Inside The Alberta Library

 

 

 

Twelve months ago when I joined The Alberta Library as CEO, I thought I knew what to expect. After all, I’ve been involved with the organization and with Alberta’s library community for a long time. But I can honestly say that I learned a few things over the past year.

I learned that people in the library community are embracing change. When people came together at last October’s NEXT Symposium to talk about the future of libraries, they did not talk about dealing with change. They talked about embracing change and transformation.

I learned that people care about The Alberta Library, and they have high expectations for the organization. When people at the symposium talked about the future of libraries, they talked a lot about the role that The Alberta Library plays and the need for bold, responsive leadership.

I learned that people want to know more about The Alberta Library. When we surveyed the library community as part of our strategic planning process, we found that people may have a general sense of who we are and what we do, but they want and need to know more.

I learned that people are looking for new ways to get involved with the organization, and they bring great ideas and great perspectives. When we brought together a special project team led by Michelle Toombs to work on our new vision and mission, we found that people not only valued the experience, they recommended that we look for new ways to involve members in project teams as a way to build community.

Finally, I learned that there continues to be a lot of goodwill in the library community and that people are committed more than ever to working together. The tremendous outpouring of support for Slave Lake Public Library following the devastating fire in May is a perfect symbol of that commitment.

With this kind of spirit in the library community, I look forward to learning what the next year will bring.

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Netspeed 2011 program unveiled

Go beyond bits and bytes to explore the human side of technology at Netspeed 2011.We’ve got a great line-up of sessions and stellar keynote speakers for you this year.

Many of the sessions at this year’s Netspeed conference focus on how technology can help you engage your community – from web-based tools teens can use to create graphic novels, to capitalizing on web 2.0/social networking tools, to using video cameras and MP3 players to enhance the customer experience.

Technology applications that streamline library operations such as tools for improving acquisitions workflows and preserving digital content are included in the conference. Also featured are technology applications that can improve library services like text messaging to provide information services and room bookings using mobile technology. Emerging issues such as gaming in libraries and lending e-readers are also addressed.

Do libraries still have a role to play in advancing the greater good? Jesse Hirsh, a leading technology strategist and researcher thinks so, and he’ll make his case in Libraries and the Battle for the Future. Jesse’s keynote address may challenge some of your assumptions about technology and where our desire for convenience is taking us.

We’re also excited that Kevin Franco of Enthrill Entertainment will be another one of our keynote speakers. In 2010, Enthrill launched the world's first transmedia thriller novel. In his keynote address Thrillerize: The Power of Transmedia Storytelling, Kevin will speak about Enthrill's ground-breaking approach to communicating the narrative of a story through a combination of print, social media, and a browser-based reader.

Something new for Netspeed this year is online registration. Beginning mid-June, delegates can visit our online registration website to register for Netspeed which will be held in Calgary this year from October 19 – 21. The early bird registration deadline is September 18 with the final registration deadline being October 12.

Another new development is our Netspeed blog. Check out the blog for sneak previews of sessions, updates to the program, and details on fun extra-curricular activities like Netpub, receptions, and local hotspots.

We look forward to seeing you at Netspeed 2011: The Human Side of Technology!

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Library Q & A: Alice Melnyk Public Library

We talk with Cheryl Paulichuk of the Alice Melnyk Public Library in Two Hills to find out what's new.

 

What is your library's biggest current challenge?

Funding! As with most small libraries, it is a constant struggle to make sure that we have the funds in place to run a successful library. We have been fortunate through provincial and municipal support to be able to have consistent hours, at least one full-time and one casual part-time staff. As a result of grant funding we even have a student library aide. We also apply for other grants for renovations and equipment and have been successful at times.

We charge our members an annual membership fee and would eventually like to be able to give free memberships. Unfortunately at the present time the money from fees is required to help keep up our facility, its contents and programming.

What area is changing fastest in your library?

I would say the growing population of Mennonites in our community. Many of them come here with little to no English (spoken or written) and come to our library as a means of learning and improving so that they no longer are subject to a language barrier.

Some have been coming here to take English as a Second Language (ESL) which is funded and organized by our community’s Adult Learning Council.

They have purchased memberships for themselves and/or their families. There are families that come to use our public computers to practice for their Canadian Citizenship tests, to start private businesses, or for personal use. Some have computer knowledge while others just need initial guidance to become comfortable. It is great to see that they are definitely trying to embrace their new Country and are also making a home for themselves and their families within our community.

What idea are you most proud of over the past five years?

The look and feel of our library! Through grant and municipal funding, we were able to afford some renovations within the building. The transformation was amazing even with just new flooring and a fresh coat of paint. The layout of the library also went through some big changes in order to better accommodate our materials and to be more functional for our members.

It was also a group effort to get to where we are today. With the help of our volunteer Board and their families, a great staff, our members, and a very supportive community, our library is a now a place where you can come and it’s been said that “It feels like home.” That is a compliment unto itself.

Where do you see the most opportunity for innovation over the next decade?

Technology! As we have seen a shift in how our members’ needs are changing and also how they acquire information, we are also looking to change and move with the times through our website, Facebook and possibly tweeting. Through media within our library and online, there is more demand for audio and e-books with peoples’ busy schedules. As long as we continue to work together to keep our skills up and are willing to learn and accept the changes that are consistently coming, libraries will always fill a need within our communities.

How does your library stay in touch with clients / library users?

Communication! Being a smaller library, we are very familiar with our members and what they enjoy reading, watching or listening to. Either by openly asking them what they would like to see in our library or paying close attention to what goes out or comes in from our library or through TRACpac, we are able to decipher what we need on our shelves, and what programs are required or desired by our members and the community. We have also been updating our website with upcoming programs and new items, which keeps our members up on what’s happening on our end!

How do you stay in touch with political leaders in your community?

We attend meetings annually or bi-annually, in order to bring our Town and County Councils up to date on any changes or progress that we have made, so that they are aware that the funding they have given us has been put to good use towards enhancing our library to better serve our community.

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Library lovers rally for Slave Lake

Despite a devastating wildfire that ripped through the community last month, Slave Lake Library is set to reopen in a temporary location later this summer. The community will even have a Summer Reading Program.

“The response has been overwhelming,” says Carol Downing, Assistant Director of the Peace Library System, which is coordinating donations on behalf of Slave Lake Library.

So far, the regional library system has received nearly 9,000 items, with donations coming in from Vancouver to St. John’s, Newfoundland – and as far away as London, England. With so many book donations coming in, Peace Library System is hiring staff to catalogue and process the items.

“A young girl in Stony Plain donated her entire series of The Babysitter’s Club – over 100 books – while another young fellow held a fundraiser for his leadership class and raised over $300,” says Carol. “We also received almost 6,000 items from a book drive coordinated by Chapters in Edmonton.”

Strathcona County donated a fully-stocked bookmobile, which will give kids in Slave Lake an opportunity to enjoy a Summer Reading Program.

“Thanks to everyone across Alberta and across the country for their concern and generosity,” says Carol. “Right now, we strongly encourage anyone wishing to contribute to make cash donations, as the Slave Lake Library requires furniture, computers, printers, paper and other supplies to help them get started again.”

If you would like to make a cash donation, check the Slave Lake Library website.

If you would like to send a donation by cheque, make it payable to ‘Slave Lake Regional Library Board’ and send it to Peace Library System headquarters at:

Peace Library System

8301 – 110 Street

Grande Prairie, AB T8W 6T2

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QR codes are A-OK!

There’s a lot of buzz these days about QR codes and the many ways they can be used in libraries. QR codes are trendy and fun, offer a richness of results and variety of uses, and are easier to implement than you think.

What are QR codes?

QR codes (or Quick Response codes) are the black and white squares you’ve seen popping up everywhere from magazines to retail stores.

 

They are barcodes that provide shortcuts to digital information. When a person scans the QR code with their smart phone’s QR code reader application, they are quickly and seamlessly connected to digital information such as web pages, phone numbers, and text message options.

This ability to easily connect people to a variety of rich digital content offers a lot of potential for libraries.

How libraries are using QR codes

Some libraries have started using QR codes in their promotions. St. Albert Public Library included a QR code in their newsletter that linked readers to the library’s website and used another on event invitations that connected people to information on the event’s guest speaker. According to Julie Collison, the St. Albert Public Library chose QR codes because they wanted to engage people. “This seemed like a good way to encourage people to visit the library website which was redesigned and relaunched in January last year,” says Julie. “St. Albert Public Library is an early adopter of new technologies and we felt we should try out QR codes.”

Medicine Hat College Library has also been experimenting with a variety of uses of QR codes. They’ve developed signs with QR codes integrated into them. The purpose is “to link those codes to URLs that present more detailed information about a particular event or promotion,” says Jesse Malinsky. Jesse is also pairing QR codes with traditional URLs as a transition until QR codes are more widely used.

Medicine Hat College Library is also part of an initiative spearheaded by the University of Lethbridge Library to use QR codes to provide library users with an item’s bibliographic data from the online catalogue. Each record has a QR code generated that provides a persistent link back to the catalogue record.

Allan Gergel of the University of Lethbridge Library explains the behind-the-scenes technical requirements. “The library’s display page HTML code for the online catalogue was modified. When a user clicks on a book’s bibliographic data, the HTML code sends the URL for the persistent link to a Google API (Application Programmable Interface). The Google API then generates the QR code and sends it back as the page loads,” says Allan. The QR code is dynamically generated on demand.

Users scan the QR code to connect with the persistent link in the catalogue record. What this means for library users is that not only is the information conveniently displayed on their smart phone so they don’t have to write any information down, but also that the information is accessible down the road so they can refer to it later. Allan says “students have the ability to email the information to themselves or bookmark it, providing a permanent bibliographic record for themselves.”

The University of Lethbridge Library is also using QR codes for their group work room booking system. A unique QR code is posted on the door of each group work room. When scanned, the code takes people to the bookings page for that room where they can see the schedule and book the time they want. Allan reports that the system is working well and is easy for students to use.

Considerations for implementing QR codes

People may be hesitant to use QR codes because of the perceived technical difficulty, but surprisingly there isn’t a lot of technical expertise required. Many websites offer free QR code generators. All you have to do is paste your URL into the QR code generator and save the QR code image or HTML code to your computer for use in your projects. Julie says, “Neither I nor my communications colleague is very technically minded – but we managed to figure this out! It really was easy.”

Some QR code generators allow you to generate codes for single items and others have the functionality to create codes for multiple items at once. Another consideration is whether you want to track the use of your QR codes. Some QR code generators offer the option of tracking and managing campaigns, sometimes for free but often a cost is associated.

If you’re introducing the idea of QR codes to your users you may need to provide an explanation about QR codes and how to download QR code reader applications. When St. Albert Public Library introduced their first QR code, they wrote a short article for their newsletter explaining what QR codes are and how to scan the code.

To ensure that your QR codes are readable by a majority of mobile devices, you might also consider using URL shorteners to simplify your URL. “Shortened URLs create a simpler QR code that might be more readable by older or less sensitive devices,” notes Jesse.

Before embarking on a QR code project, Julie recommends that you really think about how you are going to use the QR codes and make sure everything is planned out. She says, “In some cases you can simply link to an existing web page but at other times you may feel it necessary to create a special page – and then you have to make time to do that.” She adds, “The code is only as good as the information you are providing on the website that you are directing people to.”

For Allan, the most important element is coming up with ideas for how to use QR codes. He says, “Generating the code and implementation is easy. Getting people to think about the possibilities is what’s important.”

Endless possibilities

QR code applications are limited only by your imagination. At The Alberta Library we’ve been experimenting with codes that connect to phone numbers and text message options. The St. Albert Public Library plans to post a QR code by the library door that explains the services people can access when the library is closed.

Ideas proposed by the Medicine Hat College Library Marketing and Technology Committees include placing QR code stickers in items that link to related resources in the online catalogue and hosting a library search exercise using QR codes to provide clues.

QR codes are novel tools that libraries can use to engage users and connect them to a variety of information. Alberta libraries have already implemented some interesting QR code applications and there are lots of great ideas percolating. Experiment and have fun!

Resources

Here are some resources to get you started.

Try the link QR code resources or you can try out the corresponding QR code!

 

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TAL Profile: Diana Davidson, Director, Public Library Services Branch, Municipal Affairs

 

 

What was your path to the library world?

Libraries and books have always been a big part of my life. Growing up in Beaverlodge, Alberta, the public library was an important destination for me throughout my childhood. Books opened my mind. I went to the University of Alberta and then to the University of York in England to pursue graduate studies in literature. I spent lots of time at the British Library doing research and received my PhD in 2003.

After finishing graduate school in England, I moved back to Edmonton and was teaching literature and writing at the University of Alberta. One weekend, I met former City Councilor Michael Phair as we were both volunteering for the Edmonton AIDS Walk. Councilor Phair encouraged me to apply to sit on the Edmonton Public Library Board. I did. I began as a Trustee in 2003 and served as Board Chair in my last year of the term in 2008.

Being part of the library community opened up my world. That experience, and my firm belief that libraries and literacy change people’s lives, led me to apply for the position of Director of Public Library Services Branch (PLSB). I was fortunate to start the job in the spring of 2010.

What has been the biggest surprise in your position so far? The biggest challenge?

I was the Edmonton Public Library Board Chair during the consultations for the MLA Committee report Framework for the Future: Positioning Alberta Libraries for the 21st Century. Coming into the role of Director of PLSB, I knew that a big part of my work at the Public Library Services Branch would be implementing recommendations from that report. I anticipated it would be challenging to do this and maintain all our operational work at the branch, such as administering all the provincial operating grants to libraries and systems, as well as continuing all the collaborative work we do with the regional library systems and library boards.

The Framework for the Future MLA Committee report has laid the groundwork for many exciting new initiatives that the province has either led or been behind:

• the annual “Minister’s Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Public Library Service”
• new funding to The Alberta Library (TAL)/Alberta Public Library Electronic Network (APLEN) for Mango language-learning software and other digital database upgrades based on TAL’s Business Case on digital content
• Supernet connectivity
• the Standards and Best Practices for Public Libraries document
• our new PLSB strategic plan and website www.albertalibraries.ca
• and, of course, the new Technology Plan for Public Libraries report that is attached to funding for APLEN that we are working on this summer.

We are also working on developing a cross-ministry integrated library policy for government and on developing strategies to better serve Aboriginal communities and to maximize the relationships between public and school libraries.

Why do you think libraries are important?

Public libraries are places that are open to everyone. Libraries are public spaces where people can work on a resume, hear an author read from her latest book, meet other people who share an interest, access information, and lay the groundwork for their children to love reading and books. Libraries are information hubs, community centres, gathering places, and spaces where people can feel safe and welcome.

What has been the most rewarding part of working with the library community? What have you enjoyed the most?

Working with people in the Public Library Services Branch and from the library community who are dedicated to principles of seamless access, equitability, public space, literacy and learning makes my work as Director of PLSB enjoyable and rewarding.

What is your greatest hope for the library community?

My greatest hope for the library community is that we can all work together, and collaboratively, to achieve seamless access to library services and resources for all Albertans. So, I am very excited about TAL’s “Together. One Card. One Click” vision as it very much aligns with the direction outlined in the Framework for the Future report and the work the branch is doing.

We understand you have an interest in library services for Aboriginal people. Why is that important to you?

All Albertans should have access to public library services and resources.

It is identified in the Framework for the Future report that the “47 First Nations and 8 Métis settlements in Alberta be included within the vision of seamless access to publicly funded library services for all Albertans.”

There are individual libraries in Alberta doing great things to include Aboriginal communities in a vision of seamless access: for example, Edmonton Public Library has an Aboriginal Community Librarian, Wetaskiwin Public Library has successful multicultural programming, the Paddle Prairie Library on the Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement is a member of the Peace Library System, and Chinook Arch Regional Library System is building a partnership with the Red Crow Tribal College. The branch is currently working with Alberta’s public libraries, regional library systems, and other government departments to build on local successes and achieve a more collaborative approach.

On a personal note, I have family in Wabasca. The Wabasca Public Library opened in 2002 and serves a range of people in a largely Aboriginal community. I have seen what a difference having a public library has made in the lives of people I know in Wabasca – including my little niece and nephew. All Albertans should have such access.

What is the best/most memorable item you ever borrowed from the library?

A book that comes to mind is a massive Treasury of Ballet encyclopedia that was my favorite book at the Beaverlodge Public Library. I can remember it being on a red shelf in the Children’s section and I would always go to it. I remember it was a heavy and beautiful book and I felt lucky to be able to have it all to myself. I was a girly little girl and took ballet lessons at our church hall. I loved looking at the detailed drawings and reading the stories behind Swan Lake and Gisele and The Nutcracker. I never signed the book out though because I loved being able to read it and enjoy it at the library. While my ballet career didn’t pan out, I am pretty happy that libraries are still part of my life every single day.

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New marketing campaign for public libraries - make it yours!

A new marketing campaign will highlight the incredible range of resources available at public libraries across the province in a way that’s personal and accessible for a broad range of people.

The campaign, which features the tagline ‘Make it Yours’, is scheduled to roll out this fall.

“Our message is that you can walk into the smallest library in the province and still have access to millions of resources,” says Julia Reinhart, Director of the Alberta Public Library Electronic Network. “We’re going to do that by showing how people connect to the music, magazines, books and websites they love and how that is part of their life.”

The campaign will feature radio, print and online ads, trade show displays and posters that can be customized with the name of individual libraries. There will also be an online poster application that can be used to feature local library users and community leaders.

“Although this is a province-wide campaign, we know that libraries need to be able to make it work at the local level,” says Julia.

Watch for more information on the Make it Yours campaign in September.

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TAL Tales on hiatus for the summer

We're taking a break from publishing TAL Tales over the summer. Regular TAL Tales issues will return in September. We hope to see you then.

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