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Obsolete eBooks - Poster Session

Last month I presented a poster session at the national American Theological Library Association annual conference.

A poster session is commonly used to display research on poster board. The researcher stands in front of their poster during a scheduled time of a professional conference when fellow attendees can meet and dialog one-on-one on the given topic. Guidelines for poster dimensions are provided by the association organizers.

My poster session was on weeding obsolete eBooks. Libraries have Collection Development Policies that guide their decisions about what kinds of books they will buy to support the research and information needs of their patrons. In our case, we focus on adding items that support the HIU curriculum. The policy also addresses the criteria for the de-selection of materials. Books or videos that have become out-dated or irrelevant over time may be weeded out (i.e., topics that are no longer taught). Physical condition, circulation history, and the need for shelf space are also considered - but not so much for eBooks.

eBooks can certainly “age” over time but that did not occur to me until after we nearly lost a collection of over 2,000 eBooks due to an accounting mistake.

I found very little written in the library science journals about the deselection of eBooks and very few of my colleagues had even considered it. Should we keep all eBooks forever just because we can? Can we discard old eBooks? What are the implications for library policies and for institutional accounting practices?

I submitted my idea when the ATLA annual conference organizers posted a call for presentations in January. It was accepted in March and I was asked to submit a brief bio to establish the level of my credibility on the subject and abstract to pique the interest of conference attendees for the program. Then I began thinking about how I might deliver on my promise to fully, yet succinctly, present a complex issue (as I saw it) visually within proper context.

With everything else on my plate, why did I prioritize this? Committing to give a presentation, write an article, or participate in a panel discussion at a conference is a good way to force myself to engage in the current topics affecting the library profession. To get prepared, I have to take my idea and go deeper with study and reflection.

During the session, I ended up telling my story several times, engaging in interesting dialog with colleagues, and coming away with more questions to think about. I had created a supplemental LibGuide ahead of time and handed out the URL with my business cards for follow up.

It is good for me professionally. It is good for the academy. It is good for the university. And besides, it’s fun!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Robin Hartman is Director of Library Services at Hope International University. She is curious about how the organization and communication of information shapes society and is committed to equipping students to impact the world for Christ.

Web 2.0 Training: Lesson 7 - Social Networking and Facebook

Finally! The Arlington Heights Memorial Library has added Lesson 7 of 13 on their Baker's Dozen Blog for staff training in Web 2.0 applications.

As you may recall, the last Web 2.0 lesson was on Web-based music programs such as Pandora. I have enjoyed my Pandora Radio stations where I can customize the kinds of music that I want to hear. I don't have to download, just listen. If a song comes along that I don't like, I just click a thumbs-down and it goes away! I'd sure like to do that on the radio in my car sometimes! I hope you have checked it out.

Lesson 7 is on Social Networking and specifically, Facebook as a social networking tool. Most of you realize that I have a Facebook account already. I joined about a year ago and today I have 183 folks I call my FB Friends. Some are my friends in real life that I see every day - like Wende and Curtis Holtzen. Some are old friends I knew in college, high school, or even junior high! I have some FB friends that I used to work with and some of my FB friends are family. I am FB friends with John Rowe, Gary Tiffin, and Tyrone Wells (and I'm a FB fan of his). I am also FB friends with a number of former Library employees like Caleb Acton, Hana Kim, John Davies, Krystal Harris, Solange Christmas, Kevin (& Ina) Thomas, Jason Hensley, Jennifer (Hensley) Prest, Dionne (Glenn) Sincire, Allison (White) Mangrum, Allison (Otey) Goldsworthy, and others.

Why? Well, truth be told, the first reason I wanted a Facebook account was to be friends with my daughter. I can see her friends and some of the interactions between them on FB. Then, I went to a workshop at Pepperdine last May where I heard a presentation on the use of Facebook by libraries and librarians -- including a history of FB and some tips & tricks, and dos & don'ts. I wanted to also keep up on the current generation of communication tools. As you know, our students come to us with a new set of communication technologies almost with every four years. Their expectations for access to information evolve quickly. I feel we need to be prepared and not caught off guard as we plan for future generations.

So, here's our Lessson 7 assignment:

1. Read AHML's Lesson 7: Social Networking and Facebook on their blog. (You do NOT have to create a Facebook account or become a fan of their library as they require of their staff, but see #4 and 5 below.)
2. Read at least the first page introduction to the article "How Facebook Works" by Jonathan Strickland on HowStuffWorks.com.
3. Watch the YouTube video on Social Networking in Plain English (It's 1:48 min. and SO easy to understand!)
4. If you have a Facebook account already, you must send me a message on Facebook telling me what you think of this lesson.
5. If you do not have a Facebook account, I will not require you to create one. But you must have someone who has one give you a five-minute tour of their account and then have them send me a message on Facebook telling me you have completed the tour... or you can take a tour of mine. Besides me, here are some people in the library who have a Facebook account: Nicky, Terri, Bethann, and probably every student Library Assistant.

Have fun. Let me know if you have any questions.

Web 2.0 Training - Lesson 6: Music 2.0 Style

This is an optional assignment.

Go to Baker's Dozen blog, Lesson 6: Music 2.0 Style. Read the post and do the 3-step assignment if you choose. However, when you get to step 3, make a comment about it on our blog instead of theirs.

Your assignment (if you choose to accept it):
1. Create a Pandora account.
2. Create your own "station".
3. Share what you think about Pandora by "commenting" on this blog post.

I'll be learning along with everyone on this one.

Web 2.0 Training - Lesson 5: YouTube

Go to Baker's Dozen Lesson 5: YouTube then come back here for your assignment.

Assignment Modification:
Their assignment requires their staff to create a YouTube account. However, I don't think you need to create a YouTube account to prove you know how it works well enough for our purposes -- but you can do it for extra credit! :-)

But please do:
1) Search for and find 3 videos on your topic of interest
(Joe, Did you know there are hundreds of videos on watching trains? Just search for "railfanning" and you get over 15,000 hits - over 200 just in Fullerton!)
2) "Share" each one on your del.icio.us account and tag it.
3) Then "Share" them with one of your co-workers by email - use the "Send Video" option.
4) Please share one with me so I know you've done it.

Have fun! Any comments?

Web 2.0 Training - Lesson 4: del.icio.us and Social Bookmarking

Go to the Bakers Dozen Lesson 4: del.icio.us and Social Bookmarking. There is no modification of the lesson or assignment. Follow the directions on their blog.

In case the video on Social Bookmarking in Plain English is not there, you can use this link and watch it on YouTube instead.

You guys are my favorite lifelong learners... and great sports!
Thanks!

Web 2.0 Training - Lesson 3: LibraryThing

Go to the LibraryThing Lesson in Bakers Dozen. There is no modification of the assignemnt.

FYI - Terri has a LibraryThing account she has expanded beyond the 200 free entries. You might ask her about it. She even posted about LibraryThing on our Darling Library News & Events blog in May this year. If you had been subscribing to it back then, you'd know that! :-)