• – Hardcover book sales: up 11.5% to $778.6 million
• – Ebook sales: up 4.8% to $647.7 million
• – Paperback sales down 11.6% to $898.9 million [1]

What Gives?
Publishers in recent years have become accustomed to the trend of the ebook sales doubling and tripling with hardcover sales falling. The common sense straightforward explanation to this was that ebooks were cheaper (and inversely, hardcover was more expensive) and print was more cumbersome (while ebooks were infinitely more portable), and the industry expected (and still expects) to see print sales gradually decrease while eBooks sales assume the opposite trajectory. Naturally then, when the opposite occurs, as the numbers this year evidence, something flags awry (as well it should) and speculations begin. Often it’s either in the large print: our big picture forecasting is off (which ultimately reflects a misunderstanding of consumer behaviors and their marketplace translation), or poor projections of theory vs. reality (maybe better stated as reality in defiance of theory); or in the small print: the data doesn’t reflect the real story.

While it’s difficult to project the former just yet it could be suggested that elongated projections of ereader and tablet sales doesn’t seem to take in consideration the inevitable device sales plateau accompanying a upgrade/maintenance marketplace. asTthis year’s stat reversal “anomaly” reflected in ebook sales really seems a case of the later. Though there have been indications that fall books started shipping earlier this year – whereas in 2012, titles were held till post-election – the most obvious explanation further showcases that an eReader or tablet is simply a vessel, and conditionally only as appealing as, the content it provides.

2011 and 2012 were endowed heavily by titanic titles The Hunger Games and Fifty Shades of Grey. Not only were both best sellers, they were both bestselling trilogies ($ x $ = $$), AND both instanced especially well on eReaders – The Hunger Games because it appealed to a younger, more device-willing audience, and Fifty Shades of Grey because, well, there was no exterior book-jacket to publicly reveal your indulgence.

In the cinema world (and, more specifically, the home entertainment industry), this phenomenon is known as “The Avatar Effect,” which frankly, you’d think we’d more widely understand by now (what with the decades of trilogies, sequels, prequels, and franchises that have graced our pocketbooks). What is perhaps misleading about the percentage portion of these stats is that they are often measured in isolation of cultural context. They are too generally considered (mistake one), then applied as a blanketed trend projection (mistake two). While they do generally reveal tech trends and reflect consumer tendency and confidence in particular formats, they don’t consider the effect certain titles have individually on a market place (which further reveals the dependency and extent to which the effectiveness of tech devices hinges on content). In 2010, Avatar was the biggest (though not the first) film to influence greatly (and effectively skew) consumer spending reports (and further, projections), as the all-time box office champ sold 12 million DVD/Blu-ray products in the second quarter of 2010 alone, demonstrating once again the immense effect studios and their films have on the economics of the entertainment industry. Same thing goes for books – Twilight might not have seen the light of day (or moon) if it weren’t for Harry Potter.

What the Stats Really Mean
We’re wired to see (and want to see) trends and patterns, often not beyond inventing them, and in doing so, often consider general factors more weightily than specific, often pivotal ones. Hindsight being 20/20, we probably should’ve taken the past few years’ dramatically upward slanting sales reports of both ereader and ebooks with a grain of salt. Every boom has a plateau – supply eventually meets demand – and firstly, there has/had to be one with eReaders/tablets, and secondly there would/will be one with eBooks. After the initial excitement, consumers acclimatize and the device/format is brought to domestic reality. The eReader/book is finding its place in peoples’ lives, just as the printed book has– is it that shocking to see (when doing your own informal “polling”) that people like to read print at home and e-versions when travelling or on the go? Wasn’t that what we thought in “the beginning” anyways? Will there be an eventual usurpation? Hard to say, but as our tactile and physical bodies aren’t going anywhere any time soon, I’d say that coexistence is the better bet.

References:
(1) “Adult Ebooks Up Slightly in 2013, Hardcovers Up Double Digits.” Digital Book World, December 19, 2013. http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2013/adult-ebooks-up-slightly-in-2013-through-august-hardocovers-up-double-digits/
(2) Malczewski, Ben. “Still Loading – AV Spotlight on Streaming Video.” Library Journal. December 19, 2013. http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2011/12/industry-news/still-loading-av-spotlight-on-streaming-video/#_

The post (Mis)reading Between the Lines: Fifty Shades of the Avatar Effect first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Spun on the surface as harmless ,the promotional announcement is delicately peppered with subtly positive adjectival poetics like “empower,” “crafted,” “unique,” “opportunity.” What first reads like a pat-on-the-back concession made by Amazon (“you won little guys – we can’t compete with your local touch”) sub-textually can’t help but suggest a more sinister scheme to assert its foot into the door of previously impenetrable outposts. Not least of which is to reach a niche (but loyal) audience who has typically avoided the proprietary megalith in favor of supporting local stores (the “little guy”). The proposal’s eventual goal seems to be to angle that partnership to incrementally steal the customer base and potentially sound the death knell for the store.

Stripped of this subtext, the arrangement sounds simple, and even innocuous, enough. “Amazon’s program offers U.S. retailers two options. As “Booksellers,” an option available to retailers in twenty-four states, they receive Kindles from Amazon at a six-per-cent discount off the suggested retail price and earn a commission of ten per cent on e-book sales in the two years following the sale of a Kindle. As “General Retailers,” available to stores in any state, they profit only from the sale of the device, but obtain it from Amazon at a discount of nine per cent.”

But the thousand sins of Fortunado must not be forgotten. Remember Amazon offering a 5% discount to shoppers who served as price-shopping moles by visiting brick-and-mortar competitors, sending the price to Amazon, then bought it from them instead? Or their cloak-and-dagger supposed attempt at online/offline symbiosis with Borders? Or even the Amazonification of OverDrive—and how it allowed them to get a piece of the library-money pie they might otherwise miss out? Or better yet, maybe OverDrive builds themselves up, Amazon buys them, and inherits their nationwide client base. Stanger hyperboles have come true, and with Amazon there’s a laundry list to be sure. The point is not to confuse simpatico opportunity with aggressively angled risk vs. reward cut-throat business tactics.

Amazon is simply reevaluating the landscape and the food-chain ecosystem minus some of its more recently demised large chain and big box competitors. The bee in their bonnet has always been the independent book stores—those privately owned coffee and curiosity shops that comingle neighborhood niche and artisanal fare with books and electronics. Here, by removing their biggest threat, Amazon realizes they’ve done the little guys a favor. And now that the bigger fish have been fried, they’ve cross haired the indy’s.

Don’t get me wrong, Amazon doesn’t view them as a sling-shot wielding David, or even portend they fear an Indy store invoked “I heard a Fly buzz – when I died” rise-of-the-little-guy scenario.But the effort behind Amazon Source does indicate a humbling admittance (and jealousy) of sorts. Firstly, independents—and community focused organizations in general—offer something that Amazon cannot; a truly personalized and individualized voice, product, and service—reflecting that, in cinematic melodrama parlance, the “rebel alliance” resistance is working. Secondly, the unique, made-from-scratch services translate to Amazon as a financial threat. For a company centered on growth and influence, this serves as a glaring constituency that has proved difficult to obtain. So, in a way, Amazon Source IS a concession or an olive branch, but they stand far more to gain (in terms of ear-bending influence, marketing opportunities, and eventual customer segment severance and acquisition) than indy’s could ever hope.

But if I’ve learned anything from a seeming lifetime of Lifetime movies and definite lifespan of rom-com jiltings, it’s that your best friend was there all the time. (Meet cute take one: enter the Library as Mr. Darcy to independent bookstores’ Bridget Jones—Wait! No he’s dead. Meet cute take two: enter the Library as any role played by Colin Firth, previously played by Bill Pullman. . . ) In this case, a further extrapolation of this subtext spins Amazon’s admission of what they aren’t and why they care so much about sticking their nose into library or local business’ affairs into the real empowerment effected by Amazon Source—the inverse revelation of what we are and WHY it’s so valuable and important. And it should serve, if libraries haven’t already, as an opportunity for libraries and local indy stores to partner and stop looking at each other as competition. Our patrons and customers see us as coexisting and so should we. Book borrowers also tend to be book buyers and vice versa. Accepting this nourishes a true symbiotic relationship where ideas/instances to collaborate—such as providing book sales at a library author event—are mutually beneficial opportunities to strengthen and support community institutions and businesses at the same time.

(Photo by MorBCN on Flickr, Creative Commons license).

The post Frenemies: An Amazon Story of Courtship first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Blame isn’t Productive
It’s often nobody’s fault, and besides looking for blame  won’t get you anywhere – but we are wired to look for it (and often become stuck there). Typically, after a failure, you’ll process what went wrong, make notes on what/how you might have done things differently and vow not to repeat the missteps. But what do you do if you’re only setting yourself up for failure again, because the variable that killed the project is outside of your control? The more and more we attempt and fail, the more dispirited we will become towards the idea of collaboration, and the less we will pursue – confusing the culprit (so-and-so “dropped the ball,” “they never got back to us”) and missing the diagnosis (they lacked enthusiasm, they were unorganized, etc.).

Embracing Timelessness
After a few community partnership attempts went awry at my library, we came up with an idea.  We were determined to prevent our time challenges from getting in the way of these meetings. Scouring our initial spirited emails (when the idea of collaboration was truly at its more energetic – the courting phase) for language about what we’d hoped a specific collaboration might be or look like, we decided that maybe we didn’t have to meet with these outside organizations at all.  In this car, the organization we wanted to partner with was a neighborhood health association nonprofit that wanted to provide its clientele with community resources and didactic guidance and instruction – so that’s what we did. And that’s when we thought of Outreach in a Box.

The Concept
In essence, the idea and development, is very similar to that of a book group in a box, but more service-oriented and directed. We would pack up a box full of specifically tailored pathfinders, collection spotlights, resource guides, card signup links, and library promo materials. But we also wanted to have a physical presence there – a little satellite library that could maybe even be eventually used as a community reads distribution center, or at least have a more substantial presence than a couple bookmarks and flyers lying on a countertop.

The Design
Inspiration strikes at the most unexpected times. After nailing down the concept – yet still uncertain as to the vehicle that would deliver the most bang for our buck – a friend anecdotally passed on a bit of trivia regarding Chinese takeout boxes being purposefully designed to not only carry (or deliver) the food, but also to serve as plates. And boom, it came to me. The design concept would not just be a Tupperware style/cardboard box, merely transporting the items, but it would also be substantial and attractive (indeed representative of and projecting our library’s branding, colors, fonts, and style) enough for display and to house our materials.

What We Learned
Take the work out of their hands. On the simplest level, this is no different than the literal explication a librarian shares with any patron approaching the reference desk with a question regarding public/social services. Don’t make it more (work) than it really is. Remove the ego, the blame, etc. and focus on the end product. It’s not about whom, it’s about what. We contacted the organization with our idea and they loved it. Our box is in its developmental stages, and I’ll be sure to post once we’ve completed it.

The post Outreach in a Box first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Designing, re-designing, or updating your library’s space is an exciting (if not at times anxiety-provoking ) opportunity. With so many contributory factors to consider, it can feel overwhelming and at times, difficult to maintain the big picture, especially when working out the little details. Here are some points to keep in mind, to help you keep perspective during a library design project:

• What is Your Library’s Narrative? Or its Narrative Design – Good, effective, and meaningful design tells a story. What are you saying to your patrons through their progression through the library’s space? What is your library’s story? How do you want it to be told or revealed? What are important accents or points? Furthermore, what part does each area or department play in the “whole library” story – is it thematically in-tune? Each department is like a character – unique in voice, focus, and tone, but an effective and contributive part of a larger arc.
• People Appreciate Opportunities to Linger – This is influenced by the attitude and tone of the management and the friendliness of the staff as well as other patrons, and is somewhat ancillary to one’s primary task – lingering is what you do after you’ve done what you came to do. We often, and obviously, design purpose-driven space, but designing browsable or lingering space is just as important.
• Pleasant Ambient Conditions – Seems obvious, but features include cleanliness, adequate lighting, good acoustics, and a noise level that, while not discouraged, is low but still encourages conversation, pleasant or no aroma, natural light, views, and pleasing décor.
• Seating – Design should include a variety of seating types (of varying degrees of comfort) as well as some seating that can easily be moved to accommodate conversations or groups.* Seating should be purposefully aligned with the objective of the room in a balanced ratio of comfort vs. time you’d like someone to sit in it. Is the room for browsing? (5-15 minute comfortable chair, bench, or stool) or computer work (an “attentively postured” 1-3 hour chair).
  
• Feelings of Prospect and Refuge – Judgment-free space. Patrons often prefer seats against walls, half walls, or windows, which provide feelings of being sheltered while still availing view of the space – and invoke perspective.
• Feelings of Ownership and Territoriality – Patrons may exhibit territorial feelings toward various areas, such as a favorite seat or computer terminal. If this is not desirable (or becomes aggressive), make seating arrangements smaller, more public, and less accommodating of a long stay.
• Social Beings and Familiar Strangers – A person’s presence in any third place seems to validate or confirm their presence as a social member of a community. For many people, at the library study/collaboration/conversation is the main activity, but for others the third place provides an opportunity to watch the action and see “familiar strangers” who enrich the lives of patrons in indirect ways. Feeling an active participant in society is empowering – successfully and beneficially using resources makes us feel good and accomplished.
• Climate of Trust and Respect – When a climate of trust and respect is established, people feel welcome and able to relax and be themselves.
• Support – Part of the social climate of the library (or other third places) is the support provided by the staff to other staff, the staff to the patrons, and the patrons to each other.
• Place Attachment – A well-designed and managed third place often results in feelings of place attachment, a bonding of people to these special places.

This list was assembled to keep myself (and our design committee) on track as our library undergoes redesign, and as much as it is a gathering of ideas and elements of importance to us, it is also made up of ideals that we didn’t want to forget, or lose sight of through brainstorming and while projects move forward, or more parties enter the conversations. The more moving parts (or cooks get added to the kitchen), the easier it can become to lose grasp of thematic identity revealing components. Some of these are fundamental to all libraries, some are specific to the intentions we have for our spaces. I would encourage similar committees, as one of the first points of order, to openly discuss conceptual or fundamental design objectives, and develop a similar list. It helps as the project moves forward for re-centering, or referral back to – it also helps eliminate assertions that aren’t centric to your library’s vision – and in many ways should elaborate upon your mission statement.  

* A revealing aspect of “designing after design” relevant to seating (i.e. evaluating the effectiveness of design after the implementation of design), is recording where people move chairs, when, and if it is done repeatedly. This may reflect or illuminate how people really use the space (for collaboration/individual study), poor lighting, too strong direct sunlight, etc. amongst other atmospheric factors not initially transparent. Lesson: listen to your patrons – if they won’t tell you, they will show you how they want to use a space.

The post Mantras of Library Design first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Studios control the pace of content release (with distribution release “windows”), and inasmuch, indirectly “control” a portion of the access method or vessel’s (tablet, smart phone, app) appeal – the container is only as valuable as its content. And like publishing houses, studios are concerned with, obviously, keeping their product (content) at a premium and guarding against oversaturation or devaluation.. Thus, we have the windows controlled releases. An interesting case-in-point example of how this works is – what is commonly known as – the “Disney Vault.” By not making their films available, after an initial limited release, for many years (10-25-50-etc.) Disney (Buena Vista) effectively creates another opening-weekend-type buzz and blockbuster response when it rereleases a title (for a very limited time) before again returning it to the vault and closing the lid for years to come. Annoyance aside, they have instilled in their content a perpetual “ripeness” and demand – and as such, insure its content cache status as premium. For studios that only are able to capitalize once off of a film’s theatrical effect, Disney can theoretically replicate this result with its rereleases.

As access methodology continues to evolve, it behooves librarians as content access providers to understand the motivations of studios, as content producers and purveyors (as much as we do with publishers), so that we can make informed decisions about how we manage our physical collections or acquire our digital ones. But now – as we are starting to see more digital content provider options become availed to libraries – we need to begin to understand how studios have been defining and assigning value to their content (even if it’s to question “why we can’t get the latest or greatest content”). For many librarians, the learning curve involved in understanding the “how” and “why” of video production and how releases work will be much greater than with “getting to know” the (formerly) Big Six publishing houses, but our desire to “become part of the conversation” should be no less as vital.

The post Keeping Content Value at a Premium first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

If there is a level of “genius” to it, it’s a refreshingly humbled one – an idea graduated – and in many ways, when viewing a MOOC for what it is on a purely conceptual level, I don’t see what the big deal is. That said – and that’s not meant to sound reductive – I do find the massiveness (M) of enrollment to be quite staggering, the shear potential for mass level of participation and open-access to be inspiring (100k enrollment for some?!), and the invitation for life-long networked learning to be endearing. But these were also reasons I became a librarian and decided to champion an institution whose mission attempts to do the very same. If not just libraries, I also imagine groups like The Great Courses shouting – “Wait! We’ve been doing this for years!”

Giving credit where it is due, how the idea has graduated or the concept evolved, is in the coordination, organization, and production. For public libraries this type of programming is, conceptually, itself nothing new – indeed “the norm” as far as many of our programming missions go – as far as continuing and encouraging the further development of a community’s education. But where MOOCs take this to another level entirely in terms of their scale, and that IS new.

Again though, if this sounds dismissive I mean not to. I think, while I’m relatively young in the profession, I’ve just seen a lot of library ideals or services get repackaged or rebranded, and hyped as the next new thing solution to all our problems but really it’s just the soup of the day – more marketing spin than unique, sustainable substance. But I’ve also learned that to pass these “specials” off as flashes in the pan and without any redeemable qualities would itself be shortsighted, and besides, as any teacher or parent knows, any opportunity to engage community interest is a good one. So, just as one wouldn’t write-off a spice because a dish misfired, there are important components to be passed along (evidenced in the substantial chord that MOOCs have struck) and as a case in point, I do think there are a lot of aspects or ingredients of MOOCs that are both valuable and convertible to public libraries – quite directly for large public systems, but definitely on conceptual levels for smaller ones too. Libraries can naturally (and perhaps most obviously) be seen in a supportive role for university (or commercially) run program – especially as MOOCs expand upon their science and tech (or STEM) beginnings and expand into areas like the Humanities, which will require support/source material; or further, perhaps support lies in being, simply or not, a well-equipped, technically sound and competently staffed venue. The extent that they require physical production space literally showcases that MOOCs aren’t all virtual.

For smaller libraries or those designing-on-a-dime, the awareness of certain ideas that MOOCs celebrate and the creative action they embolden, can be just as valuable as the product itself. Even if public libraries shouldn’t duplicate or mirror such a program — aspects and concepts can be borrowed and gleaned. While the “M” for a smaller library attempting to undertake such a programming venture might stand for modest instead of Massive, the derivative principle to embrace is that online programming has become a “place” to meet the patron at their point of need, and further realizing the MOOC (by name or related form) as an organic extension, a projected enhancement, and dynamic representation of the Dewey fields – in the same manner that many libraries are conceiving and accomplishing with “maker” or creator spaces.

Further reading:

The New Yorker: Laptop U – http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/05/20/130520fa_fact_heller

Library Journal: Massive Open Opportunity: Supporting MOOCs in Public and Academic Libraries – http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/05/library-services/massive-open-opportunity-supporting-moocs/

The post Can Public Libraries MOOC? first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Many libraries have approached their social media presence and marketing efforts with seemingly the same mantra. But merely opening an account and just showing up isn’t good enough. While the spirit of social media is casual, spontaneous, and whimsical, the method behind the message is anything but. While we (myself included) may have once scoffed at the notion of managerial positions being created to oversee the organization of social network efforts, the truth is, virtual fronts must be constituted with the same structure and vision that physical ones are.

•  Commit. Plain and simple. The most common mistake is underestimating the workload and persistent involvement that development and maintenance of an online presence entails. It isn’t “something to do on the side. ” If that’s your attitude toward managing your library’s social media that’s the type of presence you’ll project and following you’ll attract.  Social media management  has to be religion.
• Too many cooks  spoil the broth, so be sure to consolidate and centralize social media management. Though the appearance and experience of social networking sites is light and casual, the generation and planning is anything but. It has to be systematic, organized, scheduled, and backed-up. Have one person oversee the effort. Put together a formal schedule based on the desired outcome from the specific channel. Focus and channel the role. An optimal scenario would be one person managing Twitter (who thinks and breathes in under 140 characters), one on Facebook, and one overseeing the blog. Too many efforts are stretched through departments – with too many layers of editing or approval. The watered down result is that many are a victim of their own design and would benefit from centralized (and, if for nothing but by virtue of proximity, a more focused) management. Consolidate the organization, quality control, presence, and effectiveness. Simplify.
• Develop a brand-voice and vernacular. Keep your library language (regarding programs and services, etc.) and phrasing consistent across your social media channels. Have an administrative meeting with the library decision/mission makers and the managers of the media channels and agree upon base language – then trust the individuals to “roll with it.” Too many layers of approval and editing (see #2) slows down the process. Approval and posting should be localized and be nearly instantaneous – especially for shorter Facebook or Twitter posts, a little longer for blogs but nonetheless attentively addressed. The rational for these layers of consent is typically a proactive damage-control tactic, set-up to guard against a potentiallly incriminating verbal faux pas or image-tainting projection. This is understandable  but the precautions too often strangle the life out of what are supposed to be fun ventures. A social media life lived defensively results in safe, flat, life-less brochure-speak by committee. The fix? Streamline the process. Minimize the hands involved. Localize the approval process. And don’t be afraid of letting your writer’s own individual voices represent the library. Social media is about sharing experience, expressing perspective, and having fun. Surely this is the media’s appeal and libraries want to join in on the fun, but end up playing it so safe they come off as square – the social media equivalent of wearing a suit and tie to a beach party – and who wants to be seen with that guy? The only safety net you need is your “delete post” button.
• Being in possession of  a Facebook account does not automatically  make a person a good library social media manager. Managing and orchestrating the library’s  online presence takes an  understanding and awareness of the organization’s larger vision and an interest in pursuing the library’s purposeful directive. Create a job description for your media managers or posters. Check out online job postings for different companies and organizations that are hiring these positions – what responsibilities and words do they use to describe the expectations and duties of the position? What is their process? Borrow it. Tweak it. Use it to formalize a list of responsibilities and expectations for your library’s social media managers.
• Evaluate. How you are going to measure or define your success – what will it look like? How will it be manifested or counted? Just because something works in one context (or someone has had great success) doesn’t mean it will universally translate to others, so just as it is important to be inspired and idealistic and experiment, it is important to know what  you hope to achieve and, however tentative or evolving or specifically unknown, know what it will look like. Pick a date. Define and use metrics and analytics – quantified and qualified. Tangible and intangible. 6 months in or 12 months down the line, review them. Are they what you thought? What can you change? What’s working? What isn’t? Be realistic, and be flexible.

* It should be noted that the oft-misquoted line from “Field of Dreams” is actually “if you build it, he will come,” which naturally makes it less aspirational, but also more sensical

The post Why Social Media Isn’t Working For Your Library first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

The Cut and Dry Approach to the Process:

Notify Human Resources or your supervisor/manager or your director in person, as well as in writing. The pecking order here will depend on the size and organizational structure of the system you’re in. In most libraries though, I would recommend going first to the director and speaking openly and honestly, notify them of your decision and the context of the situation. While it may be or feel like a big deal, resignations and career advancements happen – you aren’t the first and won’t be the last. That said,t no matter how many times you fantasized about it, it may be surprisingly emotional (for you and them). Inasmuch as you did just resign, you may notice a more grounded and open “real” conversation too. The fences of business decorum and formality are down. You may even witness the whole spectrum of human expressions unfold: disbelief, denial, dealing, processing, and congratulatory acceptance. As with the end of any relationship, don’t be surprised if your resignation is received defensively either – “What did I do to lose you?!” – and to this, don’t be afraid to disarm this situation with the old “It’s not you, it’s me…” Follow up this meeting and same approach then with your immediate supervisor. Resist the temptation to notify fellow employees until after the “Official” announcement – you don’t want this to leak out. Nefarious conjecture aside, it’s just not professional.

–          Take the time to write your official resignation letter before you notify any personnel in person – and TAKE THE LETTER IN TO THE MEETING WITH YOU. While the letter is mandatory, taking it in with you isn’t, but it represents preparedness and efficiency – and you won’t have to worry about it later amongst the million other things you will be hit with. The letter itself need only give the date of resignation, a brief announcement of the resignation, and anticipated last day. But it can also be used as an opportunity to summarize or capture what your experience there has meant to you. Often these letters are read or included in board meetings and reports and can serve as a nice conclusion to your career (at this establishment, anyway) narrative.

–          Stay in Touch – A graceful exit ensures a positive relationship moving forward – not just with management, but also your colleagues. You cannot ever be sure where paths may lead and/or cross, and your polish and dignified consideration will go far in solidifying any future encounters, as well as thwart any bad ones – just like in advertising, complaints and bad press travels faster and further. You never know when a previous employer (and, perhaps, a onc-time colleague now in an advanced position) may be called upon as a reference.

What to Consider and Reconsider:

–          Reconsider “Telling it like it is.” Be honest, but constructive. Check your emotions.

–          Be prepared and anticipate how the resignation conversation will go down – if you still feel anxious, practice it.

–          Give appropriate notice – two weeks is the norm, but situations where contracts detail otherwise and more technical positions may require more time to responsibly and thoroughly transition. (Consult HR after you’ve given notice in person.) Perhaps even offer to train your replacement.

–          Finish what you started – not just for the library, but as a professional courtesy to your colleagues. Any programs or initiatives you began are likely to already have been published to the community or “gone live,” assuming that not all will be canceled and the facilitation is convertible with a co-worker’s skill set, leave instruction scripts for your programs – or, if possible (if you are a specialist/expert, or are tied by grant or obligation), come back to present. This shows an above-and-beyond professionalism transcending typical call of business duty that will precede and follow you.

–          Don’t screw the employer – tell them as soon as possible.

–          Before you make any announcement, transfer any personal files/documents from your computer, and make address lists of contacts you’d like to keep from your work email account.

Moving Forward:

Keep in mind that you are starting with a blank slate in your new library and position, take advantage of the opportunity. Consider your prior working experience as objectively and with as much humble honesty as you can – What would you change? What would you like to do-over? If you have a good relationship with your (now) prior director or manager and feel you can trust them judiciously, ask them for an honest evaluation or revisit past departmental performance reviews.  This is your chance to reinvent yourself and create the image you want to project. If you feel you were wrongly typecast or developed an inaccurate reputation (all because you reheated fish in the office microwave one time!), now’s your chance to start over.

The post How to Take a Bow first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Marketing and customer service is again playing a large role in our current technological format battle between DVD/Blu-ray (in the hard copy camp) and streaming video (as the “live” feed competition). Before we begin discussion on this though, it should be noted that any notion of a format “war” has been somewhat imposed upon us by companies such as Netflix that have drawn lines in the sand between the mediums suggesting that it is one or the other. This stance reflects less of an actual ultimatum than a marketing ploy to impose a sense of urgency. In defiance, recent reports  actually have hard copy and streaming sales as having risen in tandem (Blu-ray discs are up 10%, homes adding players are up 7%, Ultraviolet – representing nine major motion picture content providers – accounts have doubled since June 2012, and EST (electronic sell-through)and VOD (Video on Demand) is up 29% since 2011[1].

On the surface (or rather in the moment – as that is where streaming excels) to the consumer, convenience may trump lack of quality. When you want to watch a movie, quality and performance are the trump cards. How we prioritize these fields depends upon many different scenarios,  based primarily on the setting in which we wish to access. The evolution to streaming is less about quality than it is about accessibility and the financial cost of distribution. as has been the case going back to the beginning of data transfer times, lack of a substantial amount of bandwidth prevents there from being a higher universal quality standard, so streaming currently doesn’t transmit in full HD 1080p. The dilemma then becomes that we have movies that cry for the best possible display but a delivery method that can’t quite deliver.

Instead of thinking of this transition as a format “war,” the issue may be more in our conceptualization of the “problem.” Maybe there is no problem at all. DVD/Bluray are stable and steady hardcopy performers which transmit in full 1080p HD (as well as 3D) that will showcase your HDTV’s potential . However, they are less portable in quantity and their playback vehicles are bulkier and most often not built to move. Streaming, on the other hand, is all about “on the go,” being playable virtually anywhere a healthy signal can transmit, though at loss of resolution (in order to swim fluently within most bandwidths must transmit at a sub-HD 480p or lower rung HD 720p) and a perpetual cost for connection services.

The Library Anomaly – Where do they fit in?
Until  Digital Entertainment Group (DEG’s) most recent report proved otherwise, most libraries stood incongruent to most media figures as circulation statistics for DVD/Blu Ray continue at extremely high rates.  In many cases DVD/Blu Ray circulation far supersedesother  circulating materials – and accounts for a large representation of library budgets. Often times the numbers are at an all time high – circulating over 2 million DVD/Blu-ray discs a day! [2]

So what does this mean? Why do libraries stand akimbo to the retail model or market indicators? Will the library’s inability to find a suitable entertainment-based streaming service result in an elimination of home entertainment services? It’s tempting to say to collection developers – being rightfully discerning with the public’s money and investment – that it’s all about the money, but this is not fully realizing the context. It is less about economics and climate than it is an available and worthwhile product. If there were a consistently performing, extensively catalogued  service  that patrons  could access in a satisfying way at home or away, libraries would be on board in a flash.. But the landscape isn’t there yet  for institutions so the conservative answer is to stick with DVD/Blu-ray.

Streaming as a technological function isn’t anything new (its current prominence is the result of the improved mobility in accessing networks) with its creation as a way around the present issue of bandwidth capacity limitations. It has always taken a long time to transfer memory-heavy media, and streaming was adapted during dial-up times as a way to watch video while it was being transferred. There are two ways to access media, by locally stored or hard copy, or by live stream. And while currently sexy because of the novelty of being able to access entertainment elsewhere, ultimately it is just another approach: an answer, but not necessarily the answer. In not-so-certain economic and technological times, viewers have gotten savvy.  Enter A la Carte, as an approach philosophy suggesting that there is a time and a place for each media format access method. Certain delivery methods excel in certain scenarios and they in turn influence which devices are used to access them.

Libraries, sitting somewhat on the sidelines watching new companies offer new and fun sounding access services, are no doubt eager to take part in the excitement but it isn’t time just yet. And that’s not a bad thing. A library friendly distribution model will come, and by that time many kinks will have been hammered out (conveniently availing room for all the new ones naturally). Whether the future is in streaming or some a la carte style the present is still in DVD/Blu-ray. For libraries it’s just the truth.

References:

1. DEG’s Year-End 2012 Home Entertainment Report: http://www.degonline.org/pressreleases/2013/Year_End_2012%20cover%20note_FINAL_1.8.13.pdf
2. OCLC – How Libraries Stack Up 2010: http://www.oclc.org/reports/pdfs/214109usf_how_libraries_stack_up.pdf

The post DVDs? Blu-Ray? Streaming? Media Access and the Sense of “A la Carte” first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

For the sake of re-instilling some romanticism back into this relationship we can deconstruct the process through a more dramatized scenario – a skier or a mountain biker atop a tree-scattered mountainside. Occurring in a flash, and perhaps imperceptibly, we demonstrate a natural ability I like to refer to as “seeing the line,” which is to say intuitively constructing a cognitive map (mental image) of how we will move through the space and get to point A from point B. But broken down more slowly, the internal process consists of:

1. Deciding what to do and how to do it
2. Moving from decision to action
3. Applying information obtained through sensory input and cognitive processes: in other words, environmental problem solving ²

While this downhill example represents a simple, complete conceptualization of start-to-finish wayfinding, in many instances of everyday life, we cannot see the “finish line” from our starting point. In relocating this process to a public library we often similarly lose this bird’s-eye vantage point. Indeed, when entering most buildings, the space we are about to navigate (including our destination) cannot be seen all at once, and, obviously, the environments become more complex. So in building or reconfiguring our library environments with fluid spatial organization in mind, we begin to look at principles of design known as wayfinding mechanisms in order to find or restore simplicity:

1. We have clear visual access – we can see our target destination. Multiple destinations (be they collections, sections, or departments) are fine, just make sure the paths are clearly defined.
2. Architectural delineation – refers to the separation of one area from another via architectural elements or features (e.g.,. thresholds, walls, or variations in ceiling heights and/or floor depth). These can even be more subtly suggested or implied by “framing” or zoning micro-environments (rooms within rooms) with furniture, etc.
3. Signage and numbering systems – enable us to match displayed “codes” with messages or meanings brought with us. Definitively this refers to one matching visual cue codes to corresponding physical directions (for example, retrieving a Dewey number from a catalog and finding the shelf displaying it). This can also refer to on-site sources for direction that we mentally “take with us” – directions from a “you are here” map, or those attained by asking staff.
4. Building Layout – relates to logical spatial progression and organization often implied by the context. For example, we would expect to find Youth Picture Books in the Youth Department and not in Adult Services. Perhaps oversimplified, we often will place items out of intuitive order – such as when new technologies or collections are added and we need to find a space for them. Instead of jamming them in wherever they might fit, the addition (or removal) of a collection often instances the best time to reconfigure/reorganize on a larger scale.³

These 4 mechanisms illustrate how wayfinding is made easier though spatial organization (ordering functions and facilities to create an effective circulation system) and environmental communication (architectural and graphic information)⁴. Wayfinding on a whole is largely concerned with organization, and considers any navigable space for how well it communicates its message, or purpose. Designing a space, as a graduation of this idea, is similar to how one arranges the contents of a book. The cover of the book with title and author is the building’s façade and nameplate; the contents’ page and chapter divisions are the departments; the contents of each chapter are represented by the contents of each department’s collection; and the index of the book might mirror the detailed cross-referencing provided by the catalog. We respond to packages that are clearly defined and sensibly contained.

4. Ibid.

The post An Intro to Wayfinding and Visual Access first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

To be fair, there is a branch of this conversation that concerns listserv/discussion list etiquette, but saving that for another day, the greater issue to me seemed a matter of collegial ethics. “Collegiality” to me referred to the relationship of colleagues united in a common purpose and respecting each other’s abilities to work toward that purpose, and I’ve always, however cheekily, taken great pride in this collaboration. In reasoning what conditions might spark such desperation, context is certainly a primary instigative factor – many librarians are overworked now more than ever, and asked to do more in less time with fewer resources, while offered zero support or career development. But focusing on it alone is tantamount to treating the symptoms and not the cause. The better approach is to disregard context completely because it only invites judgment and potentially corrosive insinuation – it doesn’t matter how they got there. Surely times for many are more desperate than ever, but if we champion showing our patrons or students and not just telling –teaching them how and preparing them for the future – then why didn’t we do or expect the same of each other? Decorum in this sense calls for not judging the question (or imposing a premise or context), but valuing the opportunity to guide with the answer.

What has become increasingly apparent to me in the face of such instances is the importance and tragic absence of mentors in our profession. While there may seem valid excuses for the lack of mentors – skeleton (or singular) staffs, no money for conferences or committee work, zero time to network then nurture a relationship – they are more important now than ever, and can be found in non-traditional places such as those very discussion lists. This sounds all well and good and contrived and nice, but less face it, nobody tomorrow is going to go out and ask if someone can take them in as a protégé or mentee – even though they may be completely welcomed and warranted in doing so, as for many librarians, listservs are the only form of collegial contact and serve as a snorkel to the profession at-large. And though it may intuitively seem that that’s how such relationships begin, non-traditional situations call for unique and non-traditional methods – such as librarians informally volunteering to mentor each other, non-committal and a la carte, as it were, by mentoring the moment. Just as leadership is about approach and not position, mentors don’t have to fit the stereotypical mold of being older or of even of significant professional “rank” to be effective and impart wisdom or share knowledge with a less experienced colleague. “Mentorship” in this sense responsibly upholds collegiality and values delivering assistance didactically, and most importantly, begins with the mentor – not the person asking for help. The value has never been in just giving or proving an answer but in sharing the derivational process of it.

The post On Collegiality, Leading at Any Level, and Non-Traditional Mentors first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Just in time to keep us focused during the season of electronic joy and twinkling hi-def distraction, two recent studies by The Wall Street Journal¹ and Juniper Networks reveal that while you may be amusing yourself with Angry Birds, other nefarious activities may be taking place beneath your screen’s surface. Personal details such as current location, your phone numbers, your name/ID, age, gender, income, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and political views may be sent to tracking companies without your consent. More alarming, many apps request permission to perform such unnecessary functions as sending texts, taking pictures (activating your device’s camera), stealing pictures, accessing text-message archives, or making phone calls.

Though many apps list and require the user to sign-off on certain permissions before installing — the explicit detail and the access being allowed is often collapsed within drop-down menus, while the “Accept & Download” button is dominantly placed. While many companies say that they do not share their data (which is to say your data) with outside sources, a lack of standardized practice necessitates a call for discretion, as the way in which permissions are displayed does not differentiate between a company legitimately using your private information for the app’s straightforward intention, from spyware placing an outgoing call to eavesdrop on conversations within earshot of your device. Unfortunately, there is also little that can be done to sidestep this tracking. Rarely is there an “opt out” function, but rather, a flat ultimatum to agree and install or decline and leave empty handed. Here are a few ways to you can help filter the good from the bad:

–          Free apps were more than 4 times as likely to access contact lists (or perform other invasive functions) than paid apps.

–          Many apps collect location data in interest of assigning localized ads – but again, read the permissions and if anything sounds shady orvague, opt out.

–          Many apps are no more than a ruse to collect your data, the most popularly downloaded apps (racing games, gambling/card games, word games) thus yield a higher frequency of posers .

–          Be especially cautious of financial related apps, many request permission to make outgoing calls in the background , but provide no explanation for why.

–          keep an eye out for apps that don’t have button/logo art, that do not look professional, have spelling errors, are knock-offs, or do not list a company .

–          Read the apps reviews – especially the negative ones – why are they disapproving?

–          Perform a web search for the app or the company, they should also list the permissions on their website – perhaps with greater detail – if they do not list a referral site, beware.

–          Delete/Remove and report apps (via the app store they were downloaded) that may come factory on your phone and you do not use, or that you feel compromise your data.

To some extent, this level of intrusion is our new normal and is not limited to smart phones. Tablet or eReader users operating  iPads/iTunes, Kindles/Amazon, or Nooks/Barnes & Noble will recall that in order to even have the ability to download an app, free or pay, they must enter an active credit card number.

Upon “purchase” of a free app iTunes lets you scramble the number; and you can delete the card from Amazon, but Nook requires you to keep an active card – and even runs a .01 transaction that is immediately refunded to verify each “purchase, while all let you keep a card and password protect purchases. And when you consider that Apple and Google are the main companies administering the “rules” for app online-tracking – and that they run the biggest services, by revenue, for putting ads on cell phones – the outlook can feel daunting.

Before you enjoy your free lunch, always read the fine print.

_________________

1. Yukari Iwatani Kane and Scott Thurm, “Your Apps Are Watching You,” The Wall Street Journal, accessed November 8, 2012, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704694004576020083703574602.html

For further reading:
John Leydon, “Free Android Apps Often Secretly Make Calls, Use the Camera,” The Register, accessed November 8, 2012, http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/11/01/android_app_privacy_audit/

The post There’s No Such Thing as a Free App first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

• Your Purchased iTunes, Ebooks Die With You[InformationWeek]
• Random House Says Libraries Own Their Ebooks [Library Journal]
  The death of the personal legacy library? Or not.

• Education Chief Wants Textbooks To Go Digital [NPR]
• College Students Still Prefer Print Over E-Books [mind/shift]
  Students like eTextbooks. Not really.

• The Bookless Library [The New Republic]
• Long Live Paper [The New York Times
• Dead Again [The New York Times]
• Are eReaders Doomed? How Our Tablet Love Affair Is Putting The eReader In Jeopardy [The Huffington Post]
  No books. Yes, books Neither books nor eReaders.

• The Decline and Fall of the Library Empire [Searcher]
• Nine Reasons to Save Public Libraries [Independent Voter Network]
• Resolved: Libraries are Obsolete [Harvard University]
• Gen Y: the most book-loving generation alive? [The Christian Science Monitor]
• L.A. Public Libraries Restore Hours After Voters Rise Against Budget Cuts[LA Weekly]
  Libraries are dying. Save them! Kill them! Wait! Reopen Libraries!

• At Libraries, Quiet Makes a Comeback [The Chronicle of Higher Education]
• When did libraries get noisy? [The New Zealand Herald]
  Shhhhhhh. WHAT?!

• 58 D.C. Schools Will Reopen Without Librarians [The Huffington Post]
• Full-Time School Librarians Boost Student Test Scores in Reading, Writing Says PA Report [School Library Journal]
  [sigh]

• The Best And Worst Master’s Degrees For Jobs [Forbes]
• Need Accurate Political Fact-Checking? Ask a Librarian [ReadWrite]
• Libraries bridge digital divide, help us to sift through flood of information [Canton Rep]
  The worst degree, but the most important job?

“The Talking Cure” is a verbal therapy practitioners of pyschoanalysis use to help patients objectify issues and concerns they find overwhelming – in essence, literally airing inward conflicts so that they can be observed and processed in a new light externally. Attempting to approach these mixed messages one-by-one can feel fruitless and daunting, to the extent that they are unresolvable. Left un-dealt with, they stack and mount and produce all the anxiety of a teetering Jenga tower. But if we step back, and attempt to view things from a more at-large and objective vantage point we can see them more objectively as part of a larger process. And the entanglement of articles processed from a collective perspective, now seem part of a larger discursive mosaic.

Regardless of whether or not this seems an instance of much ado about nothing, or oversimplication dressed up as abstract, librarians are obviously quite emotionally affected by the confliction projected by our day to day media. And this is only natural. Our professional stability, not to mention our natural survival instinct, is rooted in our ability to forecast the near future. So how can we feel secure with an uncertain horizon? What does this mean for our passion, or our livelihood? We feel panicked and anxious and uncertain and defensive and reactionary and scared – barraged and exploited by our fears daily. Reminded of our changing landscape, told that we must adapt and change and grow and also lead or we will become obsolete. How do we make something out of nothing? Or are we just making something out of nothing? We receive too much conjecture, not (balanced by) enough perspective.

So from time to time we need to be reminded to keep it simple. By viewing each panic-inducing headline as simply part of the talking cure process, it is slowly revealed that the “act” or method of understanding and shaping the future, is actually in place right now – and that we are part of a larger discussion “warming” to the implications of a digital shift and learning what “it” means and how it will (and won’t) shape and change our world, it’s just not humanly possible to always keep this perspective. This venting – with our canvas or “couch” represented professionally, at conferences, in the media, classrooms, blogs,  discussion forums, etc. –  by voicing our concerns or praising the glories is a public and collective form of catharsis. We are freeing and eliminating repressed emotions and demonstrating a form of “the talking cure,” so to speak. We’re all acclimatizing – by celebrating, venting, lamenting, soothing, exciting, provoking and sensationalizing we begin to find some solace in the idea that sometimes not having an answer is okay and part of the process of finding one.

The post The Talking Cure How do we process change (and lead) during uncertain times? first appeared on Public Libraries Online.