Sunday, March 21, 2010

Complying with Copyright in a Digital Age

Erin Finlay, Legal Counsel for Access Copyright

To get copyright for a work

  • must be original
  • must be fixed
  • must be a substantial part of the work -- size (amount copied) is not the only issue, but the importance of the segment copied, to the work as whole
  • copyright owners can license others to do things s/he/it could do
  • moral right - sticks to the author, is protected to the integrity of the work by the Berne Convention
  • Not an infringement to make copies of rare works that are lost or damaged
  • Research use is okay, provided the use is fair
  • E.g. private study does not equate to making handing out copies to every student in a class for his/her own "private" study
  • when in doubt -- contact the copyright holder
  • CLA will develop a model copyright license

The Mobile Library

OLA Friday February 26 2010
Amanda Etches-Johnson, McMaster University User Experience Librarian


- already 70% of Canadians have a mobile device, over 100% in many other countries, especially Europe

She started out by comparing mobile vs Internet versions of various library websites
- most create a much simpler, stream-downed version of website -- strip down content, as well as strip out bells and whistles
- one exception was EbscoHost -- had much the same content, just rearranged [slides 21, 22]


Her advice:
  • build thoughtfully -- think about bandwidth, analyse site traffic to see what browsers are coming in to your site
  • UX -- always think about the User eXperience
  • automate/syndicate -- use Content Management Systems CMS to pull content out to mobile and "regular" versions (as opposed to building multiple versions of your website)
  • consider Mobify ["Mobify is a web service that provides a quick way to optimize a site for mobile access"... "Mobify works best with well-formed HTML and predictable URL patterns. Websites based on WordPress, Drupal, ExpressionEngine and most modern CMS solutions are a great match for Mobify"]
  • test - watch users (her favourite usability test) also uses heuristic evaluation, card sorting
  • mobile apps -- she predicts these will die off in 2010, because you will need a different app for each mobile device out there NOTE: this is a very different approach from SirsiDynix's -- kae

Mobile Instruction

  • format matters
  • size matters -- videos are better than small type
  • syndicate
  • SMS -- short message system aka texting - 5 trillion txt msgs in 2010 -- stick this in catalogue for Q&A
  • consider QR codes -- two dimensional barcodes which can be quickly read by phones -- convert URLs into QR codes,

Digital Strategies: OLA Rebecca Jones, Amanda Etches-Johnson, Daniel Lee

The TOP session of OLA, for me this year!

Digital Strategies: Practices and Services
Rebecca Jones [Dysart & Jones Associates], Amanda Etches-Johnson [McMaster University User Experience Librarian], Daniel Lee [Navigator Ltd.]

Rebecca: a strategy is a shift -- not an add-on to what you are already doing. Libraries need to change, adopt new policies

Amanda: Explained her work environment as Tech Skunk Works,
where skunk works is "a group within an organization given a high degree of autonomy and unhampered by bureaucracy, tasked with working on advanced or secret projects."
= died and gone to heaven? -- kae
Her team consists of her, McMaster's User Experience Librarian, + two programmers

Some Principles she recommends following
  • rapid prototyping
  • launch early (and often) -- example 2.0 Toolbox at McMaster -- constantly revising
  • usability testing -- her favourite tool is a pad of paper and a pencil , while she watches users
  • iterative design -- small changes, nothing major, all the time --> test different things. Her slides 21-24 show amazon.com over the past two years -- from then to now, a big change, but done in a series of small steps, so small you would hardly notice it.
  • prioritize based on user needs -- use tools like Google Analytics to gauge these. E.g. she got a complaint about how bad the McMaster site looked on a 1280x766 screen resolution -- but checked and found only 1% of users used this -- so the corrections stopped before they started.
  • look ahead -- e.g. libX toolbar
  • FAIL -- be prepared to fail, throw spaghetti at the wall, see what (if anything) sticks. Example: Google's Lively

These points ring so true to me, lessons I learned from our 2.0 project. We didn't follow all her principles, e.g. rapid prototyping. But we did use iterative design with the teen engagement project -- and we did fail. :-) I think daring to fail is really really hard for librarians. --kae

Daniel Lee: Explained his work environment: fast-paced, crisis-driven organization, focused on "billable time" -- which the library, and his job, is not. ...
His project was to develop a staff wiki -- was driven to it, because mistakes were made, and new people did not implement projects the "Navigator way" -- this created problems for the company.

His tips:
  • watch for an opportunity to launch a digital initiative
  • have a project plan, and get it signed off by senior management
  • have someone in authority supporting the initiative
  • tool[s] should be cheap, easily customizable, good match to user & staff skills
  • "sharepoint - no frickin way"
  • planning is essential
  • keep the plan up to date, revise it as often as needed
  • you need a hook to get staff to use digital tools
  • you'll need to break the e-mail habit -- e.g. only email links to the wiki, don't paste the wiki content into email
  • you'll need to confront -- and overcome -- "learned helplessness" e.g. I can't blog, from people who write emails and Word documents all the time
  • promote comfort -- talk about and show what is not changing -- build from adult education principles

Such great advice, so realistic -- kae

Digital Strategies COSUGI 2010 - David Lee King

David Lee King - Making the Digital Experience Sing

DLK talked about three paths to a great digital experience

Structural Path
Community Path
Customer Path

Structural – create a better web experience by improving ease of use of website. Don’t write functional specs, just build a frame and let customers react to and revise it.
Jessie James Garrett: Elements of Good User Design is a good resource.

Community - have real conversations with users -- face to face, facebook, comments on blogs. Encourage discussions by allowing comments, replying quickly, and setting up RSS feeds.

Customer Journey Mapping: People who buy a car don't usually start in a showroom -- first they have to decide they need a new car! Applying this to libaries, we have to think where are the touchpoints for us with potential 'customers'.

In a catalog search, the example could be like this:
Where is the customer?
What platform are they using?
Where can they find the desired service on our online presence
Do the elements thatwe present to them make sense, or are they explained adequately?

Comments from Kae:

I heard a lot about digital strategies at the OLA and COSUGI conferences. I was most impressed by the session which Amanda Etches-Johnson, Rebecca Jones and Daniel Lee presented at OLA.

I also heard a lot about Mobile Strategies. What struck me was the difference in approaches between Amanda Etches-Johnson and Sirsi-Dynix. SD is putting most of its energy into building mobile apps for popular and fun to use devices. A E-J was focused more on making mobile versions of websites.

COSUGI 2010 notes

COSUGI – Sirsi-Dynix Users Group Conference – Orlando March 3-5 2010

New from SirsiDynix

New learning Management System – keeps track of learning, via
o Self-paced courses
o Hands-on lab , To try this, go to https://sirsidynix.webex.com/ and enter “Hands on Labs” into the Search field at the top of the Training Center tab. Then click on the class that meets your schedule
o Instructor led courses
o Manager mode allows managers to track how each person is progressing
o Subscription costs c $50 per person per year
· RSS feeds can be set up for Client Care or website sections, e.g. Latest FAQs, Known Issues

BookMyne
iPhone app – OLC has installed Web Services on LILY server, so we can offer BookMyne very soon. Users can download for free from iTunes


SD's Mobile Strategy
- "skate where the puck is going, not where it's been" ... Wayne Gretzky

- 16 countries have more than 1 mobile phone per capita , e.g. Germany 130% of population, Hong Kong 150%, vs. USA 89%, Canada 64% per Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_mobile_phones_in_use#cite_note-24
- in Chile, 83% have mobile phones, vs 92% have indoor plumbing
- in Kenya, few have indoor plumbing, but most tradespeople, even in remote villages, have mobile phones, often charged via inexpensive solar panel

We should expect that
- nearly all library patrons will have a movile device in the near future (including old order Mennonites, who may already have them... kae's note)
- most will use those mobile devices for some kind of Internet connectivity
- for many, the mobile devicewill become their primary connection to the Internet

Mobile Devices = cell phones, smart phones (currently 17% of market: e.g. iPhone, Blackberry, Android), E-Readers, Tablets, iPad

Mobile Services Available Now from SirsiDynix
  • mobile-friendly browser interface (available for E-library 3.3.31 and Enterprise 3
  • BookMyne (iPhone Application)
  • RSS feeds - can add RSS "subscribe" button to OPAC search results

Future Mobile Service Possibilities that SD is considering...

  • Reading Recommendations (70% wanted this)
  • BookMyne for Horizon
  • Fine/Fee Payment
  • Text Messages (SMS) for notifications & bib infoR
  • RSS feeds based on user or library-created lists

SirsiDynix strategy = develop apps for devices which are a pleasure to use (e.g. iPhone)and are widely used -- in that order of priority. [Blackberry apps are unlikely, because of usability]

Coming SOON -- OLC plans to upgrade to Symphony 3.3.1 within the month; 3.4 is expected September 2010

W3C Accessibility testing and updates for e-Library (coming with e-Library 3.3.1)

Bill Payment enhancements (in Symphony 3.3.1) -- record library where bill paid, deduct overdue fines from lost bill refund, et al.

Coming in Symphony 3.4 -- scheduled for 3rd quarter 2010
  • power user tools = right click to mark all missing
  • batch data manipulation = change patron/item records in a batch
  • output all reports in excel or xml -- Hooray says kae
  • "Pull onshelf items with holds" will become a wizard -- no longer need to run reports
  • hold processing enhancements -- can check out copy 2 of a title which is on hold for someone else -- Hooray says kae
  • search by Date of Birth
  • SMS (text) messaging

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Mentoring is BLIS at Brampton Public Library: new training initiatives

[1328] Mentoring is BLIS at Brampton Public Library: new training initiatives

Adele Kostiak, CEO and Tanya Taylor, Human Resources Advisor talked about four staffing initiatives.

The Mentoring Connection – voluntary internal mentoring connection – for new hires or new in position, to aid advancement and succession planning, to increase staff morale and job satisfaction. Mentors and mentees apply to program, indicating expertise/needs and preferences; mentoring team matches up; M&M meet biweekly for 4 months (new hires) or 2 months (new position); complete program evaluation forms. HR reviews evaluation & adjusts program. Annual Mentor Recognition.
Positive impacts on Mentor, Mentee, Organization.

Challenges: small mentor pool, especially for “staff level” mentors, mentor identification.

BLIS = Brampton Library Information Services Training Initiative – in-house Library Technician training in partnership with Mohawk College.
Developed in anticipation of RFID (job displacement for circulation clerks) and new branch expansion (need for more Information Service workers). Picked 10 of 26 courses needed for LIT Diploma; offered in-house (at BPL) by Mohawk College instructor; 36 or 39 hours per course, 3 in-class hours a week. Will take 3 years to complete the 10 courses. Staff attend on own time, get 75% of tuition refunded if pass
Staff had to meet Mohawk entrance requirement à English proficiency exam.

Manager-in-Training Program – competency-based, fast-track (4 month) management training program.
Geared to new hires or internal promotions; biweekly meetings, peer mentors
Target Competencies = Leadership, Human Resources, Branch Operations, Perfomance Management, Facilities Management, Communications
Structured, consistent training plan & delivery ensures nothing is missed
Improves staff morale and retention.

Succession Planning
Between retirements and new branch building, BPL faces a shortage of managers, branch managers, coordinators and CEO.
Identified 3 core succession candidate competencies:
§ initiative
§ leadership
§ potential
Succession Planning Team (CEO, Manager Customer Service, Manager Corporate Service and HR Advisor) meets every six months; discuss organizational needs, create and update Key Position Profiles, identify potential candidates, review candidate Talent Inventory Profiles (readiness and competency ratings on the core competencies), develop training and development activities tailored to candidate needs, e.g. temporary assignments, technical training, mentoring, committee/team participation, etc.

For RWL: some good models here: mentoring is most applicable, right away. Note that BPL allocates 1% of its salary budget to staff training.

Grounding the Vision: future plans for Knowledge Ontario

[1204] Grounding the Vision: future plans for Knowledge Ontario
David Thornley, Executive Director and Peter Rogers, Board Chair, updated on Knowledge Ontario projects and future directions.

ResourceOntario: several new databases have been added:
Gale: Student Resource Centre – Canadian edition
More titles in the Virtual Reference Library
Ebsco: Auto Repair Reference Manual
Canadian Points of View
-- say goodbye to Canadian Reference Centre
Rosen: Teen Health and Wellness – will be adapated to add Canadian content
Career Cruising – bilingual career and post-secondary education database
CEDROM SNi – Actualite Francophone Plus: French language current affairs resources

LearnOntario – formerly Teach Ontario.
Diane Bedard, formerly with Essex County Catholic School Board, former OLITA chair, award winner, has joined as Project Lead. (Great news!)

Province-wide licensing for Atomic Learning movies has been arranged. These are very cool – they break software down into small lesson bits: files are small enough to be downloaded via dialup. A pilot group of 500 teachers started using these tutorials on January 29. Phase 2, involving 1500 more pilot users in college, university and public libraries, will run September to December. Volunteers are wanted!

OurOntario
Version 2.2 of the OurOntario portal was released at OLA Super Conference 2009. Highlights include:
  • a “did you mean?” feature;
  • the ability to view search results in other applications such as Google Earth;
  • now users can browse collections held at other institutions.
    Over 200 contributors (collections) already, constantly adding more.

Plans for 2008-2009: Extend and enhance discovery options by adding the ability to access data via podcasts, RSS/Atom feeds, bookmarkable search results, and integrate use of KML data for mapping in alternate applications.

AskOntario
Expanded service: askON/ONdemande is

  • accessible via 36 public and post-secondary library websites.
  • available through public libraries 40 hours a week,
  • 62 hours a weekthrough colleges and universities
  • 25 hours a week in French, thanks to participation of Ottawa PL.

4ReSrch, delivered in partnership with TVOntario’s Ask-a-Teacher service,
offers live homework help by providing teacher-librarians to assist Ontario’s
secondary students with curriculum-based research projects and assignments.

ConnectOntario
Will move from the pilot phase of the BiblioCommons Online Public Access Catalogue, at Oakville PL, to implement system in at least 12 to 15 early adopter public libraries.
Will announce in early February which libraries will go first, April-June; all others will migrate June-December 2009.

Knowledge Ontario, the parent organization itself, developed a project management framework, with consistent decision-making processes, roles and responsibilities, reporting standards, across the organization. 2007-2008 Annual Report lists a lot of accomplishments!
Big challenge for 2008-2009 is securing stable ongoing funding.

For RWL: Use and promote the new databases. Volunteer to be a LearnOntario pilot tester (this could be an alternate way to deliver computer literacy classes). Wait for the Bibliocommons announcement!