Let's Get Functional

An idea that I used at my first job out of library school was to divide employees into teams to strategize around our libraries' functional areas. The original breakdown I used was: collection development, programming, outreach, and marketing.

In my current job, I transferred the idea with a few changes dictated by context. We're now working with five functional area teams: collection development and maintenance, programming, outreach, public services, and information technology.

The idea behind these groups is to take critical library functions and assign people from all levels of the library to teams which then analyze, evaluate, and propose changes related to a particular function. This keeps those areas under constant "surveillance," allowing for quick adjustments to policies or procedures.

Another key component of these groups is that they're intentionally small. I suggest a maximum of five people per team. This enables the team to make decisions quickly and have an intense focus when necessary.

What are the functional areas in your library? Do you use a similar model for decision making?

Video Game Interlude - Coolest Ever!

I was playing Tomb Raider: Underworld DS this morning and came across a part where I had to clear some dust away from a stone tablet. As it was the first time I had done that in the game, the tutorial came on and told me how to do it. The cool thing is that I ACTUALLY BLEW on the DS to clear away the dust! I guess the microphone senses the sound and makes the dust move. Ah, modern technology! Now I REALLY want a Wii for Christmas!!

Why I'm a Librarian

I had a very passionate discussion with a colleague on Friday that got me thinking about why I am a librarian, why libraries are relevant today, and what can be done to advance the profession.



1) The reason I became a librarian is relatively simple. When I was growing up, my mom took my sister and me to the library often. I remember spending not-enough-time browsing the shelves of my hometown public library. I was intensely interested in fantasy, science fiction, and metaphysics even back then and couldn't get enough of books about those subjects.

2) I think the basic purpose of a library today is to provide access to information. Whether this is done through answering a reference question or allowing teens to play games on the latest technology, the public is still getting information from librarians.

3) Unfortunately--and this was the crux of the conversation with my colleague--we live in an information economy, culture, and society. We're information professionals, yet we are not the first called upon to use our expertise to help further the goals of society. Large information technology companies have shown time and again that they can provide for the information needs of the world at large. Where do we fit in as librarians?

In my position as manager/librarian, I really feel that it's up to me to push for the inclusion of progressive ideas like this one. Let's invite people to participate in our library in ways they've not had the opportunity to do in the past. Let's provide an experience for our users that not only involves them in physical space, but virtual space as well.

The point is that we can provide people with places to explore, inquire, collaborate, and discover. We just have to re-invent ourselves to match 21st-century expectations.

Indiana Library Federation Annual 2008

I was able to attend Day 1 of 2 of the Indiana Library Federation's annual conference yesterday.

One session I attended was described as follows:

‘Make it more like Google!’: next generation tools for library collections
Next Generation? Web 2.0? What are the next set of tools that libraries need to look at? How can we make our catalogs more useful and attractive to patrons who are increasingly familiar with Google and Yahoo, without losing our vision of what being a library should mean? Pascal Calarco and Mark Dehmlow [both of the University of Notre Dame] led a whirlwind critical review of the multitude of ‘next generation’ tools for library catalogs as a decision process for adoption and procurement. They will discuss the typical features of these tools, and some of the pros and cons of the various systems.

The two presenters talked about Notre Dame's search for a "next generation" library catalog and their realizations along the way.

This presentation really reinforced the way I feel about the website redesign project I'm involved with. People have certain expectations when they use websites today. They want to create content and be engaged.

The speakers yesterday mentioned that a need of the modern researcher is "search and discovery." For some reason, though, library catalogs seem compelled to go the opposite way and don't allow the flexibility of faceted searching, for instance.

Users don't want to learn complex search strategies or controlled vocabularies, they want to type in a few keywords and get results. Another point that was made is that people are used to relevancy ranking in search results instead of the "last in, first out" structure of most library catalogs.

After reading Kotter's book about urgency, I'm really frustrated at librarianship's lack of momentum. These things about usability are not new information, yet it still doesn't seem to be a priority amongst library leaders.

We've got to escape this complacent attitude. Kotter's second tactic says it all, and that's my plan to deal with it.

Urgent Tactics: 3 & 4

I finally finished the Kotter book!

His final two tactics for maintaining a sense of urgency are: 3) Find Opportunities in Crises and 4) Deal with NoNos.

Find Opportunities in Crises

In this chapter, Kotter introduces the idea of the "burning platform" (120). He says, "even people who are most solidly content will begin to act differently if a fire starts on the floor beneath their feet. With fire spreading around them, everyone moves, the status quo is eliminated, and a new beginning is possible." He continues, "Within the logic of burning platforms, if natural events do not create a crisis, you must. You don't wait. You don't hope. You develop a strategy and act" (132).

Keeping in mind that true urgency is the goal, the notion of a burning platform doesn't seem that far-fetched. I think Kotter's point is that the issues that are most effective at propelling us forward are sometimes carefully managed. The organization doesn't get "burned," so to speak, but instead is driven to act by very real circumstances. As Kotter suggests, we must view each crisis as an opportunity to maintain that sense of urgency that creates an environment of positive change.

What platforms can be set on fire in your library? What strategies for managing those flames have you used?

Deal with NoNos

As you might've guessed, a NoNo is someone who thwarts efforts to maintain that sense of urgency described elsewhere in the book. However, Kotter makes an important distinction: NoNos are not skeptics. Skeptics, according to him, "can usefully keep enthusiastic, but naive, impulses in check." On the other hand, a NoNo "will do nearly anything to derail processes that attempt to create change" (147).

Think about the NoNos in your work environment. Kotter points out that it is almost always a waste of time to "co-opt" a NoNo. More often than not, someone in that position brings any productivity to a grinding halt. Likewise, he indicates that NoNos can't be ignored as they frequently kill urgency in an organization by being allowed to spread their message to others unchecked.

So, how do you deal with a NoNo? Kotter suggests three methods: 1) distract them, 2) push them out, and 3) ply them with social pressure by publicly acknowledging their behaviors. The bottom line is that NoNos must be dealt with in order for the sense of urgency to be maintained.

Urgent Tactics: 1 & 2

I've been trying very hard to finish Kotter's A Sense of Urgency this week. That ain't gonna happen.

Instead, I'll talk about his first two tactics: Bring the Outside In and Behave with Urgency Every Day.

Tactic One: Bring the Outside In

On page 60, Kotter highlights two points of this tactic. One is, "Reconnect internal reality with external opportunities and hazards," and two, "Bring in emotionally compelling data, people, video, sites, and sounds."

His first point seems incredibly relevant to libraries today. In this chapter Kotter warns that an internal focus kills urgency which leads to complacency and eventually an organization's demise. According to Kotter, the thing that turns the focus inward is historical success. Libraries have been historically successful as knowledge storehouses and the places people turned to when they needed to find pieces of information.

I'm suggesting that, as a profession, libraries and librarians rested on our laurels for far too long. Our long-term complacency has many of us questioning our relevance in light of external entities who do things better and faster than we ever did. And therein lies Kotter's point as I see it. We've got to start looking at what's going on outside the library world. What opportunities are out there of which we're not taking full advantage?

Tactic Two: Behave with Urgency Every Day

Again on page 60, the two points of this tactic are identified as: "Never act content, anxious, or angry," and "Demonstrate your own sense of urgency always in meetings, one-on-one interactions, memos, and e-mails and do so as visibly as possible to as many people as possible."

The part of the chapter I found most applicable to my own situation as a manager is that of "Urgent Patience." This refers to "acting each day with a sense of urgency but having a realistic view of time" (118).

Libraries can't be changed overnight. Making sure staff have the skills they need to be successful takes time. Consistently encouraging people, prioritizing goals and acting on them can go a long way to keep the sense of urgency up in the organization. How do you maintain that sense of urgency in your daily work?

Bonfire of the Philanthropies

Our friend Sheryl is having a fundraiser (a bonfire/veggie-chili supper) for the community radio station in Bloomington (Ind.) tonight.



This event is making me think of volunteering and other ways of supporting non-profit organizations that desperately need help. I'm participating in Leadership Hancock County (the website's not maintained, unfortunately), a leadership development program in the county where I work. We just had Community Day this past week where I and my classmates had the opportunity to meet with several non-profit organizations in the county that provide support for issues such as education, homelessness, local arts, etc. For this program, we're required to complete a project requested by one such organization. Our projects were assigned this week.

My group's project involves working with an existing website designed to connect potential volunteers with volunteer opportunities in Hancock County. It's in bad shape and needs a lot of attention to bring it in line with modern usability standards (it was built back in 2004).

But, that's beside the point. I'd like to get involved with something in the community where I live. Perhaps it's time to consider volunteering at my public library.

Jungian Slip

Wow. I haven't posted since July. Bad blogger! Bad!

I'm still developing my management philosophy and reading a lot on the subject. The one that is supplying me with food for thought on my lunch break recently is A Sense of Urgency by John Kotter. This book focuses on developing and maintaining a sense of urgency in the workplace defined as "a distinctive attitude and gut-level feeling that lead people to grab opportunities and avoid hazards, to make something important happen today, and constantly shed low-priority activities to move faster and smarter, now." (from the front bookflap)

Kotter discusses four tactics to use in order fight the enemy of urgency: complacency. They are:

1. Bring the outside in
2. Behave with urgency everyday
3. Find opportunities in crises
4. Deal with NoNos

I'm not quite finished with the book, so I'll hold off on my interpretation of the tactics. I do want to mention a moment of synchronicity, though.

The definition of a sense of urgency mentions "shedding low-priority activities to move faster and smarter, now." I recently attended PLA Results Boot Camp and am reminded of our conversations on Day 3 of the experience that involved the allocation of library resources: staff, collections, technology, and facilities.

The basic message as I understood it is that we've got to stop doing the activities that are ineffective and continue to waste our resources, which is what I believe Kotter to be saying. Get rid of the "stuff" that doesn't serve your organization!

We're starting the strategic planning process I learned at Boot Camp at my library now. Our current strategic plan expires next year, and my director has given me the go ahead to begin making a case to our Board to use the Results model. This will mean a lot of changes to the way we're doing things now, but it really is exhilarating to start down the path to working "faster [more responsive?] and smarter, now."

5 Dysfunctions and Other Management Challenges

So, I finally finished Lencioni's 5 Dysfunctions of a Team. Here is the model, in a nutshell:

1. Absence of Trust
2. Fear of Conflict
3. Lack of Commitment
4. Avoidance of Accountability
5. Inattention to Results
   

Note: I put the dysfunctions in their positive forms to convey them to staff members. Meaning, these are the things you want teams to have.

1. Trust
2. Healthy Debate
3. Commitment
4. Accountability
5. Results without Ego

I'll give my take on these below.

Trust:
This is really as straightforward as it sounds. Before a team can get down to "brass tacks," its members must trust one another. I think about the lessons I've learned from working in groups, and this is so true. In my experience, I was most comfortable when I knew my group members had my back, were going to pull their weight, etc. It's a key foundation to teamwork.

Healthy Debate:
I really like the author's explanation of this one. He compares team meetings to movies. "Why do we like movies more than meetings?" He asks. "There's dramatic tension in movies," is the answer.

He goes on to explain that teams need to be able to argue passionately with each other with no fear of reprisal from other group members. If issues aren't addressed then productivity-killing frustration builds until there's a blow up of some kind. This is true in my experience, too. People have to be able get their ideas out on the table, no matter how unpopular they are. They can only do this if they trust their teammates won't maliciously attack them for it.

Commitment:
This one is also straightforward. Team members must be committed to making the team work, to solving problems, and agreeing to disagree. Lencioni is very clear on the point that it is not consensus. In fact, being committed means you must challenge ideas as they are presented.

Communication is also covered in this section. He calls it "cascading communication," and that just means that decisions are passed down through administrative channels so everyone is on the same page.

Accountability:
Again, it's a simple concept: hold people to what they say they'll do. Lencioni argues that you can't do this without dealing with the first three dysfunctions. He stresses that it's peer-to-peer accountability that is what's important, with the manager taking a back seat unless things get out of hand (people start to take criticism personally, for example, which is a sign of the second dysfunction.)

Results without Ego:
All this means is to put the needs of the team ahead of one's individual needs. For instance, if managers are working on a team, individual managers shouldn't put their own department's agenda ahead of the management team's goals. By supporting the team effort, all departments are affected positively.

I should also point out is that these "dysfunctions" kind of build on one another. In the book, it's presented graphically as a pyramid, the foundation of which is "Absence of Trust." Absence of Trust leads to "Fear of Conflict," and so on.

In Conclusion:
I really like Lencioni's approach in talking about the model. The fable was easy to follow and the steps are simple to understand and remember. I think the best thing is that he takes a common sense approach to these issues. While these concepts are not particularly complex, they provide a framework to bring honest and open communication back into the workplace.

Since I finished 5 Dysfunctions, I've become intrigued by his other books. I've not read them cover to cover, but my two favorites so far are Death by Meeting and Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars. They're very similar in style to the one I just read and have some great suggestions for combating some negative institutions of workplace culture.

One Happy Family

One thing that I became interested in when working at IUB was the topic of "management." Never in a million years did I think that I'd be inclined to read any books on the subject. Now that I'm back in it, I find myself being pulled that way again.

I browsed the shelves at Half-Price Books last night and found a good candidate to read. Patrick Lencioni's 5 Dysfunctions of a Team seems very appropriate to my current situation. Now, don't get me wrong. The folks at my current job are very willing to work together. However, it's been my observation that the structure to support each other in meaningful, efficient ways is lacking. I'm not accusing or judging, just observing.

What I liked after thumbing through 5 Dysfunctions is that it not only gives the "leadership fable," but it also provides the model behind it separate from the narrative, which is a presentation of information that I appreciate.

Any other suggestions on books to read? I've also heard Good to Great is another one worth checking out.

New job

So, I've been at my new job for two weeks now.

It's been a great experience, everything considered. Let me just say that my position--Chief Operating Officer--was sorely needed. I'll be creating lots of processes and procedures over the next several months, and realigning some chain-of-command issues.

I survived my first board meeting with no incident, but it got me thinking about the fact I was witnessing local government in action. Very cool.

I think the biggest challenge I face is balancing all of my new responsibilities. There is so much to do that it's tempting to work all the time by staying late, taking stuff home, and so forth. But, I really want to be intentional about role modeling behavior, so I'm resisting the urge to do that.

I feel like I've done a good job of getting to know my co-workers. I've got planning meetings set up to work on projects and update meetings to keep in touch with supervisors with regards to personnel or procedural issues. I hope these means of communication really add to the substance of what the library is good at doing already.

We'll see what this next week brings.

Not a Monkey!

I went to the zoo yesterday with John's Family and took lots of pictures. I also caught a short video of one of the koalas, too!

I had always heard that koalas are vicious animals, prone to attack, and that the way they look is extremely deceptive. After doing some research, however, and reading a few articles, it seems that's not the case at all. They actually sleep most of the time due to their diet of eucalyptus, which is extremely low in protein and other nutrients.

Management: My Philosophy

A week from today, I'll be embarking upon on my second stint as a library manager, but with much more responsibility that my last managerial role. This will be the first time I'm supervising other library professionals.

This leads me to reflect on my own management philosophy. A few years ago, maybe back in 2002, I read A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results: Fish! The book really characterizes how I feel about work. The "Fish Philosophy" is based on four principles that I completely agree with. Below is my take on them:

Choose Your Attitude

From the book: "'I realize now that my grandmother didn't love dishwashing. She brought love to dishwashing, and her spirit was infectious.'"

My take: While you can't always choose your work, the main message of this principle is to choose the attitude you bring into your work. I care about how people experience the work environment, and it really bums me out when people aren't happy on the job. I think it's very important that leaders role model an attitude that helps others feel better about the jobs they're doing. We may not always like the job, but if we bring a positive attitude into a job, it's bound to provide a better experience for everyone involved.

Play

From the book: "'. . . we discovered we could be serious about business and still have fun with the way we conducted business.'"

My take: Yes! Several people have written about "play" as being a key component of the Library 2.0 phenomenon.

In my opinion, it's so important that work be approached not only with a healthy sense of humor, but with the freedom to play. Lifelong learning involves being inquisitive about the world around you. How cool is it to have the time to investigate new tools and their application toward the work you do? Wouldn't it be great to brainstorm off-the-wall solutions to problems with no fear of looking silly or being taken less seriously? That's the kind of environment I hope to foster in my new job.

Make Their Day

From the book: "'We look for as many ways as we can to create great memories. And we create great memories whenever we make someone's day. The playful way we do our work allows us to find creative ways to engage our customers. That's the key word: engage.'"

My take: Creating great memories for our users. Wow. We all know good customer service when we experience it, and that's what keeps me returning to service providers again and again. This is what I want not only for our users, but for employees as well. I want to make sure employees are able to leave work with great memories. Folks work hard and need to be engaged in their jobs or the quality suffers.

Be Present

From the book: "'The problem was they were having a good time with each other, not me. . . . They weren't present and focused on me, the customer.'"

My take: Creating an environment in which employees can have fun, be engaged in their work, and provide excellent customer service takes balance. If we become too wrapped up in our own good time, then areas of service get neglected. Being aware of our users' needs, especially when they're standing in front of us, is top priority. Likewise, as a supervisor I need to be aware of the concerns and needs of employees.

Canal Daze

Yesterday, John and I went to the canal at White River State Park. We rented bikes and rode past the zoo, across the river, around the canal, then met some friends at Henry's on East. The 500 Festival Parade was just ending, so there were lots of people in the neighborhood. After that, we happened to run into some friends and went to the the Rathskeller Biergarten.

All in all, it was a great day, even if I did get a sunburn :/

In about a week, I start my new job at the Hancock County Public Library. I'm so excited, because I started a wiki to organize my thoughts and shared it with my new boss. She responded to say it's the first time she's ever used a wiki before, but thought it would be a great communication tool. That made my day, and I haven't even officially started work there!

Perhaps once I get settled in, I can talk to the IT Manager to see about setting up an internal wiki.

Anyway, have a great holiday, everyone. Enjoy the race, if that's your thing :)

State of Information

Do people realize they can read many magazine articles (back and current issues) right alongside scholarly research articles, and they're already paying to access them?

Occasionally, my library's web server goes wonky and prevents access to our database page. When this happens, students lose the ability to search our popular article indexes like EBSCO's Academic Search Premier. So, what can they do if they need a scholarly, full-text article for their paper?

During those times of impending mental/emotional breakdowns, we point them to the State of Indiana's virtual library: INSPIRE. BSU Libraries subscribes to over 200 academic databases. While Indiana's list is shorter and geared toward general interest use, there's still a lot of information available for folks to browse (including full articles from popular titles like Time, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated.)

But I don't want you to think that only my home state has a virtual library program. In fact, most of the other 49 states do too. When you're in a pinch, or just would like to see the articles in this week's issue of Newsweek, don't forget that your tax money is supporting programs like these!

Not just Google

One site that I've been watching recently is AltSearchEngines.com. I originally heard about it from the Librarian in Black.

I subscribe to the RSS feed, and get lots of updates on different kinds of search engines throughout the day. It's been really refreshing to see how different ideas are being tried in an effort to sift through all of the information available on the web. Lots of folks are apparently looking for ways to de-throne Google as the search engine of choice.

Anyway, one of my favorites of late has been the "people search" at pipl.com. According to the site, pipl searches the "deep web" to find its results. That's great, but I especially like the way its results are organized, looking first in the US, then outside the country. Those results are further divided into categories like, "Contact Details," "Profiles & Directories," and "Public Records."

If you're interested in some different ways to find web content, I highly recommend AltSearchEngines for lots of new ideas.

Saving the Universe

Over the past few days, I've been on a mini-vacation from my Ball State job. During that time, I've rediscovered my favorite MMORPG of all time: City of Heroes.

My avatar's name is Checkerd Jester and I play on the Victory server. He's a character I've had for a while now (probably since 2005). I enjoy having fun while I team up with other heroes, and I have several catchphrases that show my character's humorous side.

I've been on hiatus for about a year, but seeing Iron Man inspired me to renew my subscription to the game. There have been a lot of changes, but the community is as strong as ever. I've been impressed with how easy it's been to get back into the swing of things.

I found a new resource about the game from one of the members of my supergroup the other day. It's a wiki that tells you everything you'd want to know about the game. That's one thing I love about CoH; the commitment of its players.

Tomorrow I go back to work, so expect some library related postings in the near future. Until then, good night!

Raiding Bloomington

So, I spent the afternoon in Bloomington today visiting family. It was nice to be back after not having been for a while. We went to a park and played with John's niece, who's 2.5. It was a great day for being outside.

Now I'm watching Raiders of the Lost Ark on USA. Indiana Jones is one of my favorite movie characters, and I'm really excited about the new film coming out in a couple of weeks.

It seems to be the summer of superheroes in 2008. Iron Man was awesome, Ed Norton is playing the Incredible Hulk, and the late Heath Ledger makes a final appearance in the Dark Knight as the wicked Joker. The Avengers teaser after the credits of Iron Man is great. It just leaves me wondering if a Justice League film is on the horizon. That begs the question: is there a Wonder Woman movie in the works too?

Accessing....

I've been inspired to start a blog again.

I'm starting a new job on June 2 at the Hancock County Public Library. It's going to come with a lot of challenges, as the position is new to their library system.

A recent inspiration comes from listening to a library talk show delivered via TalkShoe called Uncontrolled Vocabulary. The recent discussion of a post from the ACRLog: Sorry, but you can't have it all got me thinking about the fact that I'm a Gen X'er going into library management, and over my 8 or so years in the profession, I've discovered that work-life balance is extremely important.

Another thing I've found out about myself was illuminated when I learned about the ROWE (Results Only Work Environment) concept of allowing employees to work where they're most productive. In my current job at Ball State University Libraries I've found that for a variety of reasons I've resisted my natural tendency to work wherever I wanted to like I did at my last job at IU Bloomington. I'm hoping that the new job will be a bit more flexible.

I feel like my life is at an exciting place. I'm transitioning from academic librarianship to public librarianship, for one. I've recently started taking classes in programming, which I'm enjoying a lot, so that's great, too.

We'll see what happens tomorrow. Until then....