The Medical Library Association's annual meeting ended today in Chicago. I've been a member of the National Program Committee for this conference for the last few years (invited by Jane Blumenthal, who always beat me in Scrabulous until we tied at 323 points recently!). Given my investment in the conference's success, I recognize that my assessment is not unbiased. But I do think it was a very successful meeting, and was especially proud that we were able to open up some of the conference content to members who were unable to attend. That was one of Mark Funk's goals during his Presidential year, and we accomplished it!
This is a great precedent for next year, because many members are worried about the high cost of attending a meeting in Honolulu. Fortunately for me, it will be (relatively) inexpensive for people on the West Coast.
Another innovation this year: official conference bloggers, who did a great job of reporting during the conference. Their collective work frees me from any need to attempt an exhaustive recounting of goings on at MLA '08. Instead I will focus on one event that had a great impact on me, today's closing plenary session.
This session--web cast in real time to members who could not attend--was about the effective use of "Web 2.0" tools in libraries: RSS feeds, blogs, wikis, social bookmarks, APIs, mashups. Planning this session, along with Brian Bunnett, Julie Gaines, and Jim Beattie, was my main contribution to MLA '08.
Sure, Web 2.0 is an easy to mock buzzword, and it is definitely over-used. Despite these limitations, it's a convenient shorthand for this suite of tools that have the potential to radically re-shape the way librarians conceive of their jobs.
Or do they? In some ways Web 2.0 apps are just more convenient ways to build communities and make connections, which is something librarians have always done. That was my epiphany as I listened to the discussion. We're talking about an evolution in librarianship, not a radical break from everything that's gone before. Scott's been making this point for a while now, but I just got it.
So I have a bargain to propose: If the young whippersnappers will concede that RSS et. al represents an evolution (not a revolution), then more seasoned librarians must recognize that learning how to use these tools is part of being a librarian these days. It's not something you should only do "outside of work." Increasingly, mastering these web tools--how to use them, what to do with them, how to promote them--will become our jobs. That's a very exciting future, because the sky truly is the limit.
The all-star panel lived up to their great reputations. David Rothman, Melissa Rethlefsen, Bart Ragon, and Amanda Etches-Johnson all presented practical uses of the various tools, and reminded us of the proper order of operations: first define needs, then investigate options, and finally deploy tools. In other words, don't start a wiki just because you think you should--make sure it fills a real need, and if so go crazy.
Carol Jeuell, a reference librarian at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, was energized by the possibility of using these tools in her library. While it's important to recognize that hospital librarians face unique barriers compared to academic colleagues, David provides a great example (and to some extent a unique one, given his technical prowess) of how hospital librarians can surmount these barriers.
I especially appreciated Bart's advice to integrate these tools into your personal life first, and then see how they could work in your libraries. Not everything will work in every case--an experimental mindset is key. And if you try something and it doesn't work, don't be afraid to "pull the plug." In a paper I co-presented on Monday, we made a similar point.
The plenary session capped off an 8 week free online course about Web 2.0 tools this spring. Many MLA members grew frustrated by the pace of the course, and had trouble completing it. Clearly there is a wide range of experience with RSS et. al, and this will always be true to some extent. But once we absorb the fact that learning about these tools is a key part of our jobs now--not just a fun frill, but an essential professional activity--that gap between experts and novices will narrow.
I'm looking forward to it.
--------
My personal highlight of the conference was the presentation of the final recommendations of the Librarians without Borders task force. But since I'm much too tired to write skillfully about that experience, I'll get back to it in a few days.
This is a great precedent for next year, because many members are worried about the high cost of attending a meeting in Honolulu. Fortunately for me, it will be (relatively) inexpensive for people on the West Coast.
Another innovation this year: official conference bloggers, who did a great job of reporting during the conference. Their collective work frees me from any need to attempt an exhaustive recounting of goings on at MLA '08. Instead I will focus on one event that had a great impact on me, today's closing plenary session.
This session--web cast in real time to members who could not attend--was about the effective use of "Web 2.0" tools in libraries: RSS feeds, blogs, wikis, social bookmarks, APIs, mashups. Planning this session, along with Brian Bunnett, Julie Gaines, and Jim Beattie, was my main contribution to MLA '08.
Sure, Web 2.0 is an easy to mock buzzword, and it is definitely over-used. Despite these limitations, it's a convenient shorthand for this suite of tools that have the potential to radically re-shape the way librarians conceive of their jobs.
Or do they? In some ways Web 2.0 apps are just more convenient ways to build communities and make connections, which is something librarians have always done. That was my epiphany as I listened to the discussion. We're talking about an evolution in librarianship, not a radical break from everything that's gone before. Scott's been making this point for a while now, but I just got it.
So I have a bargain to propose: If the young whippersnappers will concede that RSS et. al represents an evolution (not a revolution), then more seasoned librarians must recognize that learning how to use these tools is part of being a librarian these days. It's not something you should only do "outside of work." Increasingly, mastering these web tools--how to use them, what to do with them, how to promote them--will become our jobs. That's a very exciting future, because the sky truly is the limit.
The all-star panel lived up to their great reputations. David Rothman, Melissa Rethlefsen, Bart Ragon, and Amanda Etches-Johnson all presented practical uses of the various tools, and reminded us of the proper order of operations: first define needs, then investigate options, and finally deploy tools. In other words, don't start a wiki just because you think you should--make sure it fills a real need, and if so go crazy.
Carol Jeuell, a reference librarian at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, was energized by the possibility of using these tools in her library. While it's important to recognize that hospital librarians face unique barriers compared to academic colleagues, David provides a great example (and to some extent a unique one, given his technical prowess) of how hospital librarians can surmount these barriers.
I especially appreciated Bart's advice to integrate these tools into your personal life first, and then see how they could work in your libraries. Not everything will work in every case--an experimental mindset is key. And if you try something and it doesn't work, don't be afraid to "pull the plug." In a paper I co-presented on Monday, we made a similar point.
The plenary session capped off an 8 week free online course about Web 2.0 tools this spring. Many MLA members grew frustrated by the pace of the course, and had trouble completing it. Clearly there is a wide range of experience with RSS et. al, and this will always be true to some extent. But once we absorb the fact that learning about these tools is a key part of our jobs now--not just a fun frill, but an essential professional activity--that gap between experts and novices will narrow.
I'm looking forward to it.
--------
My personal highlight of the conference was the presentation of the final recommendations of the Librarians without Borders task force. But since I'm much too tired to write skillfully about that experience, I'll get back to it in a few days.
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