The last few weeks have been pretty intense.  The fall semester’s in full swing here in Oakland, and when your library is the peanut-buttery filling between the crusty loaves of Pitt and CMU, you’re kept hopping.  A lot.

I think the best moment, though, was when we had six reference librarians at the desk helping with the elementary school tour group that ended up staying all day, doing research for their History Day projects.  Imagine reference service as a basketball game.  Zone defense, as opposed to person-to-person, of course.  It was awesome, in multiple senses of the term!

Other things October hath wrought:

The database committee met to vote on some renewals, and entertain some suggestions I had.  Most were approved.  Essentially, I want to expand the committee’s charge to include not only the selection of databases, but also the promotion of electronic resources and training both staff and patrons to use them.  This was met with much more support and enthusiasm than I expected, so once again I’m back to the brainstorming board, dreaming dreams and scheming schemes.

LJ and SRRT both sent me new books to review, so I’m knee-deep in reading and note-taking there.  Given that this is an “extra-curricular” kind of thing, it’s challenging to make room for it in a day, especially when there’s so much guilty pleasure reading to be done.  All the same, this is one of those things that, ultimately, falls under “service to one’s peers,” so I’m definitely down with sacrificing a lunch hour or five.

Speaking of school tours, I just gave one this morning to a writing class from Pitt.  The focus was on finding magazines and journals, and also covered how to research publication markets.  Secondhand info from a colleague, who had a friend in the class, relates it was a job well-done.  It’s nice to be able to put one’s pre-librarian teaching experience into service for the institution, and there’s just as much of a need for BI and LI, I think, in the public sector as there is in academe.

The PaLA presentation (dun dun dun!).  My chief concern is making us all look good while still being faithful to the notion that Library 2.0 is going to look different at CLP than it does at other institutions.  Why?  Our patrons have different needs.  The digital divide is a big concern here (see above about BI and LI), and while we’re taking strides in the technological realm, there are still a lot of traditional library services that our patrons need and want.  The key is balance, a middle path.

As I have commented elsewhere this week, moderation is not “sexy,” per se - it does not boost one’s Technorati rating, or vault one into the library blogosphere spotlight.  It does, however, help staff achieve goals and objectives, and helps everyone who works in a library deliver excellent service.  The profession needs dreamers and doers.  I perceive part of my job as negotiating a middle ground between both kinds of folk.

There’s more (there’s always more), but I would like to make a plan for tackling tomrorow’s tasks before I go home.  What are you working on?  I’d love to hear.

Poking my head in briefly to announce that I’ve been selected to be part of ALA’s 2009 Emerging Leaders cohort.  I’m absolutely floored, surprised, pleased, and excited to get to meet librarians from around the country to work on projects that will, hopefully, benefit the library profession as a whole, and teach me a few things I’ll need to know to achieve some of my long-term goals. I’m also really grateful to Don W. and Richard K. for writing my recommendations. Talent and potential only go so far without mentoring and encouragement.

I’m not sure what else to say at this point, maybe because leadership is best discerned through action rather than speech…or, so I think, a true leader would say.  A recent post from Helene Blowers, a true leader and innovator, reflects this modesty. The people who really are leaders never think they are. They can put aside their egos and get on with the business of lifting people up, making organizations work and grow. Just a theory. I’d like to hear how other library workers feel about this issue.

I have multiple callbacks to work on, a mountain of ordering tools to read through, committee minutes to type up, and several post-meeting tasks to execute, so I’ll stop here for now. When next we meet, a project update.

At the end of another busy, albeit glorious, day in the trenches of reference, it’s nice to end on a high note with some inspiring professional reading.  John Baldoni’s essay, “How to Lose Like a Winner”, is a great pick-me-up if you’re feeling a touch stressed, overwhelmed, or discouraged.

Your alchemist sports no rose-colored spectacles, but I think it’s important to remember that sometimes, losing out on something paves the way for you to gain something greater.  And yes, adversity really can make you a better librarian, if you let it.  There’s no doubt that the months and years ahead will hold great changes and challenges for libraries - how will we respond?

One would think the answer would be with hope, optimism, a spirit of togetherness…and, perhaps, the occasional pizza, accompanied by a nice red wine.

Who’s with me?

I’m off tomorrow, and working Saturday, so I expect to blog again next week.  Saturday I’ll be Twittering from the refdesk, simply because we haven’t done a Saturday Tweetfest for a while.  Tuesday night’s was great fun, so check it out, if you’re so inclined.

For those of you interested in library advoacy, here’s a .PDF of PA State Librarian Mary Clare Zales’s testimony before the Education and Labor Committee, Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities. Keep in mind that this is the committee that recertifies LSTA, so what Ms. Zales has done for libraries by testifying is a big plus.

On a slightly different note, I’ve been having issues logging into Bloglines for about 24 hours. Is anybody else experiencing a similar issue? Given that at least 130,000 people in the region were without power this week, after Ike’s backlash, and that 25,000 people are still waiting patiently for said power to be restored, I suppose having a wonky newsreader is a minor issue. Still, if I missed anything earthshaking, do let me know!

Yesterday I gave a presentation on genre fiction for the University of Pittsburgh’s OSHER Lifelong Learning Institute.  The talk was called “New, Now and Next:  A Roadmap for Contemporary Fiction,” and I would post slides from it except for one thing….

I made the revolutionary decision not to use slides.

Laugh if you must, or call me a Luddite, but in this case, I think it was warranted.  What I did yesterday was predominantely good old-fashioned booktalking, which is still greatly appreciated by folks here in Pittsburgh (one of America’s most literate cities, if you’ll recall).  I love slides, and I love looking at the wonderful slideshow presentations my colleagues and peers nationwide have created…but I think we might want to be wary of the notion that every presentation we give requires bells and whistles.  The traditional arts of being a good speaker cannot be undersold, and the best PowerPoint is not going to save you if you don’t know how to comport yourself in front of an audience.

My humble opnion - your mileage may vary!  I promise, my PaLA presentation will have many, many slides.

One aspect of contemporary technology I definitely appreciate is the webcast, which makes library issues in government much more transparent.  For example, right now, while I do other work, I am listening to a hearing of the House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities.  This webcast included testimony from Mary Clare Zales, Pennsylvania State Librarian, who discussed the importance of libraries for healthy, growing communities, especially in times of economic downturn. 

The hearing, which just adjourned a few seconds ago, will eventually be archived here, so keep an eye out for that. The archive will contain both the webcast as well as full written testimony. Many thanks to Mary Clare Zales for her service to the State of Pennsylvania! And many thanks to the technology that allows us professionals to keep up with our peers who advocate for us.

On a final note, I would like to point out, on the seventh anniversary of the September 11th tragedy, that, in a world gone ever-more-mad with partisan strife, fear of those who are different, and misunderstandings about those who believe differently than we do, libraries remain the best sources of information on all topics of interest to all peoples. It is my sincere hope that we all work together as professionals to make sure that the libraries in which we work are safe havens for all people, and that information on all topics, even those we personally find distateful, will continue to be made available for all the people we serve.

After all, if you take a stroll through the Bs, you’ll find gods and prophets from all the world’s major and minor religions cozied up on the shelves next to each other, with nary a complaint. Would that we could follow the excellent example of history’s spiritual guides and teachers.

I had intended to take a few days off from professional blogging.  That short vacation blossomed into a full-blown “staycation” as I shifted my attention to various aforementioned projects while collaborating with my peers in the wake of our upgrade to Millennium 2007, which did strange and exciting things to the computer assignment queue.  Add to the mix the annual influx of new patrons to welcome (huzzah!), and your alchemist has been hopping like mad just to stay afloat.

That’s not a complaint.  After almost a full year in Reference Services, I still definitely feel like I win at life.  The reference questions are interesting; the technology issues are challenging in just the correct way; keeping up with Library 2.0 via the biblioblogosphere means I learn something new every day; collection development remains joyful; chairing the database committee remains educational; and, as ever, my peers remain a constant source of both professional support and great fun.

I must confess, however, I feel less inclined to write about what I’m doing professionally, and spend more time actually doing it.  I imagine one’s involvement in the library blogosphere should be tied to one’s goals, and many librarians suffer from the phenomenon of under-promotion.  Still, with three presentations to give this fall (yes, I picked up one since last we spoke), several “white paper” projects to moodle over, and the usual improvisational ebb and flow of daily life in an urban public library, I wonder sometimes how the “rock stars” of the profession manage to do it all without getting tired.  Or is it that they do get tired, and just aren’t telling?

At any rate, I will chime in from time to time with thoughts on a news story, or use this space as a brainstorming spot to work out ideas on a particular project, or give quick updates on presentations and whatnot.  However, I’ve decided to lavish the bulk of my bloggy affections on Eleventh Stack, which has become my pride and joy. I’m actually sitting here cobbling together an agenda for tomorrow’s monthly blog meeting, trying to hit just the right mix of, “I am so proud of you all! Go team! You rock!” and “Now let’s kick it up to the next level.”

What would the next level look like? I have some ideas, but I’ll keep them up my sleeve for the moment. Suffice to say, I think a library blog should be held to the same standards as any professional publication. Yes, it’s fun to work on, but the fun should be buttressed by the same high standards we bring to the rest of our work. Is that too much to ask? I’m thinking, not. Then again, I tend to aim really, really high at projects. I figure, if I fall short, I still end up pretty darned high.

The trick to leading a team, though, is that not everybody has your standards. You have to meet people where they are, and gently bring them to where you want them to be, or, more graciously, up to where you know they can go, without taking them too far out of their comfort level. I hope I can do this for my peers and junior colleagues in the same way my managers and peers have done it for me…

Until the next infrequent update, I remain…

The Library Alchemist!

Time flies when you’re having fun and working hard.  I thought I’d pen a quick update before taking a few vacation days.  Since the last missive, here’s what’s been in the hopper:

• Ryan H. and I have been busily collaborating on the CLP version of 23 Things.  Many libraries have already done this, but most of them have been small to medium libraries, not large, multi-branch systems…at least, as far as I can tell.  CLP is unique in many ways, and sometimes we have to move a little more slowly to accommodate the many various factions that have to cooperate to make the system run well.  Given that Library 2.0 is a concept, and not a contest, I am at peace with this.
• Volunteered to be part of the library team that helps provide support materials and content for this fall’s Sleep-In for the Homeless. The library is just one of several community groups that are working together to plan and support this event. I think it would be really excellent, too, if we assembled a team of library staff who attended, either to maintain some sort of resource table/program/activity, or just to show our support for an important issue.
• Investigating Mango Languages for the database committee, at Sheila J.’s request.  Haven’t had time to personally play with it yet, but think vacation could be an excellent time to experiment with a new language…and playtest the product by pitting its French against mine!
• Making friends on Twitter!  I simply cannot believe how easy it is for librarians to find each other, or how addictive it can be to read about what other librarians are doing all day at their jobs.  I wonder if our patrons would be just as interested?  Given that the “About Us” page at Eleventh Stack is one of the most frequently visited parts of the blog, I’m leaning toward yes: people want to know more about the librarians who serve them! They want that human touch, even–perhaps, especially–in cyberspace.
• Speaking of Eleventh Stack, have also been collaborating with Don W. and Amy E. in an attempt to both shore us up and kick our spiffiness up to the next level.  That’s right:  Eleventh Stack plans to level up.  The question is, how?  Also need to craft a stronger marketing plan/push.  Will be looking to both my peers and the Communication and Creative Services Department for suggestions in that area.  Left to my own devices, I’d make t-shirts.  But we’ll see.

There’s more.  There always is.  But there are patrons to serve, so here we’ll close.  I’ll be back in the office next Tuesday, rested and energized, and ready to kick off the second half of the year in alchemical style.

The pauses between blog entries get longer and longer - this feels quite natural, because, really, the whole point of Library 2.0 is not self-aggrandization:  it’s teamwork, in the name of customer service.  As the projects I dream up take on a life of their own, and move into the bigger picture, it seems more and more appropriate to me that my personal-professional ramblings take a back seat to actually implementing and maintaining the projects!

After all, the original purpose of this blog was to chart my learning curve in my shiny new job.  Nearly a year later, the job is still shiny, but no longer new.  Which leads me to think about innovation and fermentation.

Helene Blowers recently blogged about Paul Williams’s criteria for an innovative corporate culture. I can see the wisdom and logic in this approach, but must confess I’m rather partial to the “canary in a coal mine” method: you get a few right-brained folks who are comfortable with risk to model innovative behavior, and show the rest of the team that it’s safe to stretch out of your comfort zone. Much like Tom Sawyer whitewashing the fence, these people will attract the curious, who can then be gently convinced to play along with you, too. Innovation relies very heavily on trust, and a culture of trust is not something that’s built in a day.

 CLP is lucky to have so many great people on staff, many of whom have known each other for a long time. The bonds are there.  The trust is there.  The model for innovation, however, is just beginning here, and sometimes custom and tradition are the enemy of progess. Note that I said “sometimes” - there are many wonderful services and traditions here that are worth preserving, despite the need to boldly move forward.  You really have to reach out to people where THEY are, and convince them that it’s okay to move forward.

Just one librarian’s opinion - you catch more flies with honey than with RSS feeds, is all I’m saying!

In the realm of fermentation, well…here are some of the projects fermenting in my brain, and on my desk:

• My PaLA presentation.  Thank goodness this blog documents everything I worked on this past year!
• A two-hour presentation on contemporary fiction, part of a program series some CLP folks are participating in this fall for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
• An application for ALA’s Emerging Leaders Program.  You don’t try, you never know!
• Podcasting and Twitter brainstorming, complete with cunning doodles.
• Database stuff.  Stats, as ever, but also revamping that brochure request, and poking into possible purchases, at RK’s request.
• Writing a review for Library Journal.

I find that intense periods of hard work, followed by equally intense periods of ignoring said work in favor of other tasks (weeding, refdesk, displays, blogging, etc.) makes for a better product in the end.  At least, that’s how it seems to work for me - how do you handle multiple intense projects?  What works best for you?

And, to bring us full circle, I have to ask myself what innovative thing I could do to transform this blog for Year Two of Shiny Job?  I’m afraid I’ll have to let that ferment a little while longer, though I am definitely open to thoughts and suggestions…

I’ve been Tweeting at the refdesk for a few days now, and am pleasantly surprised how easy it is to incorporate even into a busy reference shift.  To fall back on a stock phrase, “This changes everything!”

Things seemed to be going well. Then I read David Lee King’s Twitter Best Practices So Far, only to learn I’d made a bunch of n00b (that’s “newbie,” for those of you who don’t speak l33t) mistakes. For about five seconds, I felt as if I’d sat down at a formal dinner and used all the wrong forks! Then I was just grateful that we’re all experimenting together, finding out stuff, and sharing it.

The folks at CommonCraft, who are known for their delightful and instructive how-to videos, have one on using Twitter. Check it out:

I’ll be firing up the console again at 3. Maybe by then, I’ll have figured out how to upload a cool background image, like the one the folks at the Hubbell Library in New Orleans.

The bigger-picture question is, as always, how would tweeting benefit CLP? Thoughts?

In which we look up from our pile of projects and give a status report.  This past week I:

• Started collaborating with Ryan H. on a voluntary Library 2.0 staff training program.  Working with Ryan is great:  he’s very left-brain, I’m very right-brain, and together, we make things happen.  As many libraries have done, we’re modeling our plans after the eponymous Learning 2.0 program designed by Helene Blowers, when she was with PLCMC.  We are, however, tailoring it for the needs of CLP staff and, ultimately, patrons.
• Attended Jonathan Zittrain’s lecture at the HYP Club with Ryan and Irene Y.  Am now quite keen to read the book!  Privacy, generativity, information ethics…all the stuff that librarians care about and deal with on the daily.  He’s a great speaker, too; the most interesting thing, though, was the disconnect between the substance of Zittrain’s remarks and the questions asked by the audience.  In addition to the digital divide, there’s a cognitive divide.  And since the brilliant nerds aren’t about to slow down for the rest of us (also nerdy, but perhaps not quite as brilliant), we’re going to have to become more and more proficient at staff training, to keep up, and bibliographic instruction, to translate to the huddled masses.
• Database stats.  JSTOR’s stat module claims that NOBODY used JSTOR in the month of May 2008.  I find this very hard to believe.
• Signed up for Twitter, heaven help us all.  Am vaguely toying with the idea of adding tweets to Eleventh Stack, but want to see what the group thinks.  I’m going to try tweeting from the refdesk this afternoon to see how it goes.  You can follow me here.
• Finished and submitted my bio and program info for the PaLA conference.  My Facebook friends were very helpful in this regard:  I set my status to say “Nag me until I finish,” and oh, did they ever.  The tools are neutral - it’s all in how you use them!

And now, to the refdesk!  More excellent adventures, news and updates next week.