The Shifted Librarian shifting libraries at the speed of byte

I just returned from giving a presentation about gaming and libraries to a crowd of enthusiastic librarians at the NetSpeed Conference in Calgary. I love doing presentations for and talking with Canadian librarians, because I think they do a much better job of pooling resources and working together than we do in the U.S. I’ll be interested to see if they apply that same effort to gaming (I’m betting they will).
For those NetSpeeders who may be visiting here for the first time, welcome! Please feel free to leave a comment about the presentation or gaming in general. The slides will be available at http://theshiftedlibrarian.pbwiki.com/ later today.
I also want to thank the conference organizers for making a donation to the Lois Hole Library Legacy Program in my name. What a great idea. Yeah, Canadian librarians rock hard.

Patrick McDonald let me know he has started a new blog, PHM3. The subtitle is “Information, Libraries, and Provocative Ideas,” and the first one is a doozy: The Google Proposition – Challenging our Identity, Furthering Our Mission?

“Imagine this: Google, whose mission is ‘to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful’, realizes it’s too expensive or just not worth it to fight the fight to scan and make copyrighted books available online. Instead they acquire one or more publishing houses (who perhaps can be had for a reasonable price because their major media parents are disappointed with their contributions to the corporate bottom line) with the intention of providing unlimited simultaneous, free access to texts online while ‘monetizing’ that access via advertising in the same way they have very successfully monetized search results. Then being as resource rich as they are, Google attracts writers and book producers by offering better compensation in exchange for the right make their to-be-published works immediately and ‘universally accessible’ online. In addition to monetizing book access, Google claims it is doing ‘good’ by making this information ‘universally accessible and useful’ free of charge to readers….
Would we protest, perhaps out of a short-sighted desire to preserve ourselves as an institution as we have traditionally existed?

OR

Would we embark on some kind of ‘transformational change’ (as many before me have called it), satisfied our mission of providing freely available information is substantially (if not perfectly acheived – perhaps negotiating electronic and hard copy fail safes to maintain access in case Google and others become ‘evil’) and reorient and redevote ourselves using freed up resources to address other community needs – hosting cultural and/or social centers, focusing on instructing and becoming ‘People’s Universities’, navigating the available information etc….”

Could Google redefine copyright (digital fair use rights really) through behavior rather than law? As Anil Dash notes, “If YouTube has created something fantastic, and it required copyright violation to do so, then copyright law should be changed to make it legal. Laws are ours, people — they’re not carved on stone tablets.” What would digital fair use rights look like in this model? You can remix and re-use content, as long as you keep the ads? Do the ads become part of the copyrighted work?
Provocative indeed – leave your thoughts over on Paul’s blog, and then subscribe to his feed to find out how he tops this post.

This time it’s in the Dallas Morning News and the article is called Video Games Encourage Teens to Check Out Libraries.
The good news: We learn that the Forth Worth Public Library is creating a room dedicated to gaming. Can’t wait to learn more about that!
The bad news: Yet another newspaper story that lets someone (this time a professor at the University of Maryland) get away with sweeping generalizations about gaming. Melanie Killen claims, “a vast majority of the games have negative content and the consequences can be destructive, including increased impulsivity, aggressive behavior and shorter attention spans,” without providing any proof at all.
Whether that’s her fault or the newspaper’s, let’s just nip this in the bud right now in case you encounter this argument at your own library.
First of all, 85% of the games sold in 2006 were rated E (for Everyone), E+10 (ages 10 and up), or T (for Teen). That means only 15% of video games sold in 2006 where rated for adults, so that’s hardly a “vast majority.” Only 4 of the top 20 games sold in 2006 were rated M (Mature) (PDF). That would be 1/5, which means the “vast majority” of games sold were actually appropriate for kids and teenagers.
Second of all, let’s define what we mean by “destructive” and “aggressive behavior,” because as video games have become more popular, youth violence has actually dropped, despite those stories that grab all the headlines.
Third, “impulsivity” and “shorter attention spans” can be attributed to many things, not just video games. If I’m not mistaken, these arguments were made against television forty years ago, so it’s not like this is something new and it’s not like you can blame video games as the master evil behind these problems. In fact, one wonders if shorter, less complex newspaper stories that fail to provide facts or links for further information or, you know, evidence/data/research might contribute to that trend, too.
What’s really ironic is that Killen is later quoted as saying, ” ‘There is a concern in our society about the preparation of the next workforce in terms of reading and math and science skills,’ she said. ‘We should be doing everything we can to facilitate that, and I think that allowing video games to go in libraries is a bad signal.’ ” If you run into this misguided assumption yourself, you can point folks to this report or this report or this report (PDF), which discuss how gaming can help with exactly those things.
The worst part? They cite a figure for the number of libraries offering console or PC gaming programs that is flat out wrong, all the more curious since the summary of the survey is available online (PDF). Had they bothered to point to it from the article, they might have gotten it right. Sadly, the DMN doesn’t allow comments or trackbacks, so their readers will never know just how wrong the paper got this story. Luckily, the rest of us do.

Come have fun working with us as ACRL’s Manager of Web Services:

“Responsibilities: Reporting to the Assistant Director of ACRL and Director of Professional Development, you will be responsible for the development and management of ACRL’s e-learning program (including technology and instructional design for webcasts, e-seminars, virtual institutes, virtual national conferences); develop new Web-based products and services; develop, manage, and assess ACRL web presence ensuring it meets member and public expectations; serve as staff liaison to committee web editors and other member committees.
Requirements: MLS; several years experience in an academic/research library; writing/editing experience; knowledge of instructional design for online environments; understanding of Web design, Web usability methods, Web architecture concepts, Web courseware (e.g., WebCT/Moodle), Dreamweaver or other Web authoring software, Web 2.0 tools, HTML, and MS Office,; experience working with content management systems (CMS). In addition, must demonstrate initiative, entrepreneurial drive, commitment to continuous learning, strong customer service orientation, exceptional communication, organizational and interpersonal skills; ability to handle multiple projects successfully and function in a team-based environment. Preferred: experience working with ColdFusion and Flash; knowledge of Web search software and tagging for optimal ranking of ACRL products and services.
Full-time, 35 hours/wk; starting salary from low 50s –negotiable based on experience. Interested candidates should forward their resume and cover letter to: American Library Association, Human Resources Dept. Ref. WebMgr/ACRL, 50 E. Huron St, Chicago, IL 60611, fax: 312/280-5270, email: mpullen@ala.org

Lately I’ve read some very thought-provoking posts that I’ve wanted to comment on at length, but unfortunately I just don’t have time to do them each the justice they deserve right now. So here’s a starter pack to make you think about them instead.

• Technology with Altitude
  

  “Ron Gardner, Contentdm specialist for OCLC, made the point that libraries are getting a lot more involved in the creation that goes on in libraries. It got me thinking that we are still a little fixated on what comes into the library (metadata creation, organization, even the library website) rather than caring as much as we should about what goes out.
  In a profession full of humanists and expert researchers, is it time for us to be thinking even more about what people produce in libraries, rather than simply finding them the right resources and leaving them to their best devices? Could the library profession be a key player in the quality of information that with or without our help is going to wind up available to millions through search and discovery mechanisms that are not of our own flawless (ahem) design? We’re already playing a role in the production of mass digitization of our existing resources and the creation of digital portals for our unique resources. Isn’t the next logical step to be the stewards of the things that are created from access to those things?” [Hectic Pace]

  My answer is an emphatic yes, although I believe Andrew is probably thinking about academic libraries in this context. I, however, read it as an extension of what I’ve been saying for years about public libraries. More on this soon, due in part to an interesting conversation I recently had with Taylor Willingham.
   

• The Associaton for Library Services to Children is blogging away, and it’s home to a great post by Ann Crewdson about Second Life, Third Life, Fourth Life….
  

  “Many of us are in denial that we are in the age of digital natives. How many times have we walked by people whom we thought were crazy, only to find out that they have an earpiece attached to their cellphone? Watching someone using the Wii controller to jog around Second Life is even odder only because we’ve never exercised that way. Second Life is just another information place we can meet these people and serve them. It doesn’t have to be one world or another. We can straddle as many worlds as we want and be all the more information richer. We can even defeat a 12-year-old at a video game. It’s the same game, different skin. Second Life is the internet, in a different form. If we only set our minds to it we can free ourselves of our psychological barriers. If I can do it, you can do it too!”

  While I agree with a lot of what Ann says, it’s more the attitude that I wanted to note, because more than the technical know-how, that’s what makes “librarian 2.0.” It’s the willingness to play, experiment, and learn. Had Ann decided Second Life wasn’t for her or her library, I’d still highlight this post. It’s the folks who write something off without even trying it (especially while telling others that “no one needs to do this” or who spend all of 10 minutes doing something and then are surprised when the end result isn’t stellar) who work against the best values of our profession. This is true for many things, not just Second Life or virtual worlds. After all, we had this kind of debate around allowing email in the library, too, not so long ago.
  If you don’t care, that’s fine. But we now live in a permanent world of “and,” not “or,” and we can’t each do everything. Nor can we all do everything. So find your part of the “and,” and see what you can do with it. There’s a whole mess of digital honey out there to catch flies with.
   

• If you haven’t already read Karen Schneider’s farewell post on the TechSource Blog – Sailing On, please do so now. She says a lot of the things that need to be said, and that’s me you see standing behind her, waving my hands in the air and singing “amen.” I can’t choose any one piece to quote, and there’s really nothing I can add.
  I can, however, complement it with a link to Peter Brantley’s post about Libraries Re-shaping.

  “The tiller of change is advancing on the field, the corn has been harvested, and the stalks will soon return to the soil. We better be thinking about the new crop, or the field will lie fallow.
  I appreciate the severity of my suggestions. I think this is a conversation that libraries should have, openly and vigorously, because half-measures will not suffice. I may be wrong in my specifics; an out-of-step troubadour with atonal music and lyrics in an offensive language. That’s fine. Other and better learned troubadours must surely exist to play the music that will capivate.
  Here we go …” [Peter Brantley’s thoughts and speculations]

  Although the post focuses on academic libraries, I’m going to give away the ending because it’s applicable across the board. It’s also why I’m optimistic about libraries and librarians.

  “Why effect these wrenching changes?
  Because It’s Time. The librarians that I have talked with – admittedly, they self-select, although they represent a cross section of functions – are ready to move forward into the future. We know how much things have changed; we’re not kidding ourselves. We know there should be fundamental transformation, even if some of us necessarily and selfishly want its expression to come in just-a-few-more-years. Yet, a bright future beckons. It is exciting, and we can be part of it. We know it – we have a huge range of skills, and we’re bursting with new ideas.”

We should be close to a time when I can watch a movie online with my friends who live in different places. For example, if my friends in Florida, Indiana, and I all want to watch All About Eve, we should be able to stream it online and comment on it MST3K-style. Anyone know of an existing service like this?

From a recent interaction:
Feedback: 2 b : the transmission of evaluative or corrective information about an action, event, or process to the original or controlling source
Freedback: b : the transmission of evaluative or corrective information about an action, event, or process to the original or controlling source when done openly and transparently using public input and output mechanisms, e.g. blogs with open comments instead of one-way, non-interactive, email-based forms
And from a different conversation, TADD: Technology ADD.

If you’re attending the Illinois Library Association Conference, I highly recommend this program. I’ve seen the slides and read the narrative, and I think it’s going to be great (and very practical). Should be a lot of interesting discussion, too.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007, 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Room B-7
Prairie Capital Convention Center

“How can you make Library 2.0 a reality? To realize change, we must shift management strategies at the speed of Library 2.0. This panel explores how middle managers can use their positions to foster a culture of learning and collaboration to realize Library 2.0 change.”

And of course you’re already going to see Michael Stephens opening keynote at 11:00 a.m. that day, right? Of course you are. Have fun, Michael! :-)
Updated: The slides from the session are available here.

Shameless Self Promotion – Blogging Scholarship Finalist

“I have been chosen as a finalist in CollegeScholarship.org’s blogging scholarship- which means I’m up for a $10,000 scholarship. I’m the only library blogger on the list.
The finalists are listed on this page, and you can vote on this page. I’m Karin Dalziel, in case you forgot.” [Musings of an LIS Student]

I still get a lot of requests for Joost invitations, so I just wanted to note that the service is finally open to everyone and that you no longer need an invite to download it. Joost away, my friends, Joost away.