To the Dark Side of the Library and Back
By Jackie Davis

Yes it’s true. I’ve been to the dark side of the library. It wasn’t pretty. I didn’t like it. The good news is that I didn’t stay there. So let me tell you the story of how I got there and how I got back.

I began in the light. I already had a library job when I graduated from San Jose SLIS and though it wasn’t a perfect fit, I was super grateful for it. Then I moved onto a public library position and loved it, and quickly moved up to a great job and then another great job. I was high on library and information service, databases, program planning, outreach…all the stuff that is personally so fulfilling and makes one believe that they are truly contributing to society. The stuff of librarianship.

Sadly, I did not watch the signposts. I ran afoul of the administration for a number of reasons. I was so surprised by my successes that I would run up the stairs and tell them of my latest ideas and how many people attended, etc. This was seen not as a newbie feeling exuberance and success, but as a newbie indulging in self-pride. Then a new supervisor came on board and I saw her as limiting my work, not seeing how well I had done it and could continue without micro-managing. This was seen as insubordination. In the meantime, the wheels continued to roll wonderfully and I still ignored the road that I was inevitably following.

Ultimately there was a huge showdown between the union and the administration. The assistant who worked with me was the union rep and she had been butting heads with the administration for many years, both personally and professionally. When the showdown reached a peak, I knew heads would roll. Since I was the only full-time employee who was still on probation, it was my head that rolled.

I felt all seven stages of dying except acceptance in the ensuing months. I wondered if I would ever work as a librarian again, which was the worst pain of all. I missed the people and the community with whom I worked. I missed the creative outlet. I missed the smell of books. I missed the excitement of the opening and the exhaustion of the closing each day. I was in the dark and I did not see a light at the end of the tunnel.

And then it began again–my hunger to be a librarian. I called all my folks and found out who would be willing to be references. I emailed and called my librarian friends to let them know that I was looking for a job. I began to fill out applications, some of which were really extensive and it helped me open my mind to the language of information access. I filled out applications for jobs that I didn’t begin to qualify for, just to keep the machine well oiled. One day I received an email from a librarian who didn’t even know that I was “pounding the pavement.” He let me know about a job in a place that I was sure I wouldn’t get, but in keeping with my newfound commitment to work in a library, I sent in the application. Long story short, I am once again in the light in a job that couldn’t be a better fit. The combination of my hunger and the priceless network of librarians were the magic that transported me into the light of employment in a world I love.

Read sister article “May You Be Spared: Lessons Learned After the Shattering of my Rose-Tinted Glasses” below.






Working Conditions in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan: An Interview with Julie Anderson
By Michele Gibney

Julie Anderson, a graduate from San Jose State University’s School of Library and Information Science in 1985, worked abroad as a librarian in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan from 2001 to 2005. Her experiences abroad serve to illustrate valuable exchange opportunities between librarians worldwide. She also gives her honest opinions on the state of libraries in these two countries while she was there. Nowadays, Julie can be found working as a substitute librarian and teacher at Miramonte High School in Orinda, CA.

How did you and your husband get involved with working abroad?

It began in 1998 when we began interviewing with an agency that sent Christian professionals abroad to use their skills in partnership with various local organizations. We went to Kyrgyzstan in 2000 to check things out, and then went back in 2001 under the organization that interviewed us. I thought I would be teaching English, as that was what we had done in the past when we were overseas.

What other opportunities besides teaching were you presented with in Kyrgyzstan?

We arrived in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan a little over a week after 9/11. The country was peaceful and beautiful, but many American organizations were withdrawing their personnel over fears of what might happen (Kyrgyzstan is only one country away from Afghanistan). Fortunately ours gathered, prayed and stayed. I began to teach English at an international school, but early in October, during a coffee break at church, one of the State Department employees at the embassy heard I had been a librarian, and grabbed me, saying, “You have to come see me!” Yes, I was the only Western credentialed librarian in the country at that time. The current Minister of Education had approached the embassy about a possible library project so for the next two years I taught English to librarians, met government officials, and visited a wide range of libraries.

I know that you also went to Tajikistan. What did you do there?

My two years in Tajikistan (2003-2005) were spent doing some training at the Information Center sponsored by the American Embassy and also working with the Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP) in Dushanbe. At the AKHP I primarily mentored one young man who went on to earn a scholarship after we worked on a conference with the National Library.

I also volunteered a lot at the Information Center in Dushanbe. One practice we tried to help with was weeding. Libraries in poor countries hold onto anything printed—even old advertising circulars. We never could just dump anything—the dreck was sent out to the provinces just to amplify collections.

Can you give further details on the state of libraries and librarianship at the time you were there?

We were in two of the poorer former USSR republics, and in the 10 years of "independence", librarians had experienced the raw end of tiny salaries, unheated and un–air conditioned buildings and no money for collection development. Most of the librarians I met were trying to supplement their income with hoeing cotton (Tajikistan), knitting garments (Kyrgyzstan), and basic farming. That they maintained professional integrity and interest in their jobs was amazing and inspiring.

There is a little or no handicapped access to library facilities. Broadband is available only in major cities and even then is not always dependable. Computer software was generally IRBIS, a bit of basic low-cost programming from the United Nations. In one institution the librarian had given up on it as no training was included in the budget and the person assigned couldn't figure it out.

The old model of centralized librarianship hindered libraries in all sorts of ways. The biggest challenge was drawing up a budget—for instance; they didn't know how to cost out an inter-library loan, as that had never been anything they worried about.

Overall, how do you view the experiences you had in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan?

So much of what I did seemed a waste—all the revitalization plans for the National Library, the training center we all wanted so much, and the networks of sister libraries were rejected by the embassy because we did not specify using American materials, and we wanted to do everything in-country. Larissa [a resource manager in Kyrgyzstan] fought like a tiger to get money out of the embassy to put local newspapers in libraries—the embassy just wanted English language ones that no one could read! Still, the rare opportunity for a school librarian to work with such skilled, visionary library personnel in Bishkek and Dushanbe remains my lifetime highlight.

You’ve mentioned that meeting other librarians was one of the highlights of your time abroad; can you further describe some of these meetings?

Fortunately Kyrgyzstan was still able to retain good personnel and receive grants for fall library conferences. I went to two of them—both held in a marvelous, slightly decaying old Soviet Hotel in the Lake Issyk-kul region. The gorgeous landscaped grounds of pine trees, (replete with birds such as hoo-poos and squirrels with tufted ears), as well as fruit trees that the librarians gleefully raided, bordered the world's second largest alpine lake: magnificent. Although a long journey to a remote village where ten librarians waited in the rain to take us to a meatless meal—all they could afford—and proudly introduced a young woman struggling to keep a ruined building's dimly lit roomful of books open as a library, was perhaps the most heart wrenching. The lovely smiles, the total welcome even to a stranger who had nothing to give but her interest, still brings me to tears. A lovely memory is of many of us librarians picnicking in the mountains near Lake Issyk-kul, and sharing homemade horse sausage, pastries and tea. The sun is golden, the river sparkles, and the laughter is the best gift of all.

Michele Gibney is a second year graduate student in the SLIS program at San Jose State University.






May You Be Spared: Lessons Learned After the Shattering of my Rose-Tinted Glasses
By Jackie Davis

I haven’t had a long career, but I have had a colorful one. Here are some of the lessons learned that I want to share with library students. I admit that there are plenty of you that already know this. I, however, truly believed that libraries were places of paradise for staff as well as patrons, and that normal human foibles were not to be found in and around the stacks. In the hopes that I can help some other librarian-to-be, here are some of these lessons.

1. Politics are part of everyday life, even in libraries. Politics itself is neither bad nor good, but rather the vehicle humans use when they function together whether it be at the local garden club meetings or Little League or libraries. Observe it and learn how to be one among many. I can use the political process for bad or good, it’s my choice. If I use it to buffer my own place within an organization, maintain my enthusiasm and a good heart, that is good.

2. Manage up. This means that I learn what projects and priorities are important to my supervisor and work together to get them done. Sometimes I just have to say ‘yes’ to their vision and keep mine quiet. (In fact, there are many times that I just need to keep quiet, particularly at the beginning of a job.) At other times I have to anticipate what a supervisor might want. This is not manipulation, this is work smarts. More often than not, when I keep quiet I can learn the pacing, the history and the politics and this is a respectful way to approach an organization.

3. Watch closely for unspoken rules and expectations. Example: the supervisor would call staff meetings and I had the idea that this was a time for sharing what was going on in each person’s area. Turned out that most folks understood that this was a time to listen and allow the spotlight to shine on the supervisor. This skill is the equivalent of translating body language and for some folks this is well-integrated by the time they are adults. For others of us, this is something we have to learn, and re-learn, intellectually and then put the information to good use.

4. The most important people I have in my career are my fellow librarians. I regularly run into those with whom I took classes. We feel close simply by the fact that we hung in there together. In library school I had heard about the importance and value of networking with other librarians, but now I’ve lived it. These are the folks who have watched my back as I have struggled through my employment challenges. Without a doubt they have supported my good work, pointed out some of the signals that I was missing and finally, they are the ones who sent me notices of job openings as I was looking for a job.

Yes, I learned the hard way but you don’t have to.

To learn more about Jackie’s personal journey, read “To the Dark Side of the Library and Back.”

Jackie is proud to be a graduate of San Jose SLIS, proud to be a librarian, and proud to be working again!!







Profile of an Alum: Annie Knight
By Paige Fujisue
(Annie has always impressed me because of her amazing abilities and her warmth. From this interview, I hope others may benefit from her as I have.)

“When I used to be a book-eating beast, one kind librarian took pity on me and taught me that knowledge was to be shared and not consumed by one.” --Annie Knight

Current Position: CUC Virtual Librarian, Chapman University
Activity as a SLIS Student:

• Newsletter Editor for The Call Number, 2004-2006
• LISSTEN’s President, 2006-2007
• Served on a number of committees for LISSTEN-sponsored events such as the Banned Books Week Read-a-Thon, Professional Associations Day, and the Resume and Interview Workshop
• Volunteered on behalf of LISSTEN for other events including SJSU-SLIS’s New Student Orientations, graduation, and REFORMA’s Career Fair
• Serve as the student representative for the SJSU-SLIS School Leadership Coordinating Team.

To what do you attribute your success?

The desire to immerse myself in situations with LIS professionals and fellow students to become more in touch with the profession. And, of course, I knew I would make some great contacts that would help me land that first job.

Who are your role models?

My mama mia of course! She’s the one who sat up with me late at night (even during grad school a couple of times) to help me with schoolwork. And, while raising three kids and working full time, she managed to put herself through grad school. I also discovered my love of books and language because of her. We still read to each other.

There are so many role models and mentors, ranging from Tank Girl to Jenna Freedman. But, I must say that I’m beyond lucky to have Julie Artman as my mentor at Chapman. Her enthusiasm and talent for academic librarianship is ultimately inspiring. No one could have a better reference and library instruction coach. Thanks, Coach!

I've heard that getting a job at an academic library right out of grad school is extremely difficult and rare. To what do you attribute your success with Chapman University?

I’m indeed very lucky to have been hired for my current position at Chapman. Prior to becoming their CUC Virtual Librarian, I worked there as a part-time reference librarian. And, during library school, I interned for LAPL and East Los Angeles College’s South Gate Education Center. These temporary library positions along with my experience of serving on the LISSTEN’s Board helped me immensely when applying for my current position as a distance education librarian.

What experiences have helped you on the job?

Being so involved with LISSTEN along with the two internships I completed at LAPL and East Los Angeles College’s South Gate Educational Center provided me invaluable opportunities to make contacts and work collaboratively with professionals in the field. I approached these opportunities with the same level of seriousness, dedication, and energy that I do with my current job.

I would also have to say that my experiences as a substitute teacher, waitress, bartender, and writing tutor all contributed to the service and teaching aspects of my job.

What experiences/knowledge do you wish you had acquired beforehand?

I wish I would have studied different teaching methodologies to develop my library instruction repertoire, especially within virtual environments. However, this will definitely be one of my ongoing areas of research as a librarian.

Is there anything you wish you would have done differently?

There are always those certain classes I wish I could have taken such Vocabulary Design, History of Books and Libraries, and Publishing for the Profession. Plus, I would have loved to have participated in more internships. Overall, though, I had plenty of opportunities in the program that I took advantage of, so I don’t really have any regrets.

What advice do you have for those of us seeking employment with an academic library?

1. Attending local library association events such as those put on by CARL, SCIL, and DIAL is a fun and relatively cheap way to make new librarian friends as well as get “behind-the-scenes” perspectives from professionals in the field.

2. With teaching being a primary focus of academic librarianship, you will want to practice conducting library instruction sessions and conducting reference interviews. Observe academic librarians who are kind enough to let you sit in on their instruction sessions and observe at their reference desks.

3. It’s also important to study how technology trends and tools are being implemented in different academic library settings. This can vary widely from one academic library to the next.

4. When you are getting ready for your interview at an academic library prepare like crazy. Spend hours at the library itself, become familiar with the campus culture, learn about the communities it provides outreach service to, and know the ins and outs of the library’s website. You will want your pride for the academic institution to shine through as much as your professional experience and skills.

5. Invite an academic librarian out to coffee or lunch to interview them. I’ve met so many librarians who love their careers and are eager to share their experience and passion for the profession with future librarians.
What advice do you have for current SLIS students?

Get involved with as many different library-related social and professional activities so you get your name out and meet the wonderful people in our profession. You never know who will remember you as that ambitious student who would be a great asset to their library. And, take part in your student organizations, even if you can only attend one meeting or volunteer for a couple hours on a committee. This will open professional doors to you that may not be accessible otherwise. The LIS field, at least as I experience it now is incredibly collaborative and looking for individuals who not only have the necessary skills but who enjoy and understand the value of working with others.

Paige Fujisue aspires to develop her own leadership skills. She plans to graduate in December 2008.





Community College Internship: Great Rewards
By David E. Gross

Cañada College is a public community college on the peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose, in Redwood City. The enrollment is about 5,500 students. The library is in a new building that just opened in June, with many new PCs, study rooms, and a large information literacy training room with 37 new Mac computers—all very clean, modern, and attractive.

Internships can be a great way to gain library experience and help you decide if this particular type of library and position is what you want to pursue. It’s also a great addition to your resume when looking for that first job. I have just finished a spring semester internship at a community college and I’d like to share my experience to give you an idea of what it’s like and why you should think about doing one yourself. I had finished the three core courses and at least three more courses, so I met the requirements for an internship and I was accepted to work in both reference services and information literacy instruction at Cañada College Library for spring semester. This was perfect since it met my interests in working at an academic library. I was eager to start in January and actually came a week early, for an informal orientation and the chance to get trained in copy cataloging. Already the experience was looking good, as this was not an expected opportunity but one that was welcome. I had expected to learn about reference services and information literacy instruction, but here was a chance to learn an additional skill. My supervising librarian and the rest of the staff were very friendly and accepting from the first day, as well as open to my learning new things and getting as many different kinds of experiences as I could.

My supervisor manages the library and works in Reference and Information Literacy training. He is full-time and there are two other part-time librarians who also work in this area. I took a 3-unit internship, so I needed to work 135 hours in the semester. I set my schedule to work four hours a day, three days a week—one afternoon and two mornings—to give me an opportunity to work with each of the three librarians. With holidays and spring break, I finished my 135 hours in mid-April. This was a good plan for me, as I then had extra time in the last weeks of the semester for papers and other assignments. For the internship, you keep a daily log of your activities and experiences and report them on a Blackboard discussion board every three weeks, as part of the class requirements. At the end of the semester, you need to fill in a short evaluation form for your library site and then write a short paper summarizing your experience.

This internship experience was most rewarding, as I had the opportunity to staff the reference desk and help students with their questions, as well as plan and teach two library information classes and help with others. I really enjoyed teaching students about using the library resources for research. For one of the sessions, it was possible to do the planning a few weeks in advance and the classroom teacher was very cooperative and interested in my plans for the class. It went extremely well and she was very pleased. Serving at the reference desk, you often get questions that are moredirectional or informational—how to print from the computers, where are the copy machines, where are the course reserved books, etc. While the students appreciate this kind of help, I must admit that I enjoy providing reference help the most, though, and the students are very happy to find what they need and to see how to do it themselves. There is a computer with two monitors at the desk so that you can show the student what you are doing. Sometimes, it was more efficient to go to the student’s computer and work there with the student so that she or he could do the hands-on work to find the answer.

In addition to working at reference and teaching, there were short projects to work on for the supervising librarian, like searching for books or articles on a topic that will be the focus of an informational literacy training session. Also, the librarian shared his ideas about collection development and identified a number of resources that are very useful in searching for new books and evaluating them. Near the end of the internship, the librarian also provided me the chance to develop an annotated bibliography in support of a faculty lecture, and this is now part of the library’s research resource link on its website.

So, this internship worked out very well for me. In addition to the excellent experience that I received by working in a college library, I also gained the rewards of knowing that I helped students be successful. A student returned to the desk a week after I had helped her learn how to use the library catalog and electronic databases for research. She told me that she appreciated what she had learned and that she had passed it along to her friends, and they to their friends also. She guessed that my initial teaching had actually helped maybe 40 students in all. This was a wonderful reward and I strongly recommend that you consider an internship so that you too can be rewarded in this way!

David Gross lives in San Jose and plans to work in an academic library upon graduation in May 2009. His interests are in teaching information literacy (IL) and providing reference services and he will be working on a thesis on IL assessment this fall.







Power Networking for Introverts
By Amanda Quist

On February 20th, the San Diego chapter of the Special Libraries Association presented a program on “Power Networking for Introverts” by information professional, introvert, and power networker Marcy Phelps of Phelps Research. Ms. Phelps explained that librarians make natural networkers (even when we are introverts) because networking really comes down to four skills: listening, asking the right questions, matching needs with resources, and a desire to help others. Sound familiar?

If the thought of walking into a room full of strangers terrifies you, don't worry, you can learn to network. It's important to remember that you won't be a power networker overnight. Like any other skill, it takes practice, so be strategic in how you approach it. Think of your long term goals, and who you might need to meet to achieve those goals. Then create a plan to begin moving in that direction, whether it is by attending small local association meetings, or big, national conferences. Set achievable goals for yourself and reward yourself when you meet them. So for example, plan to attend an event and have a goal to meet and connect with three new people at the event. When you have achieved that goal, allow yourself to leave and feel proud of your accomplishment. Another strategy she suggests is to arrive early, that way you are not walking into a room full of people you don't know, and you have an opportunity meet (and offer to help) the organizers of the event.

Ms. Phelps emphasized that it is critical that you get out and meet people face-to-face. Wherever you are in the world, find local opportunities to meet with people. As wonderful as online communications are, they simply cannot replace the value of making a one-on-one connection with someone in person. When you do make a connection, make an effort to follow up on it. Ask for a business card, and follow up with a phone call or email, or an invitation to coffee, but do make that effort to build the relationship. Remember, when you are making these connections, you want to think about what you can do to help that person.

Find out if they have a problem or need help on a project. Maybe you can help, or maybe you know someone who can. As students, we often wonder if we really have anything to offer in these kinds of situations, but Ms. Phelps (and other pros in the audience) were emphatic in their assertion that students have a lot to offer. Maybe volunteer to help out on a project, or ask a seasoned professional for career advice. People love to give advice and sometimes just being willing to listen to that advice makes them feel good.

Once you've jumped the hurdle and made a connection with someone new, it may seem more comfortable to just stick with that person. Resist that impulse! Learn how to end a conversation by summing up the next steps in the relationship (do you plan to: call them, set a coffee date, e-mail?), and graciously move on. When looking for someone new to make a connection with, look for a “loner,” someone who's probably feeling as awkward as you are. Just by initiating that connection you are making that person feel good. Think about how relieved you have felt when you have been the “loner” in the room and someone took the time to speak to you. Try to remember when making any connection, that most of the other people in the room are nervous too. Project confidence and you will be perceived as confident!

Finally, know yourself and your limits. Allow yourself to take breaks, but always push yourself a little out of your comfort zone. The more you do, the easier it will become. Are you ready to get started? There are lots of opportunities within the library community, including ALASC and LISSTEN. Also consider local chapters of professional organizations like SLA. No library organizations near you? No problem, find another group that shares another of your interests. Just because it's not specifically for librarians doesn't mean you won't make good contacts, and it's good practice when you do find yourself in a room full of information professionals! After you?ve chosen an organization, raise your profile, volunteer, and get involved. People will be wanting to meet you, and networking becomes a lot easier.

For me personally, the folks at the San Diego chapter of SLA have been very welcoming. I started out by answering a plea for volunteer help with the chapter archives. Less than a year later, I was asked to be the chapter's Student Liaison. Right now, I get the satisfaction of knowing I am performing a service that is much appreciated by the chapter leadership. I also get some professional service credit for my resume. Down the line, the contacts I am making within the chapter may lead me to a great new job, or maybe just some new friends. Either way, it's a win-win situation.

This seminar validated a lot of the things I have been trying to work on in my professional life, and gave me some great tips for moving forward. As a fellow introvert, I want to assure you all that you have entered the right profession. One thing I have found is that librarians are a very caring, welcoming group. They are eager to meet students and you couldn't ask for a softer landing when jumping off that networking cliff. So just do it!

Amanda Quist is the Student Liaison for the San Diego chapter of the Special Libraries Association. She plans to graduate in May.





Retrieval of Sound: A Discussion of Two Newer Search Tools
By Ashley Wright

Have you ever had a melody in your head and had no idea where it came from? You can?t think of when or where you heard it, much less a title or composer, but you still ask your friends “You know that one that goes „dooba dooba ta tummm??” Have you ever needed a sound effect to put in a multimedia presentation, and wondered how you were going to search for a “boing”, a “fwoosh”, or a “splat”?

When you search an electronic database or the World Wide Web, usually you type in a query consisting of words or numbers that match up with important words and numbers in the documents you hope to find. This is text-based information retrieval, the success of which depends on how familiar the user, or searcher, is with the vocabulary of the indexers (humans or computers that assign searchable keywords to documents). However, sometimes the user needs to use sound to search for sound. This paper is an overview of search tools that can help the user retrieve audio files without relying solely upon textual queries.

Query-By-Humming

Let us return to the situation in which you need to identify a melody but you don?t know the title, composer, performer, album, or any other textual entry points. In this case, Query-By-Humming systems can help. There are several different algorithms for Query-By-Humming (QBH), in which “the user sings or hums a melody and the system searches a musical database for matches”. Dannenberg et. al. explains that “many such systems have been built, but there has not been much useful evaluation and comparison in the literature due to the lack of shared databases and queries. The MUSART project testbed allows various search algorithms to be compared using a shared framework that automatically runs experiments and summarizes results”. These search algorithms are quite advanced, being that “audio signals cannot be compared directly, as even two „identical? melodies from the same instrument or vocalist will have little if any direct correlation between their waveforms”. The details of Dannenberg et al?s study are beyond my mathematical understanding, but I did gather that they ran a program to extract the melodies from a collection of MIDI files, made recordings of human volunteers singing or humming popular melodies to be used as queries, and ran these queries through several different QBH algorithms. Naturally, different algorithms had different strengths. All of them were slow to run, and all successful searches depended upon the user surpassing a particular threshold of musical accuracy when submitting a query. Nonetheless, Dannenberg et. al. stated that they had “found various algorithms for QBH that perform well with „realistic? audio queries”.

An automated name-that-tune tool is useful and fascinating, but it is part of the earliest stages of musical search tool development. If the user has a query about a recording that is non-tonal or doesn?t use a Western melodic framework, QBH would not help them. It will be interesting to see what other kinds of non-textual musical searches become possible in coming years.

Sound Effects

In another category of recordings are sound effects, which are important in theater, film, radio, television, animation, video games, and experimental music, to name a few. There is an impressive selection of sound effect search engines on the World Wide Web. Of all of them, I think findsounds.com by Comparisonics is the most impressive. It is the only one I reviewed that offers non-textual retrieval. Once you find a sound you like using keywords, you can search for similar sounds based on the audio data itself, which in this case is called a “sounds like” search. In a supporting document, Rice and Bailey explain that textual sound cataloging can get unwieldy as catalogers struggle to assign onomatopoeia and adjectives to inexplicable sounds.

I tested out the service by entering “cuica” as a keyword and, upon finding a good result, ran a “sounds like” search. The first two results, an owl call and a human moan, actually sounded a lot like a cuica, which I had chosen as a search term because of its bizarre, uncommon sound. A cuica is a friction drum played in many Brazilian musical traditions, although the basic design and sound have variations elsewhere. A skilled player can make it sound like any variety of animal vocalization. I figured that if this search engine could find a cuica sound and similar sounds, it must be good. Comparisonics? technical explanation of the “sounds like” algorithm is perhaps purposefully vague:

In addition to keyword and “sounds like” searching, users can set other parameters such as file format, number of channels, resolution, sample rate, and file size. Another advantage of findsounds.com is that it is free to use. Similar to Google in this regard, it “crawls” the web, indexing files. Sound files longer than 10 seconds are rejected, along with music and speech, intentionally specializing in sound effects. Since it is a library of both public domain and copyrighted sounds, it is stated that users are expected to take personal responsibility for clearing copyrights before using a protected sound in a for-profit project.

Textual and non-textual retrieval can complement one another nicely, and search tools that incorporate both can be quite powerful. The development of search tools that increasingly allow audio content to speak for itself, loosening the shackles of textual labeling, is a truly revolutionary direction in library and information science.

Sidebar

In the "indexing" step, digital audio data is analyzed by the algorithm and characterized by "signatures," where each signature is a vector of perceptual features encoded as a 16-byte quantity. In the comparison step, a signature is derived from the prototype and compared with the signatures computed for an indexed collection. For each indexed sound, a score is determined indicating the degree of similarity between the sound and the prototype, ranging from 0 (least similar) to 100 (most similar, i.e., identical) (Rice and Bailey).

References

Advanced Search. Retrieved 30 November 2007 from www.Sound-effects-library.com.
Comparisonics (2007). Search the Web for Sounds. Retrieved 1 December 2007 from www.findsounds.com.
Dannenberg, R., Birmingham, W., Pardo, B., Hu, N., Meek, C., and Tzanetakis, G (2007). A comparative evaluation of search techniques for query-by-humming using the MUSART testbed. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department.
Rice, S., and Bailey, S. (2004). Searching for sounds. Retrieved 1 December 2007 from www.findsounds.com.

Ashley Wright lives in Eugene, Oregon. In between studying and working, she rocks the house and gets up to get down. You can email her at awright[at]slis.sjsu.edu.





I am Your Classmate, I am Your Co-Worker
By Carissa Purnell

The average age of today's library school student at San Jose State University is 37 according to Peterson?s 2007 Professional and Graduate School Guide. Only 6.7 percent of the nation's librarians are under 30, and just 13 percent are under 35, according to the American Library Association Committee on Diversity. Cause for concern arises when these small numbers of Generation Y students, those born between 1980 and 1990, are placed alongside the numbers for their older Generation X and the Baby Boomer classmates representing birth years between 1946-1979.

At First Glance

As a proud 1985 born, Generation Y graduate student at San Jose State, I see and experience the frustrations of a young person trying to penetrate the library glass ceiling of tradition and established discourse with our digital demands and taste for Library 2.0. Trying to gain respect and credibility has proven a challenge as many have been kind enough to point out that many of us are indeed younger than their own children. However, although few in numbers we are the future of the library system, despite a fair amount of resistance.

Take a Second Look

While often labeled and cast out as the "children" of our courses, we bring to the table a new perspective and set of experiences that can potentially move the library system forward in its efforts to embrace technological innovation. Though I may not remember using a card catalog, I do know I was exposed to in house online collection catalogs at the age of three, and can contribute a large amount of my digital competencies to early and frequent exposure to computer software and programs. I have not seen a due date stamp but have regularly used self checkout terminals, and online renewal features, and have years of experience as a user and student interacting with the integration of technology into the library system. I have never checked out a VHS tape, but very much enjoy seeing the DVD collections of local libraries continuing to grow. I created a myspace page before the term "social networking" became chic. I am a product of what the library system hoped to create when they integrated technology into circulation and reference functions.

Although terrifying to many, those of us barely legal to drink and vote are enrolled in the program, and we offer a wealth of knowledge. Rather than disregard and overlook our generational experiences, I very much encourage all enrolled in the program to discuss and collaborate with us "kids". Planning that includes a comprehensive range of viewpoints can better represent and reflect the differences in library's patron bases.

Put to the Test

Case in point: strategic planning efforts. When assigned the task of evaluating and altering library programming for the betterment of a library community, as faced by every SLIS student at one point in their graduate career, I had to work with a partner--a mother of three. With a pregnant daughter slightly older than me, a son my same exact age, and another son quite close behind, I was well aware that I was significantly younger than my classmate. The awkward feelings of walking into her home, noticing walls plastered with family photos dated to the 80's and a yearbook with the year 1971 on the spine cannot truly be described.

Nonetheless, after the sweat beads of terror cleared from my face we sat down to discuss our initial visit with our test library branch and exchanged our ideas for improvement. Though I admit being mortified that this woman was older than my own mother, I was further shocked when her list of improvements included signage, floor plan, ADA standards, and beefing up the large-print collection. My list of suggestions were based on the large number of VHS tapes, poor OPAC user interface, and lack of online journals, and I leaned toward improving the technological standards of the branch. The split in library user ideas of wants and needs was more than obvious at this point; generational expectations and tastes were laid out. Then it happened.

How We Fit Together

After the passing of a few moments of silence, we both laughed. Not a single perspective of need was shared. We did not have a single idea in common about how to improve this library. In hopes to find common ground (or secretly hoping to prove the other wrong,) we reviewed the patron demographics collected by the branch and were more than amused to see the highest user age groups reflected by our own ages. As a college town, the library served a large, young university base as well as an older, retired base due to the area?s high cost of coastal living.

Placing our lists alongside one another, we highlighted and explained why we chose our areas of need. As a young, independent, and slightly anti-social student, I had no need for signage or directional help. She however, self-described as aging and needy, sarcastically emphasized the need for directional assistance in a sea of books and computer terminals. Remembering the large-print inconveniently tucked behind the computer terminals, we laughed at the idea it was the last place readers of large print collections would begin and want to look. She explained to me the feelings of intimidation walking into a library branch met by a sea of computer terminals, rather than books themselves. To further contribute to her confusion the reference desk was tucked behind a new book display, rather than evident and welcoming for someone like her, or anyone, seeking reference assistance. Her final proposal was moving a small reading nook away from the bathrooms. Little did I realize a set of comfy chairs and a few desks were placed directly across from the bathrooms which can?t provide the most pleasant leisurely reading experience. I hadn?t noticed because I was looking at computer terminals as my area of interest in the library, not a reading nook.

Agreeing on the floor plan renovation and creating a more hospitable environment for those in search of books, and those with interest to use the library to read and study, it was now my turn to shed light on technology love. Having received my BA less than a year ago, I emphasized the needs and requirements placed on students to explore online academic journal material. With the failing book market and financial woes in the publishing industry many academic scholars have taken to web hosting, and in order to receive contemporary information to this material, subscriptions to them were required. Many students living on Top Ramen noodles can barely afford to do laundry, much less pay a monthly $300.00 fee to use Lexus Nexus. Skeptical I had made a dent, I was saved by her son chiming in from the next room, "Hello, um, Mom, don't you use online resources for YOUR classes right now? Just because you went to college before we were born, don't be so old". Trying hard to contain my laughter, I glanced over at my partner. We exchanged eye contact, and burst into roaring laughter.

Why it Works

With knowledge only developed through experience, and knowledge only learned through a digital upbringing, the partnership between our generations offered a comprehensive learning experience, on top of an excellent grade. Regularly exchanging emails addressing our current courses and sharing stories, we've come to help one another in the areas in which we struggle. Though I'd like to hope I won't ever have a need for a large print mystery collection, and she will never admit to enjoying using myspace to exchange messages, we were each humbled, educated, and bettered because of our open, shared experiences in recognizing and working with the age differences between us.

Carissa Purnell is an MLIS student at San Jose State University pursuing the Information Architecture and Design Track. Upon graduation she hopes to increase computer access and digital funding to urban libraries in need, and develop children’s programming to educate minority youth groups about the potential and possibilities of technology.





Troubled Waters: SLIS Complaints?
By John D. Berry

Yes, I admit I am an online lurker on blogs and discussion lists as it is always faster to read than post cogent replies to light-speed discussions. By the time you organize your thoughts, edit them to be semi-politically correct, the discussion has evolved into another life form. Not that I?ve ever worried too much about political correctness.

I read a lot of complaints about SJSU?s SLIS program. Most of them can be categorized as:

1. Why is it so expensive?
2. Why is it not democratic?
3. Why do they make us take X, Y, Z?
4. Why is it all online, or why isn?t it all online?
5. Why did evil SJSU eat CSU Fullerton?s Library program?

1. Why is it so expensive?

Back in the old days we trudged to school in the snow and it would make our shoes heavy! To which is replied–you had shoes? You may think SJSU is expensive but I have to say to you now; it has always been hard to pay for school–even when CSU tuition was $86.00 a semester it was hard. The reality check is: what has gone down in price that is worth anything in terms of quality? This is a professional degree. Have lawyers, dentists or doctors ever paid less for their educations year to year? Have any of them in practice dropped their fees? Let?s face it folks, if you are here for the money as the primary reason, you are in the wrong profession. Inflation has always been a real issue.

2. Why is it not democratic?

Western-European-based education was started during the same historical period in which guilds were strong and so is patterned after guild-based learning. You become an apprentice (the B.A. or B.S. degree), a journeyman (the M.A. or M.S.) degree, or a master (the Ph.D. and sundry degrees including “professional degrees”). It has never been a democratic process and most likely never will be democratic process. Tradition has a power of its own. Frankly, I worry that the cohesiveness of the scholarly community will become fragmented and much weaker with so much non-resident scholarship.

3. Why do they make us take X, Y, Z?

Making you take X, Y, and Z introduces you to the profession, and hopefully synchronizes you somewhat with your professional peers nationally and internationally. I?m old fashioned I guess, but I think you should have to take advanced reference, (where you actually have to handle books in addition to databases!) and cataloging even if you aren?t going there. It is helpful to understand cataloging at a basic level for all kinds of very good reasons. Remember, one of the first and most massive databases in the world is still a library catalog.

4. Why is it all online, or why isn’t it all online?

It?s not all online because there are just some things you can?t do online. It?s just not all digitized and it most likely never will be even in your lifetime. I hear complaints about there not being physically-based classes. Actual experience from here (U.C. Berkeley all of 40 miles away from SJSU) merely demonstrates that when hybrid (North and South combined) classes won?t fill, that doesn?t leave much hope for physically-based classes being offered. Sometimes you do get what you ask for, and then no one takes advantage of it. Such is life.

5. Why did evil SJSU eat CSUF’s library school?

The factual answer is – It did not. CSUF?s library school was crushed by not achieving ALA accreditation back in the 1970?s. There are many rumored reasons for this, but we will not go there in this article. This pre-dates SJSU?s reactivation by some few decades. Not only is it an erroneous question, it is heinously false. I roomed with a CSUF LIS student back then so I “actually know.”

John D. Berry
Full Librarian
Comparative Ethnic and Native American Studies
Ethnic Studies Library
U.C. Berkeley





Radio Frequency Identification: Coming Soon to a Library Near You?
By Katie Melville

RFID technology is finding a way into more applications, including retail inventories and government records.RFID is a powerful tool but controversial; it may be a little premature to implement in libraries at this time.

RFID, or radio frequency identification, is a "wireless identification technology poised to sweep over the commercial world,” according to Ari Juels of the RSA Laboratories in Bedford, MA. RFID is a combination of radio-frequencybased technology and microchip technology. Why is RFID so attractive to retail and other applications maintaining inventories in constant motion and fluctuation? RFID technology is substantially superior for tracking stock, products and prices. Inventory control tasks can be performed in a fraction of the time, with better accuracy, according to a white paper by VTLS, a library technology company located in Virginia.

The RFID system consists of three components: the RFID tag (a tiny, inexpensive chip), the reader or sensor to interrogate the tag, and a computer. The RFID tag transmits a unique identifying number over a short distance to a reading device that permits rapid, automated tracking of objects.

What do Libraries Have in Common with Wal-Mart, Target and Albertson’s?

Many libraries are considering using this technology and a number of them have implemented it within the past few years. Large department stores like Wal-Mart in the USA and Marks & Spencer in the United Kingdom have made aggressive plans for the use of RFID in their management of product inventories and sales, according to experts at VTLS. RFID technology is slated to replace barcodes on library books and other materials, according to many experts. Barcodes have to be within close proximity to be read by readers, but RFID tags do not. Many barcode readers also require actual contact with an item to read the code. RFID tags do not have this restriction and offer more flexibility.

According to 3M Library Services, 2% of libraries in the U.S. and 8% of libraries worldwide use RFID. Academic libraries and public libraries are both included in these figures. A large instillation is found at the library in Singapore and at the new Central Library in Seattle, Washington. Closer to home, the technology is currently in operation in Santa Clara City Library and at Berkeley Public Library, though not without some negative feedback.

Do the Advantages Outweigh the Drawbacks?

The benefits of RFID for libraries are most apparent in three areas: inventory, sorting and security. Many inventory tasks can be done in a fraction of the time as with barcode readers: a whole shelf of books can be read by a portable RFID reader in one sweep. The portable reader will then report which books are missing or misshelved. Sorting of books can be done automatically using RFID and an automatic sorting system, which drops the books into various bins depending upon the number on the spine, the call number. Security is a major benefit for the technology, as one tag provides both identification and sensors capable of activating the alarms at the exit.

RFID technology allows patrons to check out their own items much more efficiently than the traditional barcode system. This is a benefit to many understaffed libraries, as funding remains flat or is dropping in many communities, yet the demands for services continues to rise. Libraries are attempting to do more with less.

The primary drawback of the technology is the cost (currently about 75 cents per tag, but falling) and the privacy issues. According to Library Technology consultant Lori Bowen Ayre, "RFID technology introduces an ethical dilemma for librarians." In her position paper "RFID and Libraries," she states, "The tags contain static information that can be relatively easily read by unauthorized tag readers. This allows for privacy issues described as ‘tracking’ and ‘hot listing.’" Ayre states that proper safeguards for RFID have not been developed to the extent that libraries can embrace the technology. Berkeley Public Library director Jackie Griffin resigned, following a controversial decision to install RFID devices.

Should We Be Concerned?

Library attorney and author Mary Minow is also concerned with the use of RFID. Her Library Law blog posting of August 20, 2004, declares: "Although the Patriot Act weakens library patron privacy, in some ways RFID tags pose a greater risk if not handled with great caution. Whereas the Patriot Act requires legal procedure to obtain information about your reading habits, RFID tags are promiscuous; that is they can be read by anyone who has a compatible reader, including your next door neighbor."

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is dedicated to defending freedom in the digital world. The EFF is strongly opposed to the use of RFID in California’s public libraries. They believe that the issues regarding patrons’ privacy have not been addressed or resolved at this time. There is current legislation on the use of RFID pending before the California legislature. California Senate Bill #768, the Identity Information Protection Act of 2006, proposes privacy and security measures for RFID tags implemented in state identification cards. California Senate Bill #1834 would have prohibited the use of RFID on library circulating materials to collect, store or share information that would identify a borrower. However, this bill failed in Assembly last year.

Will the pizza delivery guy actually have access to my financial and medical records? An email joke circulating for the last few years highlights a common concern for consumers. Through the use of one multi purpose card number--according to the joke--the pizza ordering agent had access to phone numbers, addresses, medical records, library transactions, financial records, DMV registrations and legal information. A customer was discouraged from his choice of pizza due to his medical profile and not allowed to pay by credit card because he had exceeded his credit limits.

What is the Future of Libraries and RFID?

At what point does tracking become intrusion? Will RFID technology allow library records to become available for any technosavvy hacker or geek with the appropriate tools? This short, cautionary exposition provides more questions than answers. Stay tuned; this is an issue that will not be resolved soon.

Katie Melville is a library assistant at the Livermore Public Library. The views expressed here are hers alone, and do not represent the position of the Livermore Public Library.



How to Succeed at the e-Portfolio Without Really Worrying
By Daria DeCooman

1. Save Everything

Well, within reason. Papers, presentations, contributions to Blackboard discussions: If it pertains to one or more of the 15 competencies, save it. If an artifact is a website, take screenshots and assemble them in a PDF. If you're not the sole creator or owner of the website, don't assume it will still be online when your culminating semester rolls around or that you can recover all or enough of the site via the Wayback Machine. If an instructor returns comments inserted into one of your papers or presentations, save the graded version as well as your final version (in its original program, e.g., Word, versus only in PDF).

2. Back Everything Up

Don't rely on one mechanism to save your artifacts. Just as when you travel abroad you split your identification and money into two caches (one in a hotel safe, the other on your person), you should similarly take extra effort to make sure that if one of your artifact back-up mechanisms fails, you have another. Can't afford a portable drive or mass storage device? Get a Gmail account. It's free and comes with lots of room.

3. Organize Early

The e-Portfolio handbook is publicly available at http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/289/289fall06.htm. Upcoming portfolio-ers are lucky; at best, you can read the handbook before selecting and investing in courses, and at minimum you have some extra advance warning and can get a jumpstart at getting your files in order. Each student naturally will take an individual approach to organizing for the portfolio. Coming into the portfolio experience as a cusp student, among the first class or cohort to assemble portfolios rather than writing papers to graduate, I took a simple approach to getting organized. After setting up a folder for each competency, as well as one for the portfolio introduction/professional philosophy statement and one for the portfolio conclusion, I reviewed my artifacts and parked each into all relevant folders. From there, I adjusted folder contents, wrote an introduction for each folder, and worked with my advisor to ensure folder contents met with satisfaction. The main point here is that it's never too early to start organizing in preparation for the portfolio. Moving forward, I imagine students can build portfolios incrementally throughout semesters and arrive at the culminating semester assured of having in hand ample artifacts to present as evidence of proficiency.

4. Get to Know Plone

Plone tutorials are freely available to one and all at http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/plone/. Why wait until your culminating semester to get to know Plone?

5. Build Your Portfolio on Schedule

If you want to ensure your 289 advisor reviews all your portfolio contents and provides at least one round of comments before the semester ends, start building your portfolio early and keep up the good work throughout the semester. I set up a calendar with benchmarks (e.g., by this date, I'll have half the portfolio submitted for first review) and deadlines (e.g., on this date, I'll submit these three folders), and building according to schedule worked well for me.

6. Keep Track of Your Portfolio Progress

An e-Portfolio advisor may have 10 or more students. Each student may create a folder for each of the 14 competencies and a folder for the portfolio introduction (including the addendum Competency 15) and a folder for the conclusion. I guesstimate the average number of artifacts per folder is two. You can see what portfolio advisors are dealing with. Help yourself and your advisor by keeping track of dates you submit specific folders, whether your request is for first or second review, and whether you've received any reply yet. While advisors are obviously busy people and like all of us need time to get work done, if no response has been forthcoming regarding a certain piece of your portfolio, drop a note to follow up. Even if your email program provides delivery confirmation, an email may still be caught in a spam filter on the other end or may have met with goodness-knows what "lost in the ether" fate.

7. Respect Your Advisor's Preferences

Assembling a winning portfolio isn't just about you. The portfolio is our last chance to benefit from the expertise and tutelage proffered by highly trained professionals, the SJSU SLIS faculty. From following carefully your advisor's file-naming conventions, to heeding her or his advice regarding format or substance of folder introductions and contents, working well and cooperatively with your advisor can help you emerge with "Pass" (and thus an MLIS). Working well and cooperatively with your advisor can also help you emerge with a portfolio that's stronger than one you could've assembled on your own and that might prove a real, tangible asset as you continue to build your career.

8. Take Advantage of Peer Support Groups

Whether we're talking about e-Portfolio Blackboard sites or ad-hoc Google or Yahoo groups created by e-Portfolio students from across 289 classes, all these groups provide peer support. Log on often and pay attention to the discussions; learning from peers' misadventures, mistakes, insights, and successes can give you a leg up.

9. Do Some Research

Now that the first group to culminate via portfolio has wrapped up, several SJSU SLIS portfolios are becoming available on the SLIS website as of January 2007. Looking at portfolios of those who've gone before, as well as getting insights into what makes your advisor tick, could help when it comes time to assemble your portfolio. Throughout the remainder of your SLIS tenure, watch SLIS listservs, pay attention to announcements, and see if you can gain some intelligence that will help you assemble a winning portfolio, one sure to please you and your advisor.

10. Stay Confident, Be Brave, and Appreciate the Experience

The portfolio will be as good an intellectual product as all others you create during your SLIS tenure. Dedication to excellence throughout the MLIS program allows you to breathe easily at the end, when you get the chance to review your output, select from your best artifacts, and present them in winning combinations to demonstrate your specific proficiencies. Those of us who worry too much all the time should take a chill pill when it comes to the portfolio; confidence in our own abilities should guide us through assembling our goods. But if you have doubts, about any aspect of the portfolio experience, even if you're afraid of seeming stupid or offending advisors, please remember that librarianship is a profession based on respect and fairness and then speak up, ask your questions, and get on with it. In the end, the semester will pass quickly and you'll find yourself equipped with more knowledge about your own abilities, strengths, and weaknesses, as well as a tool to help you rev up your career. In fact, and as you might have heard or guessed, you may just find yourself even enjoying the portfolio experience.

Daria DeCooman, a library communications manager for the publishing company Elsevier, lives in San Diego and is very glad to have passed 289 in fall 2006.




Academic Librarian Wanted; Professional Experience Required The Library Residency Program

After graduating with perfect grades and armed with strong
faculty recommendations from the School of Information
Sciences at the University of Tennessee, I felt I had a
reasonable chance at getting a good job. I was dead wrong.
--Ameet Doshi, "Reflections on the Library Resident Program"

By Kristine Macalalad

For those of us with our sights on academic libraries as a potential career path, job ads, which often cite professional experience as a requirement, can be puzzling and discouraging. How do newly minted library professionals break in to their first job without experience? One option is the residency program.

Residencies for Librarians?

Unlike internships, which are usually unpaid, short-term assignments for students, residencies are salaried, two to three year appointments meant to give new graduates entry-level, professional experience. Residents may work individually or as part of a cohort (a group of residents hired at the same time). They can be project based or open to the candidate’s preferences for certain areas or departments in which to work. The nature of the job will depend on the goals the library administration wishes to accomplish through the residency. Some programs attempt to match the resident’s strengths with gaps in services, providing the new professional with the opportunity to create something uniquely their own; others may simply ask for support for existing services.

Regardless of the type of residency, however, most institutions are likely to require a rigorous application process, complete with multiple interviews via phone and inperson, presentation of work, and meetings with committees and potential colleagues. Unless residents are lucky enough to be around during a retirement, it’s not customary for institutions to make an offer of permanent employment.

So Who’s Offering These Programs?

Though the concept of residencies first sprang from a desire within the profession to provide new graduates with much needed support in the early stages of their career, to increase diversity, and, perhaps most importantly, to recruit new talent into the field, the actual establishment of programs at different institutions depends largely on the availability of funds. As Denise Cote, former resident librarian at the College of DuPage, points out, the residency program at that institution only became possible when a librarian gave up half of her position to take on other work funded by outside sources.

Finding programs may be a bit difficult but, Julie Brewer, coordinator of personnel and staff development at the University of Delaware library, has eased the task by compiling a database of institutions offering residencies in the U.S, available on the Internet through the Association of Research Libraries website at http://www.arl.org/careers/residencies. html. Though not comprehensive, the list is always growing. With 47 records of programs at various universities, many of which are located in the midwestern and eastern United States, there is much to consider.

Pros

There are many advantages to completing a residency, one of the most attractive being the chance to experience professional-level work without the pressures of regular, tenure-track positions. In his article, "Residency Programs as a Means of Nurturing New Librarians," Peter Hepburn, former resident librarian at the Richard Daley Library at the University of Illinois at Chicago, points out, "In a sense, resident librarians are treated as debutantes coming out into the profession. The program introduces them to the society of librarians in a comfortable workplace environment." Ameet Doshi, another veteran of the residency program at the College of DuPage, agrees. During his stay, he was continually reminded to learn as much as possible.

The residency can also be a means of discovering and developing one’s professional interests and strengths. This can be a good thing for both librarians and the profession itself. Doshi remarks, "The fact that many new librarians are thrust into the first position they are offered, coupled with the possibility that this new position may not be interesting, could lead to people abandoning the profession. The residency acts as a unique bulwark against such a phenomenon by allowing the resident the freedom to determine their strengths, interests and weaknesses."

Despite feelings of support and encouragement from established colleagues, though, residency work is real work. The program at the College of DuPage, Doshi says, is "symbiotic." He adds, I learn from my colleagues and opportunities to engage in community college librarianship at a dynamic institution, and the college gets a highly motivated, knowledgeable librarian for two years. That kind of motivation can only translate into improved services for library patrons. For instance, Doshi conducted focus groups to international students. Denise Cote, one of Doshi’s predecessors, initiated and developed "Online College" which provided services to distance education students at the College of DuPage, connecting with them to the school via email, chat, IM, and real-time video.

Cons

Many professionals who have written about their time as residents have overwhelmingly positive reactions to their experiences, but just as many also agree that one real disadvantage to the residency is the duration of the assignments. Two or three years may sound like a long time but, in reality, such a term is barely adequate to complete the projects residents take on. On top of that pressure, are feelings of disappointment over having to leave what in many ways can be an ideal work environment.

In her article, "Academic Research Residency Programs: Looking Back on the Journey," Charmaine H. Henriques highlights the fact that most residencies are temporary. Regarding residencies as tools for increasing diversity in the profession, she calls on administrators to take the next step--to go beyond recruitment and to support retention and promotion of persons of color.

Taking the Plunge

The residency program can be an attractive option for those willing to relocate for a temporary, but rewarding, experience. When applying, it’s important to consider the aims of the program--what projects will be given to residents. Henriques writes, "I had to consider the residency experience I wanted and how the training would tie in with my professional needs."

Residencies may not be a foot in the door of that particular institution, but are still a great way for graduates to find a way onto the field, to gain real-world experience and to gain access to unique learning opportunities. For library administrations, the programs provide a way to recruit new talent, to instill a lasting passion and dedication in graduates for the profession, and to benefit from the services of a highly motivated employee. That’s a win-win situation.

More Reading on Residency Programs

Agnew, S., Gray, L., & Puente, M.A. (2006, May). Academic Residency Programs: The Cohort Experience. Versed. Retrieved
September 27, 2006 from http://www.ala.org/ala/diversity/versed/versedbackissues/may2006abc/acres.htm.

Brewer, J. & Winston, M. D. (2001). Program Evaluation for Internship/Residency Programs in Academic and Research Libraries.
College and Research Libraries, 62. Retrieved September 27, 2006 from
http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlpubs/crljournal/backissues2001b/july01/brewer.pdf.

Doshi, A. (2005). Reflections on the Library Resident Program. CJCLS Newsletter, 21(2), 4-6. Retrieved September 27, 2006 from
http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/aboutacrl/acrlsections/cjcls/print/Volume_21_No_2.pdf.

Hepburn, P. (2001). Residency Programs as a Means of Nurturing New Librarians. Feliciter, 47, 142-144. Retrieved September 27,
2006 from http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/hww/shared/shared_main.jhtml?_requestid=376973.

Henriques, C.H. (2004, May-June). Academic Research Residency Programs: Looking Back on the Journey. Versed. Retrieved
September 27, 2006 from http://www.ala.org/ala/diversity/versed/versed2004/may2004abc/academicresidency.htm.

Kristine Macalalad is pursuing an MLIS in Library and Information Science at San Jose State University. She hopes to pursue a career in a community college library.





Too Much Information!!!
By Julie Gerardin

We live in a world that bombards us with an increasing amount of information. An internet marketing firm found that as of mid-2006, over 170 billion emails are sent worldwide each day -- of these, 70% are spam! Reading statistics like this, it is hardly surprising that too much information can adversely impact our health and productivity.

Researchers at UC Berkeley published a study, "How Much Information," in 2003. The study reveals that the rate at which information is being produced worldwide is increasing at a remarkably high rate. Computers and the internet have enabled us to produce far more information than most people can access in a reasonable amount of time. According to the study’s key findings, in just three years, the amount of new stored information, nearly all of which exists on computers, doubled from 1999 to 2002.

Information overload has been alternatively referred to as “information glut,” “information anxiety” and “information pollution.” While each expression is slightly different, each refers to the fact that most of us are drowning in a sea of information without a compass to help us navigate efficiently. When we have too much information, it becomes difficult to make decisions and to evaluate each source’s accuracy.

One area where many of us experience this is in the workplace. We have too many emails, voice mails, meetings, reports, and additional documentation that must be reviewed, evaluated and acted upon. Students can also experience information overload. While more data is available through the internet and electronic databases, it can become challenging to evaluate all material retrieved and synthesize it into a quality research paper. To determine if you are affected, think about where you spend most of your time. Do you ever feel overwhelmed by all there is to do, complete, accomplish or read? Studies have shown that symptoms of information overload include:

• Weakened vision due to an increased exposure to computer screens
• Stress, illness, tension and arguments between colleagues
• Confusion
• Impaired judgment based on overconfidence
• Frustration and lowered tolerance
• Decreased benevolence toward others
• Overconfidence that more information improves accuracy, when it actually does not

Why is this happening? There are several reasons. The amount of information that we are exposed to each day is far greater than our ability to process it. Information has become more complex; therefore, it is more difficult to comprehend and analyze it. Sometimes the way in which we receive information is not conducive to processing it. We receive information from multiple sources and in multiple formats. This requires additional skill sets to adapt to each of these differences. Sometimes we don’t know what we’re looking for. When I started researching this article, I wasn’t sure if the common term was “information overload” or something different. Alternatively, we might locate results we’re looking for, such as an article in a proprietary database; however, we are unable to access it if we aren’t subscribers or perhaps the link is no longer valid. Since we receive such large amounts of information, we must be able to filter out what is relevant. This takes time and practice. When I start a project, I might retrieve dozens of articles and websites, but wind up using just a handful. Sometimes as one becomes more familiar with a subject, it becomes easier to complete this process. Finally, we have to evaluate the quality and accuracy of our information no matter what its source. Some don’t have the ability or desire to do so.

Too much information can have a negative impact on people, their family members and their places of employment. Effects reported from this phenomenon include ill health, reduced job satisfaction, working additional hours to keep up, frequently at home, stress, frustration and unhappiness. In extreme cases, family relationships suffer and depression can result.

Employees try to keep up, but in doing so become less efficient and effective, as do organizations. Productivity is reduced, decisionmaking is often impaired due to the overwhelming mass of data, and more errors result. A lot of resources are wasted by employees trying to keep on top of things or locate one piece of information that might be buried in a pile of papers on their desk or in an email.

How can we cope with the increasing amount of information that comes our way each day? There are many articles on the web touting tools to help manage all the information we need to read each day. One example is news aggregators. An aggregator is software used to read web-based subscription content. These news feeds are updated frequently and “pushed” to the user so he or she doesn’t have to seek out this information. I favor an alternative approach to managing information overload. I propose that instead of finding technology to manage it all, perhaps we can work differently and improve our productivity, efficiency and health in the process!

If we want to address this problem, there are several techniques we can use at work, school or home to become better organized. For me, it was helpful to go to a course, but others might just need to learn to manage their time wisely. Outlook or a similar email system allows a user to consolidate tasks, emails and calendar functions into one system. Purge files periodically, and handle documents (including emails) just once. Don’t check email continually – it causes a loss of focus and results in lost productivity since it takes a while to refocus on the project you were working on originally. Before scheduling a meeting, determine if it’s important. Meeting organizers should invite only the relevant participants, start and end the session on time, and follow an agenda. If you have an office close your door if you need uninterrupted time, and if not, let your co-workers know.

At home, we sometimes fill our lives with “busy work.” Television consumes a lot of time in the United States. A 2006 Nielsen research study indicates that the average household watches eight hours of television a day! The internet can be a learning tool, but also a time waster. We don’t necessarily need to keep up on all the day’s events—sometimes less information leads to more quality time with family and friends. Just like a vacation, perhaps we can spend one day a week without television or the computer.

When doing research for school or personal knowledge, don’t get distracted by unrelated websites. I confess that this is one of my weaknesses! Start with the library’s electronic databases to stay more focused and retrieve the best results before turning to the internet.

As people who are expected to process large amounts of information, it is especially important for librarians to become aware of information overload and learn coping mechanisms to handle it effectively. It’s important to remember that we don’t need to know everything; we just need to know where to find it. This ability helps us in our jobs and personal lives, and it will also help our patrons who are likely suffering from this affliction as well. A patron who has spent countless hours searching the internet for relevant material will be greatly relieved when you perform a search and hand them just the four or five most relevant references!

Julie Gerardin is currently an MLIS student at San Jose State University. When she’s not studying, she works as an information technology consultant in Turlock, California.




Canoes

This canoe travels one way, through the river of time.
From my island, I can look back and see you on your island there, where I have been.
Sometimes I wish you could hurry along and join me here.
If you could hurry, you might avoid the rivers of blood, our canoes sometimes cross.
Avoid the rapids, caused by cauldrons of racism, faith, politics and greed.
If only we could meet halfway, but I cannot paddle my canoe back.
There are unknown islands up ahead and I must go.
Still, I can leave my notes for you, to speak to you while you journey;
Leaving warnings and advise, of safe harbors, with love.
Perhaps you will heed and find them somehow.
What you will remember or read, when you arrive here, I cannot know.
As we stare from these islands in the stream, across at one another.
By the time you reach this island, I will have paddled on.
Journey safely and remember the islands where you have been;
Leaving your own notes behind.

John D. Berry, Berkeley, CA 2006 ©




What’s a Wiki? Wikis and Their Use in Libraries
by Julie Gerardin

Wikis have become increasingly popular in the past few years. This technology provides innovative ways for librarians to enhance instruction, communication, and collaboration with their patrons and colleagues. If you’ve ever used the online encyclopedia Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/) to research a subject on the Internet, then you’re already familiar with wikis.

What’s a Wiki?

Wikis are “the simplest online database that could possibly work,” according to their inventor, Ward Cunningham (http://wiki.org/wiki.cgi?WhatIsWiki). Not surprisingly, a more complete definition of a wiki can be found on Wikipedia: “A wiki is a website that allows anyone to easily add, edit, and change its content.” No programming knowledge is required and the interface is user-friendly. To take advantage of this technology, users don’t need to install anything on their computers besides a web browser (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox). The term “wiki” can be used to describe a website or the software itself which is used to update the website.

Use in Libraries

Wikis are being used creatively in all types of libraries. A wiki can be the library’s home page or strictly for internal communication among staff members. Uses include research guides, knowledge bases and collaboration tools.

Research guides, sometimes called subject guides or pathfinders, are frequently used in academic libraries. Each guide lists recommended resources about a topic and is compiled by librarians to assist patrons with research. Two examples are the St. Joseph County public library and Ohio University.

The St. Joseph County public library website is created and maintained by librarians for patrons. While patrons don’t have the ability to update the guide, there is a page where they can provide feedback that the librarians use to improve this resource.

The Ohio University Biz Wiki takes a more collaborative approach. Its focus is business research and students, staff, and faculty members are all permitted and encouraged to edit it.

Knowledge bases are collections of information about a subject or a field of interest. A research guide could be classified as a knowledge base, but is much more specific in scope. On the Oregon Library’s wiki, content can be updated by staff members and the website states that “all librarians and others interested in library instruction are welcome and encouraged to contribute.” The University of South Carolina uses the technology to provide information to faculty members, but only the library has the ability to modify the pages.

Wikis can be used as collaboration tools in numerous venues. They can be used by students and faculty working on projects in academic libraries. They can be used in any library by librarians and other library staffs to share information, create manuals, or collaborate with patrons.

One way the University of Minnesota uses their wiki is to communicate all information relevant to library staff. While update capability is limited, feedback is encouraged. In the state of Washington, the Pierce County public library system has created a wiki where anyone can contribute their opinions on topics like favorite books, film, and music.

Benefits

According to SLIS professor Debbie Faires, “Online collaboration is the biggest benefit. It is a wonderful way to enable information sharing among a group of people.” Sending a document back and forth to a distribution list by email can be inconvenient and time-consuming. If a project is developed as a wiki, all users have access to the most recent document simultaneously. Most wikis also support version control so previous iterations are archived and can be retrieved if necessary. This functionality allows all changes to be tracked, and information about when they were made, and by whom, is also available. It also makes it possible to revert to a previous version when a wiki is vandalized.

Wikis are accessible and easy to use. A wiki is available from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection and no special software is required. Users can learn the technology quickly, and they don’t need to be proficient at HTML or other web programming languages.

Wikis are also flexible and can be used in a multitude of ways. Content and format may vary, and settings can be changed as needed. It is possible to configure wikis to require that contributors register, but most allow anonymity. Some only permit updates on certain pages, although too many restrictions are in direct contrast to the open source concept envisioned by Ward Cunningham.

Drawbacks

Flexibility is one of the features of wikis that makes them so collaborative; however, it can also make them appear disorganized since there is no built-in navigation. On public wikis, vandalism might occur. Also, since no one is censoring what can be changed, information may contain errors and omissions.

Wikis are living documents and only valuable as long as contributors continue to update them. If the target audience is not trained properly or loses interest, a wiki will cease to be useful.

Debbie Faires mentions that a potential drawback is ”the reluctance many people feel to try this new technology.” She continues, “Also, it can be hard to feel that it's socially acceptable to change what someone else has written.” It will be interesting to see how libraries handle this situation and help patrons and their staff become more comfortable with this software.

Bottom Line

Wikis have shown great potential as a tool to provide services in libraries. But in order for them to be valuable, they must have a specific purpose and patronage. While new technologies can be exciting, they are simply a means to accomplishing a goal. The objective might be working collaboratively with colleagues on a project, creating a knowledge base to assist users on a reference desk, or perhaps a subject guide for the patrons and library staff to use in their research. Used judiciously, wikis are an interesting and effective way to share information.

Related Resources

How Wikis Work
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/wiki.htm
Ohio University Libraries Biz Wiki
http://www.library.ohiou.edu/subjects/bizwiki/index.php/Main_Page
Oregon Library Instruction Wiki
http://instructionwiki.org/Main_Page
Pierce County Library Wiki
http://wiki.piercecountylibrary.org/
St. Joseph County Public Library
http://www.libraryforlife.org/subjectguides/index.php/Main_Page
University of Minnesota Staff Libraries
http://wiki.lib.umn.edu/
USCA Library Instruction Program
http://library.usca.edu/index.php/Instruction/HomePage
What is a Wiki?
http://www.oreillynet.com/lpt/a/6646
Wiki – Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki






Conference/Seminar Tips
by Elizabeth Horan

During my first semester in the program here at SJSU, I got an email about a SLA professional development seminar in San Diego and decided to go. I was interested in the subject they were presenting (new technologies) and secretly wanted to see what a professional development seminar was like. The seminar was amazing! The food was great as were all the presenters. I had my first introduction to Second Life as well as new technologies and Library 2.0, but on the drive home (got to love So Cal traffic) I thought of things I could have done to maximize my experience at the seminar as well as present myself better to people who were potential employers. These ideas are what I would like to share with you.

Before You Go

Not sure what conference to attend? Check out some conference dates on the SLIS web page at http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/resources/conferences/lisconferenc es.php This is not a conclusive list, but it is a great start. Look for events in your neck of the woods. While you are there, why not see what kinds of scholarships are available for your conference. Many organizations offer scholarships to cover travel expenses as well as the complete conference package. Somebody has to win this, might as well be you! Usually you can get some kind of discount on conferences and seminars if you register as a student. You get a bigger discount if you go as a member of the organization and as student, so consider joining the organization before you go.

My first word of advice is to go as a student. When you register for these events, register as a student. The student badge is a flashing light encouraging people to talk to you. At the San Diego seminar I was the only person there with a student badge and I found that it made me very approachable. Three other students found me because of my badge. Not to mention all the people who asked me where I was in the program, how did I like it, when would I graduate, and what kind of job was I looking for. These inquiries usually ended with a request for a business card and this is where I fell short.

Second word of advice, have some business cards. My student badge was a wide open door, but when it came time to seal the deal with a way for my newfound contact to reach me, I failed. I did not have any business cards. The awful thing is that business cards are easy to come by. You can get 250 of them for free at Vista Print (http://www.vistaprint.com) if you don’t mind their logo on the backside, or pay $20.00 if you do mind the logo. What should you include on the business card? Your name, some way to contact you, expected date of graduation, and maybe your library concentration if you have one. You can include an address and any other information you would like. The trick is to have some business cards and to hand them out freely. You never know when a random person you met is going to remember you when your dream job becomes available.

At the conference

It is conference time and you are ready with your student badge and business cards, but what did you decide to wear today? I know this may seem silly, but I just want to make sure you choose your clothing with care. Chances are, you are going to be doing a lot of sitting so you will want to be comfortable, but you do not want to show up in your sweats. I would suggest something that you feel comfortable in and something that is comfortable to wear. This outfit should not scream out starving grad student, but maybe whisper, “you want to hire me, I am clean and professional.” I always feel it is more important for people to remember me, not what I am wearing, so I try to dress accordingly.

Another thing you should bring with you is breathmints. Maybe it is my paranoia of bad breath, but I would err on the side of caution on this one. If you have breathmints, you can eat, drink and be merry because when it comes time to talk to someone, you can just pop a piece of minty-freshness and you are ready to go.
Now you are ready to present yourself and start networking. Put on a smile and take advantage of the student badge and exchange business cards. When you meet someone new and exchange cards with him or her, quickly write down a note on the back of the card to remind you who this person is. “Green sweater, brown hair, sat next to me at lunch, introduced herself as Kat (Katherine).” These little notes will help you when you write “nice to meet you” notes after the conference.

After the conference

Two days after the seminar in San Diego I sent an email to the other students I had met. Just a nice to meet you, good luck in the program email, but two of those students remembered my interest in photography and archives and have sent me three job postings when they came across them. My word of advice here is to make contact with those you meet after the event is over. This is where the little notes on the back of business cards come in handy. “Dear Kat, It was nice to meet you at lunch. I am excited about your project in Second Life and hope to ‘stop by’ when it is finished.” We never know where a job will present itself. By making contacts and nurturing common interests we set ourselves up to be the person someone thinks of when they come across a job or employment opportunity. I will take all the help I can get in this department. On a personal note, I usually write snail mail notes instead of emails for things like this. I blame it on my mother, but I would encourage you to do whatever you are more likely to do in a timely manner.




So You Want to Attend a Library Conference?
ER&L 2007 and Suggestions for First-Time Conference-Goers
by Xan Arch

In February 2007, I attended the Electronic Resources and Libraries (ER&L) conference in Atlanta, Georgia. My trip was funded through a grant from San Jose State’s College of Arts and Sciences. This was my third library conference and I have begun to understand how to make these events both fun and useful. Here’s how to make your experience worthwhile:

Before you go:

1) Learn how to write a budget proposal. To ask for funding from your workplace or through a grant, you will often be required to provide a proposed budget for the trip. For this, you will need an average plane fare to your destination, hotel prices, and per diem rates for the city you will be visiting. The U.S. General Services Administration (www.gsa.gov) provides current per diem rates including hotel prices. Look in the Policy tab under Travel Management. Make sure to round up just a little! Taxes on flights and hotels can add significantly to your expenses.

2) Consider a smaller conference. ER&L had around 300 attendees in 2007 which made it a more casual, less intimidating environment. Another good smaller conference is the North American Serials Interest Group (NASIG), which focuses on library serials management.

When you’re there:

1) If your budget permits, stay at one of the conference hotels. Impromptu meetings in the coffee bar or the elevator are a good way to get to know your fellow attendees. Note: conference hotels often fill up quickly. Make a reservation early, before your funding is confirmed and cancel later if you are unable to attend.

2) If possible, bring business cards. If you have business cards from your work, bring enough to give to people you meet. These are the currency of conferences and the most professional way to establish new contacts.

3) Attend the social events. It will be difficult to meet other attendees during the few minutes before and after the sessions; the social events provide the time to meet and learn from your colleagues.

4) Ask around about the best sessions to attend. The quality of the session tends to be less about the topic and more about the speaker. The library community is not very big, so more experienced conference attendees will have an idea which speakers are worth hearing.

5) Pay attention to the biography of the presenter and the systems they use at their library. Many presentations involve the way a particular library has solved a common problem, which is most useful if you work or want to work in a similar environment. The issues facing public and academic libraries are often the same, but the solutions are very different. Likewise, if your library uses a SirsiDynix integrated library system (ILS), and the presenter is speaking about the way they solved a problem using their Innovative ILS, you may not find the session as helpful.

6) Consider volunteering to write a conference report. Most conferences send out a request for reporters on several listservs a few months before the event. These reports are short summaries of presentations and are usually published on the sponsoring organization’s newsletter. Writing a report is an easy way to get published for the first time.

Finally, I strongly suggest you spend some time after the conference summarizing your experience for yourself. These events contain an overwhelming amount of information and it is easy to return from the conference and focus on catching up on sleep. Instead, take an hour or two and make some notes about any new vocabulary you heard or new ideas that the conference inspired.

I had a five hour plane ride back from Atlanta so had plenty of time to write a summary of what I learned. Additionally, I volunteered to write two conference reports, to be published in Library Hi Tech News, so my summary will help me prepare those articles. A nice feature of the ER&L conference is the flash drive with the PowerPoint slides of every presentation that we received at registration. I can view presentations that I missed and review the slides of the ones I attended to help me remember the main points.

A major advantage of conference attendance is to see a snapshot of the most current issues in librarianship. The ER&L conference was aimed primarily at academic librarians and focused on electronic resources in libraries. Two of the most discussed topics were social software tools as a way to push library content to patrons and electronic resource management systems (ERMS). Several presentations detailed ways in which the presenter’s library had implemented a “Web 2.0” tool such as a wiki or a course management system and the problems and solutions that resulted. Electronic resource management systems are major software tools that allow libraries to track and maintain electronic resources. Many libraries are still struggling with the best ways to use their ERMS and presenters spoke about their experiences or their suggestions for the future.

Library conferences can seem intimidating but they are an excellent way to keep current on issues in librarianship and meet the people who have discovered solutions to the problems your own library faces. Look for me at the ALA Annual Conference in Washington D.C.!





It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's Library 2.0!
by M Ryan Hess

For some, Library 2.0 is a fine excuse to wear a mask and cape. Such is the story of Libraryman (a.k.a. Michael Porter of OCLC Western), one of the twelve hundred librarians in the Library and Librarians Group on the photo-sharing website known as Flickr. And if superhero outfits aren’t enough to get you excited, Flickr is also a great place to talk shop, network and participate in the Library 2.0 revolution. And besides, as Libraryman states: “Librarians on Flickr rock ever so much!”

There’s a lot of buzz these days about Library 2.0, a movement built upon the Web 2.0 technologies that have made You Tube and My Space so popular. These technologies enable users to manipulate, contribute and organize information by themselves as they see fit.

Like similar Web 2.0 websites, Flickr provides a space for users to broadcast their personalities to the world, specifically by uploading their digital photos, tagging keywords to photos, organizing them into collections and forming groups with people sharing similar interests. In short, users play the role of librarians, managing their own photo collections.

The result is an enormous universe of self-organized content, entirely searchable by keyword, author, date, geospatial tags and more. You can even search Flickr by doodling in a graphical search window on the mashup website Retrievr. Discovering the next great Ansel Adams can be serendipitous but also amazingly precise, which is quite remarkable simply because no authority control exists on Flickr. In fact, the functionality of Flickr is enabled by what columnist James Surowiecki has termed the “Wisdom of Crowds.” Out of the chaos of user-determined, uncontrolled vocabulary, logical patterns emerge.

Many librarians have decided to join the fray and have found a rich space in which to experiment and observe. The Library and Librarians Group currently hosts over eight thousand photos with 85 discussions. Some of the topics include a series of emails that were circulated to public libraries by religious groups opposing library integration with Flickr. The opposition was based on the erroneous belief that the site allowed pornographic content. (On that matter, the wisdom of crowds apparently extends to self-policing duties as well.) Other topics have covered the controversy of uncontrolled tagging and whether Best Practices should be adopted. The Library and Librarians Group, for their part, have pushed for Best Practices, mandating specific tags must be used when adding photos to their group.

Many Flickr librarians have used the website in interesting ways for their own libraries. Michael Stephens, a Library 2.0 blogger and an instructor at Domincan University’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science, has suggested 16 library uses of Flickr. Some of these include creating a Flickr page for the library and posting photos of book displays, conference slides, art exhibits and other library events. But with the ability to embed notes in your photos with HTML links as well as blogging photos, the potential uses are probably many times more.

Indeed, the more one uses Flickr, the more one sees the potential of Flickr-like tools for libraryies themselves. Imagine, if you will, library websites that don’t just serve as portals to OPACs, databases and reference services, but which supply a space for the user community to come together socially like they do on Flickr. Users could form affinity groups to share favorite books and debate the ideas in them. They could post their own content to add to the library. They could even join in a parallel cataloging effort using tags which would accentuate the official library record. And yes, users could even don superhero clothing and proclaim themselves champions of their own destiny. It would be entirely up to them. It would be Library 2.0 at its best.

Joining Flickr is free and while you’re at it, join the SJSU SLIS Flickr group at www.flickr.com/groups/sjsuslis.






Califa’s Symposium: Digitizing in a Material World

I finally have found out what a symposium was like and in the process learned a great deal. I hope that in presenting this article perhaps others can benefit as well.

By Darin Hoagland

What Was the Symposium About?

On April 19, 2007 I went to a workshop called “Digitizing in a Material World.” (http://califa.org/digitizationsymposium/announcement.html) The event did not disappoint. The oneday event addressed the practical applications surrounding how to “plan, create, and provide access to a variety of materials in a digital collection.” Digital preservation, copyright concerns, and digital project funding possibilities were also addressed. The workshop was appropriate for library, archive, museum or special collection staff seeking help in creating or enhancing their institution’s digital collection in the face of rising expectations. Several California library consortia co-sponsored the engaging symposium, primarily as a service to their members.

What Was it Like?

The symposium was well attended with over 100 present. The event was thoughtfully organized in a logical series of topics with appropriate expert speakers addressing each topic. Nine speakers representing various institutions each took their turn passing on their knowledge and experience. Many explained the ways they approached digitization, preservation problems, and how they ultimately solved them. Each presenter prepared handouts with what they thought would be useful to attendees. These were all usefully arranged and distributed within a folder provided by the symposium organizers. Some handouts were copies of PowerPoint slides and others were screenshots of websites. By the end of the workshop, I got a good sense of who is doing what in California and acquired take-home hard copy materials as well

The atmosphere was professional and sociable. While presenters took up most of the symposium time, there were a few short breaks and a long lunch. Networking opportunities were also provided to learn and share experiences with other attendees. Indeed the symposium organizers encouraged such interchanges among all who were present and I became more aware of this phenomenon as the symposium unfolded. One might even call it a common theme. Before I address this further, I want to make a couple other important observations about what I learned.

What I Learned

First, I found out that you might ask organizers to offer a student discount. In this symposium, the organizers eventually decided to offer a limited number of student internships. This meant that students could participate without registration fees in exchange for their assistance during the workshop. This is a very helpful option for students who cannot afford the $100 registration. The lesson is that it pays to ask.

Second, I discovered that my LIBR 284 class on digitization and digital preservation prepared me well for the subject matter of the symposium. While the concepts and terminology at times left other attendee’s with puzzled faces during presentations, I found I followed the discussion well and understood most of the jargon. Building on my 284 foundation, I learned and appreciated additional reasons to be there. There were enough new example applications, extensions on previously understood topics, and material to make it quite worthwhile. “Digitizing in a Material World” was a great refresher for me in the fast changing area of digitization.

I now feel I was silly initially worrying that the symposium was not appropriate for a student. All event organizers, presenters, and attendees were “students” at the symposium due to the complexity and rapid changes in the area of digitization.

Conclusion

Although the symposium was seemingly dominated by experts and their presentations (mostly a one-way communication), an underlying spirit of collaboration held sway during the event. Although subtle, this made a qualitative difference by the end of the workshop. Whether it was attendees asking experts questions, experts asking each other questions, or attendees providing feedback to the experts, all contributed to the event in positive ways.

Simply calling this networking seems somehow inadequate. Better still to characterize this phenomenon as a mutually rewarding exchange of ideas and experiences. Learning from others with similar professional and academic interests and participating in discussions and activities has to be one of the main objectives of any successful symposium. I not only learned about the practical applications of digitization, I became better acquainted with the importance of contributing to others and their interests. I hope to become more experienced at both receiving and providing these experiences. Fortunately, this certainly will not be my last symposium.

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This symposium will be repeated in Los Angeles in the Fall, 2007. Details should eventually be available on the Califa Website at http://www.califa.org/.
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Darin Hoagland is a MLIS student who is pursuing the archival studies track. He hopes to complete his degree at San Jose State University and begin a new career as an archivist. Darin lives in San Carlos, California and recently returned from a 13-day trip to Guatemala.





Latinos: Serving the Next Generation
By Nick Arce

While much light has been shed on the importance of addressing the needs of the Spanish-speaking population, it has virtually gone unnoticed that the nation’s largest minority group in the U.S. is undergoing a transformation. This change is so significant, it will affect all public libraries. U.S. born children of immigrants will soon emerge as the largest sub-segment of the Latino population. According to a study by the Pew Hispanic Center, experts estimate that between 2000 and 2020 the Latino population will increase by about 25 million, of which nearly 12 million will be second-generation Latinos.

In the U.S., the desire for representation and the influence of this new generation of Latinos is well illustrated with hybrid-culture primetime television shows such as the George Lopez show and Ugly Betty. It is also reflected in the increasing popularity of Spanishlanguage and bilingual cinema from Latin America, Spain and the U.S. such as Y Tu Mamá También, Volver, and Quinceañera. However representation cannot be limited to film and television, it must include library collections as well.

Traditionally, librarians have utilized a language segmentation approach when marketing to the Latino population. When librarians assess the best way to meet the needs of the Latino population, more often than not they think about developing a Spanish-language collection and displaying bilingual signage. This will surely aid our Spanish-speaking patron, however what about our Latino patron who speaks English? Librarians must take into consideration the major socioeconomic and linguistic differences between secondgeneration and foreign-born Latinos such as increased earnings, higher levels of education, exclusively English-speaking or bilingual, and a hybrid cultural identity. Secondgeneration Latinos have strong cultural ties to their heritage, however their nationality is American and as such, they should not be limited to solely seeing themselves represented in “foreign” language collections.

English-language collections present challenges of their own. Most of the available English-language literature in libraries do not represent this growing minority. To remedy this, librarians need to acquire Latinothemed material in English such as translation of best-selling works by authors from Latin America, in addition to material written by U.S. born Latino authors such as Sandra Cisneros, Gary Soto, and Rudolfo A. Anaya. Non-fiction titles dealing with Hispanic genealogy and history can also serve as a tool to help secondgeneration Latinos explore their cultural heritage. Furthermore, bilingual and bicultural programming and outreach should be incorporated to reach the Latino population as a whole without inadvertently alienating one segment from another.

Although some librarians may consider the Latino population too segmented to market to, or simply regard this as too a difficult task, we must remember that the future of our profession is dependent not only on serving our current patrons, but attracting new library users as well.

Nick Arce currently works as a fulltime healthcare interpreter/ translator at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and as a part-time librarian at the Downey city library. He studied Spanish abroad at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in translation and interpretation from California State University Long Beach.






A Practicum at World Images
By Katie Melville

Imagine a library that exists only online. It has varied content and much of the content is of an artistic nature. It is housed on a Mac computer. It is updated weekly by web professionals (who are actually librarians). Could such a library actually exist? Yes it does and more that that it is very close to our SLIS home.

While the WorldImages database is located online at http://worldimages.sjsu.edu, its physical location is in the library at the Visual Resource Center (Slide Library) in the Art Building at SJSU. The WorldImages database is a digital library with over 50,000 images available. Developed out of two intercampus projects sponsored by the CSU, WorldImages was originally focused on art images. Now the project encompasses many more disciplines, including anthropology and biology. Last fall I helped to create a portfolio of marine creatures: vertebrates and mostly invertebrates. As an aspiring but failed marine biologist (and/or artist), this was an incredible experience. I got to choose 100 images to scan, crop, adjust colors and (attempted to) catalog this information.

The project involved compiling the necessary elements to create a portfolio of marine animals from slides taken by Dr. Cohen. Additional direction came from the project curator Andrea Creswell Hattendorf and Stacy Mueller (SJSU Visual Resources Curator), as well as our own, Dr. Bill Fisher.

A Positive Experience

Creating a new portfolio involved working with new software and procedures, as well as with different standards and terms. There were numerous steps in the process of creating the portfolio: first I selected the images, scanned them using the Nikon scanner, and opened them with Photoshop to crop and adjust colors. Later I attempted to fix problems and deal with the cataloging issues. I had the opportunity to use some great widgets that I had never used before and apply cataloging rules to the digital images.

My lessons were varied and diverse in this experience. Dr. Cohen assisted me extensively to learn how to crop and adjust the color balance of the images with Photoshop. Andrea, the technical librarian for the project, helped me to learn about the structure of the database and the vocabularies. She explained that the terms and the structure had been originally developed for art images and they were adapting it for the biological specimens. While working with digital marine images, I faced cataloging challenges and had lessons in aesthetics, composition and balance.

Challenges, to be Faced

My biggest challenge in this experience was the weekly commute to San Jose during the morning commute hours. Much of the work I needed to do was on location, because I needed specialized equipment and general assistance.

Another very big issue for me was the absolute frustration in not being able to positively identify the scientific names for creatures that I was working with. The problem stems from there being too many scientific species that are referred to by the same common name. All images that I worked with were identified by common names, their locations, and the dates photographed. In my attempts to positively identify the images, I used many authoritarian sources and consulted experts but was only 40-60% accurate. Learning to live with ambiguity is a problem for aspiring librarians; however, I believe that with enough research I would be able to positively identify 80-90% of the images.

Keeping organized was another big challenge; so much of the work was done in bits and pieces, and at different locations using different desks. It was hard to keep myself organized, between the numerous work sessions and different locations.

Conclusion

The technicians of the digital library face numerous challenges on a daily basis. These range from hardware and software problems, compatibility issues and the computer network specifics. Add in the human element, with various personalities and their personal agendas/deadlines, it is a wonder that any work gets done. But still the library endures. My practicum experience gave me the opportunity not only to imagine a digital library, but to experience the joys and frustrations firsthand. To see the final results of the Coral Reef portfolio click on this link: http://worldimages.sjsu.edu/Prt1306*1$?Display=thu

Completing a practicum at WorldImages has given me an experience to work with a library that was previously hard for me to imagine. The classroom (the physical/plaster type or the Blackboard online equivalent) is full of the theoretical: readings, discussions and projects. A practicum gives students a chance to actually apply the concepts to a library or an information need. My practicum at the WorldImages project exposed me to many library concepts in a concrete fashion and gave me the opportunity to contribute to a great online library.

Katie Melville is a library assistant at two very different libraries and a MLIS candidate for Fall 2007.





Google Reader: A Tool You Should Use
By Robert Boyd

As if our class reading weren't enough, I found it next to impossible to keep current on postings to a bunch of library-related blogs I like to follow. Then I found Google Reader. Like most everything from Google, they call it "Beta" while others describe it as "best of breed.” If you want to be "in the know" about the latest in your field, hear from a plurality of voices, and perhaps even jump into the fray with your own blogosphere contributions, consider Google Reader and read on.

Getting started

It’s a snap… just go to Google and select "Personalize this Page." After creating your account, select "Google Reader" which is just one of hundreds of options for content that, once selected, will appear on your personalized page. Next, start adding blog subscriptions to Google Reader. Don't worry about the nitty-gritty of RSS feeds, with Google it is simple: click on "Add Subscription" and paste the url of the blog(s) you want to track.

Under the hood

Just in case you're wondering how the "magic" works, Google Reader is a web "aggregator" meaning it gathers web content and makes it available using an RSS web feed. RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication" and retrieves and displays syndicated web content using XML-formatted data. The latest version of Google Reader has some nifty functionality including the ability to view the latest postings "at-a-glance," to import/export subscriptions from or to another aggregator (e.g. Bloglines, Rojo, Newsgator) and the particularly helpful function of marking items as read—by simply graying them out. Google Reader is a work in progress and new features continue to appear. Updates are announced on Google Reader’s own blog at http://googlereader.blogspot.com/.

Blog recommendations

The first blog I began following is written by Lorcan Dempsey, vice president and chief strategist at OCLC. It was mentioned in a Blackboard discussion board post by one of my classmates and I'm grateful to her for suggesting it. Dempsey is an active and interesting blogger at http://orweblog.oclc.org/.

Last November, I attended the Lazerow Memorial Lecture in San Jose and was dazzled by Stephen Abram of SirsiDynix. I've been reading his blog, Stephen's Lighthouse, ever since. He travels and speaks extensively, so there may be a week lag and then a flood of postings. The url is http://stephenslighthouse.sirsidynix.com/.

I'm trying to come up speed on library systems and enjoy Andrew Pace's blog, "Hectic Pace,” http://blogs.ala.org/pace.php/. Andrew is head of IT for NC State Libraries and their supercharged catalog with a sweet front-end by Endeca has been all the talk for over a year now.

The ALA TechSource blog posts articles written by a variety of leaders in the field and the multiplicity of voices is a real strength, http://www.techsource.ala.org/blog/. My personal favorite is Karen G. Schneider of Florida state libraries who wrote a fascinating, if slightly scandalous expose "How OPACs Suck.” See: http://www.techsource.ala.org/blog/Karen+G./Schneider/100003/. This particular thread was posted in three installments and the commentaries that follow Schneider’s original postings are worth a peek. Schneider also maintains her own blog at: http://blogs.lib.fsu.edu/libtech/.

I follow two dozen blogs using Google Reader including Karen Coyle, D-Lib Magazine, LITA Blog, California State Library, and, of course, the relatively new slis21 Blog! Using Google Reader keeps me abreast of new ideas as they are forming and which, eventually, might take shape more formally in a published scholarly article.

If you are looking for library blogs and need a few (hundred) suggestions just go to: http://liswiki.org/wiki/Blog/ Google Reader: Try it, you’ll like it.

Robert Boyd is in Cohort #2 of the Executive MLIS program and, by day, is an IT Manager at Santa Clara University. He lives in Morgan Hill with his wife, Janet, and their three teenagers, Patrick, Mary Beth and Andrew.





Cross-Cultural Cataloging: Lessons from a School Library in India
By Lisa Gonzalez

For ten days during late March and early April, I had the privilege of taking a service trip to Bangalore, India. Located in the southern state of Karnataka, Bangalore is the third largest city in India and known as the Silicon Valley of India due to its booming information technology industry. Four other team members and I worked in cooperation with ACTS Institute, an Indian Christian organization which operates several schools, an environmental project, and a health center.

The last three days of our trip were the most memorable for me. Along with two of my team members, Devin and Ben, I was assigned to work in the library at ACTS Secondary School (equivalent to a K-12 school in the U.S.) In a meeting with the principal, we discovered that the acting librarian had recently left for a better-paying job at a call center. Since his resignation, the library had become extremely disorganized. Books were in random order on the shelves and many were without Dewey numbers. Also, the principal had recently purchased several hundred new books and needed them to be cataloged and classified.

It was a daunting task. I had three days to re-shelve over 3,000 books and catalog over 1,000 new ones— all without the aid of computers. Having worked in a school library for two years, I was fairly confident in my ability to assign Dewey numbers (especially since I was in the middle of taking LIBR 248 and had all the standard subdivisions fresh in my mind!) However, I was unsure how we were going to catalog the books without a card catalog or computer catalog.

Devin and Ben provided me with invaluable help. We found spine labels in a local store, and they spent many hours handwriting labels for the fiction books. Most of my time was spent assigning Dewey numbers to the nonfiction books and reorganizing the shelves. It was hard work, but we still managed to indulge ourselves in the traditional tea break twice each day!

This experience changed my attitude and perspective in several ways. First, it reminded me that despite ongoing struggles with budgets, my school library is rich in comparison to the library I saw in India. This realization does not diminish my resolve to fight for better budgets or to improve my school library. Rather, it helps me remember the big picture: I should work for the improvement of ALL school libraries, not just my own.

Secondly, my experience in India provided me with insights into the educational system of another country. During my time at the school, I was able to have several conversations with both the principal and vice-principal. They each shared what they felt were the strengths and weaknesses of the Indian education system. Both expressed pride in their state’s ability to produce children who are literate in English, Hindi and their local language, Kannada. Both also expressed frustration that qualified teachers are leaving the education field to work at higher-paying call center jobs. Bilingual education and teacher salary: do those issues sound familiar to anyone? The fact that educators in India deal with the same issues that we do should reaffirm the idea that collaboration and professional development with other educators and librarians around the world is critical.
There is so much to be learned from a library experience abroad, even short trips! I would encourage you to take any travel opportunity that is presented to you. Getting out of familiar surroundings opens our minds to new possibilities, fresh ideas, and a renewed sense of professional purpose.

If you’d like to read more about ACTS Institute, go to http://www.acts.co.in/mission.htm. To see pictures from the trip, go to http://MsGIndiaTrip.shutterfly.com

Lisa Gonzalez is the acting media specialist at Notre Dame High School in Salinas, CA and is looking forward to finishing her MLIS in December.




Why Diversity is Overrated: ALA’s Spectrum Initiative
By Paige Fujisue

When numerous scholarships, fellowships, and classes address diversity; when library boards launch and expand foreign-language collections; when library programs and outreach connect with diverse populations, why are we continuously solicited to support diversity initiatives? Few would argue against the merits of staff who reflect changing demographics, yet considering the rising costs of serials, technology, etc., we must question whether such initiatives are worth the money. To date, ALA’s Spectrum Initiative has spent more than $2.5 million dollars in scholarships and leadership training. Do we honestly need to spend a quarter of a billion dollars to ensure that we have all the colors in the crayon box?

My answer is a resounding yes.

As a 2006 Spectrum scholar, I learned that the Spectrum scholarship, more than money is a responsibility. I awakened to the necessity, no, to the gift that diversity brings to our profession as well as to life. Within me stirred a recognition of something, a kind of internal reverberation, when placed in a room full of color, culture, and ethnic pride. It was an amazing sense of exhilaration to be recognized as different, while simultaneously recognizing how these differences give me much to offer our profession.
Spectrum’s leadership institute was a safe place where the voices of those before us inspired, encouraged, and advised me of the path that lay ahead. With this safety I became aware of my tendency to closet my differences as I would a kimono. Just as it wouldn’t cross my mind to sport a kimono to work, it wouldn’t cross my mind to sport my cultural differences either.

I also assessed that despite the best of intentions, colleagues with different backgrounds may not be willing or able to relate to my experiences, my perspectives, or my paradigm. Consequently, I can regularly expect to be listened to, but not necessarily heard or understood. And I will choose to respond with kindness, compassion, and a steadfast resolution to press on. Without question, the pool of strength derived from fellow scholars identifying with my struggles, will prove invaluable.

In conclusion, diversity is overrated when our understanding is limited to that of a colorwheel. Diversity in leadership, what the Spectrum Initiative is all about, stimulates change in the ways we see, think, do business, and relate to one another. Be advised, true professional diversity will change core values, policies, languages, programs, collections, bibliographic records, databases, serials, reference, and more. True diversity in thought and action will rock our fundamental understanding of librarianship and information science.

Paige welcomes questions, concerns, and feedback to stimulate dialog about diversity. She can be reached at alasc.descriptor@yahoo.com.





Welcome to Elluminate Live!
By Tobie Garrick, Kristine Gialdini, and Cindy Runnels

The introduction of Elluminate Live! to the SLIS program created an entirely different educational and social environment for students. Elluminate makes it possible to attend real-time, interactive classes without having to deal with travel, traffic, parking or changing out of your pajamas! The software allows for interaction in a more natural way than the chat feature of BlackBoard. This in turn makes for more comfortable and successful communication between participants. Some social cues that are lost in email and chat communication are reclaimed by students using Elluminate. Because of the social networking tools, students who were anonymous and nebulous to one another become collaborators and cohorts. Some SLIS students may never step foot on campus; with the introduction of Elluminate (and other key technologies) this is no longer integral to learning or the social experience.

SLIS began using Elluminate in fall of 2006; a few "early adopter" instructors used it as a teaching tool and several more used Elluminate for office hours or tech troubleshooting. To ease any anxieties that SLIS students might have about using this new technology, students involved in Libr298 offered Elluminate Participant Orientation and Training sessions prior to the start of spring semester 2007. In January, 22 student-trainer led sessions were conducted, involving a total of 280 SJSU SLIS students. In hour-long sessions, a team of student trainers demonstrated the basic elements and functions of the Elluminate Live interface, guided participants through a series of hands-on exercises, and answered questions. As the session concluded, a brief survey was pushed to the participants to capture impressions about the session that they had just attended. Here are a few sample responses:

What did you enjoy about today's session?
• Finally! We're in a classroom.
• Instructors were great. They explained things very clearly and let everyone participate.
• I thought it was very informative. I was a little wary about learning a new online system but I enjoyed this session.
• Fun atmosphere, lots of chance for questions and to practice different skills.

From the Trainers’ Perspective

Though the Lib298 Elluminate trainers were all participating in the same project and having positive experiences across the board, their individual experiences throughout the semester were quite diverse.

Tobie

When the sign-up email arrived from Debbie Faires in December announcing the Elluminate training project I was ecstatic. Until that point, my experience with Elluminate was limited largely to the direct messaging feature. Throughout the spring semester our responsibilities as Elluminate trainers involved presenting introductory and advanced training sessions, troubleshooting for students and faculty and assisting students one-on-one as they prepared to present in Elluminate.

The trainer experience was rewarding on several levels. I not only gained the skills to moderate sessions and train in online environments, I also had a chance to witness the conversion of numerous people from adamant non-users to successful and committed explorers of new technologies. On a personal level, I have become more confident with the use of communication-based technology and importantly, have felt more involved in the SLIS program than in any previous semester.

Kris

I answered an email from Debbie Faires and the next thing I knew I was dragging a 245 page Elluminate Moderator’s Guide to Mexico. While others around the pool were reading beach novels, I was thumbing my way through the manual. Finding a computer with Internet connectivity to sign up for training sessions was quite a challenge. Before I left on my vacation, I participated in my first collaborative meeting on Elluminate. Wow, talk about stress – microphone, talk online, use all the tools – high learning curve! But I always enjoy a challenge. And in a short time, I was a trained Elluminate professional helping SJSU instructors and SLIS students.

Elluminate is a powerful collaborative tool with live interaction – it leaves BlackBoard in the dust. Remember, when using your headset, you’re attached to your computer. I didn’t and tried to answer the phone, oops, had to go buy a new headset, right before a session! You may feel a little funny sitting alone talking to your computer, but trust me, it becomes very natural. However, if you’re NOT on Elluminate and you hear voices, well ……

Cindy

I found that one of the more challenging aspects of Elluminate lies in developing a good online technique. There’s a fine line between being ‘enthusiastic and engaging’ (good) and ‘should-probably-be-medicated-perky’ (bad). The session participants asked great questions, and their curiosity and interest about the potential uses of this new technology made for an excellent online experience: for learning, for teaching, and for discussion.

Easing anxieties—particularly for those students who have been away from the classroom for a while or who were concerned by the demands and ‘strangeness’ of a distance program—was the most gratifying part of the training experience. It may sound like a cliché, but making a positive difference in someone’s life is tremendously rewarding. What does the future hold?

SLIS has purchased licenses for Elluminate through mid-2008. LIB298 student trainers are already signed up for Summer and Fall (competition for these spots was fierce and classes filled up fast). SLIS will be updating to Elluminate 8.0; some improvements were based on feedback from SLIS students and faculty. Larger numbers of faculty are showing an interest in using the communication tool and are coming up with interesting ways to enhance student experiences through the use of Elluminate.

Conclusion

Being an Elluminate trainer is an awesome opportunity. Trainers interact with other students and faculty like never before, while improving their own technology and communication skills. The best thing about Elluminate, however, is that you don’t have to be a trainer to experience these things - just be brave and use the software. It’s fun, it’s free and has the potential to improve your educational, social and professional experiences at SLIS and beyond!

For more information please visit: http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/software/elluminate/students/

Tobie Garrick is currently working as a Library Assistant for the the Idaho State Historical Society Public Archives and Research Library. She lives in Boise, ID (a long way from her native home of Australia) and tries to take advantage of the great outdoor activities and downtown events the city offers when not studying or working.

Kris Gialdini was a teacher at an elementary school computer lab for 17 years before she moved to the big time and became a teacher librarian at a Bay Area high school. She's completed her 6th year in the position, is passionate about working with students and staff, loves reading young adult novels, and is almost finished with her MLIS.

When not desperately attempting to instill good manners in her new puppy, Cindy Runnels is a Teaching Assistant at SJSU SLIS. She plans to earn her MLIS in May 2008.






So, What Is Elluminate?
By Cindy Runnels

Elluminate is a web conferencing tool that creates a real-time virtual classroom environment. Designed for distance education and online collaboration, Elluminate has two key features that basically leave Blackboard in the dust: live discussion and dynamic interaction.

Live discussion means exactly that. Real-time discussion—with spoken words, not typed chat messages—permits instructors to lecture and share resources, allows students to ask questions or present their research, and enables classmates involved in group projects to meet, brainstorm, and collaborate in a virtual conference room.

Dynamic interaction allows immediate feedback from all participants. Have a question about the material? Raise your virtual hand and ask, just as you would in a face-to-face meeting. Want to express a quick opinion? Click on the appropriate emoticon to nonverbally express your approval, disapproval, agreement or confusion. Instant polling, file, application, and image sharing features create an online learning environment that is much richer than anything we’ve had available previously in SLIS. Classroom sessions conducted via Elluminate may also be recorded for later access—if you can’t attend synchronously—or for review.

Tech Specs

Elluminate is compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux, and Solaris operating systems. All bandwidth connectivity means that Elluminate is accessible for dial-up users as well as DSL or cable subscribers. For more information, check out the SLIS guide to using Elluminate at http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/software/elluminate/students/, or go to www.elluminate.com.






Collaboration in Bibliographic Instruction
By Sami Lange

Information literacy is necessary to student success and cannot be achieved without strong bibliographic instruction (BI). Increasingly, BI is viewed as unimportant or minor in the scope of overall information literacy yet LIS professionals can address this through collaboration, an often forgotten, but essential element. It is the responsibility of academic librarians and university faculty to collaborate and therefore develop effective bibliographic instruction curricula to enable students to move to the next level of information literacy–the ability to evaluate resources and determine their cultural and social contexts.

After a semester of teaching drop-in workshops at an academic library and through readings from my instructional design class, the component that continues to stand out with regard to successful information literacy is the collaboration with faculty. This collaboration can happen at many different levels but starts with the need for students to become more information literate.

What is it?

Bibliographic instruction can often be seen in the form of drop-in workshops at an academic library, a classroom visit from a librarian, or a quick library tutorial in an English 101 class. The topics usually cover the basics of searching the web, the library catalog, the databases that cover each topic, and topic and journal searches. Traditionally, these skills were taught only with the teaching of library logistics in mind. It is clear that these BI tools serve as the vehicle to information literacy, which is why the collaboration and reinforcement of the skills should be encouraged by faculty in university departments.

Has it always been this way?

There is evidence that library instruction started as early as the 17th century in German universities. It started to take shape in the U.S. as early as the 1820’s at Harvard University. Throughout the 18th and 19th century the pendulum of the impact of library instruction has been discussed. The formats have continued to change along with the training that reference librarians receive. The format of instruction has included tours, one-on-one instruction, closed circuit television, and lectures and handouts. There have been concerns about effectiveness, staff shortages, a disconnect with faculty approval, and an inability to see the holes in the curriculum. These problems have sometimes led to the disagreement about the successful impact BI can have on a student’s academic career and on the university’s research as a whole.

What problems are associated with BI workshops?

Many of the students attending the drop-in workshops are at different grade levels. They range from re-entry students who have spent several years at a junior college and have a good background in library instruction to students in their freshman year who had limited library instruction in high school, are in a wide range of majors, and are required to take BI. In my workshops, all a student needed was a slip of paper from me serving as evidence that they attended. Had I known the types of students, their library backgrounds, their majors or even what classes prompted their attendance, the workshops could have been structured more accordingly. Instead, it is likely that some students retained little information, some were lost, and some found it of no use.

Why collaboration is important

With a collaborative relationship, the librarian can work with the faculty member to design a workshop (and eventually a curriculum) that integrates the tools associated with information literacy. Without assignments and an understanding of where the student is coming from, it is difficult to design drop-in workshops and have students gain essential tools for later success. Without repetition of the skills obtained from BI workshops and informal instructional sessions, students will not retain the necessary tools for information literacy. Faculty and librarians need to agree on the importance of repetition and collaboration in BI workshops. This will help to fine tune the instruction of information literacy skills and will give students the ability to carry these acquired skills with them in later coursework and careers.

In the future

With the continued effort in academic libraries to integrate the teaching of coursework between faculty and librarians, the need for a constant emphasis and marketing of the impact of library skills on quality of education is necessary. It has been shown throughout history that academic librarians need to promote their skills to faculty and make it clear that they are a valuable partner in academia. Instructional librarians need to continue their learning in areas of teaching and curriculum to continue to thrive and collaborate in academic settings.

Sami Lange will graduate in August 2007 from San Jose State with an MLIS. Her emphasis has been on instruction and reference and she hopes to one day become an instructional librarian at a University.





The Value of Volunteering
By Margot Pasquini

As a volunteer, I have logged many hours of unpaid labor in schools and libraries while pursuing my education and career as a school library technician. Some experiences were field credit requirements for the Library Technician Diploma. However, most of the time, I did it for my love and passion of helping others, promoting literacy, and learning as much about the field of libraries as possible. Last winter, I represented SJSU at the Ontario Library Association SuperConference in Toronto. It was the highlight of the weekend—four hours in two days—to promote the MLIS program at San Jose State on the other side of the continent in Ontario, Canada.

When SLISADMIN advertised for volunteers to man the booth for the 2007 conference, I figured, “Why not, I’m going to be there anyway.” Wearing 2 badges representing my school district and SJSU, most people took a second look and said, “Lady, you’re in the wrong place when there are two excellent library schools [University of Toronto and University of Western Ontario] down the road.” What they didn’t know, was their programs are not totally online or part time for my convenience, and I could not jeopardize my job with daytime class commitments. Another advantage at SJSU is having 7 years to complete the program. I knew I could only handle one course at a time, so an extended program was a necessity since other schools have more course requirements within a shorter time frame.

Working the booth was a great networking experience. Not only did I meet Dr. Fuller and Dr. Haycock in person, I also met a few more Ontario students who were pursuing the program online. Having just started the spring semester, I discovered the other volunteer was a fellow classmate in my online course. I felt much better about SJSU knowing I was not alone and there were other students pursuing this program from outside the USA.

Over 3,000 miles away from the campus, I collected a dozen names of prospective students for Dr. Fuller by the end of the day. Although he left early to catch a flight back to California, I felt confident enough to promote the program with only one course, Information and Society, in my portfolio. Now with the first three required courses completed, I have at least one assignment in each competency folder on Plone. I am very excited about the new formats that SLIS is introducing and being able to participate in the innovation. As librarians, we are lifelong learners, and by experiencing new technologies and learning opportunities as 21st century students, we will bring new and improved skills to our library communities upon graduation.

If you have the time, get out there and volunteer! The world is full of opportunities to share your expertise and learn more about librarianship! More importantly, brag about your SLIS experience, it is a fine example of the future of education!

Margot is a secondary school library technician with the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.





Challenges to the Online Classroom: Censorship, Wifi and the Trials of a Wired Victim
By Karen Cooper

When I applied for the SLIS program from the United Arab Emirates, I never dreamed the online aspect would be a problem. For five years I'd lived in the UAE, with 364 days of sunshine a year and non-stop high speed internet. A recent computer upgrade would ensure Second Life & Elluminate would deliver high quality video and sound. So I was all ready. Or was I?

Trying to get onto an Elluminate course last May, I was astounded to find that I simply couldn't connect. A lengthy chat session with Debbie Faires involving diagnostics and every possible configuration setting didn't solve the problem. A helpful man at my ISP made some suggestions, too, but to no avail. Having only one government-controlled ISP in the country didn't leave me many choices. The most likely culprit? Censorship, plain and simple. The UAE is one of 42 countries that actively censor emails and internet, and although many communications and signals are let through, not all are.

I quickly started checking alternatives. Perhaps a move to Italy might be an option. My husband and I own an apartment in a small Italian town. The local library has low-cost internet, and a beautiful reggae-singing librarian—but limited operating hours and no wifi. Getting wifi installed in our Italian apartment (a 500 year-old building, which doesn't even have a phone line) wasn't a possibility and there was no known, reliable wifi nearby. All that old-world Italian charm apparently comes at a price.

So I arrived in the US mid-June for vacation—and immediately learned that I can't necessarily use a public library's internet. (Many require proof of local address.) After buying a laptop, my luck improved sporadically: I found truck stops in Kansas with free wifi, but surprisingly few other places seemed to offer it, truck stop or otherwise.

Two months later, I was able to take that Elluminate class. But I was in a B&B in Brooklyn, and the signal was weak. I lagged (literally and figuratively) behind my classmates.

In the end, I decided to settle in New York, close to friends and “only” a 14-hour flight from my husband. Getting wifi in my apartment involved a nine-day waiting list…so in the meantime I began classes via the public library. The other option involved Starbuck’s which, on top of the price of a decaf mocha, charges $10/day for wifi, and it would take another article to explain the security issues surrounding public wifi…

So what have I learned? Don't take anything for granted. You have to test the actual program in the environment before you can count on it. It will be a while before the online classroom becomes entirely trouble-free. These trials and tribulations can affect anyone moving, doing the course from more than one location, or overseas students. Keep that in mind if you're thinking of posting your assignments from a beach in the Caribbean.

Karen Cooper lives to travel...and all that time waiting on buses means more time to read!






The Unexpected Archivist
By Jennifer Greenwood

“I’m an archivist.”

“Really? You don’t look like one.”

For the past year, this exchange has occurred more times than I can count. Every time it occurs, I always have to ask, “What does an archivist look like?”

The resounding two answer are always the same. Most people picture an elderly, white-haired man who inhabits the dark recesses of a library, waiting patiently for a request to arrive. Others imagine a cranky, cardigan-clad woman sitting beside a stack of dusty books, grey hair in a tight bun, quietly glaring at patrons from behind her bifocals.

In my case, neither of these personae are true. Admittedly, I do wear glasses, but that is where the similarities stop. I am a petite woman in my late-twenties, my blond hair is rarely in a tight bun, I am not naturally cranky, and I am far from quiet (as any member of my family will tell you).

The fact is, the root of the old stereotype of the archivist runs deep, as far back as Jenkinson and Schellenberg. As many years as it took to engrain the stereotype into society’s collective mind, it will undoubtedly take even longer for archivists to escape the pigeonhole into which they have been placed.

The stereotype even extends to paint an inaccurate portrait of archival working conditions.

The working environment of the archivist has long been viewed a dark, musty basement filled with toppling stacks of musty books. However, many people do not realize just how inaccurate this scenario is, and why it would be in complete opposition to the overall mission of most archives.

In reality, most archives are brightly lit, dry, and welcoming for readers. In fact, a dimly lit space would compromise the safety of the items—it is much more difficult to steal an item in a brightly lit, open room—and musty conditions would lead to the materials’ rapid deterioration.

So what about the stereotype of archival duties? True, the duties of acquiring, appraising, preserving, and making materials available have remained similar in their original framework, but the environments in which archivists work, and the duties that they perform, are as diverse as the archivists themselves.

Activists, subject specialists, informational professionals, database coordinators, website designers, cataloging experts, special event coordinators, high-level donor cultivators, teachers... These are just some of the titles that are appended to the archivist title. Many small institutions rely on archivists to fill multiple roles, such as resident database expert or event coordinator during showings of individual pieces, and many more institutions (large or small) know the valuable connection between archival work and donor relations. Even the duty of educating new readers about the procedures and rules of the institution’s holdings thrusts the archivist into the teacher role.

Along with these varying roles comes varying employment settings. Some archivists work in traditional libraries, whereas others hold positions in gardens, zoos, heritage societies, museums, and film archives (to name a few!).

The job can vary greatly and, more often than not, has the archivist out and about, working with people. One of my old professors told us the tale of going out early Saturday morning to a large, dilapidated house to cull through mountainous boxes of treasures. He worked with the owner of the house, secured a large number of valuable pieces for his institution, and had a great time doing the work. We likened him to a suburban Indiana Jones, and we all sat riveted as he told us the story.

Then one of my fellow students made the comment that he thought archivists were backroom, nerdy types who never saw the light of day. From that moment on, our professor always started class with a story about being out in the field collecting and appraising. I suppose it was his way of attempting to fracture the stereotype—it worked.
From that day on I began to think a lot about the stereotypes that have been constructed and have tried to think of the most effective ways to change public perception about the profession. That is when I came to the conclusion that maybe the passage of time, coupled with writing about the subject and being a working example of the stereotype’s falsity, will begin to affect some change.

Until then, when someone says, “You don’t look like an archivist,” take it as a compliment and know that you have given them a walking example of what an archivist really does look like!

Jeni Greenwood is currently an MLIS student at San Jose State University. She hopes to pursue a career in the archival field, preferably working with photographs.





From the Ground Up: Managing Content Guerrilla Style
By Michael J. Ludwig

Towards the end of last semester I applied for a 10 week internship with a special library serving a large regional transportation planning agency. The library was looking for an MLIS student interested in developing an open-source wiki program into an agency-wide internal system for managing projects, maintaining contact information, and establishing personal employee pages for some 200 people. The library staff wanted to harness the information flowing daily through agency offices. They also needed a way to capture the knowledge, ideas, and memories being lost as employees resigned or retired. I knew little about the wiki concept at the time, even less how to build one, but I was more than willing to give it a shot. At the very least I thought it would be invaluable on the job experience and a good way to stay active ahead of my final year in the program.

Surveying the Options

There is no singular formula for managing a web project, but I tried to approach mine with some semblance of a plan. I began by asking about the project: Who will use the wiki and how much? What do you want them to find there? What functionality are you looking for? Who will market the wiki to agency employees and train new users? Who is supporting the project and why? Where can I go for help?

With a basic set of goals in mind, I started downloading and installing various wiki packages freely available on the internet: Twiki, PmWiki, PhpWiki, MediaWiki, MoinMoin, DokuWiki, and Bitweaver to name a few. I evaluated the advantages and disadvantages of each for reading, editing, and creating content, but I was also concerned with the usability of each from a site administrator's perspective. The agency’s IT department had shown little support for the library’s initiative thus far, having allocated it an obsolete server running outdated software, so developing a system that was easy for the staff to configure and maintain was crucial.

Making a Choice

I presented the library staff a set of test installations and discussed the advantages of each as a content management system (CMS) and collaborative workspace. I was willing to develop whatever program they chose, but I stressed that the decision needed to be theirs because they were going to administrate the site. The staff eventually picked PmWiki as their solution, a mature, highly configurable, and easily maintained program supported by a robust developer community. Notable instances of PmWiki include the University of Minnesota Libraries Staff Website, the University of South Carolina - Aiken Library Open Source Project, and the CELE(Air) Air Operations Control and Information Systems Course of the Canadian Air Force.

Multiple Hats

Ideally, establishing a site’s information architecture, designing its visual layout, developing its content, and bringing these together into a beta release are separate phases involving a variety of people. But I realized early on in the project that my resources were limited. There was still a library to run, the graphics department was overloaded with work, and IT seemed convinced the project would never get off the ground. Nevertheless, I managed to devise a model for information based on the agency’s organizational structure and work groups. By the fifth week I had coded a serviceable page layout and skin design. I was a developing content one minute, designing graphics the next, and serving as site and systems administrator beyond that. Six weeks into the project the library staff and I were able to hold our first demonstrations.

Scope Creep

Members of IT saw the wiki first and roundly scrutinized it. The criticism was fair but it imposed numerous technical demands that threatened to derail the project. For example, IT regularly asked the library, “Do you have $10,000 for a new server to run it?” But they must have seen enough value in the project since they recommended a subsequent meeting with executive officers of the agency. Ironically, in those meetings it was the director of IT who sold best the wiki’s potential to accomplish what previous initiatives had failed to do: share information easily. I heard later that the agency had previously spent a large sum of money on a commercial CMS; however, no one had taken the time to install it or train employees how to use it. At times I sensed that upper levels of the hierarchy were maneuvering for control now that a cheaper alternative had been developed.

During my last week we released the wiki to a pilot group of employees. I spent this time reviewing their feedback, conducting user testing, and trying to fix unforeseen usability and organizational issues. I also continued selling the idea that a wiki is a quick and easy way collaborate online.

Lessons Learned

Overall, I believe the library staff and I successfully developed a wiki as a bottom up solution to an information management problem. Employees now have a viable medium to collaborate online, manage documents and projects, and share information quickly as the library intended. But a wiki is a perpetual work in progress, and I could not have predicted the challenges that remain for the staff. Securing enough funding for a new server, marketing a new tool within an ingrained top-down work culture, establishing usage guidelines, and maintaining content standards are just a few of these. Furthermore, the burden to keep the wiki viable and relevant over time rests on the shoulders of the employees.

Personally, I experienced what it is like to work in hierarchy as I regularly tripped over the nuances of agency decorum. A memorable lesson concerns the waves I created when I sought an opinion from an IT programmer outside of my workgroup. I was not reprimanded directly, but it was brought to my attention in a roundabout way that I had broken protocol. About this time I realized that support for a project within your own work group does not necessarily guarantee its success or acceptance outside of it. However, the most important lesson I learned is that a small special library—with initiative—can solve problems and manage content from the ground up, guerrilla style.

Michael Ludwig will earn an MLIS in Spring 2008.





From San Jose to Sub-Saharan Africa: Library & Information Science Knows No Borders
By Stacy Langner

August 2007 - I could perhaps have been forgiven for thinking I had somehow ended up back in Southern California, despite having moved across the world to Johannesburg, South Africa nearly two years ago. But the plane that I had boarded a few days earlier took me not to my previous home of Los Angeles, but to Nairobi, Kenya to present at the KMAfrica 2007 Conference. Between the time I arrived and the time I departed a week later, at least 18 earthquakes of a strength of up to 6.1 on the Richter scale occurred in western Kenya, causing tremors felt in Nairobi and beyond.

Stepping outside of my comfortable room at the tourist haven otherwise known as the Hilton Hotel Nairobi, any confusion as to my whereabouts was quickly put to rest. Nairobi is an energetic and lively city and one of the most modern in Africa; it is nevertheless undeniably recognizable as part of the developing world. Crowded at all hours of day and night, a bit dirty and malodorous, and, beyond the city center, impoverished and dilapidated, Nairobi was a far cry from Melrose (yes, Melrose), the trendy and upscale area of Johannesburg that I now call home. From 16 to 19 July, the city played host to a gathering of professionals and public servants, very few of whom hold the job title of librarian, to discuss the role of knowledge and information in the economic and social upliftment of Africa.

So, what exactly is KMAfrica? It stands for Knowledge Management Africa, and it is a participatory network and platform for knowledge sharing and dynamic best practice in Africa. Its mission is to enhance governance and service delivery through the use of knowledge as a fundamental resource in development. Knowledge management is one of those concepts that defy easy definition. It’s about capturing and classifying knowledge, creating it and disseminating it, and encouraging people and providing opportunities to share it, whether with the assistance of technology or through face-to-face interaction. Knowledge management is unquestionably right up the librarian and information science professional’s alley.

The conference was opened by the Vice President of Kenya and brought together hundreds of delegates from all over the African continent, representing national governments, international organizations like the World Bank and the African Development Bank, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and private business. I presented a case study of the company I work for, Khulisa Management Services (www.khulisa.com), detailing our own efforts at implementing an internal knowledge management strategy, the challenges we encountered and lessons learned that can be applied to other development institutions throughout Africa.

Listening to presentations on how health information systems are improving access to HIV/AIDS care and treatment in rural Uganda, and the critical role that distance learning is playing in providing access to higher education to citizens trapped in a rapidly deteriorating Zimbabwe; taking part in discussions about how to capture and classify indigenous knowledge and traditional medicinal practices; and looking around me at the wide range of individuals putting library and information science concepts into practice, it hit me: LIS is a whole lot more than the Dewey Decimal System. The longer I spent at the Kenyatta Conference Center, the clearer it became that the SJSU MLIS and the skills and knowledge it provides are increasingly relevant beyond the walls of the traditional library.

And yet, people will continue to cling to the image of grey haired, bespeckled librarians unless we in the field make a concerted effort to obliterate that stereotype. We must reposition both our own expertise and the concept of the library itself if we are to attract a new generation to MLIS programs and convince skeptics of our contribution to a world forever changed by technology. You may disagree, but I believe that we must be willing to expand our vocabulary and refer to our discipline not just as “library” science. This doesn’t mean avoiding the word, it means doing ourselves justice by not limiting ourselves to the traditional library. Holders of MLIS degrees can be found in a wide variety of careers, performing numerous and diverse functions.

Conferences such as KMAfrica provide us the opportunity to situate our skills and abilities in a wider context, and to meet others who are applying LIS concepts in ways we may never have thought of before. The next KM Africa Conference will be held in Senegal in 2009; perhaps I will see some of you there!

Please email questions or comments to slangner@khulisa.com. For more information about KMAfrica, visit www.kmafrica.info.





A Day in the Castro: Building a Visual History of the Queer Community in San Francisco
By Hannah Whitman Clement

“And this was my first lover, the Unitarian minister’s wife,” a woman said, pointing to the faded photo in her album. Under normal circumstances, people rarely share these personal details with complete strangers. But on Sunday, October 14, at the Eureka Valley/Harvey Milk Memorial Library branch in the Castro district of San Francisco, over forty volunteers listened to the stories enthusiastically told by members of the LGBTQI* community, and selected photographs to be added to the San Francisco Public Library’s photo collection. The event was called Shades of the LGBTQI Community: A Search for the Visual History of San Francisco.

Like many of the volunteers, I learned of this program through a listserv posting. Of the forty-odd volunteers, four were SLIS students: Carolyn Schubert, Wendolyn Wysock, Brad McCulley, and me. We all saw this experience as an opportunity to participate in a social, cultural, and historic event, network with professionals in the Bay Area, and gain some hands-on experience working with members of the community and handling archival photographs.

Based on a Los Angeles program started in 1991 called the “Shades of L.A.”, the Shades series reaches out to underrepresented segments of the community, inviting residents to bring their photos to the library where they are copied and added to the city’s archive. Susan Goldstein, the city archivist, has organized this event for the past ten years. In the past the city has focused on accumulating a visual history of different neighborhoods, such as the Sunset, Mission, and Western Addition districts. This year they decided to focus on segments of the community. “There is a huge gay and lesbian community in San Francisco,” Goldstein said, “but it’s under-documented in the sense that we don’t have a full range of visual history and photographs of how the community has lived its life over the years.”

From 10am to 4pm, the seven tables of volunteer selectors were bustling with people, photographs, and stories. Some people brought only a handful of images; others brought several albums. One person brought three suitcases on wheels filled with pictures. In the typical San Francisco style, the diversity of the people who participated on this day was apparent. Men, women, and children of all ages, backgrounds, and ethnic groups came, some alone and some with family or friends. Members from LYRIC, a San Francisco organization of young LGBT people connecting with older members of their community, accompanied several elders and assisted throughout the day. Once photos were selected from each personal collection, a volunteer took them into a back room where a professional photographer took a photograph of the original while the owner waited by the refreshment table until their prints were returned to them.

While there were numerous photographs of prominent members of the gay community, various marches, political rallies, and Gay Pride parades of yore, Goldstein impressed upon her team to look for photos that depict the everyday life experiences of the entire community. Pictures of family, friends, co-workers, vacations, picnics, and nights on the town were particularly sought after. “I’m hoping for older photos, like you do for every neighborhood or community,” Goldstein said, “Particularly older photos of gay life, because I think a lot of those have been thrown out by families over the years, or there was nobody to leave them to, and they disappeared. It’s really hard to get that older evidence”.

One of the more remarkable things about this event was how willing people were to talk about some of the most intimate details of their lives. There were stories of family rejection, losing loved ones to AIDS, political and social discrimination. There were also stories of unconditional love, community solidarity, and a sense that San Francisco became a true home where this community felt free to be themselves. According to event organizer Nina Sazevich, “As one of the front door mavens, I can tell you that our donors left feeling proud, flattered and excited to be part of what we created together.”

This event was about more than just reaching out to the present community. The images and stories gathered will be accessible to the public, and stand as one of the more extensive visual collections of LGBTQI community history. Nan Alamilla Boyd, the department chair of Women Studies at San Francisco State University, and author of Wide Open Town: A History of Queer San Francisco to 1965, emphasized the importance of building visual documentary collections for the use of students, researchers, and members of the community. She noted that collections of this type are rarely seen outside repositories dedicated soley to the preservation of queer history and culture. “The GLBT Historical Society has been collecting photos of this sort of decades, mostly because mainstream institutions didn't bother to. Now, in the 21st century, mainstream institutions like the San Francisco Public Library are starting to collect these materials. It's helpful to the parts of the general public that wouldn't otherwise find their way to the GLBT Historical Society's Archives, and it's important for SFPL to include queer communities into its rubric of communities it cares to collect from”.

This event was quite timely for the San Francisco Public Library Branch Renovation project as well. The Eureka Valley/ Harvey Milk Memorial Library branch will be closing for renovation until 2009; on its reopening, the very first display will be the collection of photographs gathered on this day. At the end of the day, everyone was tired but happy about how smoothly the day had gone. We had collected a number of wonderful photographs to be added to the library’s collection, listened to the experiences and stories of a diverse community, and helped to preserve an important part of San Francisco history and culture. As a LIS student, it was a wonderful experience, both personally and professionally. I made connections with members of the queer community, authors, scholars, library and archival professionals, and other SLIS students. It was truly one of the best experiences I have had in the entire SLIS program.

*lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, & intersex

Hannah Whitman Clement is in her final semester in the SLIS program. She is focusing on academic libraries and archives, and lives in Santa Cruz, California.





The Koret Connection
By Katie Melville

Upon entering the Martin Luther King library for the first time I was amazed and stunned. Like many first-time visitors, I was overwhelmed and thought that the library—the building, the space, the collections and art—were incredible. The awe factor was just beginning to subside when I saw a changing display with statistics about the library. Underneath the neon numbers, there was a sign which declared that this was the Koret Lobby. Later I asked my library tour guide about the name of the lobby and he responded with, “It was the least we could do for someone who gave $2 million to the library!”

Who was Koret?

The Koret Foundation has been responsible for numerous philanthropic efforts in the Bay Area; many of these are associated with libraries. But Koret is more than a foundation or a fund providing capital for various projects. Koret was a successful businessman and entrepreneur in the days before the term was used so widely.

Joseph and Stephanie Koret started the Koret garment manufacturing business in 1938. They were Eastern European, Jewish immigrants, who worked in a San Francisco loft. Joseph was a sweater salesman and his wife Stephanie designed skirts to coordinate with the sweaters. Their success began to multiply in 1946, with the “trik skirt” a 10-gore skirt, which was folded and shipped flat. The skirt sold 3.5 million pieces. But it was the innovative process called “Koratron” that really established the Koret name. This process was developed in 1961 for treating fabrics to make them wrinkle free and the royalties from the patents kept coming in for 20 years.

Most garment businesses are not normally so lucrative, but Mr. Koret was an aggressive and astute businessman. With seed money generated from their garment business, funds were invested in the San Francisco real estate market which boomed in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Joseph and Stephanie Koret did not have any children to inherit their good fortune, so they took up the idea of the Koret Foundation which was proposed by their trusted friend and financial advisor Tad Taube.

The Library and the Koret Foundation

The Koret Foundation was established in 1979, after the death of Stephanie, with seed money from her estate. Joseph was the first chairman of the foundation, until his death in 1982. The Koret Foundation has provided millions of dollars in capital funds to finance library construction and renovation projects. “The foundation now has assets of $400 million and has awarded more than $325 million in grants during the past quarter of century.” (From the Koret Foundation website: http://www.koretfoundation.org) Foundation grants have been made to the Bancroft Library at UCB, San Francisco Public Library, UCSF and the DeYoung Memorial Museum among many, many others.
The story of the Korets is a local, modern day Horatio Algiers “Rags to Riches” tale. Koret is a true benefactor to libraries, helping to keep the American dream alive. The students at SJSU and all of the people of San Jose (and the Bay Area) have been blessed by these gifts.

Katie Melville is a MLIS candidate for Fall 2007 and a library assistant. Her first “real” job was as a patternmaker and assistant designer for Koret of California.





De-Stress Kit
By Renee Varnadore

I was used to getting “A”s. My previous masters degree and my teaching credential gave me confidence that I would do well at SJSU. When my first papers came back with “B”s, I was shocked. I relaxed a little when I remembered that in my Master’s of Fine Arts degree, I would get a “B” on a paper and still get an “A” in the course. But then I did the math, the comfortable 10-point spread between the “B” and the “A” was gone. Now I faced a four-point spread for the “A” and I’d just lost two points on the first of five papers. Five papers! I was used to two papers. My stress accelerated. I spent every waking hour(18) trying to earn every possible point on the rest of the assignments. By finals I was a wreck. I no longer felt I had time even for my yoga practice, something that could have helped. I needed to regroup and develop a coping plan. The following is my personal SLIS De-stress kit.

D. Discussion boards on Blackboard are time thieves. Learn every tutorial offered so you can streamline, sort, and skim through them. Look at the discussion board points and percentage. Spend no more than that percentage of your time on the discussion boards.

E. Early emails need to be sent to the professor before greensheets comes out. This way, I keep a step ahead instead of a step behind by requesting information about textbooks that I order right after I register.

S. Start each research session with what the professor assigns. The professor’s readings and links are the place to start. I wasted hours trying to find my own unique resources.

T. Tag everything. I use del.icio.us. when I gather sources from the Internet. I highlight the key information and enter what I need for the citation. Then I tag it with both the professor’s name and the paper topic.

R. Rest…When a paper deadline makes my adrenaline surge, the last thing I want to do is rest. I don’t have time for a walk, call a friend, or do a deep breathing meditation. However, when I do take time for a walk, often the words that can tie the paper together come to me and I race to the computer to get it down. I also schedule fun. Rest and a little fun make me more productive.

E. Email the professor when overwhelmed. I have learned to request rubrics and ask if I am off track with project plans.

S. Skim. Many professors provide the same information in different learning styles. Writers sometimes do the same. I skim for the essentials, quickly decide which readings I can use, and grab the best quotes.

S. Satisfy the assignment. Get the “B” then go back for the “A”. One of my professors told the class, “It takes twice as long to get the “A.” Decide if you have time for the “A” given your current life circumstances. Live with the decision, move on.





Get a Second Life: Second-Guessing Libraries in Second Life
By Karen Cooper

If you’ve heard of Second Life (2L) but don’t quite know what it is, does it help to know it’s a massive multi-player online role-playing game? If not, let me put it this way: 2L is a free, online virtual world where you can recreate yourself via an avatar and interact with others who’ve also joined. It’s being touted as the next phase of the web, where the younger “gaming” generation will go to hang out, study, play games, fly around, work cooperatively on projects, visit museum exhibitions, and perhaps even ask librarians reference questions.

I surveyed librarians with a presence in 2L to see how they or their institution have used it so far, and what plans they might have for it, along with their thoughts on their patrons’ use of it. I approached over 150 librarians who already inhabit 2L. The following are their impressions, along with some of my own, about this brave new virtual world. Signing up and using 2L is free, but buying and maintaining buildings and land is certainly not. (Linden Labs, the San Francisco-based company that created and manages 2L, clearly has a financial stake in its success.) How do real-life institutions justify spending real-life money on a virtual world, especially one with few patrons? Generally, the justification is based on the argument and expectation that 2L is yet another access point (in addition to instant messaging, email, phone and in-library assistance), and that in the future, patrons will be spending enough time in 2L to make it is necessary to meet them on their own ground.

At this point, though, the grounds are fairly empty. When I first started wandering around Cybrary City and Info Island (two of many virtual libraries near the SJSU campus in 2L) I thought there weren’t any patrons simply because I was halfway around the world and twelve time zones ahead. But after living in the US for the last fourmonths and attempting to sign on regularly during daylight and early evening hours, I’ve discovered that it’s still very lonely in and around the virtual libraries. If I see one or two people I’m surprised—and usually these people are librarians working in 2L, not patrons.

Most respondents to the survey stressed that they had a presence in 2L either because of personal interest or because their institution had set up a library in 2L and encouraged (not required) staff to become familiar with it. Most emphasized that any current involvement is geared for the future, not because of any demand now. “Mparntwe Gruntled,” (avatar names are in quotation marks) who has been a real-life librarian for over five years and active in 2L during the last year, notes that 2L “is about keeping up with technological change, and while 2L might not be the final form that technology takes, learning systems making use of avatars are likely to be the tool of choice in online environments in the future.”

A few respondents, including “Danu Dahlstrom,” have identified benefits already: “Virtual worlds allow us to possibly reach underserved groups” and to “allow us to provide unique 3D collections. We can create immersive environments with our digital collections and create a whole new level of learning. It is another avenue for users to find our enriched content.”

Although 2L is the most popular non-competitive virtual world right now, it does have some drawbacks. First, it requires a fast video card, lots of computer memory and a high-speed internet connection. When I first joined last March, the area around the SJSU campus looked like rural Kansas; it’s more like midtown Manhattan now. Non-stop construction means more graphics to process and more data to send through an internet connection. Though I have a new laptop, my graphics card cannot keep up, so walking down the street or looking around becomes a choppy, frustrating experience. I am hardly alone. Jennifer Crispin of the University of Missouri-Columbia commented that “the technical requirements got to be too much for my laptop, so I had to stop logging in. (My video card got so hot that it left a scorch mark on the bottom of the laptop case)… I think it’s important for people to pay attention to the costs of being involved in 2L, not just the benefits.”

Many are wondering if it is worth spending money (especially public funding) on reference services for people with expensive computers, rather than focusing on the general public. Still, some respondents are still exploring the advantages that owning, maintaining and staffing virtual libraries may eventually bring.

What types of questions do librarians get at their virtual reference desks? Generally, questions tended to be about 2L itself: Where can I buy 2L clothes? Why do pages take so long to load? Can I search the internet inside 2L? In order to serve this need, several stressed that they have spent quite a bit of time learning about 2L in order to answer such in-world questions.

The anonymity that a virtual world provides was also discussed by some respondents. One librarian noted that she receives many health-related questions, quite possibly due to the perceived privacy that 2L provides. Another librarians working on HealthInfo Island, finds that patrons’ questions are similar to when she was a medical reference librarian in a real-world library.

Anonymity was seen as a bonus in some situations, but other respondents noted it can also lead to lack of trust on the part of the patron. (“How do I know you’re really a medical reference librarian and not just some weirdo pretending to be one?”)

A reference librarian, “Hypatia Dejavu,” noted that a number of patrons also value speedy responses totheir queries. “We see patrons that are on the whole more impatient with getting a quick response and more likely to ask sensitive questions.”

As there are few patrons at this point, 2L seems to be more about librarians networking and learning new virtual skills, tasks dissimilar to what they do daily in a real library. As one student posted on the Yahoo Group SJSU-MLIS, 2L is a “tool to develop your own personal interests in librarianship.” Many librarians have mentioned that through 2L they’d found jobs, met others working on similar projects in other countries, researched careers and attended library-related conferences. For those in larger library systems, who may never get the opportunity to meet coworkers face-to-face, it’s one way to discuss problems, issues, ideas and trends.

Additionally, many feel that though 2L may not be the platform for virtual living, something will replace it. For some, spending time in 2L (and becoming adept at the skills needed to work there) is the only way to prepare for the next era of libraries. Godfrey in “A Brave New Virtual World” (2007) writes: “Exploring virtual worlds today gives us an early lead in shaping what will become a powerful new information channel equal to and sitting side by side with the web” (p. 215).

In an online article on Forbes.com, a Gartner survey predicted that by 2011, 80% of active internet users, or 250 million people, will participate in virtual worlds. Though 2L is under-populated now, many think it won’t be for long. So who’s using 2L now? According to Second Life Insider, 73% of the population is over 25, and the older the user, the more time s/he spends in 2L. Curiously, females spend twice as long in 2L as men—this is usually thought to be due to the non-competitive nature of 2L.

The upshot: Right now, 2L is still very much in its infancy, and more a networking site for librarians than a chance to directly serve patrons. But as with so much related to computing, further change is inevitable. At the very least, it seems worthwhile to keep an eye on 2L and other developments that may impact the ways in which librarians and patrons interact. But remember that the relatively few patrons who might approach you in a 2L library are more likely to be over 45, not those cool teenagers on the subway with iPhones.

Survey questions, references and additional reading are found here: http://tinyurl.com/yp3jol

Karen Cooper’s avatar loves to read, fly, teleport and write short autobiographical paragraphs.





©opyright & The Perils of Interlibrary Loan
By Michele Martin

As future information professionals, we are aware that we will be expected to wear many hats and be proficient in a number of areas. However, many of us may not realize that there is one subject we should all know something about as we enter the profession: copyright law and its potential impact on interlibrary loan (ILL). Regardless of what type of institution we choose to work in, a basic understanding of copyright issues will benefit us and the libraries that employ us.

The basic idea behind ILL is a simple one, and seemingly straightforward. If one library does not have a particular item in stock, a patron can quickly and easily request that item to be delivered from another library. However there are strict copyright rules about how many copies can be shared, with whom, and in what format.

There has been a growing tension over the past decade between libraries and publishers. That tension is likely to increase as more publications become available online, and as ILL use increases due to the skyrocketing costs of subscription databases. Traditionally, libraries have existed with the purpose of sharing information with the public at no cost. However subscription database vendors fear that libraries that share materials via ILL may be violating copyright law and taking money from the publishers who hold that copyright. In 2001, Pat Schroeder, president of the Association of American Publishers, angered librarians by telling the Washington Post, “We have a very serious issue with librarians.” Predictably, this comment further alienated the interested parties.

Why does it matter? Simply put, an ignorance of copyright rules can get a library in serious trouble. In recent years, there have been lawsuits filed by publishing companies against for-profit companies such as Texaco that have allowed employees to make copies of journal articles for the purposes of research. Realizing the possible implications, libraries have taken steps to protect themselves against similar actions.
Some libraries have implemented electronic resource management (ERM) modules into their integrated library system (ILS) to help track their various licensing agreements. These modules can monitor usage statistics, list the dates and terms of contracts, and provide information about whether publishers allow materials to be used in e-reserves or shared via ILL.

As part of my fall internship at the Jean and Charles Schulz Information Center at Sonoma State University, I helped Raye Lynn Thomas, Director of ILL Services, with a project to help ensure compliance with applicable copyright laws. Our original intent was to create a simple spreadsheet that could serve as a quick reference point for library staff. It would list all of Sonoma State’s subscription databases, indicate permissions granted or denied for ILL purposes, and any conditions of use.

This however proved to be a challenge as I quickly discovered there was nothing simple about wading through licensing agreements and determining their stances on ILL. While some licensing agreements explicitly stated whether or not ILL was allowed, many remained vague on the issue, stating only that “authorized users” were allowed access to the databases. The question of whether or not ILL patrons constituted authorized users was, in many cases, left open to interpretation. Even agreements that specifically addressed copyright as it pertained to ILL often buried this information deep within their website and phrased it in such “legalese” that it was difficult to ascertain what was being conveyed.

The issue is a contentious one, complicated by conflicting information and rules that are often vague or can be construed in a number of ways. The concept of “fair use” allows for copyrighted materials to be copied and shared (within limits) without explicit permission, provided that the use of the material complies with certain parameters. These parameters include the purpose of use of the material, the amount of material to be copied, the type of material, and the impact that copying the material will have on its commercial market. Section 108 of the federal copyright law specifically gives libraries the right to provide copies via ILL, but limits the borrower to one copy. This section also places limits on how many ILL transactions a single institution may request. The idea is to protect database vendors from libraries that use ILL as a substitute for purchasing their own subscriptions. Again, the rules are vague as to how many transactions are too many.

In addition to reviewing applicable copyright rules, librarians can also benefit from familiarizing themselves with the National Commission on the New Technological Uses of Copyrighted Works (CONTU) Guidelines. These guidelines were developed in order to address the question of how many ILL transactions an individual library may request. Known commonly as the “Rule of Five,” the guidelines cover titles published within five years prior to the ILL request and allow the borrower to receive five articles from any given title. However, subscription databases can specify in their license agreements with libraries that materials cannot be copied or shared via ILL at all, or limit the number of copies to be made, even if they fall into the category of fair use or are within CONTU guidelines. It is the library’s responsibility to be aware of these limitations, and to adhere to each vendor’s guidelines.

While no one will expect us to be experts in the area of copyright law, if we enter the profession armed with a basic understanding of these issues we will serve as valuable assets to the field of librarianship.

Michele Martin lives in Petaluma and works as a grant writer for a nonprofit organization. When not working or doing homework, she loves to read, do crossword puzzles, travel and train for endurance events. She plans to graduate in Fall 2008.





Redefining Reference Assistance in Academic Libraries
by Yvonne Brett

The reference desk has long been a symbol of librarianship in the academic library, but recently its usefulness has been questioned. In March 2007, Columbia University held a symposium and resolved that, by 2012, there will be no reference desks in large academic libraries. I do not believe that this sweeping statement is entirely true because though the physical reference desk might eventually disappear, the need to provide reference services to students will continue to exist. What is changing though, are the various methods of providing these services.

The technological advances of the millennial generation have shaped a new cohort of library users who consider instantaneous information a fact of life. Instant messaging, cell phones, MP3s, text messaging, wikis, Facebook, and MySpace have made students comfortable accessing information electronically and have contributed to the decline of reference desk use. These students constitute a new generation of consumers who are accustomed to paying their bills online, scanning their own groceries in the checkout line, and going to Google for all their answers in life.

Some university libraries have reacted to this trend by expanding reference beyond the desk through innovative technological approaches. The newly completed University of California, Merced never even installed a reference desk and answers questions through text messaging on phones. Colorado State utilizes a computerized librarian referral system to direct their students. The University of Michigan provides an outreach service that is a little more personable through its “Librarian with a Latte” program. A librarian sets up specific hours at a coffee shop and brings along a laptop to help students find the resources they need. These creative ideas give students needed assistance, but do not provide the steady presence of a librarian sitting behind the desk. The personal service provided by staffing the reference desk is important to the culture of a university library. Though many students appear to be technologically adept, some of them coming out of high school have not had access to such a vast array of resources and require the personal touch when trying to navigate the search for journal articles or other difficult to find resources.

I believe that the best solution is not to get rid of the reference desk completely, but redesign the purpose of the desk. Recently, while completing a teaching fellowship at California State University, San Marcos (CSUSM), I had the opportunity to witness a novel and successful approach to staffing. Data has shown that many of the questions asked at the reference desk are directional or technology related, and student workers can easily answer such questions. The desk is staffed at all times by these students who have been specially trained and continue their training with weekly follow-up sessions. These students can easily answer questions relating to the copy machines, computers, and locating a book on the shelf. When the student worker determines the question requires the expertise of a librarian, he or she picks up a phone and, with the push of one button, reaches the librarian on call for that hour. The librarian then comes out from her office and provides assistance. This method frees up time for the librarians to work in their offices to prepare for the classes they teach.

General education classes require a minimum of nine hours of information literacy skills, and the seven teaching librarians spend a majority of their time instructing these students. During these classes, librarians emphasize to the students that they are “their” librarians and encourage them to make appointments for consultations if they need help with their research. A majority of the reference questions are course-based, so having librarians that specialize by subject makes a lot of sense. CSUSM outreach librarian Melanie Chu stated, “We are actually doing more reference, it is just done in a different way.” During my fellowship, I repeatedly witnessed students walking right past the reference desk and straight to the librarian offices to speak directly to their librarian. Data collected by the CSUSM Library shows that 75% of those seeking assistance had either been instructed in class, had a course guide, or had previous experience with a librarian. Encouraging this type of behavior has helped to make library research in the university setting much more successful for students who would not, in general, spontaneously approach the reference desk for in-depth assistance.

So will the reference desk really disappear by 2012? I do not think we will see a complete demise, but I expect more universities will reconsider how they have been providing service and possibly try to implement some creative techniques to continue to reach as many students as possible. I truly believe that no electronic method will ever replace that feeling of gratification when a librarian leads someone to the perfect source needed for a project. A face lights up, a fist pumps in the air, and a relieved, “yes!” reverberates throughout the stacks. A happy student walks away clutching the elusive resource, and the argument for continuing to provide reference help is justified.

Yvonne Brett is an MLIS graduate student at San Jose State University and plans on becoming an academic librarian when she graduates in May.