The Flemish Librarian

On Tuesday,  I attended the Social computing tools for learning and knowledge sharing
session of my own section in cooperation with the  Library and Research Services for Parliaments and Information Technology.  A very inspiring presentation was given by Madeleine Lefebreve (Ryerson University) about the use of mobile services for building community & collaboration with students.  Another approach was offered by Moira Fraser from the New Zealand Parliament who, instead of focusing on the tools, focused on engaging communities and knowledge-sharing between the people in her organisation. The ‘participatory library’ she called it. Before lunch I spoke on the use of social tools in the Public library of Vlissingen in order to improve customer service. I thereby focused on the combination of our internal wiki (internal dimension of social KM) with Question Manager, a new tool that makes the process of dealing with reference questions more transparent and which is based on the vision of making the best use of the knowledge librarians have (the external dimension of social KM).  We have now developed the tool and we will start testing it in September not only within our library, but together with partners like the Naturalis museum in Leiden.

After attending my own section’s meeting in the afternoon, I was asked to give a short presentation for a group of American students from Rutgers University who were at IFLA for their course on ‘International Librarianship’.  After my short talk, they had the opportunity to ask questions about librianship in the Netherlands and about knowledge management in my own library. What really struck me was the enthousiasm of these students and their eagerness to learn.  Tuesday night ended with a ‘social evening’, organized by IFLA.  What I enjoyed the most was the impressive concert in Milan’s Duomo and the beautiful exhibitions in the Palazzo Reale.

On Wednesday there was the Panel Discussion based on the outcomes of the off-site workshop held on Tuesday 25 August at the University of Milan, Digital Library Futures: user perspective and institutional strategies.Despite the fact that almost all sessions during the conference contained some web2.0-initiatieves and ideas, there was also a dedicated session of the special interest group Libraries and the Web 2.0. This could have been an interesting session, but it was poorly organized. Moreover, the room was too small and the discussion offered little added value for the many librarians with different levels and expectations towards the session. A missed opportunity, since the topic offers a lot of opportunities for librarians to have a good discussion. Despite this bad session, I had an interesting talk with Gillian Hanlon from the Scottisch SLAINTE. She told me that her organisation will draw up some guidelines for librarians who want to web2.0. They will be online around the end of September.

Another interesting session on Thursday was organised by the Reference and Information Services section:
The pro-active librarian: the how and why. Yoo-Seong Song (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA) (Designing library services based on user needs: new opportunities to re-position the library) talked about how reference librarians in his university were ‘forced’ to reinvent themselves into career counselors due to the changing needs of students.

To conclude my summary of IFLA’ s annual congress, I want to focus on the question why you should go to IFLA?

I hear a lot of people saying that it is not worth going to IFLA’s yearly conference for the following reasons:
-    The content is too academic
-    You do not have the opportunity to talk to presenters/authors
-    There are very few innovative examples of library work
-    It is too expensive
-    We read everything on the internet or on blogs
-    Etc..

I do not agree on some points. I do admit it is quite expensive to participate, but I do not agree with the other arguments. First of all, I think as a librarian it is your duty to stay open to what is happening in the universal library field. How can you provide local services without understanding the broader context of librarianship and of the way communities evolve?  Secondly, IFLA does not only focus on innovation, but on aspects of the information society and librarianship to concerns us all.  A good example is their advocacy work for more flexible copyright conditions for libraries (in the context of digitization) etc.. The main reason why I attend the conference is of course the people. As a participant you get ample ‘social and professional opportunities to meet colleagues from all over the world! Of courses, you can also meet them online, but face to face sharing offers so much added value to me!
If you really want to be involved in IFLA (like me), you can become a member (or your institution can) and get yourself engaged in one the many sections. In this way, you – as a librarian – can really make a difference. Moreover, being engaged offers so many opportunities for meeting like-minded colleagues and it is very rewarding. The way I see it, being an IFLA-member is a mission. It is a chance to make a difference in librarianship on a global scale. So… will I see you next year in Gothenborg?

For more information on the KM section, please take a look at the IFLA-website or contact me.

From the 21st of August until the 27th, I attended the IFLA conference in the beautiful city of Milan. A short summary of my impressions.

This year’s conference started for me the 21st of August with the KM-section’s preconference which I co-organised. The central theme for this day was  ‘Removing Barriers to Knowledge Sharing: How can social tools be used to facilitate knowledge management in order to improve user services?’
The first speaker Giuseppe Vitiello (Knowledge Management as the new frontier in library work) focused on the knowledge management efforts of the NATO college library.  In the afternoon, I gave a short presentation on how my own library uses socials tools in order to improve customer service.  In the same context I also talked about the different types of wiki users in our library and about the stages people go through when using the wiki.
Afterwards, there was a very lively discussion with the participants of this conference. What really struck me is the fact that many librarians are aware of the many social tools that are on the market, but what they really struggle with is not the tools, but the people that are supposed to use them. For example: how do you stimulate people to contribute to a wiki or any other tool is a question that frequently arises.  From my own experience, I advise people not to focus on ‘forcing’ people to share, but better is to ask yourself the question: how do I stimulate social behaviour in general?  Next to that there also simple tips and trics that are helpul when implementing social tools in your organisation. If you want to find out more, please take a look at my presentation for that day.

After meeting my own section and the official opening of the conference on Sunday, I attended an interesting session on Monday, Framing the future for a new agenda for public libraries, organised by the Public Libraries and Metropolitan Libraries section. I was very impressed by the presentation by Thomas Galante, from the Queens Library (New York).  Despite the fact that 48% of the local population is foreign-born, the library succeeds extremely well in getting engaged with the local community. The secret of their success is being where the people are – they have a library building in every neighbourhood, they are present in government job agencies etc. – closing partnerships with other local partners and having an engaged team. They even have a number of Teen Mentors that coach other local teenagers. Maybe a useful tips for librarians complaining about the low number of youngsters making use of their services?

To be continued…

Vandaag had ik een interessant gesprek over het hoe en waarom van innovatie. Het begrip wordt namelijk maar al te vaak verkeerd geïnterpreteerd.  Volgens Wikipedia staat  het begrip  ‘innovatie’ voor ‘het invoeren van nieuwe ideeën, goederen, diensten en processen’.  Dekt deze beschrijving de lading of niet? Nemen we de proef op de som.  Kon men bij de introductie van de pc spreken van een innovatie? Was de komst van het medium televisie innovatief?  Eigenlijk niet. Het was pas toen de mens de pc op de ‘juiste’ manier begon te gebruiken – als communicatietool en niet als veredelde typemachine – toen er van ‘echte’ innovatie sprake was.  De interactie tussen de gebruiker en het nieuwe product of dienst is dus erg belangrijk wanneer we het hebben over innoveren.  Zo kan een bibliotheek wel een weblog invoeren, maar zolang de blog gezien wordt als een publicatiemedium – en niet als een interactief communicatiekanaal – is er volgens mij weinig sprake van innovatie.

Innoveren is dus geen sinecure en slaagt alleen als daar een ambitie en visie aan ten grondslag ligt. Om bibliotheken te helpen bij het innoveren heeft de Vereniging van Openbare Bibliotheken (VOB)  het project ‘Goudklompjes’ gelanceerd, waarin bibliotheekteams geleerd wordt te innoveren en waarin bibliotheken uitgedaagd worden vernieuwingen van elkaar over te nemen.

Ook mijn eigen bibliotheek doet hieraan mee door te laten zien hoe we de cursus 23 Dingen in de loop van dit jaar vertalen in binnen onze strategie passende hulpmiddelen ter verbetering van de bibliotheek.  Door dit proces in kaart te brengen en bewust te beleven willen we niet alleen leren van onze eigen innovatieproces, maar ook andere n inspireren. En daar begint het bij innovatie mee: inspiratie. En laat dat nou net de missie zijn van Digitale Bibliotheek.  Ik wens u veel leesplezier en een mooie, inspirerende zomer.

Dit stuk is verschenen als editorial in Digitale Bibliotheek nr. 4

Last Thursday I gave a webinar for the University of Alberta on ‘Social knowledge management – KM2.0 – for libraries’. I also talked about how we in the Public library of Vlissingen have integrated social tools into the library’s (knowledge management) strategy.

Many people ask me: what is social KM in a library context? For me, social KM is not about the tools (they only faciliate your KM strategy), but it is about the people and the culture (an open, transparent culture). Social tools help you shape an open culture and help you to connect people in your organisation with each other and with your customers. Therefore social KM in the library of Vlissingen has two dimensions: an internal and an external one. The internal dimension focuses on internal knowlege management – for example knowledge sharing via a wiki – and the external one focuses on how to use social tools to share knowlege and information with your customers – for example through a library blog.

I end this blogpost by referring to a question one of the attendees of the webinar asked me. The question was: how do you convince managers1.0 on the usefulness of web2.0-tools. I answered her: Point your manager to the problems/issues/goals in/of the organisation and then explain how social tools can help you to solve them or achieve your goals.

Interested in finding out more? Visit Slideshare and take a look at my presentation.

The University of Alberta (Canada) together with CASLIS have asked me to give a virtual presenation on ‘KM 2.0: Social Knowledge Management in Libraries’. More details are provided in the following text:

“Libraries excel in managing information and knowledge captured in books and documents, but they fail in locating and managing the knowledge potential in the heads of their own people.”
Every library wants to provide the best possible service to its users. But to do so, the organization must make the best use of the knowledge hidden inside the minds of its workers. Sometimes there are issues with the exchange of knowledge between library staff and customers, or between library staff members themselves. The public library in Vlissingen met this challenge head-on by combining the emerging discipline of KM (knowledge management) and social software. Please join Digital Library/Knowledge Manager Karolien Selhorst as she describes this fascinating journey in a live virtual presentation from the Netherlands.

About the presenter: Karolien Selhorst holds two masters degrees and currently works as Digital Library Manager/Knowledge Manager in the public library of Vlissingen (Holland). As an independent consultant, Karolien advises organisations and provides training on knowledge management, change management and Web 2.0 tools. She is chief editor of her own magazine ‘Digitale Bibliotheek’ and a freelance journalist for ‘Intellectueel Kapitaal’, a knowledge management magazine.

When: Thurs. May 21, 2009 from 10:30 AM – 12 noon Mountain time, 12:30 – 2 PM Eastern time, 6:30 – 8 PM Netherlands/CEST.

How to attend: You can attend this virtual program in two different ways:
1.    At our bricks and mortar location in downtown Edmonton (Classroom 958, Faculty of Extension, Enterprise Square, 10230 Jasper Ave.) Light refreshments will be served, and no computer setup will be required on the part of participants. The presentation will be viewed in real time on a large classroom projector screen, and attendees will have the opportunity to pose questions. Cost is $15 for CASLIS members, $20 for all others. Doors open on Thurs. May 21 at 10 AM, presentation starts at 10:30.
2.    From the convenience of your computer workstation anywhere in the world. You will need a functioning computer sound system to participate. Joining information will be emailed out 24 hours before the presentation. We are using the Elluminate Live system. You can test your computer’s compatibility by doing the “eClass Elluminate Access Check Audio Setup (no password needed)” at this website.
Virtual attendees are urged to test their systems well in advance (preferably before registration) to ensure compatibility. Firewalls and computer lock-down schemes may preclude participation. CASLIS will not issue refunds for technical failures of any kind reported less than 24 hours before the event. Cost is $10 for CASLIS members, $15 for non-members. Registrants from outside Canada should contact Ingrid Dandanell (ingriddandanell@shaw.ca) for special registration and pricing options. Virtual meeting opens on Thurs. May 21 at 10 AM Mountain Time (12 noon Eastern, 18:00 Netherlands/CEST time), presentation starts 30 minutes later.

Please see visit to this website for additional info and the registration form.

Looking forward to seeing you all online!

Vorige week had ik een inspirerend gesprek en interview met mijn grote voorbeeld Claudia Lux (IFLA-presidente) over het belang en de toekomst van de ‘digitale bibliotheek’. Alsook over alle uitdagingen die ermee gepaard gaan. Een uitspraak van Claudia die me is bijgebleven luidt: “The digital library is not about wires, but about people”. Een stelling die ik alleen maar kan beamen. Als verantwoordelijke voor de digitale bibliotheek in Vlissingen probeer ik ook vooral het kennis delen tussen medewerkers te faciliteren zodat op termijn al onze klanten daar beter van worden. En dat is toch de missie van elke bibliotheek, toch?

De updates van deze blog en van DB zijn nu ook te lezen op de gloednieuwe Twitter-account van Digitale Bibliotheek.

De mooie foto is van Daniëlle van der Schans.