Civility in the air

I was tempted to cheer when I read the NY Times op-ed piece today "Up, Up and Go Away" by Ann Hood about the declining level of airline services and perks. She reminisces about a time many of us vaguely remember when flight attendants distributed mints, playing cards, and cheerful banter. (OK, I think there's still a lot of cheerful banter or maybe that's just because my last flight was on Southwest where "ability to engage in cheerful banter preferably over the microphone when reciting the requisite safety precautions for the 14,367th time" is in the job description.) She reminds us that we once had a choice between three different hot meals no matter where you sat on the plane. We joked about airline food, but hey, at least we had food back then and it wasn't always bad enough to deserve being the target of our jokes.

Yep, she really had me going until I got to this line.

I smiled at the people who had saved up their money, put on their Sunday best, and chosen T.W.A. It was not so long ago that flying had that civility, that glamour, when flying through the sky really felt like something special.

When, oh when was the last time you saw a plane full of people who saved up their money and put on their Sunday best to fly? And what level of civility do passengers afford the crew and flight attendants? It's hard to know which came first, the scowling flight attendant or the rude passenger. Or maybe it's just a sign of the times - a time when a sense of entitlement, selfishness, and instant gratification seem rampant throughout our country. I see evidence of it in large and subtle ways.

Look at the number of people in the airport, including some in the bathrooms, talking loudly on their cell phone creating a cacophony that makes it impossible to think, much less relax and read. Those of us who discretely step aside to a semi-private location to carry on our telephone business are in the minority. It may not be the answer and I can't say that I've changed anyone's behavior, but if my seatmate is talking loudly prior to take off and I can't concentrate on my book, I read out loud. Very loudly. (I'm thinking about promoting this through my social networks. Anyone got a name for my campaign?) Just recently I made a comment to a fellow traveler while waiting at baggage claim. No response. I repeated my comment. No response. Later I realized that she had no idea I was talking to her. We are so accustomed to hearing people talking to an implant in their ear that we no longer communicate directly, much less civilly to each other.

We no longer see each other as people with whom we can interact. Instead, we are competing with each other to get our own. As she mentions in her article, a canceled flight results in a mob running from terminal to terminal in search for a flight out. Whoever gets there first or has Platinum status and a cell phone is elbowing to get the last of the seats out of town.

We saw this competition at its extreme on the first shopping day after Thanksgiving when shoppers at a NY Walmart trampled an employee to death storming the doors at opening time. This wasn't about rushing to get home to loved ones. It was pure greed and selfishness.

Yeah, the article made me nostalgic for the days when flying felt like a treat, when we - passengers and crews alike had dignity and left all of our worries on the ground below. But it will take more than just a re-engineering of the airline business to bring that level of civility back. One bright spot of hope in her article...six strangers from the canceled flight cooperated to share a rented van and drove throught the night together to get home. We are all in it together and we fly or falter together.

My you have safe and travels this holiday season filled with civility even if you don't get an after dinner mint offered to you on a silver tray.

Libraries as an Economic Stimulus

Watching the CBS evening news last night, I was pleased to hear President-elect Obama refer to library closures as an example of how this economic downturn is hurting communities in his remarks to the National Governors Association.

"Jobs are being cut," he said. "Programs for the needy are at risk. Libraries are being closed. Historic sites are being closed."

The American Library Association didn't miss a beat and immediatly applauded him for "recognizing the effect library closings have on communities" in the Washington Office's blog, District Dispatch. The blog cites library contributions to the economic health of communities. For example:

• 73 percent of libraries nationwide report that they are the only provider of free Internet access in their communities
• that number is even higher in rural communities where 83 percent of libraries are the only free provider
• Libraries offer job search workshop, skill development, small business development classes, and technology training.

If you don't think Internet service is vital to jobs, consider this. Last year (according to Camila Alire, ALA President) only 40 of the top 100 U.S. retailers accepted paper applications completed at the store. Next time you are in Home Depot, ask for an application and you'll be directed to a computer kiosk. Suppose you are an ace fork lift driver - perfect for the job they've advertised, but you are new to computers. Imagine how much easier it would be to have a trained librarian guide you through the online application process at the library. Actually, without computer skills or a librarian to help you conduct an online job search, you probably wouldn't even know about that fork lift driving job since Home Depot only takes applications online and doesn't advertise.

Libraries make other economic contributions to their communities. People who are feeling the pinch in their pocketbook are saving money by using their library. The LA Times reports today that while bookstores and publishing companies are suffering losses and sluggish sales, library circulation is up over last year - 12% in San Francisco, and a whopping 35% in Chicago! Books and DVD's are flying off the shelf in libraries across the country. When commercial entertainment becomes too expensive for folks, the library is your place to go. It wouldn't be a huge stretch to argue that libraries may be a safety valve for communities facing plant closures and the pressure of disappearing 401k plans.

It wasn't lost on me that the LA Times article about library usage was posted in their Penny Wise section, "a street-level look at how Southern Californians are stretching their dollars in a sputtering economy." (I also appreciated that one avid library user cited in the article is a television journalist. Get your news at the library!)

But the article goes on to report an increase in the number of libraries under threat of closure because... "Since they're not selling anything, libraries don't profit directly from the increased traffic." Ironic, ain't it. When the economy goes to pot, libraries are more necessary and valued and USED by the public, but they still end up on the chopping block.

But what if, instead of looking at library closures as a money-saving tactic, we looked to libraries as a tool against economic woes? What if we poured more money into libraries and let librarians do what they are good at: helping communities work through difficult times?

For example, back to my earlier reference to a community facing plant closures...Libraries could provide information about other industries and local jobs. They could be the convener of community forums where the public could work together to identify community assets and develop strategies for working through the tough times together (in the short-term) and a new vision for the community (for the long-term.) And they could be the convener of community resources helping match those in need with those able to provide.

These are not just hypothetical roles. Within ALA, hundreds of librarians have come together to form a membership initiative group called, "Libraries Foster Civic Engagement". This committee is in the process of compiling the results of a survey of what libraries are doing to foster civic engagement, but here's a sampling:

• A library in a community with a rich history is working to bring the railroad depot back as a historical museum that will attract tourists.
• A library in school district where the community was divided over how to educate its children developed a discussion guide and brought people from all sides of the issue together to share their concerns.
• Another library brought in federal, state and county agencies to answer questions from veterans and families members of service men and women who are currently deployed. They also provided free blood pressure screening and backpacks (donated by a local insurance company) filled with health information.
  

These are important contributions in rich times. They are crucial in times of economic stress and personal distress.

Bill Gates gets it. And he knows a thing or two about money - at least he has a lot of it and knows how to give it away wisely. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation partnered with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) after ICMA released a report demonstrating that "libraries are not being used to strategically address community needs." They recently announced a joint project with to provide $500,000 in Public Library Innovation Grants to multiply innovative library practices and to demonstrate the value of public libraries in supporting sustainable communities. Hey, I like the sound of sustainable communities!

(The grant is due January 9, 2009, which should not be a problem since so many of us are curtailing our holidays anyway!)

From the ICMA site (emphasis mine!):

Public libraries can play a dynamic role in communities. Once an institution devoted to book circulation, today’s libraries provide citizens and businesses with Internet connectivity, career development, childhood literacy, immigration assistance, and other important services. However, many libraries across the country are struggling to take on a larger role in meeting their community’s needs and require increased support from their city or county administrator.

So, here are some possible program areas ICMA suggests that libraries and communities could address:

• Creating a sustainable community
• Workforce development
• Emergency management and public safety
• Health and active living
• Immigration and language
• Education
• Youth and teen services
• Civic engagement, community building

Surely I'm not the only one who thinks that these sound like smart things to do in communities that are hurting. (Note to all librarians in Michigan: STOP READING THIS BLOG AND DOWNLOAD THE APPLICATION NOW!)

President Roosevelt got it. Much of our country's infrastructure can be attributed to the New Deal and the Works Progress Administration. "Almost every community in America has a park, bridge or school constructed by the WPA."

But did you also know that in addition to putting men to work building bridges, dams, parks, roads, schools, and health clinics, the WPA also put women to work as librarians.

One such program was the Book Women of Eastern Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project. Yep, libraries on horseback! The WPA funded the salaries for librarians and they scrapped together reading material from magazine clippings, recipes and newspaper articles. These "cobbled together scrapbooks" became so popular that patrons made their own scrapbooks. Librarians circulated (literally) this homemade reading material featuring favorite recipes, family histories, sewing patterns and child-rearing advice from household to household. These patrons were early self-publishers and the librarians traveling to remote households were the community connections. Think (fill in your favorite social networking site) Twitter on horseback.

On a side note: For those who have the mistaken notion of the mild-mannered librarian, consider this. These women traveled 50-80 miles a week on horse or mule through rocky creekbeds, muddy footpaths and steep cliffs to deliver books to homes without access to reading materials. If the house was too remote to get to on horseback, they walked or rowed as the situation demanded! (See full story by the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives.)

The following is a description of the Packhorse Libraries by Mr. Clarence Bingham of the Louisville Public Library in a letter to Marguerite Smith Westerfield quoted as part of her master’s thesis in 1938 entitled “A Study of the Services of the Kentucky Library Commission”:

"...Each one (Packhorse Library) is organized with a librarian who stays in the headquarters to collect, classify, and mend the books and magazines; and four to six carriers who travel up the mountain trails to carry these books and magazines to lonely mountain cabins and isolated schools.

AND they brought in money to increase their services! The Penny Fund Plan which called on every PTA member in KY to donate a penny to the book fund increased the book collection and funded eight new pack horse libraries.

Now I know that there are New Deal skeptics out there. And I know that we have to put matters into context. Sure, things are different today than they were in the '30's. I'll just have to let smarter people who get Nobel Prizes for Economics and write for the NY Times address those questions as Paul Krugman did on November 10. I'm not an economist. Nor am I an historian so I am not in any position to advocate a Roosevelt-style economic stimulus.

But one thing I will advocate without reserve. Libraries are good investments especially when the economy is bad. They can help put people to work. They can provide access to information unavailable any other place. They can help communities come together to work out solutions. They can give people a place for escape from their economic trials. They can be centers for social events. They can build civic capacity. They can support civic discourse during a stressful time. They can hold communities together.

But let me recap the current narrative. Libraries support sustainable communities and meet community needs. Librarians have done this before. Libraries are struggling to meet community's needs. The economy sucks. Community needs are growing. More people are using libraries. Libraries are being closed.

But that doesn't have to be our story. We can write a different story with an ending that shows our wisdom and creativity. This is a charge to librarians who are wringing their hands and fretting about the future. Now is the time to be visible. Now is the time to make yourself indispensable to your community. Make your library, your expertise, and your services the centerpiece of your community's economic stimulus and civic health.

This is a charge to those elected to manage the budgets that fund libraries. Use them. They are one of the best things you can do for your community when it is hurting.

And to our President-elect...

Got libraries in your economic stimulus plan?

[http://tinyurl.com/69q78v]

Blogger labels my e-mail as spam?

Several of my friends are not getting my e-mails. Finally one person investigated and determined this from her ISP:

I did a bit of research and it turns out that sometimes folks who send email from an account associated with Blogger (like your friend's account below – i.e., austin-pacific.com) have been added to blacklists. So your invitingchange server checks to see if the incoming email is on a list of know spammers, sees that the domain is associated with one of Blogger's servers that is on their blacklist, and won't let the email through. This is Blogger's fault – they need to correct the issue with the blacklist companies (e.g., Spamhaus), so there is nothing to be done except use a different email address.

That seems to be it! Presumably both your friends are bloggers on Blogger?

I want my e-mail credibility back, but I can't find a way to make that happen. Help!

More on Libraries and Journalism Connection

As I've mentioned before, I am very curious (but at the nascent stage) of thinking about the blurring lines between journalists and librarians. Certainly the two fields have much in common - information professionals whose institutions have to change dramatically because of technology, the glut of information, the increased ease for ordinary people to have an audience, and the growing ability for people to get information from other "non-information professionals". (I check out the amazon reviews, send out a twitter asking for feedback, read blogs to make sense of emerging news stories, ichat with my brother when I'm having trouble with my computer, and send text messages to my husband when there are home maintenance issues during the day.)

Lately, I've been digging around one of my favorite citizen journalism web sites (also a Knight project) and am struck by how similar the language and offerings of the site are to what libraries do. Someday, I'll write a journal article about this, but in the meantime, Here are some of my random thoughts...

Knight Citizen News Network is particularly relevant to the field of Community Informatics. They have created a "self help portal that guides ordinary citizens and traditional journalists in launching and responsibly operating community news and information site." They further state, "Citizens like you can learn to use digital media in ways that enrich community, enhance public discourse, and enliven democracy as we know it."

This site is rich with resources for librarians who want to help people in their community to become community reporters, find local metroblogs (see for example, Austin MetBlogs) or citizen media outlets, get funding to start a micro-local news service, make us of widgets like google maps, learning modules with online reports like "How to Survive and Thrive: A digital literacy guide for the information age", stories from people who have a particular expertise (e.g., a backdoor biologist shares his photos and info on finding rare birds), information about fair use and copyright...the list goes on.

But more importantly, I don't see anything on this site that could not also be done by "the other" information professionals - librarians. In fact the paragraph describing "Why support KCNN" sounds very much like it could be part of a library's brochure about upcoming workshops:

Citizens like you can learn to use digital media in ways that enrich community, enhance public discourse, and enliven democracy as we know it.

Wouldn't that be a great thing to learn at your local library? Use technology to increase your ability to participate in your community and learn it at the library?

The Rondo public library in St. Paul is doing just that! Last Spring e-democracy invited me to Minneapolis/St. Paul to meet with several libraries and to keynote a regional library meeting. One of my favorite visits was to the Rondo Library which is housed in a low income neighborhood on the first floor of an apartment complex with over 90 apartments and 6 townhomes. E-democracy works closely with the library and with library users to provide in impressive array of E-democracy Online Tools Workshops.

Young people need only go downstairs to the library to take computer classes on how to upload video online, build a website and produce a podcast. Parents can learn how to use the e-democracy site to contribute their opinions, AND it's a site that as become a trusted source for local politicians to monitor and use for making policy. But here's what's really impressive. These classes and many of the other activities it takes to make this program work are done by members of the community. When I was there to speak at their open house, a thirteen-year-old volunteer (actually, he might have been even younger) did the videotaping. Prior to the event, he taped residents talking about their concerns and ideas for the community and that video was uploaded online.

The official name of the library is Rondo Community Outreach Library, but it should be Rondo Community Engaged Library. Perhaps their tagline should be "the library of the people, for the people and by the people."

What are some examples of libraries that are providing this kind of community portal - physical or virtual? How are libraries enabling citizens with digital media skills in order to build community?

Library Supported Community Reporting? Why Not?

This just in via Twitter from David Cohn, who will be a guest speaker on citizen journalism for my Community Engagement course: first community funded report published! This report explores the question: "What happens if, all of a sudden, you need to change the entire energy infrastructure on which California’s transportation system runs?" Check it out.

Here's what David says in his introduction to this article.

[Editors Note: This is the first example of "community funded reporting" here at Spot.Us. To learn more about Spot.Us read this NY Times article. To fund another investigation - check our pre-beta wiki which still has two actionable items. As this content is commissioned by the public it is free to any news organization or blog to republish. Thank you to the donors who made this possible. At the bottom is a non-exhaustive list of other publications that have run this material.]

How cool is that? It's commissioned by the public so it belongs to the public. (I personally contributed a small amount of money to a news story that will fact check political advertisements. Now isn't that a great service?)

Gee, what other public institution might use this approach to decentralize reporting on local issues?

What if libraries provided the infrastructure for this kind of reporting to take place in their own community? (See the spot.us wiki) It might not be "community funded" but it could be "community based". Citizens could make a pitch for a story they want to write about their community and be posted on the library's wiki. Other people who share an interest could contribute content and resources. Obviously the library could support the reporter's information needs and perhaps even provide training on how to do community-based research. When the reporter is finished, the library could provide editorial review and publishing support.

What about opinion pieces in addition to straight reporting? Last night my husband and I were reflecting on the editorial pages in our weekly village newspaper. They are dominated long articles written by a few individuals who often rant ad nauseum. (I'd like for my local library to host a workshop on how to write concise letters to the editor. At least my newspaper could refer them to information about how to write a letter to the editor!) I wonder how many thoughtful people in our community have something to say (op-ed or newsworthy) but feel shut out by the cacophony of a few. What if the library were the vehicle for people to have a voice?

hmmm, what else????
Any downsides????

More Reasons to Twitter

I just attended socialmediacamp in Austin and learned just how popular Twitter is with the techno set. (NOTE: apparently I'm less on the fringe and closer to the fray when it comes to the geek set.)

I've been twittering for about five months and wrote an earlier post on how Twitter can be useful. But as is the case with all technologies, some uses are not clear from the beginning. They emerge over time and the real benefit of the technology is often beyond the imagination of its creators.
So, it was interesting to learn that reporters for the Austin American Statesman are using Twitter to:

• have eyes on the street ("stuck in traffic on Mopac at Spicewood Springs" "nasty car wreck on 35 at Braker")
• get info ("writing story on cheese-making. Who makes cheese?")
• drive traffic to the web site and blogs (I follow @omarg who writes about technology and just followed this tweet to his friday afternoon blog.)

So why not use Twitter to promote the LBJ Library, create a buzz about upcoming events and cool things in the collection, and drive traffic to the web site AND to the library itself?

For example, a few weeks ago, the Vostok 3KA-2 the last unmanned Russian space capsule was unloaded at the LBJ Library.

(Video and photos to come later - it's late on Friday afternoon and staff are heading out the door - but you can see a photo here. I'm not inserting the actual photo to avoid copyright infringement.)

It took a crane to hoist it up through the fourth floor windows. What a site that must have been. Of course, press was there, but a little twitter might have brought out a few more peeps. At least it would be a reminder that this stunning exhibit is in the works!

Here's more from the web site of the company that owns the Vostok, which, by the way can be purchased, but I think you have to buy the whole space collection!

Vostok 3KA-2 Space Capsule
This flown spacecraft was sent into space on March 25, 1961 with the mannequin Ivan Ivanovich and the dog Zvezdochka, aboard. This was the last practice flight of the Vostok program, 18 days prior to the Vostok flight carrying Yuri Gagarin into history as the first human in space.
K09150

City Year Names My Workshop "The best Learning Development Day of the Year"

On May 23, I conducted a one-day workshop for Americorps Members (CM). I was asked to lead this workshop by my friend, Todd Moore the Program Manager for San Antonio City Year. The purpose of the training was for corps members in the San Antonio/Austin area to experience a greater understanding of civic engagement and the effect it has on their current and future community. Specifically there were four goals:

• CMs will understand the importance of engaging in positive social change
• CM’s will clearly articulate personal viewpoint on the role of citizen service in the movement for positive social change
• CMs will understand the definition of Civic Engagement and how tey can become lifelong leaders in civic engagement
• CMs will identify at least three different ways their ‘city year’ can impact their future communities

In his funding request to OneStar Foundation, Todd wrote, "Few individuals in the state are more qualified than Taylor Willingham to educate and inspire our corps members to future service."

I must admit that I was a bit apprehensive about doing the workshop, but apparently it went well because the participants named it the best learning development day of the year! I'm flattered.

NCDD Conference: What Can Technology Do For Us?

I recently sent an e-mail to Andy Fluke, the Technology Dude for the NCDD Conference which he posted to the NCDD web site. I was responding to an e-mail from him in which he noted that he would give Twitter a try for 30 days, but would dump it if he didn't get 50 followers during that time. My response was to try to broaden the potential uses of technology, specifically Twitter for the upcoming conference.

With my permission, Andy posted my e-mail to the NCDD web site. I thought I'd also post it here (with a few edits) since it reflects how I'm thinking about technology these days and some of the thinking that I can offer to my clients. I've even expanded my thinking about Twitter as a tool which I wrote about on my Scattered Leaves Blog.

Andy,

A few thoughts and insights on how technology can knit us together leading up to, during and after the conference…

1. Standard tagging: Through standard tagging, we can easily see each other’s content uploaded on Flickr, Blogs and elsewhere. For example, last August a Texas Forums co-hosted an event with the League of Technical Voters called We Are All Actors. People took photos that they uploaded to their own site on Flick and they wrote blogs. But no matter where they posted content, they tagged it WAAA2007. So on Flickr, you can see everyone’s photos at: http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=waaa2007&m=text. You could do the same for blogs if you tag them with Technorati tags.

[author's note: we have since implemented standard tagging for the upcoming conference as: NCDD2008]

2. Real time feedback: Twitter was used heavily at SXSW Interactive here in Austin to give real time feedback during sessions. I was there with a couple of colleagues and was able to see what they were doing and what they thought about the presentations they were attending. If I was in a session that wasn’t working for me, I could easily vote with my feet and go where something cool was happening.

(OK presenters may not like that, but we DO want to make sure everyone gets what they want from the conference, right?)

Also, you can get instant answers to questions. For example, I recently wondered (twittered, actually) about the difference between tinyurl.com and tiny.cc. within less than five minutes, I had two responses. I use twitterific so I get messages on my desktop as soon as the come in. (This is also one way I get good recipes, consumer guidance, referrals, etc.)

3. Drive traffic to blogs. I follow a very prolific blogger who writes for several blogs and a podcaster. Through the magic of microblogging (that’s what Twitter really is) I get one sentence from them along with a “tinyurl” If I’m too busy, then I can save it as a favorite.

For example:

Tom Parish tparish Posted my podcast with Dr. Nicolas Horney on “In Search of IT Agility” at EnterpriseLeadership.org http://tinyurl.com/2ukqd4

4. Lots of people prefer the microblogging of twitter. (See: http://twitter.com/Digidave/statuses/780610943) Below is snapshot of Twitterific and posting by David Cohn - someone I’ve never met, but who found me and found that we share similar interests.

5. You can send direct messages to people through twitter - much easier than e-mail AND it doesn’t clutter things up. You might think that being limited to 140 characters is a bad thing.

OH NO! It’s a VERY good thing. Twitter combines the best of e-mail and instant messaging. If people don’t have computers or can’t afford the wireless (it’s not free at the Renaissance, is it?) they can still participate with their phones - there will be plenty of people with computers on hand to sign them up.

6. Spontaneous meetings. Many of the geeks I hang out with in Austin (and elsewhere) don’t make appointments. They go to a coffee shop or bar, Twitter their location and people spontaneously show up. That’s how we all found each other at SXSW. Imagine you’ve just come from a stimulating session and want to keep talking about what you learned. You post a twitter with the topic and your location and people can join you. Think “Technologically facilitated Open Space”.

7. Mobile technology: Twitter works with cell phones - both receiving and sending. No need to be online.

[author's note: This will be particularly useful at the conference since there is no free wifi. YIKES!! How un-Austin-like!]

8. Instant updates of changes: A speaker gets sick? You’re in a room that you thought would have a flip chart, but it doesn’t?

Post a notice. “Workshop A canceled.” or “Any flip charts not being used? I could use one in Serenade Room”

Response: “not using the one in Serendipity Room. Sending it over to you.”

Everyone tied into Twitter is empowered to contribute to the conference.

So the real power isn’t in how many people are following you, but in how many people are connected and ABLE to connect with Twitter!

I knew about the NCDD twitter NOT from an e-mail, but because Tim Bonneman twittered that he had just joined. I joined immediately. THAN I got an e-mail from Andy Fluke. But it took me 24 hours to respond and now I have to make a decision about where to file the e-mail!

E-mail and RSS feeds are just too cumbersome any more.

__________________________________
I'm not sure I've completely won Andy over, but I have earned the title, Director of Building Excitement about Technology and Libraries in my position on the NCDD Board!

Dangerous Ideas: "What if..."

[Cross posted]

The recent Public Library Association Conference featured a session titled, "The Dangerous Ideas". The idea behind the session was to stimulate a conversation about adaptation and change by posing the question, "What if...?"

The presenters began by introducing Ten Dangerous Ideas:

1. What if we stopped cataloging?
2. What if we participated fully with the FBI in all criminal investigations that involved the use of library resources?
3. What if librarians individually and as a profession promoted, used and helped to develop Wikipedia?
4. What if we accepted open source software as a way of being more in control of the customer experience?
5. What if we embraced our iner geek and created immersive games that prompted cults of library junkies?
6. What if we required all library staff to have expertise using technology?
7. What if mistakes were expected and embraced and all librarians became mistake masters?
8. What if we didn't make decisions based on fear or scarcity?
9. What if we stopped being passive/aggressive?
10. What if we didn't make our customers work so hard?

I did not attend this session, but have been following the aftermath on the Transforming Texas Libraries Blog and the Web Junction Blog. Some of the provocative questions raised and documented on the Web Junction Blog are:

What if librarians would promote and participate in the development of Wikipedia?
What if we made decisions that are not based on scarcity?
What if libraries large and small invest together to adopt open source solutions?
What if teens in the library were our partners instead of our problem?
What if we learned to advertise the allure of libraries as successfully as soft drinks and junk food?

This discussion is continuing on "whatiflibs" wiki posted on wetpaint, a very easy to use wiki.

The question, "What if?" calls upon us to use our imagination and to push our thinking into uncomfortable territory.

Recognizing this, the presenters had follow-up questions for the workshop participants:

• Why does this thought make me uncomfortable?
• What are the opportunities in this idea?
• What actions can be taken to pursue the opportunities?

I teach Change Management and Civic Entrepreneurship to graduate library students. I thrive on uncomfortable thoughts because that is where opportunities hide. Too many people retreat when confronted with uncomfortable thoughts. We don't like ambiguity. We may feel threatened. We may feel insecure about what change will demand from us. But all of these are just the flip side of opportunity.

I'm sorry I missed this workshop. I would love to see this thinking brought into the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation Conference taking place in Austin, TX October 3-5, 2008. The conversation starter could be a "What if..." related to the D&D community or democracy itself and how D&D impacts democracy.

How about it D&D-ers? Are we ready for some Dangerous Ideas?

Learning to Read After Decades Brings Joy

From 1990-2000, I was the director of an adult literacy program in Santa Clara County, CA. One of my favorite projects was Digital Storytelling which provided adult literacy students with the opportunity to tell their story through mini-movies. After moving to Texas, I sustained my literacy passion by serving on the founding board of the National Coalition for Literacy and still consult with NCL on various projects. So you can understand my delight when I learned about the following story from the NCL news release.


Volunteer tutor Michelle Miller (left) and her student, Joseph Buford, told their story in Nashville, Tenn.
StoryCorps
Morning Edition, April 18, 2008

Joe Buford, 63, has a high school diploma but kept a secret, even from his family: He couldn't read. "I could memorize things," he says. "I call it drawing the words .... Nobody in my family really knew how bad it was with me and how hurt I was over it." Buford's wife didn't know about his reading problem until after they were married, he says.

"Some mail came one day and normally, she's telling me what came and what [bills] needed to be paid. But this time, she gave it to me and said, 'Here, read this.' And so she found out that I couldn't just read something from top to bottom. That tore my heart out."

Listen to the rest of the interview
Write to Joseph Buford
Read the rest of Joseph's story

13th Annual Technology, Colleges and Community Worldwide Conference

This week I will be a facilitator for the TCC 2008, a worldwide online conference designed for university and college practitioners including faculty, academic support staff, counselors, student services personnel, students, and administrators. This will be my second time serving as a facilitator. I'm very excited about the content as well as the environment and technologies (Learning Times, Elluminate and wikis) that this conference uses to bring together people from all over the world.

The theme for this conference is: The New Internet: Collaboration, Convergence,
Creativity, Contrast, and Challenges. Here are some of the questions this conference will explore:

• Within this global venue, how do faculty, staff, students and the communities they serve converge, collaborate, innovate and produce useful learning outcomes?
• What best practices have emerged in teaching, learning and research?
• Is Internet-based learning effective and worth the effort?
• How can we efficiently assess student learning?
• Which tools will work best for us?
• How do we support faculty and staff?
• How do we overcome our feelings of being overwhelmed?

I have signed up to facilitate these sessions:

• Developing Online Peer-to-peer Mentoring Programs for Distance Degree Programs
• Podcasting for School Media Specialists: A Case Study from Central Minnesota

I will be attending:

• Web 2.0 Solutions to Course Development Communication Challenges
• Making Audiobooks Using Podtext and iPods

I will visit the archive after the conference:

• Using Moodle to Promote Collaboration and Community
• Extreme Makeover: Course Edition
• Oh heck, who am I kidding. I can't possibly list all of the workshop archives I will try to access.
  

This conference is always exciting because of the diversity of participant experiences (Nutritionists, economists, librarians, physicists, attorneys, anthropologists, psychologists curriculum development specialists) and geographic location (Japan, Hawaii, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, Alaska, California, Georgia, Vermont).

At $99 ($69 for early registration that has already passed) this conference is a bargain and you retain access to the archives after the conference ends.

Twitter Redux (A lost post comes to light)

[I wrote this last fall, but apparently it was never published. It feels a bit dated now, but I'm posting it so that I'll at least have the record of what I was thinking at the time! I frequently have troubles with Blogger, but have been too lazy or bus to move this blog over to WordPress.]


I recently nudged my colleague, Andy Fluke who is the technical support for the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation about working on ways to use technology to create a buzz prior to, during and following the conference. He agreed to twitter, but said he would cease if he didn't get 50 followers in 30 days. Wrong approach! Here's my response.

Andy,

Since I'm the "butt-kicker" in the group, let me offer a few thoughts and
insights on how technology can knit us together leading up to, during and
after the conference.

1. Standard tagging: Through standard tagging, we can easily see each
other's content uploaded on Flickr, Blogs and elsewhere. For example, last
August a Texas Forums co-hosted an event with the League of Technical Voters
called We Are All Actors. People took photos that they uploaded to their own
site on Flick and they wrote blogs. But no matter where they posted content,
they tagged it WAAA2007. So on Flickr, you can see everyone's photos with that tag. You could do the same for blogs if you tag them with Technorati tags.

2. Real time feedback: Twitter was used heavily at SXSW Interactive here in
Austin to give real time feedback during sessions. I was there with a couple
of colleagues and was able to see what they were doing and what they thought
about the presentations they were attending. If I was in a session that
wasn't working for me, I could easily vote with my feet and go where
something cool was happening. (OK presenters may not like that, but we DO
want to make sure everyone gets what they want from the conference, right?)
Also, you can get instant answers to questions. For example, I recently
wondered (twittered, actually) about the difference between tinyurl.com and
tiny.cc. within less than five minutes, I had two responses. I use
twitterific so I get messages on my desktop as soon as the come in. (This is
also one way I get good recipes, consumer guidance, referrals, etc.)

3. Drive traffic to blogs. I follow a very prolific blogger who writes for
several blogs and a podcaster. Through the magic of microblogging (that's
what Twitter really is) I get one sentence from them along with a "tinyurl"
If I'm toobusy, then I can save it as a favorite. For example this twitter from Tom Parish:
tparish Posted my podcast with Dr. Nicolas Horney on "In Search of IT
Agility" at EnterpriseLeadership.org http://tinyurl.com/2ukqd4

4. Lots of people prefer the microblogging of twitter. (See:
http://twitter.com/Digidave/statuses/780610943) Below is snapshot of
Twitterific and posting by David Cohn - someone I've never met, but who
found me and found that we share similar interests.

5. You can send direct messages to people through twitter - much easier than
e-mail AND it doesn't clutter things up. You might think that being limited
to 140 characters is a bad thing. OH NO! It's a VERY good thing. Twitter
combines the best of e-mail and instant messaging. If people don't have
computers or can't afford the wireless (it's not free at the Renaissance, is
it?) they can still participate with their phones - there will be plenty of
people with computers on hand to sign them up.

6. Spontaneous meetings. Many of the geeks I hang out with in Austin (and
elsewhere) don't make appointments. They go to a coffee shop or bar, Twitter
their location and people spontaneously show up. That's how we all found
each other at SXSW. Imagine you've just come from a stimulating session and
want to keep talking about what you learned. You post a twitter with the
topic and your location and people can join you. Think "Technologically
facilitated Open Space".

7. Mobile technology: Twitter works with cell phones - both receiving and
sending. No need to be online.

8. Instant updates of changes: A speaker gets sick? You're in a room that
you thought would have a flip chart, but it doesn't? Post a notice.
"Workshop A cancelled." or "Any flip charts not being used? I could use one
in Serenade Room" Response: "not using the one in Serendipity Room. Sending
it over to you." Everyone tied into Twitter is empowered to contribute to
the conference.

So the real power isn't in how many people are following you, but in how
many people are connected and ABLE to connect with Twitter! I knew about the
NCDD twitter NOT from this e-mail, but because Tim Bonneman twittered that
he had just joined. I joined immediately, then I got this e-mail. But it
took me 24 hours to respond and now I have to make a decision about where to
file it! E-mail and RSS feeds are just too cumbersome any more.

Taylor

Salado Public Library Grows Exponentially!

The library has applied to Hamburger Helper (no kidding!) for a My Hometown Helper grant and recently sent out a plea for people to support this grant by adding an online comment. The library has grown at an amazing rate (in the past three years, circulation increased 30% and computer use jumped a whopping 160%!)

The library is requesting $15,000 for:

• rolling shelving to allow us to make space for programs ($6500)
• funds for moving expenses to rearrange our current book shelves ($2500)
• stations for public computers ($1600)
• tables and seating for patrons ($5000)
• shelving attached to the walls of the library to save floor space and a movie (we are the only movie store in town) and audio book wall for maximum “wow” impact ($4500).

Eventually the library will have to expand it's 6,000 square foot space, but until that day, these items will at least free up some space. I'm so proud to be a part of this innovative, big thinking small town library that holds its own next to its much larger counterparts!

If you live in Salado and love the library, add your comment here!

The Newest Salado Public Library Trustee

I was set to re-open this blog to my campaign for election to the Salado Public Library Board, but it looks like that won't be necessary. With three openings and three candidates, there won't be an election. I'm looking forward to serving on the board. This is an exciting time as the library looks to expand. The other new Board Member is the President of the Friends of the Library and has a history of service to the library. We will join the only incumbent running for re-election.

It was a joy to get the news from my father, a library board incumbent who chose not to run for re-election. Even though I didn't have to run and rely on the support of the community, he still said he was proud of me. Now matter how old I am, I'm still delighted when I make my father proud.

But I am a bit disappointed that there won't be an election for several reasons. First, I am a library-lover and I know that many in the community feel a great fondness for our library. I would love to see that support exhibited by a large pool of candidates for the board. Secondly, an election, while an expense for the library, reminds the community of the role that the library plays. The interviews with board candidates published in the Salado Village Voice forces the candidates to think deeply about their positions on issues critical to the library and highlights these issues to the community. Lastly, I'm going to miss the candidate's forum. It was a good discipline for me to put my platform into a speech to the community. Perhaps I should write one, anyway!

But, of course, those are minor disappointments. Mostly I am just thrilled that I will have the opportunity to work with my colleagues in serving the community to make the Salado Public Library the Best Small Village Library in the World.

I'm at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign for my on-campus session with students in my Civic Entrepreneurship Course in the Graduate Library and Information Sciences program.

It's always a stressful time for me because they make such sacrifices to be here and I feel pressed to make it a very useful time. Fortunately, I have two things going for me. First, Jill (my GA for one more week) has done a great job organizing a field trip to the American Library Association Archives to research the historical roots of libraries as the university of the people and the center for civic education. Second, I have stayed in the Illini Union so often that it feels homey. It's not my decorating style and the beds are not nearly as comfortable as my own, but it IS familiar.

There is a really cool interactive map where you can see all of the rooms around here. Well, I guess I'll climb under those scratchy sheets and get some sleep. After a hectic day of packing and then traveling, I don't think I'll have any problem sleeping. I've got a hectic day AND week ahead of me. If you don't believe it, check out my calendar!

More later...