eli preconference
TRANSCRIPT
Promoting and Supporting Web 2.0 Services on Campus
Agenda Part I• 8-8:10 Welcome/the basics• 8:10-8:15 My Introduction• 8:15- 8:45 Audience Introduction• 8:45-9:30 Learning 2.0 and
organizational change
@ McMaster• 9:30-10:00 Break
Agenda Part II• 10:00-10:15 Learning 2.0 @ McMaster:
Transforming ourselves• 10:15-11:00 Learning 2.0 at McMaster:
The program• 11:00-11:15 Learning 2.0 at McMaster:
How we’re using it• 11:15-11:20 Next Steps• 11:20-11:30 Questions
My Introduction
• New to McMaster
• 20+ years experience
• Public/academic libraries
• Grant initiatives involving archives, museums and others
• Systems background
• Last position: Wayne State University, Detroit
Member: Gamer Generation
• Tauren (Horde Faction)• Hunter Class• Currently Level 70 and
enjoying the Burning Crusade
• Born: 20-Sep-2006
July 2006• University Librarian at
McMaster University– Top 200 Universities
worldwide– Canada’s most research
intensive– Recognized as “Canada’s
most innovative”– Problem-based learning
Why did I choose to come to Canada?
McMaster Context
McMaster University Library
• State of decline– 1991: Ranked 86th among
ARL– 2006: Ranked 109th
Challenges
• Lowest funded medical-doctoral library in Canada
• Lowest # of librarians in ARL• Lowest #FTE in ARL• Unionized environment• Length of service• App. 40% staff in “back office”• 10-15% of staff on LTD• Needed a message of “CHANGE”
But first, let’s talk about you…
Audience Introduction• Your name• Your institution• What you do• What you hope to get out of this session
Learning 2.0 and Organizational Change @ McMaster
August 2006: Our Transformation
• Focus on 4 pillars of “transformation”– Ourselves– Our resources– Our services– Our facilities
The kick in the teeth
• 8 weeks after I started: Provost stepped down
• University: “discovered” $20m structural deficit
• Freeze vacancies• Across the board cuts
18 Months since my arrival• Three Provosts• Two VP Research• Two Deans of Humanities• Interim Dean of Engineering• Interim Dean of Graduate Studies• Dean of Social Sciences: no 2nd term• Medicine, Business, Science (stable, for now)
A new message, bold vision, get attention
Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.
Our flattened world• 10 flatteners
– #2: Netscape– #4: Open sourcing– #9: In-forming– #10: The Steroids
2006
2006
2006
2006
Student-Focused message
Today’s learner• Intuitively visual
communicators• Easily move between
virtual and physical• Learn through discovery• Respond quickly• Able to shift easily
– Diana Oblinger
Engaged with
• Games/Virtual worlds (WoW, Second Life)
• Social spaces (Facebook, myspace)
• Web 2.0 spaces (Blogs, Wikis)• Content (YouTube, Flickr,
del.icio.us)• Handhelds, cell phones, iPods
Librarians
Question….
If you were going to undertake a major transformation of your institution, what kind of message would work on your campus?
Did it work?
Campus News
Local News (The Spec)
Note: they read my blog!
National News (CBC, G&M)
National Television (Canada AM)
One week: PR hat trick
University Affairs The SpecG&M
Late breaking news: ACRL Excellence in Academic Libraries
So, what did we do?• More than just “the message”….but, Let’s
take our break first!
Learning 2.0 @ McMaster
Transformation Team
Guest speakers
• Faculty: Dr. Brian Detlor (Business), Dr. Claude Eilers (Classics) and Dr. Geoffrey Rockewell (Multimedia)
• Mike Ridley (Guelph)• Perry Willett (UofM)• Alane Wilson (OCLC)• Michael Stephens (tametheweb)• Joan Lippincott (CNI), • John Shank (blendedlibrarian.org)
Choices
• Retire• Restructure• Reassign• Retrain• Recognize
5R
Choice: Retire• Eliminated cataloging
department (14 staff)– CAW agreement– 10 voluntary
separation packages– 6 months pay– Take up from 8– $300,000 salary
savings
• 9 new positions created– 7 new librarians
Achievements: New positions
• Archivist/Librarian• Digital Strategies Librarian• Digital Technologies Librarian• E-Resources Librarian• Marketing, Outreach, Communications
Librarian• Teaching and Learning Librarian• Immersive Learning (Gaming) Librarian
Reassignments: User Experience Librarian
• Questions:– What aren’t you doing that you know you
should be doing?– What are you doing that you know you
shouldn’t do any longer?– How can you facilitate change?– How do you inspire confidence in change?
Learning 2.0 @ McMaster
Retraining: Emerging Technologies IG
• Amanda Etches-Johnson, Reference Librarian (chair)
• Harry Ennis, Coordinator, Library Services for Students with Disabilities
• Alex Homanchuk, Mills Intern • Debbie Lawlor, Microcomputer Specialist • Kelly Penfold, Library Assistant • Wade Wyckoff, Cataloging Policy Librarian
Learning 2.0 @ Mac• Modeled after
– Learning 2.0 programme at Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenberg County
Launched with a bang!
http://tametheweb.com
Invited staff to participate• Open to everyone – self selected
– 135 total staff– App 80 signed up– App 70 completed all 12 weeks
• Clerical staff, managers, librarians
How did we get so many sign ups? Incentives!
• Time! – Staff were allowed to participate on work time – Supervisors asked to accommodate
scheduling changes
• Incentives for completing programme– MP3 player for everyone– Final draw to win a laptop computer
Word got out!• Other departments on campus:
– Marketing staff– Advancement staff
• Allowed to attend training but library did not sponsor their incentives
Web site
http://macetg.wordpress.com/about-learning-20-mac/
What does it include?• Learning 2.0 @ Mac
– About the programme– Learning 2.0 @ Mac weekly activities– Learning Groups– Participant Blogs
Can you borrow it?• “Steal these ideas”
The Learning 2.0 @ Mac programme is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
How does it work?• 12 week program• use freely available online tools
– Blogger– Wordpress– Bloglines– Del.icio.us– Flickr– Firefox and plugins
Learning Groups• 10 Learning groups
– 9-10 participants each– Team Leader (a member of ETG).
• Support and encouragement– Weekly email messages– Monitored member blogs– Answered questions– Provided support and assistance– Monitored progress
Groups
How does it work?• each week focused on a specific type of tool
– Week 1: Intro– Week 2: Blogging– Week 3: RSS– Week 4: Wikis– Week 5: Social Bookmarking and Tagging– Weeks 6 and 7: Discovery!
How does it work?– Week 8: Online applications and tools
(Google docs, library thing, etc)– Week 9: Online social networks– Week 10: Gaming and Virtual Worlds– Week 11: Browser tools– Week 12: Discovery!
Followed up with a “wrap up” week
Question: What’s missing from this list? Did we cover everything you would have?
Activities on the website
• Designed to guide participants – experiment with the tools – think about potential uses
• Blogs– Demonstrate knowledge– Reinforce learning
Example Week 2: Blogs
Example week 2• Overview of “blogs” and “blogging”• Examples of librarians who blog• Blogging libraries wiki (sample of what’s to
come – wikis)• Blogging software
Example Week 2: Activities
• Just two assignments– Set up a blog and post– Send blog address to
coordinator
Example: Week 2
• Additional readings including: – “The Ethical Blogger”– “Why and how to use blogs to promote your
library’s services”
Example Week 8: Online apps and tools
Example: Week 8• Activity: For this week, we have just one activity
for you: take a look at one (or more!) of these online applications and write a blog post about your impressions of the application(s) you explored. – Google Docs and spreadsheets
– Zoho
– ThinkFree
– Basecamp
– etc
Example: Week 8 (apps)• Intro: One of the most interesting “2.0″
developments is the proliferation of web-based applications. These applications allow you to do many of the things you used to need software to do — things like creating or editing a Word document, spreadsheet or presentation, creating or editing an image file, chatting online via instant messaging, and even keeping track of your book collection! The best part? None of these applications require a download! Most simply require you to register with the site and login in order to use the tools.
Example: Week 8 (staff response)
Celebration
Were we successful?
Campus Publicity
Local News
Last month: PR hat trick
University Affairs
The Spec
G&M
Others on campus
• Interest from – Advancement– Career Services– Faculty of Business– Faculty of Social Sciences– Marketing– Social Sciences – Student Services
How are we using 2.0?
Facebook: increased visibility
Internal Communication
How are we using facebook?
Facebook: Marketing
FYE Student wiki
Wikis: Canadian Glacier Inventory
del.icio.us: Library subject guides
IM: Meebo (up 300% this year)
Google earth and maps
Peace and War in the 20th Century
New ways of working
Staff buy-in• More staff interest in 2.0 and the
transformation• Rhonda Moore
– Original Cataloguer– Now: Virtual reference manager
• IM (Meebo)• Email reference
Question: How are you using 2.0 in your organization? Examples….
Lessons Learned
Lessons Learned• Team approach to training was beneficial• Planning was critical (August 2006-Feb 2007• Guest speaker: Michael Stephens• Two weeks between Michael and actual start
Lessons Learned• Borrow from others!• Team approach to learning• Drop in sessions• Two week breaks• Content balance• INCENTIVES!
Next Steps
• Business faculty and PhD students• Social Sciences faculty• Career Services• Student Services• Implementing “digital sandbox” for
campus-wide services (blogs, wikis, etc)
Other partnerships• First year psychology• Second year history• iSci (Honours Research Science)
Thinking beyond Web 2.0
Wiki/Blog/Tagging/Second Life Island
Campus reactions• Good• Bad• Ugly
Obsolescence lies in store for those who cannot, in some manner, adapt to our new reality.
» James Duderstadt, President Emeritus, University of Michigan
Libraries have a choice
Thank you!• Jeff Trzeciak• Email: [email protected]• Blog: ulatmac.wordpress.com