Is your library getting into the festive spirit?

This time of year is always very busy, particularly for libraries, and I’ve been having a look at what librarians are doing to celebrate the festive period.  If you want some inspiration for things to try out at your library, why not consider some of the ideas below?

• Dress the librarians up as famous festive characters – imagine having to pay an overdue book fine to Scrooge?

• Finally – a pratical use for that dusty old Reference section!  Give the library a festive makeover by having your own tree made of books!

• This time of year is a great opportunity for story telling sessions on a festive theme and also a good way to raise awareness of different countries and cultures by having displays on how the festive period is celebrated around the world.  See Leeds Libraries for some great ideas.

• Arts & crafts sessions on how to make your own Christmas cards, with lots of inspiration from books in the library of course!

• Run a festive photography competition amongst your library users and make a book of all the entries for circulation after the competition.

• Work in a library with a large cookery section?  Why not do a display with some great festive recipes? (just go easy on the mulled wine if you have to staff the enquiry desk)

• Coffee mornings with mince pies etc to gain valuable feedback in an informal way from your library users.

 

Marketing e-Resources in your Library

The theme of the last Excellence in Learning Resources forum broadly examined different strategies to market e-Resources at your library. There’s a growing perception that more and more resources are moving towards digitisation, but the usage data at many libraries suggests that there is still some way to go to get both learners and academic staff on board.

So, what are librarians currently doing to trumpet the use of e-Resources at their library?  Here’s a list of  ideas I’ve pooled together from the collective wisdom of my peers at various events and meetings for your consideration:

• Before you can promote e-Resources you need a critical mass of titles to encourage use.  Your users are not going to be intrigued enough if they have only one or two titles to dip into.
• Always canvass tutors when purchasing e-Resources for learners to get them on board from the start and get the tutors to map e-Resources to specific parts of their schemes of work to ensure relevance.
• e-Resources can help relieve pressure on heavily over-used sections of your printed stock.  Include signage on shelving where key texts are often used by students to give them an alternative when printed versions are already on loan.
• Promote your e-Resources through your VLE and/or intranet.  Wherever possible, make subject-specific pages to target key areas and increase relevance.
• Email tutors directly with details of new e-Resource subscriptions.
• When a member of academic staff puts in a book request, search your existing e-Resources to see if you can also inform them of any relevant articles within your existing e-Resources collection.
• Produce a (termly?) newsletter promoting new e-Resources and post on notice boards in staff rooms, etc.
• Produce guides on how to use each e-Resource and link to your VLE and tie in with information skills sessions.
• Promote e-Resources at both staff and student inductions.
• Contact the publishers of specific e-Resources to see if they have any promotional posters of their products you could have and put up in the IT areas of your libraries.
• Add Wobblers (Point of Sale signs that can be affixed to an item/shelf and literally wobble) to promote e-Resources.
• Produce an eye-catching display in a prominent entry point to your library to promote different e-Resources.
• Bribery!  Invite academic staff to ‘coffee and cake’ days to chat informally about what e-Resources are available for their curriculum area.
• Create an induction pack for new students and include flyers, bookmarks, pens and other freebies etc, with details of the e-Resources on.
• Add all your e-Resources to your library catalogue.
• Consider promoting e-Resources through social networking channels (i.e. Facebook groups, Twitter, etc).

If there’s something you do at your library to promote e-Resources that isn’t already covered in the list above, please feel free to add a comment below!

 

A Wiilly Good Idea for Libraries…?

Libraries (whether they’re FE, HE or Public libraries) all face the increasing challenge of engaging their audience in competition with a multitude of other information sources available to users.

According to recent government statistics, around 70% of households in the UK now have access to Broadband.  Add to that, the rise in internet access via mobile devices, with current estimates ranging between 7.2 million and 17.4 million users in the UK alone.  Of course, the library continues to play a vital role in providing access to digital information for those without any other means of access, as well as to the vast range of media that information is also available in today, which leads me nicely on to the point of this article…

Libraries have always been quick to provide a range of media types to cater to the diverse needs of their users, so what about exploring the world of modern gaming to convey information and encourage community engagement?

Libraries can be places of fun and the use of the Wii specifically in libraries is becoming more common than what you might think.  Sure, we still need quiet areas where people can study in peace, but does that mean to say there shouldn’t be a time and a place in the library where people can’t enjoy the fun side of learning as well?

People learning how to get a hole in one on Wii Sports golf

(Image available under the creative commons licence, taken from Flickr)

The Online Education Database has a really helpful article detailing fifty ideas on how the Wii could be used in a library context.  Whether it’s using the Wii to introduce people to reading, bringing geography to life by using the Wii’s ‘News and Weather’ channels (an interactive globe at your fingertips!), or making use of the ‘Everyone Votes’ channel to find out what your users think of your library.

Examples also exist around the region, during Wimbledon Leeds Public Library had some great success using Wii Tennis to engage a whole cohort of young patrons who might otherwise have never stepped foot in the library. And if you work in a specialist Health Library you might be interested to know that the Department of Health has even given the seal of approval to the Wii Fit Plus.  For those who haven’t had a play on this, it’s a great way to introduce people to concepts like BMI, centre of gravity and weight management as well as playing an integral role in physiotherapy.  How many specialist Health Libraries are out there by the way, looking for a way to engage users?  Just a thought…

Also, there’s an increasing amount of research being undertaken to evaluate the Wii’s potential to support disabled students in education.

Okay, I admit, it’s not going to be for everyone (still, what is?), but if you can engage a few more people in the library and possibly break some of the old library stereotypes down into the bargain, then it’s got to be worth a go hasn’t it?

Wiimember, you’re never too old for a bit of silliness.  Sorry, that’s a terrible pun to end on, terrible…

 

Library Challenges – Library Solutions!

For those of you who were at the recent Learning Resources event at the Rose Bowl, Extreme Makeover – Transforming the Face of your Library Service (26th Oct 2009), you’ll remember that we held a mini competition where we asked you to name a library challenge and a possible solution to share with the group.

Here’s an anonymised summary of the contributions we received to give you some ideas:

Library Challenge	Solution
Problems of creating better relationships with “difficult” students.	Informal Education (youth work) approach – leaving the counter behind far more frequently.
Making teachers and pupils more aware of online resources available.	Posting announcements on blackboard of e-resource recommendations for specific research projects, printing out guides for teachers to show in class and a list of newest and top recommended e-resources in library.
Poor quality of displays.	Outside training company brought in to train staff – library staff now giving training to the other departments in college.
To raise profile of LRC within the college.To improve the liaison between teaching staff and the library – to increase relevant resources and student usage.	LRC Induction added to corporate staff induction.Hold LRC event – staff nominated by programme managers  – counted as staff development.  Very good turn out and feedback – has definitely improved liaison.
Teaching information literacy to HE students in FE college.	SMILE package.  Thank you.
Noise!	Create variety of areas – mixture of social/group/silent.
Launching Facebook fan page for Libraries: user interaction.  Managers didn’t understand their own guidelines.	Keep explaining idea behind Facebook, talking face-to-face, reassure and praise positives.  Keep monitoring.
Promoting use of intensive stack stock, for issuing and reading, which is mostly old and un-displayable, but of use to researchers	Book cover archive – photos to go on Flickr/Facebook and library displays.Displays near RFID/Self Issue machinesBook of the Day/Poetry corner – Twitter/Facebook
Communicating new resources with staff and getting them to communicate with us.  Especially when they often delete emails without reading due to overload.	Old school: Physically go speak to them, build relationships and show them librarians are human.New school: Embrace new technology and use mediums such as Twitter for those who use it.
In our library classroom – students drove teachers mad by “squeaking” the tables attached to the chairs	WD40!
Staff development – exploiting new technologies and e-Learning	Using the VLE for staff development
Getting customers to borrow something different/new to increase issues	Lucky dip to take random book to try.  If they don’t read it, they still borrowed it!

 

If I didn’t get the chance to speak to you on the day (I was probably dashing between workshops!), my heartfelt thanks go to everyone for all your input into making the event so enjoyable.  Whether you were a delegate, an exhibitor, a presenter or a member of the RSC team – thank you,  it couldn’t have happened without you!

I know I say this every year, but if there is a library issue you would like to see at a future RSC YH event please let me know and we’ll see what we can do.  We always strive to make our events as responsive to the needs of the local community as possible, and in order to do this we always appreciate your feedback and ideas.

 

A quick update on the workshops available at the LR Conference

I am pleased to announce that this year’s annual LR conference, Extreme Makeover – Transforming the Face of your Library Service, is now open for bookings on our website.  The event will take place at the Rose Bowl (Leeds Met) on Monday, 26th October 2009.  Click here for directions and a virtual tour.

This year’s event will centre around a series of workshops providing delegates with an element of choice, so the day can be tailored to an individual’s particular interests.   All of the workshops will be fairly short (about 30 minutes in length) and have an over-arching theme of ‘transforming’ your library service.

To give you an idea of what will be available on the day here’s a list of all of the sessions with a brief summary:

• SMILE project (Debbi Boden – Deputy Director; Information and Learning Services, Peirson Library, University of Worcester)

Accessing information and evaluation of material is essential in today’s digital society.  The online programme SMILE gives learners the understanding of the different types of information available, how to search effectively and evaluate the quality of the information they retrieve and an understanding of plagiarism and the issues surrounding the ethical use of information.

The programme will also help them to understand the principles of academic study and writing thus enabling them not only to find information and evaluate it effectively but also to communicate their findings.  This process should empower students to become independent learners who are confident in their abilities and who will be able to transfer these skills into the work place.

SMILE is freely available under the Creative Commons License and is written in HTML so it can be easily adapted for local use.

• Implementing Open Source Library Management Systems (Nick Dimant and Jonathan Field, PTFS Europe)

PTFS Europe has been established to provide implementation help and on-going support for libraries who wish to install an Open Source LMS. The workshop session outlines the support services offered and includes a quick comparison of the two leading products Open Source Library Management Systems – Evergreen and Koha.

• “Give your library wings!”  How Leeds Library and Information Service use twitter to get their message across.

Andrea and Carolin will introduce you to twitter and explain how Leeds Library and Information Service use twitter to engage with customers and colleagues. They have been tweeting for about six months now and will share successes, tips and ideas. They are positive that it can improve your service as it has theirs.”

• Create, Store and Share with Scran (Neil Fraser, SCRAN)

Come along and explore over 360,000 rights cleared images, sound and video clips on SCRAN. Use the simple tools to create, store and share your selections!

• Creative Use of Video Content for the Education Sector (Zeb Buchanan, BBC Motion Gallery)

BBC Motion Gallery has partnered with JISC Collections to make available a vast repository of clips from the BBC archives for use within Further and Higher Educational establishments. The material is taken from across all genres within the BBC’s collections, from the world-famous Natural History programming to News and Current Affairs, from Locations to Science and Technology.  The clips can be searched, viewed and downloaded in both Windows Media and QuickTime files and, once downloaded, can be edited, shared, uploaded to a VLE or project area, and shared amongst students or staff.

• QR Codes and Text a Librarian (Andrew Walsh, University of Huddersfield)

Andrew Walsh explains how QR (“quick response”) codes and mobile technology is being adopted in the library at the University of Huddersfield.

• Newsfilm Online – help and support for a video resource (Vivienne Carr, EDINA)

A short session to showcase the use of this large, free ITN/Reuters archive in Teaching and Learning, and featuring pedagogical exemplars, video case studies, practical guidance and more.

• Credo – an extreme makeover for Reference (Anne Kail, Credo Reference)

“Wow, this is so cool”.  Come and see why students love using the new Credo Reference. See why 63 of the best reference publishers choose Credo as the platform for their full-text content.  Innovative and engaging: multi-lingual interface, mind-mapping tool, and more.  See how Credo can also increase usage of all your online resources.  And tell us what more you want!

• Providing an Inclusive Library Service

This presentation will look at some of the services JISC TechDis offers for libraries, and will demonstrate some of the free and low-cost technologies available to help you offer an engaging and inclusive library service.

• Interactive tutorials: bite-sized chunks for new students, and engaging undergraduates and researchers with Articulate Engage (Michelle Schneider, University of Leeds)

This workshop will look at the creation of three online learning objects aimed at first year undergraduates. Delegates will hear how collaboration with a learning technologist was not only key to their success but gave us the experience and knowledge to create further learning objects, on our own, using Articulate.

• Copyright, Education and the Digital Generation (Gursh Sangha, CLA)

The Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) licenses all Sate FE Colleges in the UK to copy, scan and retype extracts from books, journals and magazines under copyright for education purposes. The CLA is a non profit-making company working for authors, publishers and visual creators.

A major remit of the CLA’s education team is to promote the importance of protecting Intellectual Property and Copyright amongst academic staff and their students. As such the CLA runs a series of workshops across the UK. These describe why Copyright is important in protecting creativity, and how the CLA licence enables colleges to use protected works. The focus is very much on Copyright within an increasingly digital world.

• Web 2.0 and You Too (Dave Pattern, University of Huddersfield)

This session will investigate the continuing impact Web 2.0 is having on libraries, librarians and library services.  As well as discussing the technological drivers, the session includes examples of Library 2.0 in action.

 

Finding Creative Commons Licensed Images

Arguably, one of the best sites for finding images on the web has to be Flickr.   Flickr’s advanced search is particularly useful, because you can search for creative commons licensed material.  This is great for librarians who are trying to promote the correct use of information amongst their users and also (if Wikipedia’s latest entry on Flickr is upto date) there are more than 3.6 billion images to search from.

In case you’re wondering, the photo above is taken from a creative commons licensed search on Flickr of the Library of Celsus at Ephesus in Turkey – now nearly two thousand years old!

Which reminds me, I really must get round to booking a holiday…

 

10 practical uses of Twitter for librarians

Twitter has enjoyed something of an explosion in use in the year 2009 and many librarians are keen to exploit its potential to champion their own libraries.  Twitter is now ranked number one in the Top 100 Tools for Learning and CILIP are even delivering training courses on Twitter for librarians.

Many Public libraries and HE libraries in particular are already using Twitter to great effect, and FE libraries are also beginning to dip their toes in the water, but how exactly is Twitter being used?

Well, because I’m such a nice guy, I’ve had a trawl around the various tweets posted by libraries and have come up with a list of useful ways you could use Twitter – so here they are:

1. Provide your followers with a top tip of the day.  This could be something that helps learners with their study/information literacy.
2. If you are putting an event on in the library be sure to tweet about it to let people know, e.g. reading groups, inductions, book sales, etc.
3. Provide links to new electronic resources in the library.
4. Promote a book of the day to encourage reading for pleasure.
5. If you need feedback from your followers about any aspect of the library service try using an app like twtpoll.
6. Find other librarians using a Twitter directory like wefollow or twellow and see what they are tweeting about to get some ideas.
7. Make your Twitter social rather than just relaying information outwards.  Retweet other people who make relevant tweets to your users and reply to tweeters when you can.
8. Promote the webopac by including links.
9. If you are redesigning the physical spaces in the library show your users what you are doing by adding photos using twitpic.
10. Invite your users to use Twitter like an enquiry service where they can ask questions regarding services and resources etc.

Clearly, this is by no means an exhaustive list, but hopefully it’s given you some food for thought.

Well, what are you waiting for?

 

Looking for something? Look no further…

According to a recent news article on the BBC website Google accounted for more than 87% of the UK search market in 2008.

Are any of us really that surprised?

However, depending on the information you’re after, it is worth pointing out that there are a number of other search engines out there that are well worth a look.

Here’s a quick summary of some of these lesser known search engines and what you might use them for:

• Redz provides results in a thumbnail of pages in an arc on screen.  Visually very aesthetic, but seems to limit results to 30 sites and a tad slow.
• Wozzon - a quick and easy way to find out what is happening in your local area.  woZZon is the largest events listings database in the UK.
• Spezify - a search engine that presents results from a large number of websites in different visual ways.  Instead of having an endless list of blue text links in your search results you are presented with visual snippets from websites that are more intuitive to navigate.
• Ejeboo – a visual search engine for finding videos on the web.
• Imeem – a search engine for finding musc on the web.
• Melzoo – still at beta, but looks promising.  Melzoo splits your search screen in two with one half showing the search results as links and the other showing a visual display of the web page.
• Tweepsearch – also at beta.  Type in your twitter username and you get an instant list of all of your followers bios or do a keyword search to find people on twitter with similar interests.
• Twurdy.  “Twurdy” a play on the words “too wordy” – a search engine that provides users with access to search results that suit their own readability level.  Still at beta.  Colour codes site listings based on their readability.
• Picture Sandbox – search across multiple stock photo collections at the same time (Flickr, Fotilla, etc.).
  
  

 

Looking for some tips to revamp your Information Skills sessions?

Wikis are one (of many) great tools to use if there are a large group of you spread out over the country who would benefit by working on something collaboratively and want to share good practise. As a recent project, I invited library staff from across the FE sector in the Yorkshire and Humber region to share good practise regarding their informations skills delivery.

It’s always tricky engaging people from such a diverse range of institutions, as many people do things differently depending on the needs of their learners. One size very rarely fits all, but that’s not to say that there isn’t alot to learn from sharing the insights of your peers. The idea of the wiki really was to encourage library staff to submit a small bite-sized tip on information skills delivery to share with the wider community.

So, if you are looking for fresh ideas on how to revamp your own information skills sessions why not pour yourself a coffee, put your feet up and have a browse through the submissions?

Click here to access the top tips information skills wiki.

 

Extreme Makeover: Transforming the Face of your Library Service

For those of you who are regular attendees at the JISC Regional Support Centre (Yorkshire & Humber) events, you’ll probably know that we run an annual conference aimed specifically at library/information staff.  Well, for the last couple of months I’ve been working tirelessly (!) on organising the event, looking at venues, sourcing speakers, exhibitors, etc, and finally have some confirmed details I can share with you all.

Yes, you guessed it, the event is called Extreme Makeover: Transforming the Face of your Library Service and will take place at the Rose Bowl (Leeds Met) on Monday, 26th October 2009 (make a note in your diaries!).  The bookings will open very shortly on our website.

If you haven’t been to the Rose Bowl before I’d suggest you take a look at their website for directions and a virtual tour.

I’m not going to give too much away  just yet, as I’m still finalising some of the details, but I will say that this year’s event will be more tailored to the individual, so delegates will have the choice to attend workshops that are relevant to their needs.  All of the workshops will have an over-arching theme of ‘transforming’ your library service and the event is about introducing new ideas and services to your library (some workshops may even challenge the accepted perception of a library, hence the ‘Extreme Makeover’ in the title).

In addition to the workshops, delegates will also have the opportunity to attend an exhibition area in order to keep abreast of the latest developments with e-resources and  network with suppliers
and peers across the region.  Confirmed exhibitors so far include CILIP, PTFS Europe – Open Source LMS providers, BBC Motion Gallery, CLA, EDINA, SCRAN, OUP and others are in the pipeline.

I’d just like to say a few words of thanks to people who have helped make this event happen, many of whom have kindly agreed to contribute on the day: the RSC team for their continued support and guidance; Jane Secker for her invaluable advice and input at this and other previous RSC events; Debbi Boden from CILIP ILG; Andrew Walsh and Dave Pattern at the University of Huddersfield; Dr Simon Ball at JISC Techdis; Michelle Schneider at the University of Leeds; all the staff at Leeds Public Library for their input on Twitter; Zeb Buchanan from the BBC Motion Gallery; Kelly Allen from Leeds Met; Neil Fraser from SCRAN; Keith from PTFS Europe for presenting on open source LMS; Gursh Sangha from CLA; and everyone else who I am either still liaising with or have shamelessly failed to mention.

Phew, I think that’s everything for now.  I’ll post more details as and when I have them and I hope to see you all on the day!