Evolving Yourself: Renew, Reuse, Reinvent
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The document discusses the evolving landscape of librarianship, emphasizing the need for adaptability and continuous learning in response to changing service delivery methods. It outlines personal career experiences in various librarian roles and offers practical advice for professional development, including self-assessment and seeking new skills through diverse resources and training opportunities. Additionally, it encourages embracing technology and innovative practices to better serve library patrons.
Evolving Yourself: Renew, Reuse, Reinvent
- 1. Evolving Yourself Renew, Reuse, Reinvent August 17, 2015 Jennifer Koerber
- 2. Librarianship, as we know it, has shifted fundamentally. I won’t say ‘changed’ because the core of our work - providing professional & scholastic information, lifelong learning resources, and recreational reading & activities - hasn’t changed. But there has been a seismic shift in how we provide those services…. The key is not resources, but attitude: making innovation, adaptation, and change part of everyday work. Internet Librarian 2006
- 3. Expect Change The days of staying in the same job / role forever are long gone
- 4. Start Where You Are
- 5. My Career Journey ● 1998 = Children’s Librarian ● 2003 = Adult/Generalist Librarian ● 2005 = EXISTENTIAL CAREER PANIC ● 2006 = Internet Librarian Conference ● 2009 = Branch Manager ● 2010 = Web Services Librarian ● 2014 = Curriculum Coordinator for Public Training
- 6. Not a Geek ● Bachelors in Film and in English ● Library Science concentration in Youth Services and Public Libraries ● For fun: Beadwork Live music / dancing Writing Photography Technical theater Collage / assemblage
- 7. Surrounded by Geeks ● My husband = sysadmin, network engineer, enterprise architect, web performance consultant, network architect ● My friends = every possible kind of geek, from information security to programmers to woodworkers and restaurateurs Osmosis is awesome
- 8. How You Get There ● Need-to-know basis ● Build on what you know ● Play – push the buttons ● The occasional class & workshop ● Become comfortable with discomfort (In other words, exactly what we tell patrons)
- 9. Be Realistic Start with current strengths & skills… Do the job, push yourself… Focus on your strongest, most passionate interests… … and find directions in which to grow. … and don’t force yourself to be what you’re not. … and stay aware of what else is out there.
- 10. Be Realistic ● Sometimes, it’s a long slow slog ● Sometimes, you use controlled bursts of energy ● Sometimes, you need to just jump
- 12. List! 1. What is your current role at work? 2. What do you enjoy most about it? 3. What are your current interests, inside and outside of work? 4. What skills have you fostered, through these interests? What insights? 5. List at least 5 things that you’ve learned recently. (Ideas, technologies, job titles, anything)
- 13. Interact! 1. Pair up and exchange notes. 2. Read the other person’s lists (to yourself). 3. Does anything jump out at you – possible future roles, or themes / patterns? 4. Tell each other what you see. Any surprises?
- 14. Brainstorm! 1. Based on your lists and your partner’s feedback, what possibilities do you see? 1. Pick one and list what you need to follow up on it: training, research, money, time. 1. Is it doable – if not now, then in the next few years?
- 16. Keeping Up & Learning More (The Tech Edition)
- 17. The Problem
- 18. Library trends & standards Supporting library services… …on users’ own devices & on library devices Patron needs assessments Emerging technology trends General troubleshooting skills Soft skills - presenting, public speaking, customer service What to Focus On?
- 19. Cast a Wide Net ● Social media – friends & colleagues ● Popular magazines & websites, pop culture sites ● Gizmodo, Engadget, CNet, Slashdot, Lifehacker, ZDNet, Atlantic Cities, ThisIsColossal ● SXSW, TED / TEDx ● Major news sources: New York Times, BBC, CNN, Time, The Economist Tech Quarterly
- 20. ALA & its Divisions http://www.ala.org/groups/divs MLS, MLA & NELA http://www.masslibsystem.org/continuing-education/ http://masslib.org/committees http://nelib.org/advance-your-career/ Library Journal http://lj.libraryjournal.com The Usual Starting Places
- 21. At a Tipping Point: Education, Learning, and Libraries. OCLC. Fall 2014 http://www.oclc.org/reports/tipping-point.en.html Making Skills Everyone’s Business: A Call to Transform Adult Learning in the United States. US Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education. February 2015 http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/AdultEd/making-skills.pdf Financial Literacy Education in Libraries: Guidelines and Best Practices for Service. RUSA, BRASS, IMLS. Fall 2014. http://www.ala.org/rusa/resources/guidelines National Trends
- 24. Technology News Library News Sources ALA TechSource (www.alatechsource.org/) Publications from international, national, state, and local library organizations Professional journals Mainstream News Sources New York Times Washington Post The Huffington Post The Atlantic The Economist Tech Quarterly Geek News Sources Gadgets & reviews - Gizmodo, Engadget, CNet News - Slashdot, ZDNet, TechCrunch, ArsTechnica, Hacker News on yCombinator.com Conferences Library conferences Tech industry conferences thenextweb.com/entrepreneur/ 2014/01/04/10-must-attend-tech- conferences-2014/
- 26. Emerging Technologies Technical conferences – even if you don’t attend, skimming the session topics will tell you what’s important / coming ● Tech: Consumer Electronics Show (CES) , Interop (general IT), Macworld, Velocity (web optimization), Defcon (security), NANOG (networks), LISA (sysadmin) ● Gaming conventions: E3, Gaming Developers Convention (GDC) ● Manufacturer release events: Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Google I/O, Microsoft’s Tech Ed
- 27. Google I/O Don’t be afraid to listen to these online. You know more than you think you do.
- 28. Existing training classes on tech topics Drop-in gadget or petting zoo sessions “Bring a Thing” to meetings (show & tell) Peer training by other staff Attend public classes at your library or other libraries “Class trips” to local retailers Working Together
- 29. Visit a store and play!
- 30. Online Training Lynda.com Gale Cengage Courses Khan Academy Goodwill Learn Free (www.gcflearnfree.org) General Assembly Udemy edX Floqq (Spanish & Portuguese) New Horizons
- 31. Library-Oriented Training T is for Training (tisfortraining.wordpress.co m/) with Maurice Coleman of the Harford County (MD) Library System TechSoup for Libraries (www.techsoupforlibraries.or g/events) Idealware (www.idealware.org/online- training) Former librarians like Crystal Schimph and Kieran Hixon at Kixal (kixal.com/workshops) Lead the Change from Library Journal (http://lj.libraryjournal.com/lead-the- change) ALA Tech Source (www.alatechsource.org/workshops) “Advanced eCourse: Library Technology for the Low-Tech Librarian,” a 12-week course that covers a broad spectrum of library- related technology (www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID =11375)
- 32. Computers in Libraries 2015 had an entire track on connecting to your community through technology. (http://computersinlibraries.infotoday.com/2015/Wednesda y.aspx#Track-B) The Accidental Technology Trainer: A Guide for Libraries, Stephanie Gerding, Information Today Inc., 2007. The Tech Set, #1-10 (2010) and #11-20 (2012), ALA TechSource. From Set 1, Technology Training in Libraries by Sarah Houghton and Library Camps and Unconferences by Steve Lawson offer suggestions for training structures outside the norm. Library-Oriented Resources
- 33. Edutopia http://www.edutopia.org/diy-professional- development-resources Education Innovator http://educatorinnovator.org/ Chronicle of Higher Education http://chronicle.com/ Education-Oriented Resources
- 34. Emerging Technologies: A Primer for Librarians, Jennifer Koerber & Michael P. Sauers, Rowman & Littlefield, 2015. “Manage the Device Deluge: Professional Development,” Jennifer Koerber, June 1, 2015 issue of Library Journal. http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2015/06/pub lic-services/manage-the-device- deluge-professional-development/ From Me
- 35. 1. What resources do you already use to stay informed? 1. Do you balance library-oriented and non-library resources? 1. What sources of information have you never considered relevant to your work before right now? Review!
- 36. Don’t be afraid of the tech
- 37. Even if you’re afraid of the tech
- 38. We are more than our fears
- 39. Teach What You Know
- 40. How it Happens 1. Have an idea / See a need 2. Do you have the skill to teach? 3. Choose the scope 4. Determine class format and duration 5. Choose visual presentation format 6. Flesh out the program: exercises, handouts, etc. 7. Present! 8. Evaluate, refine and specify
- 42. You need to know more about a topic to teach it than to just do it Can you answer the random questions? Can you give additional details to the advanced students? Can you suggest next steps after your workshop? Do you have a goal for your students? Yes, But Can You Teach It?
- 43. What you know you know. What you think you know. What you know you don’t know.
- 44. Overview or detailed? Best practices? Tips & tricks? Specific project Recent updates? Comparing a variety of tools? Choose the Scope...Carefully
- 45. Draft a rough outline Choose your class format Set a skill level Choose a location preference Determine class length Make a Plan
- 47. Research your topic for currency Choose presentation format Make the topic relevant – how is it useful? Give examples or have samples Plan and practice projects or exercises Polish & Practice
- 49. Short and simple Bulleted or numbered lists Short memory jogs, not full descriptions Use images whenever appropriate, especially screenshots or step-by-step photos Leave space for notes Include your contact information Presentations & Handouts
- 50. Longer sessions = more interactivity Provide your own equipment when you can Get every kind of adapter cable known to humanity Change the environment to suit you Coffee and snacks (include protein or nuts) Always have a backup plan Presenting
- 52. Science & Education Center at Carlton College http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/leadership/ designing.html How to Develop a Training Workshop http://www.ehow.com/how_4965163_develop-training- workshop.html Planning a Workshop http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/PlanningAWorksho p.htm …and many more to be found by searching online for “how to develop a workshop” Workshop Resources
- 53. Thank you! Jennifer Koerber Librarian, Trainer, Presenter jennifer.koerber@gmail.com www.jenniferkoerber.com/about/