Favorite Things: Fantastic Fiction

Life at the Reference/Adult Services Desk can get hectic.  And sometimes we just need a little help finding the right answers. When it comes to answering: "Can you tell me if this is the first book in the series?"  Or "What else has this author written?"  Fantastic Fiction is one of my go-to resources.  With listings for over 30,000 authors and 350,000 books and counting, if it's in the library catalog, it's probably in here, too.

Search by author to find a list of everything they've published listed in series order.  It's easy to print out a list for a fan.  Search by book title and click on the link for a synopsis and Amazon purchasing info (of course).  At the bottom of an author page there may be recommendations from the author and you'll find a list of "people who searched for this author also searched for ..."  a great way to find readalikes for that "Oh, I've read all of those" patron.

You can also browse authors alphabetically or by genre or search for new listings in hardback, paperback, audio, or Kindle.

Library Service Win

We really didn't do anything special.  It was just the Adult Services staff doing what we always do.  But we made a difference...
Last Tuesday an older woman came to the desk asking to use a public access computer.  She was shaking like a leaf.  And she told us her story. 

The night before she'd gotten a phone call from someone claiming to warn her that her PC was in danger of crashing.  When she went to her PC her cursor was moving seemingly by itself.  The man on the phone said he could "fix" the problems with her computer, but she'd have to pay him.  She pulled the plugs on her computer, hung up the phone, and called the police!! 

And now she was in the library hoping to access her email and online accounts to make sure everything was okay.  She asked if we could recommend someone to help her with her computer, so we gave her the number for the local Geek Squad.  We also recommend Norton Anti-Virus.  Then I logged her onto a computer.  And when she was too nervous to log into her email account, I helped her get there, too.  When she opened her email and everything was still there, I could see her visibly relax.  Later one of my co-workers helped her with something else, and then I was with her again helping her print some documents. Every time we worked with her she told us her story again.

So that's it.  We did our jobs and we listened.

Yesterday, when I got to work there was a gift bag addressed to me on the counter.  It was from our patron.  A thank you note to me and the rest of the staff (my name was the only one she remembered) and a delicious box of cookies, to let us know she appreciated our efforts.

What a great feeling. 

Reader's Advisory Win!!

Last week a woman came up to the Adult Services Desk with her young daughter in tow.  The daughter had an armful of books from the Children's Department.  The mother told me that she wanted a book to read so could set a good example to her daughter by reading along with her.
     "But," she said. "I don't read, I just watch movies."
So there went 90% of the standard RA interview.  She doesn't read, she doesn't have a  favorite book, nothing she's hated, doesn't know what kind of  genre she might like.  So I asked her what movies she's liked recently.
    "Harry Potter and Twilight"
Did she want to read the books?
    "Well the story's pretty much the same isn't it?"
So I recruited my co-workers at the desk for some ideas and plunged into the stacks.  What might be a good fit?  Something magical? paranormal? romantic? historical?  character driven? Nothing to heavy or dark.  I thought perhaps something on which a movie might be based. AND, of course, something on the shelf right now that I can put in her hands and that I know enough about to explain and sell.
   Eegad!!!
I gave her The White Queen by Philippa Gregory and One for the Money by Janet Evanovich (my co-worker's suggestion), we looked for a Neil Gaiman, but he wasn't on the shelf.  She seemed pleased and hopeful that she would like the books and off she went.

Yesterday, I was home and got an e-mail from my co-worker, the woman had come back.  She LOVED The White Queen and finished it in three days.  Huzzah!!!  A reader is born.

In the immortal words of Hannibal Smith, "I love it when a plan comes together."

What is a MOOC and Why Should We Care?

A MOOC is a Massive Open Online Course. The first MOOCs were generally science and technology courses offered for free, with no college credit, taught by expert in the field. As the courses catch on more and more topics are being offered for study and for-profit organizations are trying to get into the game. Some colleges are now charging for access to MOOCs with prices varying depending on whether the student wants CEUs or college credit for the course.

Students taking a MOOC are on their own, even more so than a regular online class.  As such, the drop out rate is high.  But those who complete their course gain skills and  knowledge that can help them get a better job and improve their lives.

As public librarians, it is worth our time to learn a little about MOOCs, because sooner or later someone is going to ask.  Students can enroll in a MOOC without being affiliated with a particular college or university and may need the library for computer access, written materials, or other assistance.

The major MOOC providers are:
Coursera
EdX
Udacity
Also, some colleges offer their own MOOCs

Student Advisor.com is a site that "offers free access to trusted educational conversations, college reviews, college comparison and match tools, planning guides, a social network of verified advisors and more."  They also have an entire MOOC Advisor site devoted to all things MOOC including student reviews of courses.

 
For an in depth article about MOOCs check out Massive Open Opportunity by Meredith Schwartz in the May 15, 2013 Library Journal. 

For the sake of full disclosure, I am taking a MOOC through Syracuse University's School of Information Science on Professor David Lankes's book The Atlas of New Librarianship.  It is rigorous, informative, and fun.  I will definitely enroll in another MOOC.

What Librarians Make ... a Difference

Wow!
Someone just shared this on one of the LinkedIn groups I belong to.  This School Library Journal Blog post is a couple of years old, but as timely and relevant as the day it was written.  And tho' written by a school librarian and school libraries it is just as relevant to public libraries and the librarians who work there.
The post "What Librarians Make : A Response to Dr. Bernstein and an Homage to Taylor Mali" was written by librarian Joyce Valenza in November 2010.  It seems that Dr. Bernstein, Superintendent of schools in Valley Stream, NY, had written an opinion piece in Newsday calling for Governor Cuomo to ease the burden on school districts by getting rid of those antiquated rules about mandatory librarians and library collections at the high school level.  The truly frightening thing to me is that  this man manages to be a school superintendent while being completely ignorant about such an important aspect of the education process, but that is neither here nor there.  Ms. Valenza's response to Dr. Bernstein was excellent and well worth your time.
Because the bottom line is that what librarians make is A DIFFERENCE.  We make a difference in the lives of our patrons.  We connect people with information ... correct information ... the answers they really need.  We connect job seekers with free computer access, resume writing books and classes, job fairs, and skill building classes, online sources, and (yes) books.  We connect children with literacy skills and a love of reading that will enhance their ability to learn.  We connect the community with programs and outreach services.  We connect readers of all ages with books that educate, entertain, challenge, touch, and help them.  We build bridges across the digital divide providing access to resources  that not everyone can afford on their own.
It is mind-boggling to me that we are still having this argument.  That there are authors, publishers, and education professionals who think that librarians are a relic from the past is sad.  It's sad for them, sad for us as librarians, and sad for the community.  Libraries provide a valuable service to their communities and the most valuable resource they provide is LIBRARIANS.

More than Books!!

Is there anyone who still thinks the only thing you can find in the library is books?  Check out this article to find out what's going on in Ontario, Canada.  The Ontario Library Association asked their member libraries how they were thinking outside the box to meet the needs of their communities.  The answers include fishing poles, garden seeds, story time quilts, ice skates, crafty makerspaces and more.

I love all these ideas.  Why not loan fishing poles, cake pans, pedometers and other little gadgets?  And I could easily see a community jigsaw puzzle table in a corner of my library.  Classes for seniors?  Absolutely.  Why not tap that huge mine of retiree experience and get some of our seniors to teach some classes and share their wealth of knowledge with the community (maybe the teens)?

This Just In! Libraries Very Important Say Americans!!

The Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project (Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) conducted a survey to find out what the average American thinks about public libraries.  You can see the article, Library Services in the Digital Age, describing the survey results  here.  The findings are very encouraging, and in those cities where councils are making a mad dash to slash budgets on the backs of library funding, please note:

"Fully 91% of Americans ages 16 and older say public libraries are important to their communities; and 76% say libraries are important to them and their families."  Now THAT is a mandate.

Respondents cited borrowing books and free access to computers and the Internet as "very important" in almost equal amounts.  Librarians too are considered a valuable library asset. 

But "just 22% say that they know all or most of the services their libraries offer now."  This looks like a good place for some creative marketing ideas.

This is a valuable piece of research and a useful tool for libraries and librarians, to see where we are doing well, where we are falling short, and where we should be headed for the future. 

Library Cards

I just found this great link to the top ten list of people who need an online library account. I think it covers just about everyone.  Who doesn't need quick access to accurate information, a place to get movies and books for free, Ebooks, downloadable movies, music and audio books, book lists, reading suggestions, Weblinks, homework help ... ?

Get a library card.  The online account comes with it for free.  It really is the smartest card in your wallet. 

Citation, Citation, Citation

Or how to slay that nasty dragon called plagiarism.

Or in other words, "Thou Shalt not Steal" (Exodus, 20:15, KJV).

There are lots of great resources out there to help students, and other writers, understand what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.  Here are a few quick links to help the average librarian get the point across.

For an all around writing course and citation how-tos try the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University.

If you need help formatting a citation correctly Son of Citation Machine will help you plug in all the information and generate full citations and parentheticals for all the standards citation styles.

Kate Hart has created a great info graphic on her blog that's geared toward helping bloggers cite and link to sources correctly.

There are no stupid questions

Patron: May I ask you a question?
Librarian: Of course, what may I do for you?
Patron: Can you tell me who wrote Bram Stoker's Dracula?
       pause
Librarian:  Bram Stoker.  Would you like me to check to see if we have a copy available?

It was very awkward.

What do you do?  How do you help someone save face?  It happens almost everyday.  Someone can't find a book on the shelf and when they follow you back to the stacks you find it instantly ... right where it belongs.  Or they can't find the start button on the copier.  Or ...

I have several stock responses.  "Oh, it happens to everyone."  "Sometimes it just takes a second pair of eyes."  I want people to be comfortable coming to the desk.  But if they're embarrassed once, will they come back?  And how do we prevent it? 

Makerspaces

I have been doing some reading on participatory librarianship and started learning about makerspaces.  I've found some wonderful information, but writing an essay that incorporates all the links I've found isn't going to happen so instead I've created a new page on the blog to include them all.

This is a somewhat unorganized, scattershot of links I have found about makerspaces. Makerspaces comes from the idea of creating community common spaces where people can come together to share equipment and tools that would be out of financial/practical reach of individuals.  I think it may have originated with hackers and gamers (so cool), but I'm still learning.

The whole idea is about sharing, creating, creativity, and community.  That's what libraries do, isn't it?

Practically speaking building a wood/computer/electronics shop in the library basement with space for arts, crafts and 3D printing might not be practical.  But the idea has potential.

The end of Reference?

I visited a local library yesterday that has done away with its Reference collection.   The books are gone, the space has been repurposed.  There is a small ready reference collection behind the Information desk.  I noticed several copies of the most popular college guides in the circulating non-fiction collection.  I hope some of their other reference works have also been moved to circulating non-fiction.  There is a print encyclopedia in a corner of the YA department.  The head of Adult Reference explained that she felt the collection was unused and therefore unnecessary.

I wonder.

The Reference collection is the most underused collection in the library.  But does that mean it is unnecessary?  I don't think so.  I think it is time to re-think the Reference collection.

To that end I did a little (very little) research and found this blog post from Brian Herzog, the Swiss Army Librarian (cool library blog), about the overhaul he gave the reference collection in his library in Massachusetts. In brief, they weeded the heck out of the collection, moved many of the single volume books into circulating non-fiction, and converted the remaining reference collection into small, free-standing, easily accessible subject collections.  The circulating reference is 7-day, non-renewable, and non-requestable (by other libraries). They converted the space into three 8x8 quiet study rooms.

I like it.

I like that there's still a Reference collection.  If we dump the entire collection aren't we throwing up our hands and saying 'Google wins'?  I like the fact that Herzog recognized that patrons want more access to the books not less.  Is it scary to let a big, expensive reference book walk out under the arm of a teenager?  Absolutely.  But isn't it scarier to let that kid go home thinking the library is a pain in the butt and it's easier to find his answers on Google?

I think it's time to reintroduce our patrons to the Reference collection.  Tell them what we've got.  Show them how it can help.  It's time for a little good old fashioned marketing.  Maybe some subject heading signs next to the Dewey numbers.  Maybe a display of some eye-catching Reference.  Could we make the first 5 photocopies free if its a Reference Book?  And maybe, just maybe it's time to let them check a few of our babies out.

Keep calm and apologize

Yesterday, I got a call from the circulation desk, the clerk was transferring a call.  It was a very disgruntled patron who was convinced that the circ clerks had not checked in two DVDs he was certain he had returned.  So I took a deep breath and picked up the call.  Mr. M. was certainly cranky.  He was convinced that he had been mistreated by the circ staff and that they had bungled his transaction.  I apologized.  Not for any wrong doing, but just because he felt that he had not received the service he deserved.  I repeated what the circ clerk had told me.  They had checked for his items.  They would check again, but the desk was very busy and they couldn't do it right now.  I took his name, his card number, his phone number.  I confirmed the titles he was concerned about.  I told him I'd get back to him.  I said I was sorry for the inconvenience and assured him we would get it straightened out. He calmed down.  He said he'd check again to see if he still had the items.
Five minutes later he called back ... to apologize.  His wife had found the DVDs under the front seat of the car.  A favorite hiding place of missing items.  I let him off the hook and said we all have moments like that. 
It's amazing what an apology can do.