The Conference Argument

With the Southern Alberta Library Conference (SALC) just around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to talk about conferences and why they are so important. As a library staff person you might find yourself in the position of having to convince your supervisor or Board to spend the money to send you to a conference or two. As Board Members, you may have to convince fellow trustees of the importance of attending conferences. The tips below will help you be more persuasive.

Be sure to explain the benefits of attending conferences:

• Learning new ideas, techniques and strategies to bring back to your library and community. These can result in new and innovative services, unique ways of reaching patrons new and old, and even cost and time savings.
• Networking and relationship building opportunities:
• You will meet library colleagues (staff and trustees) from around the province, country or even world! These colleagues can be an important support network for asking for advice, finding new ways to solve old problems and building partnerships. 
• You will meet vendors, which will allow you to learn about new products and services for your library. It will also allow you to comparison shop and find ways to maximize your budget, more quickly and easily than you could from your office.
• You may even have the chance to speak with funders and decision-makers - a great opportunity to advocate for the library.
• Conferences are a great way to re-energize yourself. There are so many ideas flowing at conferences that there will likely be at least one thing (if not many more) that gets you excited. It will renew your passion for your job and get you excited to try something new. The energy and passion for libraries at conferences is infectious and inspirational.

When asking for the support of your Board (or fellow Board members) to attend a conference, be prepared:

• Gather all the information you will need about costs.  What costs are you asking them to cover? There is the registration fee, the cost of a hotel room, and the cost of travel. Of course, costs might also include having someone cover for you at the library, and meals (this cost is covered in the registration fees of some conferences - including SALC). Ensure that you register early if possible, as usually there are cost savings for doing so. You may also want to consider membership in the organization running the conference, as this sometimes saves money as well.
• Look at the program, and plan your sessions and other conference events. This will help you explain what sorts of things you hope to learn, and what people you hope to meet at the conference.
• Put together a plan - how will your duties at the library be covered while you're away? How long will you be gone (i.e. do you need a day or two for travel?). How will you be contacted, if needed, while at the conference?
• Also, let them know how you will use the information you learn at the conference. Will you share it with them? With other staff? How will you implement new ideas upon your return?

Having this information ready will show that you are serious about using this opportunity for professional development and that the library will get a return upon it's investment.

If you haven't already got approval for attending SALC, do it soon! Early bird registration ends on January 11. This conference is extremely affordable and offers lots of networking opportunities.  Register at: http://chinookarchregionallibrarysystem.memberlodge.com/

(Source: "Ask Gayle", Rural Library Services Newsletter, Vol 23, Issue 4, July/Aug 2012)

An E-Book Buyer's Guide to Privacy

In considering purchasing an ebook reader, another consideration you might want to make is whether you are choosing a device that has the potential to compromise your (or the receiver's) privacy. More and more, our buying habits and activities are being tracked technologically, so it is wise to be aware of the information you are handing out to companies.

Luckily, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) - whose tag line is "Defending Your Rights in the Digital World" - publishes an annual guide for e-book buyers on privacy.  They produce an easy to read chart that identifies the following characteristics for the most popular ereaders:

• Can they keep track of searches for books?
• Can they monitor what you're reading and how you're reading it after purchase and link that information back to you? Can they do that when the e-book is obtained elsewhere?
• What compatibility does the device have with books not purchased from an associated eBook store?
• Do they keep a record of book purchases? Can they track book purchases or acquisitions made from other sources?
• With whom can they share the information collected in non-aggregated form?
• Do they have mechanisms for customers to access, correct, or delete the information?
• Can they share information outside the company without the customer's consent?

Not all of the answers are clear - sometimes it's just not known what information they might be collecting, but at least you will be aware of the possibilities.  Looking at this guide might scare one off from even buying eReaders, but again, at least being aware of what information you might be providing is the key - knowledge is power.

EFF explains that the stacked license agreements and privacy policies for the devices, software platforms and e-books stores you access just to read one ebook can mean reading thousands of words of legalese before you can even get into the book.  This chart makes it easy to find out what you are agreeing to (even if you already own an ereader - check this out before you purchase your next ebook).

The E-Reader Privacy Chart, 2012 Edition can be found at: https://www.eff.org/pages/reader-privacy-chart-2012

What EReader Should I Buy for Christmas?

The above question is one that I have answered for countless patrons, library staff, and, most recently, my father-in-law. As eReaders still seem to be a hot item this holiday season, I have created this quick-and-dirty explanation of  how to best answer this question.

Would you prefer to read eBooks on an eReader or a Tablet?

Library eBooks are generally read on two different kinds of devices: eReaders and tablets. Quite simply, eReaders are like electronic books, while tablets are like tiny computers.

EReaders

The most popular eReaders in Canada are the Kobo (Glo, Mini, and Touch), the Sony Reader, and, if you are cross-border shopping, the NOOK (Simple Touch with GlowLight and Simple Touch). EReaders use a technology called e-Ink that more closely mimics print and makes it easier to look at the screen for longer period of time. It reduces the amount of glare from the screen. Overall, ereaders tend to be less costly, lighter, and have better battery life – up to 2 months. If you mostly want to read books, have vision problems, or find it hard to hold heavy books for long period so time, an eReader might be right for you!

Tablets

The hottest tablets in Canada right now are IPad, the Samsung Galaxy Tablet, and the Acer. The new Microsoft Surface was also released in October 2012 and supports OverDrive eBooks. It is included on Tablets are multi-purpose devices that let you browse the Internet, play games, view videos, and more. As such, they tend to have shorter battery lives, some as low as 8 hours. Also, tablets are much heavier and more expensive devices than eReaders, starting at $200. If you are looking for a device that does a lot more than read eBooks and are not deterred by the cost, screen, or weight, you might prefer a tablet! For more brand new tablets that work with OverDrive, check out their Holiday Gadget Guide: Hottest Devices for Library eBooks.

What about the Kindle?

If you haven’t yet heard, the Kindle does not work with Canadian library eBooks. This is due to restrictions placed by Amazon on the device. There are two exceptions though. You can get the Freading eBooks app on the Kindle Fire and OverDrive audiobooks will play on the Kindle Fire HD using OverDrive Media Console. If you are wondering what other eReading devices work with Canadian library eBooks, you can find a list compatible and incompatible devices on OverDrive’s website.

Is there anything else I should consider?

A personal eReading device is a very individual choice. Make sure you do your research and seriously consider what the person you are buying for might wish to do. Check out blogs, question service staff, and quiz out friends or acquaintances about any devices they own. At one of my eReader sessions, one patron told me that for Christmas last year, her spouse purchased two devices for her, let her choose which one she like best, and then returned the other one.

For more information, check out the "Thinking of getting an eReader?" section at bottom of your Downloadable EBooks page, on your library’s website under Digital Content or contact me at Chinook Arch. Happy shopping!

Holiday Gift Ideas from the Library

December is such a busy month - parties, family dinners, gift wrapping and the dreaded lines to visit Santa. Who has time to visit the library?  Who has time to read?  Well, perhaps a visit to the library is the best thing to ease holiday stress.  Libraries have a number of resources to assist patrons in their holiday rush.

1. Help your patrons find the perfect gift using Consumer Reports.  Check out the 2012 Gift Guide or simply search for a specific item.  Using Consumer Reports can help your patrons make informed shopping decisions and stay on budget.

2. Do you have a patron who is still looking for ideas for that hard to buy for person?  Canadian Business has just the thing in their list of "18 Perfect Gifts."

3. I don't know about you, but I love getting books as gifts - cookbooks, novels, you name it, a book makes a great gift.  If you or your patrons need book ideas there are 970 lists in Bibliocommons that offer up the best books to give as gifts (at the time of writing).

For more gift ideas for book lovers, check out the Globe and Mail's Top 100 books list (I just wish it had cover art; yes, I do judge a book by its cover from time to time).

4. Know someone who wants to make a homemade gift for their co-workers or neighbors?  Check out these books or show them the joys of Pinterest.  Just search for "homemade gifts" or "edible gifts" - Pinterest is highly addictive; you've been warned!

I hope these links will get you on the "nice" list with your patrons this year.  Happy Holidays!

Serendipity: Unexpected "Happy Accidents"

Serendipity - Our good friend Oxford defines this as “The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.”   The origin of this word is rooted in a fairy tale entitled The Three Princes of Serendip, in which the heroes ‘were always making discoveries, by accident and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of.’ 

I happen to really like this word.  I also think libraries, public or otherwise, are filled with serendipitous energy.  This energy radiates from an ever evolving collection (you might find a piece of literature that changes your life), the different combination of people present in the space each time you visit, a new library program, a new policy,  new organizational visions or missions, or even through unexpected small talk. 

 For librarians too, our intuition and belief in growth can lead to great outcomes.  Interacting with others in the library, the community at large, or a conference can lead to surprising conversations.  These could lead to more formal meetings and possibly long term partnerships.  Opportunities for relationship building are lurking around every corner and we have to be ready to recognize these events when they’re in front of us. 

So, what can we do to encourage sweet serendipity to come a-knockin? 

• Get to know your patrons.  Someone who has walked through your library’s doors many times could be a great connection or potential business partner.  

• Provide programming that encourages interaction and conversation.   Bringing people together may trigger idea or information sharing.

• Feed your curiosity.  If you have a hunch or instinct about something, try following it and see where it leads you.

•  Be open to diverse perspectives.  You never know when an eye opening opinion will change your mindset.

• Take a risk or get out of your comfort zone.  This can be hard for everyone, but if you can make a conscience effort to push yourself, you might be surprised with the outcomes that can occur. 

Hopefully this ignites a little bit of an 'explorer' attitude in all of us. You never know where uncharted territory will lead you...

Online Resources for Board Development

As you all know, there are a number of continuing education opportunities for library trustees to attend throughout the year including the Alberta Library Conference, the Southern Alberta Library Conference and all-day workshops hosted by the Public Library Services Branch.  However, there are a multitude of great resources available to trustees throughout the year online.  These are a great supplement to in person training and can be accessed anytime.  Why not include some board development at each board meeting? 

The Alberta Library Trustees Association website - www.librarytrustees.ab.ca/trustee-learning
You can request in person workshops from ALTA as well, but they have some great learning modules right on their website that are specific for library trustees.  The 3 modules on their website include: Grow as a Trustee, Grow as a Chair, and Grow as a Board (*note* the Grow as a Board link does not seem to be working at this time).  Each module presents a variety of relevant topics in small, bite-size chunks.  Listed below are the topics specific to the first 2 modules:

Grow as a Trustee: this module is intended to help individual trustees understand and grow in their roles as board members. 

• Understanding Your Role
• Being an Effective Board Member
• Knowing your Local Library
• Understanding who Does What
• Knowing what your Board Does
• Knowing What to Expect at Meetings
• Talking up Your Library
• Learning Financial Basics
• Exploring the Larger Library Community
• Growing Into Trusteeship

Grow as a Chair: this module is specific to Board chairs, and provides lots of helpful information in fulfilling that role successfully.

• Understanding Your Role as Chair
• Understanding Key Duties of the Chair
• Assigning Roles and Responsibilities
• Working with the Library Manager
• Leading Effective Meetings
• Calling a Meeting
• Handling Motions
• Using Rules of Order
• Going in camera
• Keeping Records
• Establishing Committees
• Setting the Calendar for the Year
• Meeting Policy and Bylaw Requirements
• Representing your Board
• Growing into the Role of Chair

In addition, the 'Branching Out' section of this website, provides you with links to resources in a variety of topical areas including: Roles, Responsibilities & Relationships, Policy and Planning, Effective Meetings, and Board Effectiveness.  ALTA will be presenting a session on 'Grow as a Chair' at the Southern Alberta Library Conference 2013.

There are other sites that Boards can also use for Board Development as well, if you've exhausted what is available on the ALTA site.

The provincial Board Development Program (http://culture.alberta.ca/bdp) also provides workshops free of charge to all types of not-for-profit boards around the province. As such, they also have a lot of free resources available on their website that is applicable to all boards. 

• You can access their online Roles & Responsibilities course right online
• Go to their 'Resources' page to access some great print materials
• Information bulletins are short explanations on a variety of board development topics, that provide you with accurate and authoritative information that can be downloaded in PDF format. Topics include: advocacy, developing policy, meetings that work, writing a grant proposal
• There are also 5 workbooks available on the site that can be downloaded in PDF format and used right in a board meeting to help you through one of the topics: Developing Job Descriptions for Board Members of Nonprofit Organizations, Drafting and Revising Bylaws, Board Building: Recruiting and Developing Effective Board Members for Not-for-Profit Organizations, Hiring and Performance Appraisal of the Executive Director, Financial Responsibilities of Not-For-Profit Boards

The Board Development program will also be providing a session at the Southern Alberta Library Conference 2013 on Recruiting and Succession Planning for Library Boards.

Knowledge Connector (http://knowledgeconnector.ca/learning-opportunities) is a website that lists learning opportunities for the not-for-profit sector across Alberta. You can find in person workshops or filter the results to eLearning and Webinars so that you can find opportunities that are available online for your Board to access.

The website of the Public Library Services Branch of the Government of Alberta (www.albertalibraries.ca) also contains a lot of great resources for Boards. 

• Check out their video section for excerpts from recents conferences;
• the Policy section of the website provides resources for updating your library policies and bylaws, including lots of examples
• the Plan of Service section provides resources for creating your Plan of Service, including a toolkit, and samples of real-life Plans of Service
• Want to know how your library compares to others across the province? Find statistics in the Statistics section of the website.
• The Standards section of the site provides the Standards and Best Practices for Public Libraries in Alberta document, created to provide a point of self-evaluation for libaries in Alberta and to encourage excellence in library service.

Digital Collections for Lovers of the Obscure and Hard to Find.

Do you have a library patron who loves obscure, rare, and hard to find items? Perhaps they are into genealogy or avid history readers. Maybe they are researching turn of the century farming practices. Or perhaps they would love to browse through the stacks of a historical academic archive? It can sometimes prove difficult to find these items; here are a few free open access digital archives that may serve these patrons. You might even find yourself falling down the rabbit hole exploring these resources too!

• The Hathi Trust (pronounced Ha-tea) is a partnership between research institution working to preserve and make the cultural records accessible for future generations. The digital library allows for searching by subject (Catalog Search), Full text – Search (keywords within the items) and by Collections. So far they have digitized 8,580 tons of materials - a full 10,560,508 volumes!

• The Internet Archive is a non-profit founded in 1996 to build an internet library. The archive contains text, audio, moving images and archived web pages. The collection at the Internet  Archive is robust and diverse, from archival shorts played during the intermission at drive-ins, to a collection of NASA photographs, news & public affairs video clips, a web archive of Hurricane Katrina, and of course digitized collections of rare or out of copyright books. The Internet Archive has something for everyone no matter what their fancy.

• For local information check out Peel’s Prairie Provinces, a digital archive created by the UofA. The archive contains newspapers, postcards, images, books and other ephemeral material. Especially of interest to local genealogists is the digitized Henderson’s Directory collection. Using Optical Character Recognition users can search by name or address.

• Lastly is the Canadian Agriculture Library, I stumbled across this digitized collection while looking for a hard to find Interlibrary Loan item. This is a super simple collection to search and the specialized contents are sure to please patrons interested in the history of Canadian gardening, agriculture, home-economics, and sustainability.

All of these resources are free and available for use anywhere you can find a web connection - like a Chinook Arch library!

Digital Literacy: A Primer

Digital Literacy is a topic that I have been wanting to write on for some time, as it encompasses a lot of what I do. However, due to its breadth, I have struggled to find a clear definition of it. Enter Leanne Drury Melsness and her wonderful presentation, "Digital Literacy Initiatives," at Netspeed 2012.

As Manager of Digital Literacy Services at Edmonton Public Library, Leanne has been working hard to make Digital Literacy a core service, as per EPL’s Business Plan for 2011-2013. Her presentation was not only on what Digital Literacy is, but how she and her three librarian teammates are implmenting it at their library. Leanne uses the same definition for Digital Literacy as the OITP Digital Literacy Task Force: “the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information requiring both cognitive and technical skills.” To succeed as a citizen in today’s world, one needs to be digitally literate.

Digital Literacy is necessary for carrying out any number of activities:

1.)    Access and Skills: To be digitally literate, needs access to technology, and technological tools,and have the skills to use them effectively.

2.)    Social Inclusion: People use technology today to communicate, seek employment, find government information, participate in political action, care for their health, access education, continue lifelong learning, practice economics/commerce, and be culturally active. Digital Literacy allows a person to fully engage with these areas.

3.)    Creative and Personal Expression: Knowing how to create products and art  through the use of technological tools is another aspect of digital literacy.

4.)    Ethical and Critical Thinking About Digital Media and Information: Because technology now allows us to access many news sources and content streams, this is skill that is now required by everyone. Being able to examine your own use and understanding of technology is part of this this critical thinking ability.

Digital Literacy is important for public libraries because we are in the unique position of being able to provide our communities with the space, tools, and resources to play, learn, and work in a digital environment. We do this every day when we help a patron use the computer, access eBooks, print out resources and more. I hope to write more on implementing Digital Literacy training in a upcoming post, but for now, I need to go fill my head with more information!

2012 TD Summer Reading Club Library Awards!

The deadline is coming up - November 1st 2012!

Did you do something extraordinary for your TD Summer Reading Club this year?  Well, don’t be modest! Share your story by applying for a 2012 Library Award.  The awards are designed to celebrate innovative and effective TD Summer Reading Club programs in public libraries throughout Canada. 

TDSRC has also provided us with “Tips from the Jury” outlining some key pointers from previous successful applicants. 

Here are a few of their tips:

• Provide clear evidence of your program’s focus on “changes/improvement in children’s literacy and reading habits” – this is a good chance to include a “patron impact story” from your program.

• Indicate how your library promoted materials of various genres, at different reading levels, and geared towards participant’s interests and experiences.

• Outline creative techniques used to engage children in the TD Summer Reading Club.

• Keep your essential points clear! Jurors may have to quickly scan an application and will want to see the most important and valuable information right away.

Want to see more "tips from the jury"? Click here.

If you have any questions about applying for a Library Award please contact your 2012 TDSRC Provincial Coordinator.

Good Luck!

Banned Websites

It was Banned Websites Awareness Day yesterday (October 3) in the U.S.. Although the day has passed I thought this was a good time to bring attention to this other type of censorship that can occur in public institutions (including libraries).

I recently read an article about how schools (including post-secondary) that prohibit students from using their wireless and public access computers to access social media sites can actually inhibit students' ability to create a positive online presence and networking community. ALA's Banned Websites Awareness Day was developed "to raise awareness of the overly restrictive blocking of legitimate, educational websites and academically useful social networking tools in schools and school libraries". The American Association of School Libraries has designated one day during Banned Books Week as Banned Websites Awareness Day.

Located on the Banned Books website is background material, a complimentary webinar, and resources and activities - including the article mentioned above.  If your library uses internet filters, or you just want to know more about it, the resources on this website are helpful to get you thinking about the issues of internet filtering. Even though this site is geared towards school libraries, the issues still apply.

The Banned Books website is located at: http://www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy/bwad

Book Clubs Made Easy

Are you tired of hunting down a dozen copies of the same book for your book club?  Tired of typing up discussion questions and author information?  Did you know that you and your patrons can check out a Book Club Kit to make running a book club really easy!?  Book Club Kits are sets of 12 copies (including one large print copy when available) of the same book that can be checked out as a unit.  Each kit includes a Reading Guide that provides information about the author, discussion questions, read-alikes and tips to start and run a successful book club.

There are currently 26 kits available with more being added in 2013.  

Running a successful book club requires a good leader; someone to help choose the right book, to keep people on topic and to keep the discussion moving.  There are a number of resources available in print and online to help.  

Resources for Book Clubs Available From the Chinook Arch Library System:

Title	Author	Format	Call #
The Reading Group Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Start Your Own Book Club.	Jacobsen, Rachel W	Book	374.22 J
The Book Club Companion: A Comprehensive Guide to the Reading Group experience	Diana Loevy	Book	374.22 L
What to Read: The Essential Guide for Reading Group Members and Other Book Lovers	Pearlman, Mickey	Book	015.73 P
A Year of Reading A Month-by-month Guide to Classics and Crowd-pleasers for You and your Book Group By	Ellington, Elisabeth	Book	011.73 E
Good Books Lately The One-stop Resource for Book Groups and Other Greedy Readers By	Moore, Ellen	Book	374.22 M

Online resources for Book Clubs:

Book Clubs Canada http://www.bookclubs.ca/

Book Browse http://www.bookbrowse.com/bookclubs/

Reading Group Guides http://readinggroupguides.com

Book Reporter http://www.bookreporter.com/

Reading group Choices http://www.readinggroupchoices.com/

Also, most major publishers include book discussion guides for their titles on their website.

(book club resource list developed by Heather Nicholson, Coaldale Public Library)

I hope these resources help you lead engaging discussions of some of the best books.