Tuesday, August 21, 2012

LYRASIS Newsletter August 21, 2012




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Semi-Monthly Newsletter
August 21, 2012

eGathering 2012: Spotlight on Speakers   

At a time when accessing and sharing information is in a dramatic state of expansion and flux, we increasingly hear about the changing role for librarians as stewards of data and information. For some, the argument goes that more independent access to information for the many means a decreasing need for librarians as gatekeepers of that information. For others however, like Dr. R. David Lankes, professor and Dean's Scholar for the New Librarianship at Syracuse University's School of Information Studies and director of the Information Institute of Syracuse and author of The Atlas of New Librarianship, this changing world of information access means a much greater need for librarians to help facilitate knowledge creation within their communities. Dr. Lankes asserts that librarians are in a unique position to improve society by re-casting their role and by seeking to facilitate and disseminate the knowledge created by their communities.

Our goal for eGathering 2012 - Survive or Thrive: Connecting Libraries and Community, is to open up a discussion about how librarians are reaching out into their communities and transforming their roles by harnessing these technology and social changes. Dr. Lankes will present the keynote address and will be joined by a panel of library leaders, including Ada Emmett (Purdue University), Charles Getchell (Quinnipiac University), Joseph Lucia (Villanova University), Kate Nevins (LYRASIS), Siobhan Reardon (Free Library of Philadelphia) and Pam Sandlian Smith (Anythink Libraries). Click here for more information about the speakers.

November 1
1:30 - 4:30 p.m. ET

eGathering is FREE for all LYRASIS members, and you can participate easily online, or with your fellow LYRASIS members at one of our community viewing locations. Click here to volunteer your site as a community viewing location. Be sure to join the conversation and send us your 1-2 minute video about how your library is thriving for our eGathering 2012 Video Contest.


Special Savings on 3M for LYRASIS Members

LYRASIS members save up to 40% off selected 3M products through December 31, 2012!

Save 20% on new EM hardware and circulation accessories, CheckPoint EM, RFID and RF branded hardware.

Save 5% on hardware upgrades.

Save up to 40% on select Tattle-Tape Branded Strips.

Contact Member Support for more information, or to place an order today.

Mark Your Calendar  

Introducing FOSS4LIB (8/22 and 9/25)

Be sure to check out the LYRASIS webinars page for more scheduled sessions.
Internet Librarian    
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LYRASIS Members save $170 off registration for the Internet Librarian 2012 Conference. Discount deadline is September 14 - email Kenna Juliani for discount code or more information.
Mass Digitization Collaborative
 FREE Webinar

Come and learn how the LYRASIS Mass Digitization Collaborative can help your library meet your digitization goals - at a low cost.

Mass Digitization Collaborative
Information Session

August 29
10 - 11 a.m. ET

September 7
10 - 11 a.m. ET

September 25
2 - 3 p.m. ET
Featured Offers

 Vernon Library Supplies - save 12% - 40%

save 7 - 10%

save 7.5%

Email Member Support for more information, or call 800.999.8558.
Churchill Archive

 Special offer on the Churchill Archive!  

Save 5% - 30% on the Churchill Archive when you subscribe between now and December 15, 2012.  

Subscribe before September 1 and save a guaranteed 15% off as part of the pre-launch discount.

For more information or for a trial, contact  Mark Fuller.
Job Bank 
Job Bank
OCLC Update
  OCLC WorldShare   

Watch  
from ALA to hear the full story.


Fun Zone  
Digital DIY Project
        
Electronic Bookplates    

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Sunday, August 19, 2012

Bleu Devil Book Club Presents Black Greek 101 with President Walter M. Kimbrough


BLEU Devil Book Club Fall 2012
Mr. Malik Bartholomew, Coordinator, Dillard University Will W. Alexander Library


The Dillard University Will W. Alexander Library is proud to present to the Dillard University Family, “The BLEU Devil Book Club”.

The purpose of the Dillard University BLEU Devil Book Club is to bring the Dillard University community together to share a dialogue of ideas, opinions, interests and causes - all within the context of a book club discussion format.

As an institution of higher learning, Dillard University is committed to producing graduates who are broadly educated, culturally aware, and concerned with improving the human condition. What better way to create an avenue of open communication, critical thinking, and healthy debate of today's issues then a book club. Our learning environment encourages a respect of diverse opinions and ideas in which the book club hopes to build upon so students, faculty, staff, and alumni can all benefit from this program.

To that end, the Will W. Alexander Library strives to include authors and topics that represent a spectrum of viewpoints and interests. We hope to highlight books that have both a national and cultural interest, as well as those books that are produced by local New Orleanians. However as sponsors of the book club, we do not necessarily endorse the views of any particular author but support the notion of sharing information in the interest of discovery, exploration and understanding.The BLEU Devil Book Club is a great way to encourage a commitment to literacy on our campus while at the same time building on the actual mission of Dillard University.

Readers will be encouraged to purchase and read the featured book and then join us in discussion concerning the book of the month. The Will W. Alexander Library book club discussion will be every 4th Thursday evening of the month. Besides attending the book discussions, readers can also discuss the current book of the month by following us on Twitter @DULibrary or on our Facebook page @: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/groups/2234159254/.

Our first book club discussion is: "Black Greek 101: The Culture, Customs, and Challenges of Black Fraternities and Sororities", written by and will be facilitated by our President, Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough!






                            


Please obtain this book from the Dillard University Book Store and come out to our very first BLEU Devil Book Club Discussion on Thursday, September 27, 2012 at 6:30p.m.  Please email mbartholomew@dillard.edu if you need any additional information concerning the BLEU Devil Book Club. We can also be reached @: 504-816-4786.

Thank you!

 

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

At Libraries, Quiet Makes a Comeback

Academic libraries aren't the quiet temples to scholarship they used to be. And students miss that atmosphere.
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Thursday, August 9, 2012

Libraries Thriving - 2012 Information Literacy Campaign

Thursday, 09 August 2012

2012 Information Literacy Campaign

Are you a resident of Massachusetts, Missouri, or New York*? If so, congratulations! The efforts of information literacy enthusiasts in your state led to your governor's issuing a proclamation of October as National Information Literacy Awareness Month.
Help draw attention to your state's recognition of what President Obama designated as skills that Americans must gain in order to "effectively navigate the Information Age" by sharing the badge created by Libraries Thriving and the National Forum on Information Literacy. Find directions for posting to your social networking sites, sharing in your email signature, and more below.
*Not a resident of one of these states? Not a problem! Find out more about how you can help add your state to this list by watching this short tutorial.

Embed this badge by copying the following HTML code:

<a href="http://www.librariesthriving.org/partnerships/2012-information-literacy-campaign" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.librariesthriving.org/images/nfil/2012/badges/nfil-badge-ma-stars-stripes.png" border="0" alt="Information Literacy Supporter Badge" /></a>

Post this badge to your social networking sites by copying the following URL:

http://www.librariesthriving.org/partnerships/2012-information-literacy-campaign

Add this badge to your website:

Copy the HTML code included above. Insert code into an HTML editor. Save and preview.

Add or post this badge to your blog or social networking site:


Facebook

Copy the URL included above. Login to your Facebook account. Insert the included URL into your Profile's Status box.


Twitter

Copy the URL included above. Login to your Twitter account. Insert the included URL into the What's Happening box.

MySpace

Copy the HTML code included above. Sign in to your MySpace page and click on 'Edit Profile'. Now copy or paste the Badge code into the section of your MySpace page where you would like it to show. For instance, you can copy it in the 'About Me' section, or your 'Interests' section. After copying the code, click 'Preview section' to see if the badge is where you want it. If it's not in the right spot, click Return to Edit Section, and try again. If it's right where you want it, click Save All Changes.

Blogger

Copy the HTML code included above. Sign in to your Blogger account and go to your Dashboard. Click on 'Layout' in the Manage your Blogs module. On the layout page, click 'Add a Page Element' either in the left column or at the bottom of your blog layout. On the 'Choose a New Page Element' pop up page, click the HTML/JavaScript ADD TO BLOG button and paste the copied badge code into the content area. Then give it a title and click SAVE CHANGES.

WordPress

Copy the HTML code included above. Sign in to your WordPress account and go to your Dashboard. Click on Widgets located under the Appearance menu tab. Select 'Text' widget from the list of Available Widgets and drag to a sidebar on the right to activate. Insert copied HTML code into text box. Save.

Live Journal

Copy the HTML code included above. Sign in to your Live Journal account. Click on Post an Entry, or go to the Journal menu, and click on Post an Entry. With the Rich Text tab selected, click on the Embed Media icon (it looks like a little CD). Copy the badge code into the box, and click on Insert. Or, with the HTML tab selected, click on Embed Media. Copy the badge code into the box, and click on Insert. Then add anything else you would like to your Live Journal entry, and select Post to Username.

Add this badge to your email signature:


Yahoo Mail

Copy the HTML code included above. Sign in to your Yahoo email account, and click on Options (or Mail Options). Select Signature, then select View HTML and also select Color and Graphics. Copy the code into the Signature box. If you like, choose "Add signature to all outgoing messages ". Then click Save.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Digitization 101: Is now the time for librarians?

Digitization 101
 Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Is now the time for librarians?

The graduate.New librarians are entering the job market fresh from receiving their master's degree (MLIS). The months and years spent in the classroom are behind them and they are anxious for the next chapter of their lives to begin. Some have already found job opportunities. Others are still in the job hunt and wondering when a job offer will appear. For them, this is a time of doubt. Was getting an MLIS the right thing to do? Weren't a ton of librarians suppose to be retiring? Is this the right time to be a librarian?

Because of the committees that I serve on, the people I meet with, and the consulting work that I do, I see the profession from a different point of view than most. With those points of view in mind, let me tell you why this is the time for librarians.

The Graying of the Profession - We have been talking for years about the number of librarians that would be retiring. However, the economic downturn that begin in 2008 delayed retirements. Those librarians who have stayed - instead of retiring - will retire. Some might even work in organizations that have a mandatory retirement date. All of those retiring librarians will need to be replaced. Will they be replaced with a new graduate? In some cases, yes. In many cases, they will be replaced with someone else, who will then could be replaced with a new graduate.

In addition, when people did retire, they were often not replaced. The need for them didn't go away because their work didn't go away. As our economy improves, those vacancies will be filled.

Chris Turner, Daniel Enders, Jane Appiah Okyere and Rachael Altman gathered around  poster for ProspectUs, a project by Chris Turner, Daniel Enders, Daniel Perez and Robert SchrierNeed for New Ideas - Every information organization (and not just libraries) need new ideas to move them forward. Graduates enter the workforce fresh with new ideas and a willingness to put those ideas into motion. I have seen graduates hired because they are willing to demonstrate a desire to make a difference and to help an organization dream big.

Librarians Inside and Outside of Libraries - Just last night, I spoke with someone who noted that library and information science graduates are a desirable group because of their ability to gather information and do analysis. Working in non-traditional settings is an area that graduates need to tap into because it is a growth area. This means looking at business job ads for those that require information gathering, organization and analysis skills. This also means promoting, both through your resume and cover letter, what you are capable of doing for them. That may mean describing your library skills in non-library terms.

Among the businesses/industries/areas - including some that are library related - that I think graduates should look at are:
  • Publishing industry - This is an industry that is going through massive changes. It needs help in understand how people want to access information as well as how to market its works to new and existing channels (including libraries).
  • Pharmaceutical industry - This industry has a continuous need for information gathering and analysis, including working with big data. (There are many other industries that need LIS skills, so this is really just one example.)
  • Government agencies - They - national, state and local - are awash in information and need help. Among the help that they need is assistance in capturing/preserving information that is being acquired and created.
  • National security - Any organization that is involved in national security needs people to organize and analyze data. They may not be actively recruiting, but that doesn't mean that they aren't hiring. These organizations often take months (yes, even close to a year) to work through the interview/hiring process, so applicants need to be patient.
  • Non-governmental organizations - Whether in the U.S. or overseas, these organizations have the same information needs as other businesses or agencies. For those interested in traveling the world, an NGO - or a State Department or Military library - can give you that opportunity.
  • K-12 schools - Reportedly, some school districts do not have as many teacher librarians (also called school media specialists or school librarians) as they are mandated to have. While school districts are worried about their funding, they are also worried about meeting the federal requirements and improving student education. Teacher librarians are an important component and there will be openings.
  • Library trainers - Information and digital literacy are areas that are growing in importance. Many public and academic libraries are focusing resources (and people) on these. While a new graduate may not feel as if he has ability to walk right into a training position, I encourage graduates to talk about those activities and assignments where you have used skills similar to those used by a trainer. (This could be an area where a YouTube video of you giving a 5 minute training session could be helpful or even the inclusion of lesson plans in your portfolio.)
  • Institutional repositories - I spoke with someone recently about the needs of for-profit organizations and government agencies in terms of help with digital data/information. It occurred to me that students who have worked in or studied institutional repositories likely have skills that other organizations want, but that how each talks about the "job" is quite different. If you have institutional repository experience, are you willing to look for a position outside of academia that uses those same skills?
  • Search engine development - Companies in this area need help with information retrieval and information organization. They need people that are willing to work with programmers and development staff to create Google's successor or better search on mobile devices or....
  • Software development - Librarians understand users and software developers need to understand users (but often don't). LIS graduates can act as a bridge between the two.
  • Independent information professionals - In other professions (e.g., medical and legal) graduates often see building their own business as what they want to do. Among LIS graduates, this isn't on everyone's lips, yet it is a viable career choice. There are a growing number of librarians who create their own businesses. Some do it to carry them over between employment opportunities, while others see it as their career choice for them. Likely among the librarians that you admire are people who make a living as consultants. These people work on wide variety of different projects for every type of organization imaginable. Yes, people are starting their own consulting practices right out of grad school.
Carnegie Library Building in downtown SyracuseWhat about traditional jobs? Yes, they are out there, although some have morphed due to changing needs. While there are still cataloguers, there are also people creating metadata and doing text encoding. While there are still librarians working in traditional collection development, there are also people helping to acquire, organize and preserve digital content. While there are librarians staffing in-library services, there are others who are working out in their respective communities and moving library services outside of the building. If you are looking for a traditional job, recognize that they may not be what you think.

What about the competition? Yes, you have competition and some of them are people you just went to school with. Many employers actually like to have a deep pool of candidates. Some will even keep a search open until they feel that they have received enough job applications, meaning that they aren't going to make a hiring decision based on a small pool of candidates. So, yes, you have competition. While it sounds flippant, the only thing you can do is be consider about yourself. Present yourself, your skills and capabilities in the best possible light and let the competition worry about itself.

How many job applications do you need to do? In Advice for The New Archivist, the author recounts information he has received from others. As I read through the advice, I sense frustration, but also hear people saying to keep applying for positions. In their advice, people talk about sending out dozens of job applications. We often think that we should be hired after sending out a few job applications. If that happens, be thankful. Most people find that they need to apply for multiple jobs and often in a variety of geographic regions.

One of the benefits of sending out dozens of job applications, that is not mentioned, is that the applicant will refine his/her resume and cover letter during that process. In other words, how you present yourself in application #30 should be better worded and focused that in application #1. (Remember that your resume is always a work in progress. It is never "done.") In addition, you should have a better idea of what you are really looking for, what you will accept, etc.

Unless you have done multiple mock job interviews, your first telephone and in-person interviews will be learning experiences. Again, you will get better with practice, no matter if that practice occurs in practice sessions or during real interviews.

What can you do to help land a job? You already know these tips, but I'll repeat them.
    Pres4Lib at Triumph
  • Network - If you are interested in working in a specific geographic region or type of organization, find a way of networking with people in that area. You might network through LinkedIn, at face-to-face events or on email discussion lists.
  • Hone your online presence - Look at every place where you have an online presence. Is it professional looking? Does it put your best "face" forward? Will someone look at it and understand what are capable of doing? You do not want someone to see your resume, then run your name through an Internet search engine and find a person that seems undesirable.
  • Talk about what you can do for them - In your LinkedIn profile and cover letter - and in conversations as appropriate - talk about how your knowledge and skills will help them (the organization). How can you help them do "X"? how can you help them better address a specific need? How can you help them solve a problem?
  • Craft your resume to fit the opening - I know this is a pain in the butt and time-consuming, but it is also very helpful. In addition, you should work your resume so it can be understood by people who aren't familiar with the jargon. The first person to look at your resume may be someone in human resources, rather than someone in the unit that has the job opening.
  • Exude confidence - Have a resume that says you can do "that." In the interview, say you can do "that." And most important, exude in every cell of your body and in every moment that you can do "that." You don't have to be arrogant. You just have to be confident.
Finally, if you haven't yet graduated or perhaps you're going to begin an LIS program in the fall, look at the five tips above and begin to implement them now, especially the first two. Also begin to read and keep job ads, especially those that fit your career trajectory. Those will help to guide what you do in and outside of the classroom. They will help to focus your internship experiences and your networking. And when you graduate, you will already have a list of place where you will want to send your resume.

LRG New Report: 2012 Edition of Library Use of E-Books


http://www.libraryworks.com/
This report looks closely at the eBook purchasing and deployment practices of libraries. The study presents detailed data on eBook and eBook technology purchasing and plans, and presents data for spending on particular aggregators and for particular types of technology. The study breaks down purchasing between aggregators and individual publishers and also presents data on purchasing plans for various subject areas, as well as for eDirectories, eAudio books and eTextbooks. 
The report also gives extensive information on use of and purchasing plans for eBook readers, tablet computers and eBook enabled smartphone technology, among other areas. Data are highly specific and broken out for many different types of product and manufacturer. 
The study also covers how libraries are developing eBook collection plans, integrating eBooks into course reserves, developing information literacy training, and handling interlibrary loan plans, including use of eBook "borrowing" sites.
Just a few of the many findings from this 110-page report are:
  • Approximately 46.5% of libraries have a current contract for eBooks with NetLibrary/Ebsco.
  • Government libraries spent an average of $142.86 on eBooks and other electronic documents from Amazon.com in the past year; public libraries spent an average of just $2.11 in this time.
  • A mean of 75.21% of the total eBook spending by libraries in the sample was spent with aggregators that offer books from many publishers.
  • 16.83% of libraries currently offer Apple iPads to patrons or staff, and 10.89% plan to acquire them in the next year.
  • In the upcoming year, libraries in the sample plan to spend a mean of approximately $4,453 on electronic directories.

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