librarianship class, we were given the assignment of writing a memorandum in preparation for a meeting. The topic? The SOA of the law firm attended a conference where she learned another law firm had saved money by moving completely to online resources. Consequently, the once law library was in danger of being transformed into conference space.

This assignment put an interesting spin on library space. It's not just a fancy, new-millenium architectural trend to allow larger desks, luscious cafe room, and spacious window-seats: more space may be the result of a reduction in print material. Computers are shrinking in size, compared to what they once were. To test my hypothesis, I decided to explore library architecture.

The first good information source I found coincidentally supports my counter argument. The University of Chicago is expanding the Joseph Regenstein Library to house more BOOKS (yay!!) More space is necessary for print material. The university conducted a campus-wide survey to find the people who use more online databases are further drawn to print resources:
University of Chicago
Press Release

Conversely, The University of Buffalo's "University Libraries" are building a storage facility to house more books, with the intention of allowing the space to be used for study. The University of Chicago aims to provide more space to house more books, even if that includes storage facilities. Meanwhile, this university is creating a storage facility specifically to free up room for study. Please see Buffalo 's approach.

Lastly, I found a public library who annexed more space. The Jay Johnson Public Library of Quinter, Kansas. Jay Johnson raised funds to meld the small library with the strip mall next door. The details, from making the library ecologically responsible to user-friendly, show how spaces not originally intended to be libraries have amazing potential!

National Library Workers Day Press Release

Taken verbatim from the ALA-APA

Tell Everyone About the Stars in Your Library for National Library Workers Day

National Library Workers Day is Tuesday, April 4th. Let’s celebrate the wonderful work of library employees on that day because, after all, Libraries Work Because We Do. Tell everyone what makes a library employee special in your library by submitting your favorite worker to the NLWD Stars Web site - www.ala-apa.org/about/nlwdstarsform.html. NLWD Stars will be featured on the National Library Workers Day site from March until the end of June. Stars will also be honored at the ALA Annual Conference. Download the free NLWD poster from http://www.ala-apa.org/about/nlwd_poster.pdf, which tells your patrons, trustees, and colleagues how to submit a Star. Self-nominations are accepted. The deadline for submission in April 4th.

There is still time to order NLWD buttons that proclaim “Libraries Work Because We Do.” Visit the Web site or contact ALA-APA for information.

The ALA-Allied Professional Association thanks Gold level sponsor American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and Silver level sponsors DEMCO and Thomson for their generous support of National Library Workers Day.

Contact the ALA-APA Office if you have any questions or want to tell us how you will be celebrating - 800-545-2433, x2424 or jgrady@ala.org.

Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

YAY FOR LIS 753!!! I have thorougly enjoyed reading the blogs and learning about everything from law libraries to archives, to the role of a school librarian. After reading so many good entries by my collegues, on so many good topics, I realized I have yet to include an entry about a specific library-related topic :^0. As a librarian, one of my interests, completely unrelated, is general technology use. As a member of the biblioblogosphere, I am going to blog this day forward about library-related topics, and disperse my intermitent, fun, techno-information in between!

I went to a conference last Fall, in which one librarian stated:


"The website is the library's new front door."

How true! What does the front door to your library look like? Is it welcoming? Do you have enough signage, or in the case of the web, logical links and ideas? The web presence sets the tone for the experience one may receive at the actual library. It's also an interesting juxtaposition that the web encourages the use of physical books. One library I have visited in the past, which shall remain nameless, has a beautiful, well designed website. The actual, physical library is very plain, not well updated, and poorly managed. Not what I was expecting. Very sad actually. After seeing the online presentation, I thought "WOW! THIS LIBRARY WILL BE EXCELLENT!!"

I got the impression the library was low on funding for the physical building rennovation, but in the meantime placed funding in the advancement of web design to fulfill user needs.

I understand having a great website does not replace having superior service and well maintained stacks, but the library's understanding of the importance of the website seemed like a great marketing strategy to get the users through the door, regardless of the fact it may be falling off its hinges. Could the website give a different impression of the library than what it actually offers? Is this good or bad? I'd almost argue good, but the problem would be whether or not the users or patrons would stay. The retention level may decline if the people keep using the website but are unimpressed with the library's performance. I bet in some cases there are people who use the library ONLY through the web, and ONLY enter the physical library to take out books. Do we have two categories of library users now? I know we have MANY kinds of library users, but do you think there are web-only users and building-only users? Something to think about.

The other day I visited the Lake Forest Public Library . I like the catalogue. Love the catalogue. I understand more libraries are taking the approach of displaying tiny images of book covers. I found the interface to be fun, especially to encourage children to read. Looking at lists entries and pages of bibliographic information could get dull. However, the quote, "Don't judge a book by its cover" still rings true. Even online, the content can still be judged based on images and digital graphics. Just something to think about. :)

LOVE!!!!

"Don't let school interfere with you education.” --Mark Twain.

My education usually involves researching one topic, and spending hours upon hours clicking on equality inspiring, yet non-related or pseudo-related, articles that arrive in my search. While researching important library information this week, I stumbled across unique part of the National Geographic website. How often do you read National Geographic and wonder what the photographers are thinking and feeling?:


That Thing Called Love

National Geographic photographers traipse country by country gathering ethnographic information. Jodi Cobb travels the world snapping images of love. (Tangent: What a great profession!) The website provides a FREE casting of Cobb describing her career, intermingled with images and music. The video is stunning. I recommend everyone take an educational study-break this week and simply observe.

The video caused me to think differently about love. I was, and this is completely my observation, amazed at how DIFFERENTLY love was portrayed through her images than through advertisements and the media. Planning a July wedding, I’ve been bombarded by images of the perfect groom next to the perfect bride. Don’t forget the equally perfectly frosted wedding cake. As Cobb describes in the piece:

“I didn’t want to just photograph weddings. That’s, I think, sort of what’s expected. I didn’t want to do a Valentine. I didn’t want to do a Hallmark card notion of love because anyone who’s ever really been in love knows that’s not the reality. So I was just very much very interested in trying to show real life in cultures all over the world.”

Since I do not know much about podcasting, could this be considered a podcast? I don’t know what to call it. Documentary? They call it a video. If anyone knows what to call this fascinating work, let me know.

However it is defined, it is beautiful. Thank you National Geographic for making this resource available to us. And Thank-You Jodi Cobb for providing evidence that love is, in fact, real.

AFTER THOUGHT: After I let this idea simmer, I wondered how this could be applied to libraries. The answer came slowly, but still, worth an update. How cool would it be to show the podcast through the library's website, with links to various print holdings of National Geographic that contain Cobb's work? This would not only allow users to bush off dusty covers of material purchased years back, but would get them involved in finding other podcasts to pear with print holdings. I invision many web pages with extensive bibliographies shooting forth from the podcast starting point. Ranford University in Radford, Virginia, coincidentally, has a whole National Geographic Section of the TRC, and workshops are held to help people navigate the collection. And how cool would it be to give back to interviewees like Cobb through this kind of outreach. Now that's love!