ALA Advocacy Excerpt - The High Ground

This is an small part of a presentation given on the Expo floor of the American Library Association 2012 conference. in Anaheim, CA.



This is an open caption version of the video. We all want to support libraries and part of that support is seeking funding. This is a look at the ways that libraries and those that love them go about getting financial or resource support.

In this excerpt, the speaker talks about one of the ways to gain support for libraries is to get the attention of decision makers. Surprisingly is not always about facts or figures; is about the ideological high ground.

For more information about learning about advocacy skills that support libraries visit the American Library Association Advocacy University web site. 

Opportunity to Brush Up on Google Search Skills

For those of you that want to do more with Google than to use quotation marks you might be interested in a free on-line class that Google is conducting in Power Searching.

Power Searching with Google Registration Page

Power Searching with Google is a free, short term class that Google is conducting. It is in the same spirit as the MIT classes on the Python programing language and Building a Search Engine.

Meaning that you could have classmates from all over the world. This specific class is being taught by Google. There will be opportunities to go deep via Google+, Google Hangouts and other social media pathways.

I would guess that you would be able to ask questions via Google Hangouts or a number of different ways. I'm half tempted to buy that Nexus 7 tablet just to try it out. Like I need an excuse to buy tech. 

Class starts on July 10, 2012 and runs for two weeks.  So, fire up that phone, tablet or desktop and register.

Addendum: Just got my confirmation; ixnay on the phone. You can use a tablet, notebook or desktop computer. I'm thinking they would prefer that you use Chrome. Just a hunch.

Fanzines From the ALA Expo Floor Part 2

Before blogs, before the Internet as we know it there were fanzines. The great news is that there are still fanzines being produced. On the ALA Expo floor was an exhibit of some of the publications.

Fanzines are small publications that focus in on a particular topic or niche subject area. They can be handwritten, assembled from found materials, photocopied or professionally produced.

The topics can range from surviving the workday after a bender to a catalog of every Tonka toy made. Whimsy or dead serious in content. Sometimes explicit. Sometime reveling in the mundane.

I remember finding fanzines on the floor of record stores next to the free alternative newspapers. That was one method of distribution. Another was mail sharing or trading. Fanzines could also be sold for subscription.

It was hit or miss. There could be one issue or seven or 130. It depended on the person. There are still a few folks producing fanzines in the U.S. but other countries are continuing the tradition.

 It was kinda cool to find this spot of creativity at the conference.

My View From the ALA Expo Floor - Part 1

It has been a few years since I graduated. Life and the general economic situation has lead me to unexpected paths away from brick and mortar libraries. I stay connected by dipping into the cyber equivalents.

I thought going to see the exhibits at the conference was a good way for me to re-connect. I have to say that I felt like an interloper.  Maybe I was, I'm not a librarian.

Which is the number one question I got when I stepped up to a table. "What library are your from?" "Who do you represent?" "Are You A Librarian?"

Totally understandable.

It would have been misleading to add the school library to my badge. I'm not a student any more. I don't work at a library. I can say that I have been applying what I have gained in the program to communicate and share information with various on-line communities that won't step foot in a physical library.

They should. They won't. I meet folks where they are.

But what about the other stakeholders in literacy, technology and freedom of information advocates? Should we not have come?

As I walked through the convention center (and it was huge) I had people flash a look at my badge. If it didn't display what they wanted to see they looked away, hoping I wouldn't walk over.

Why Would a Non-library Person come to ALA?

Beyond my personal reasons,  I could see what has changed and not changed since the last time I visited. Paper books are still important. There are vendors selling and librarians wanting audio CDs for their patrons. E-book vendors getting a bit more space on the floor.

A lot of things to think about and to share.

Yes, it's that Time Again! Time for ALA in Anaheim

Debating whether you should go to ALA's conference this weekend? If you're a student member, you cannot beat the price for what you get. Even if you decide to just go for the exhibits and after hours events which many are free, it will be worth your venture out there. You will get tons of freebies and the chance to network. When I went to my first ALA conference four years ago in Anaheim, I was about half way through the PCC Library Tech Program. What amazed me was the welcome I got from the library professionals I met there even when I told them I was just a library assistant getting my certificate in Library Technology. I was, of course, asked if I was considering getting my Master's to which I responded affirmatively but still with hesitation. Here's the link for registration fees. One can register at ALA onsite.


If you still have not decided whether or not you are attending the American Library Association (ALA) conference in Anaheim this weekend, here's some reasons straight from them:

1. Learn from your peers at 500+ programs on hot topics
2. Fill your toolbox with tools for library advocacy
3. Choose among the wide range of Preconferences and continuing education
4. Have the chance to share your expertise in a “Conversation Starter” program
5. Connect with employers or job seekers at the ALA JobLIST Placement Center
6. Meet hundreds of authors at four live stages and in booths throughout the exhibit hall
7. Hear unforgettable speakers and presenters such as John Irving, Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer, and the Rock Bottom Remainders
8. See and try the latest in products, services, publications and technologies from 800+ exhibitors in the largest library exhibition in the world
9. Engage at the Networking Uncommons—impromptu sessions, and conversations
10. Enjoy the professional and personal experiences your colleagues describe here.

If you do go to ALA, feel free to share your experiences here.

The Data Journalism Handbook

There are all kinds of ways to find information. What do you do when you find it? Or perhaps there is so much of it that it requires a different approach to share the main points of the sources.

The Data Journalism Handbook is a guide written by journalists to help other journalists and people who need to deal with large amounts of information to find a way to get to the good stuff and make it visible.

There is a free web version and a paper version that will be published some time this year. In the web version you can select the chapter that most meets your needs at the moment.

The books focus is from the point of view of someone in the United Kingdom but who wants to always search American centric information anyway.

Chapters that might have an appeal to library students include:

• A Five Minute Field Guide - suggested methods to organize your thoughts and a listing of data sources that could provide support to hard to answer questions. Some of the sources cited are the Guardian's World Data Bank, Project Wombat and ScraperWiki.
• Basic Steps In Working with Data - how to ask the right questions and find the answers.
• Designing with Data - because when you find it you have to do something with it. How do you present the result of your search without distorting the intended meaning?

This is a good resource for the old kit bag

Library Interview Tips

Do your research:

1. Know what the institution is about, its goals and history.  During the question and answer period it’s good to be able to talk about specifics. Be aware of recent awards and upcoming events. 
2. Show some forethought, even if it's just a page position.  When asked if you have questions, ask about something that is coming up in the pipeline for them.  Scan the news, their website and their fliers; many institutions strive to convey their triumphs to their patron base.

Take inventory of yourself:

1. Don't just play up your library skills and knowledge.  Even if you haven't finished your certificate there are other skills you could relate that could be applicable to the position.
2. How do your previous experiences relate to this library and its functions?  Before the interview think of your current skills and successes at work, then relate them to the library you will be interviewing for.
3. To expand on the first two points, what other skills do you have: phone skills, handling money, handling difficult people?  These are some skills that may come into use for a position that simply lists job duties as shelving and clerical work.

Sell yourself:

1. Be yourself. Put your best foot forward to be someone the interviewer would want to work with.
2. Dress a level above what you see in the workplace.  Some libraries have a relaxed dress code for work. You may see librarians and technical staff in jeans and t-shirts.  But for the interview dress it up a little to show a level of professionalism.
3. Greet everyone professionally, that "patron" you ignore standing at the desk could be your future boss.  In the excitement and nervousness of a pending job interview it's easy to have tunnel vision, focusing on what you've prepared to say and what questions might come up, but be friendly and open to those around you.  You never know whose input may count when they sit down to decide between candidates.

Here are a few web pages for review.  Some of these tips are for librarian positions, but they will help you stand out from other candidates.

• Hang in There: How to get a library job against all odds 
• Nailing the Library Interview 
• Advice on a public library interview

Also check out this previous PCC Lib Tech Blog post regarding interviews:

• Example Interview Questions for Library Technician Positions