How Can I Afford Retirement? Boomers, Libraries and Investor Education

How Do I Afford Retirement
Boomers, Libraries, and Investor Education
presented by the BPL
Carol Greenfield
Laura Pattison
Cynthia Sullivan

Grant funded project.

Background
Libraries as resources for baby boomers, objective financial information
Investor proctor Trust funding, investor education fr your community, how can I afford retirement

Goals:
1- provide people age 50-0 with access to non commercial impartial information on which to base soind retirement investment decisions
2- to facilitate greater understanding by people 5o-70 of their retirement finances and the risk that their resources will be jeopardizes by appropriate decisions
3-to create a repricale model for Investor Education @ your Library that specifficall adresses the financial management of people ages 5-70

Project Components
Multi-faceted Educational Program
4 part investor education series focused on the theme of "You can do it"
each event includes:
topical presentation by an expert
reference librarian briefing on lbrary resources
small grooup peer facilitated discussion
Q & A session with panel of experts

So Far So Good
developed a pilot curriculum at Central Library in spring 2008
Branch roll out bean fall 2008
Well attened, well received

Keys to Success
Partnerships
Programs
Publicity
Protection

Partnerships
FPA-MA Consumer Awarness Group- provides fianancial experts as speakers and for Q & A
Investor Protestion Trust- for general guidence and coordination with hte Investor Protection in your community.
Massachusetts Scuritties Division for vetting of spekers and advisory role in ensuring strict standards
Advisory group for guidence on all aspects especially program development and publicity

Library partnerships
trusted information source
development of resource lists
collection development
library briefing at Session
Particiption in Q & A

Development of resource Lists
Discussion and resource Guide for each session
Focus n current publications and "classics"
selected print and online resources
collection development

Website
Resource guide web listings, easily abvailable
"selected Business website by subject" (retiirement)
revelent topics e.g. Broke check, Investor protection, Jobs for older adults
creation of web pages for www. affordretirement.bpl.org

Program Curriculum
Session 1- taking the Mystery out of Retirement Planing
Session 2- Closing the Gap: Investment and Expense Stratigies-Evenfor late Starters
Session 3- Investing Wisely to Avoid the fiancial Rick of Longer Life Expecatncy
Session 4- Protecting you investments- The Best Defense is a wise and Safe Investor

Additional Online Session
US Department of Labor- online worksheets for "taking the Mystery Out Of retirement Planning"
Social Security administration- online SS Estimete
Kirstein Business Branch-BPL Online resources

This progam is expanding to other Massahsusets Libraries , Washington DC, Jacksonville, FL, Arkansas ad Minnisotta

For more informtion: affordretirement @bpl.org
617-859-2241


Sessions are stand alone however build on each other
Takes 2-3 months, sessions are 2-3 weeks apart for about 2.5 hours

Speak up! Speak out!

Dodie Gaudet
Bibliographic and Technical services
CMRLS

Some People fear public speaking more than death

" Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain" Ralph Waldo Emerson

Preparation:
What do you want to accomplish?

Know the situation, the audience, the environment
Why are my listeners here?
What do they expect?

Do more research than you need
Helps build your interest in the topic
Helps build your confidence in knowledge of the topic
Allows you to choose the best/strongest material
Good foundation for Q&A

Use 3 x 5 cards

3 parts to Speech/Presentation
Opening-tell them what you're going to tell them
get listeners attention
Establish your credentials and why youcare about ths topic
Give the listener a reason for listening
Involve the audience
Body-tell them
Remember people can re-read but cannot re hear
Stick to 3-4 major points because people can't remember more hat that
transition from 1 point to another logically
be simple honest and clear
Speak with integrity and passion
eliminate jargon
paint picture with words
give specific example; tell a story
be relevant; speak to listeners wants and needs
use gimmicks judiciously consider all learning styles: visual, auditory, kinesthetic



Closing-Tell them what you told them
end with advance notice
emphasize main ideas
end with conviction
end on time

Rehearse
visualize yourself giving the speech
visualize being successful
rehearse aloud 4 times- do 1 rehearsals close to the time of your talk-try to rehearse at same time of day you will be giving talk because energy level will be te same.
familiarize rather than memorize
visualize being successful
breathe gently and deeply

Overcoming Nervousness
be prepared know your materil, know you audience, practice
accentuate the positive
repeat affirmation
visualize being successful
breathe gently and deeply
Take care of your body
stay hydrated
avoid milk
avoid caffeine and alcohol
avoid overeating before speaking
eat a banana-lots of potassium- smooths out muscle contractions
be well rested
stay in good physical and mental health
arrive early and converse with audience members before the presentation so you'll have friends in the audience
If all of these fail- think about the worst thing that cold happen if your greatest fer is realized
brain freeze- index card
heckler-
unexpected question- be prepared know your stuff take a moment to think
something unbuttoned, unzipped- fist double check- of turn it around and make a joke about it
start off on wrong foot-too fast etc.- take a breath, try to think about what cold happen ad fix it beforehand.

Presentation
Stride up to the podium with confidence; avoid the lectern if possible

Podium-stand on a podium on a stage
Lectern-stand behind

Face- create rapport with the audience with a open face
smile, yur voice will follow your faces lead
make eye contact with audience, dwell on individuals rather than sweep around room
use appropriate facial expressions
Body
stand comfortably, but erect; sternum up- (make believe you have a rod going straight up you back from sternum to head.
walk around
let your bod move
the larger the audience the larger the gestures

Voice
pay attention to volume, rate, diction pitch ( if you talk softer, people pay attention)
vary emphasis and tone
pause for effect just before and after important points
repeat an important word or phrase
eliminate ahs and ums and other oral ticks
bite your tongue if your mouth gets dry

Use props when appropriate (Powerpoint, article, animal, etc)
use them effectively
practice with them
practice with a microphone

Handouts
give out in beginning so audience can take notes especially if informational

Dont spend time apologizing to your listeners
neve say yu are not prepared
acknowlede any problems that happen an continue.


WATCH THE AUDIENCE FOR SIGNALS; IF YOU ARE LOSING THEM MAKE A CHANGE OR END YOUR TALK.

Q & As- friendly

pause and think
repeat the question so everyone hears question, and understand questions
if yu don't know. say so
if possible get back to he to the peson
bekind to the asker, even if the questin is silly

Q & As- Hostile
pause and think
stay calm
DON'T repeat he question
DON'T get ddefensive
DONT repeat any negative words or phrases
Stress the psitive not the negative


Books n Public speakig
Carnigie, Dale Public Speaking and influency men inbusiness New York
Association Press 1935

Cook, Jeff scott The elelments of speechwriting and public speaking New York Macmillion 1989

Lustberg, Arch Winning when it really counts: quick easy stratigies for success in any speaking situation, New York Simon & Schuster 1988

websites:
www.tostmasters.org
Blogs:
Presenttion Zen
http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen
Articles:
The Toastmasters august 1999, Chambers, Cindy Podurgal, Anything wort doing is worth doing badly

Work/Llfe: Finding the Balance

Marsha Kline Pruett PhD MSE Smith college School for Social Work

Quality time is a myth- can't schedule time to spend with child, but some times listing to a problem in the car on the way to school is valuable.

Work & family stress contributes to mental illness

Quality childcare is a high stress problem for parents. Most infants/toddlers/prescholers are not getting quality childcare

Working parents lament: why didn't any one tell me...
it would be this hard...
it's scary to know so little about what you are doing...
you're on your own a lot... at home mom's left beind-get into work force late maybe when kids need mom more
'there's this life and deathness to it'...
it can be incredibly joyful...
fathers and mothers...

Good working parenting at any age
sensitivity to children's needs-teen years hardest
make children feel adored/valued-listen, talk, share
sustain strong values- find own way- let them find out who they are
Discipline- to teach
affirm uniqueness/expect competence
promote education as process
be an abiding presence- what ever comes
safeguard rituals and routines- don't change traditions

Working vs. Parenting: the bottom line
woman are happier when working 20-25 hours/week

Our Towns ten
1969- 60% childrens lives with breadwinner dads and stay at home mons
25% Marriages ended in divorce
40% moms with prescoolers are working
94% of 3 yr olds and 815 4 yr olds are not in preschool

today..
30% of kids with breadwinner dads/stay at home moms
41% marriages end in divorce
300% increase in single moms
62% of moms with preschoolers work outside home
63% kids under 5 in childcare

technology has changed and we can stay connected 24/7- always on

Moms spend as much time with their kids as 40 yers ago

Families eat out more not at home for ease and smplicity

Differnt cultures have different socialization values.43% work stay/home delimma- moderate to severe stress about weather should stay home or work.
parents have changed; older, more vigilent, overworked, multitaskers, with fewer kids.. are they more competent?

Kids whose Dads are more involved are at ease with both boy and girl friends.
men who are involed wit ids are healthier, less likley to die early, less heartattacks and are happier. Dads who bond right away with their babies are less likey to abuse child.
Men need to practice childrens routines and women still need to be gatekeepers and make sure they do it.

Coparent

The 2009 PARA Awards

The Paralibrarian Section of MLA announced their annual awards at their workshop this morning. They give two awards each year, Paralibrarian of the Year and Paralibrarian Advocate of the Year. Denise Faucher presented the following awards:

Paralibrarian of the Year

There were 21 nominees this year. Denise shared the names of the nominees and a bit of information about each person from their nomination, and gave them certificates.

• Claudette Bright, of the Boston Public Library, whittles away at the backlog cheerfully


• Laurel Cannon, of the Boston Public Library, has created wonderful connections with teens. They come in to hug her!


• Julio Chang, of the Boston Public Library IT department, is a “hidden gem” who puts the “help” in helpdesk


• Melissa Chase, of Bourne Public Library, started a Rock and Read program – 5 local rock bands raised funds for the library


• Cecilia Darling, of the Maxwell Library at Bridgewater State College, has worked hard supervising students while her supverisor was out on vacation.
  Maryann Dastoli, of the Pittsfield School System Elementary Libraries, takes an annual trip to Tennessee for the National Storytelling Festival and shares new ideas.


• Betty Emery runs the Supplemental Deposit Collection for the Northeast Massachusetts Regional Library System, and creates close relationships with library vendors.


• Barbara Diamond Goldin, of the Easthampton Library, provides outstanding patron services despite many constraints.


• Deborah Jankowski, of the Taconic High School Library, is re-cataloging the entire library while it is being weeded.


• Barbara Lorentzen, of the Jonathan Bourne Public Library, brings in her own materials to repair books the old-fashioned way – with spine webbing and glue.


• Hannele Minsk, who works in tech services at the Kingston Public Library, created and ran a teen advisory board for 3 years.


• Jacqueline Mushinski, of the Gordon Library at WPI, loves to do audio and video editing, and has created podcasts and vodcasts for the library’s website.


• Judith Poulin, of Easthampton Elementary, served as Grand Marshall of the Easthampton Elementary vocabulary parade – three years after she retired!


• Susan Robert , of the Blanding Public Library in Rehoboth, organized her town’s first town-wide read.


• Susan Shaffer, of the Forbes Library in Northampton, always goes above and beyond to help patrons and other staff members.


• Rusty Shaw , of the Wheeler Memorial Library, proved that no patron request is beyond her consideration - she processes and circulates knitting needles!


• Joan Sterns, of the Worcester Public Library, meets regularly with other librarians and paralibrarians in her area to discuss the preservation of valuable items in the collection.


• Donna Tappin, of the Tahanto Middle School Library, is a powerhouse of information and very user-focused, patient, and kind.


• Mary Ellen West, of the Maxwell Library at Bridgewater State College, has the motto “we can do it and we can prove it”.


• Kendrah White, of the Temple Israel Library in Boston, always has an “above and beyond” attitude and always goes the extra mile to help patrons or share ideas in the library.


• Nancy Wilson, of Becket Atheneum works 10+ volunteer hours a week at the library so the staff can offer programming beyond what their budget allows.

Betty Emery is the 2009 Paralibrarian of the Year. Her nominators said that she creates collections of highest quality for the Northeast Region’s Supplemental Deposit Collection, which is housed at the Merrimac Public Library. She seeks out and creates excellent relationships with vendors. Betty is professional, with great attitude, and is always looking for ways to increase circulation. She sends funny, engaging emails to libraries, using fun themes like holidays, sports, or seasonal topics. Last year she even wrote a script and acted it out for the NMRLS Executive Board. Her efforts have increased circulation of the collection by 36%. She plans an annual Open House at the library for the collection, and makes sure everyone leaves with gifts provided by vendors. She maintains a diverse, robust, current collection for NMRLS members. The nominator said Betty took on the task of managing the collection and hasn’t looked back.

Betty commented that she hoped this award is a reflection on the Supplemental Deposit Collection and its impact on smaller libraries in the Northeast Region. She says she started the job 5 years ago, looking for a challenge and something fun. The challenge continues and so does the fun!

Paralibrarian Advocate of the Year

This award is given to a director, supervisor, or paralibrarian who understands the value of paralibrarians in libraries, and works to increase opportunities for paralibrarians.

There were 5 nominations this year:

• Susan Babb


• Carolyne Longworth


• Leslie Todd


• Michael Somers


• Michael Colford

The 2009 Paralibrarian Advocate of the Year is Susan Babb. Susan’s nominator pointed out that Susan always holds paralibrarians in the forefront of her work at the Northeast Massachusetts Regional Library System. She teaches workshops specifically for paralibrarians, and makes sure they are represented in all aspects of services provided by the Region. She has worked with the Paralibrarian Section on creating a mission and vision, on the creation of the Book Cart Drill Team Competition, and many other projects. She is a role model for librarians in her Region and across the state. Susan is a supporter, mentor, and friend, who has truly changed lives of those around her.

Avoiding Déjà Vu All over again: Sustainable Approaches for Managing Academic Library Websites.

Avoiding Déjà Vu All over again: Sustainable Approaches for Managing Academic Library Websites.

Academic librarians

Speakers: Kelcy Shepherd, Digital Interfaces Librarian, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries; Gary Atwood, Reference Librarian, Springfield College

Most librarians who are charged with website management are accidental webmasters. They've learned as they've gone along, but get trapped into a redevelopment cycle as the library's web gets stale.

Presenters commended the audience for their vigorous participation.

At UMass many committees and task forces have been responsible. Now they have a content management person who manages Cascading Style Sheet and makes new designs. There's a programmer / systems manager who is responsible for all library technology. There is also a Web advisory committee which is a working group, assignments are given out, they do usability studies, construct Web best practices guidelines which are maintained on a committee wiki.

Questionnaire distributed as discussion starter.

1. Who is responsible for administering/updating your website? Webmaster? Web team? Other?

2. How much authority do you have to make changes to your website? None (someone else approves) Some (edit content but no adding new stuff), Masters of domain.

3. Does your web site have a specific purpose /mission statement Yes, No

4. Are there design/style guidelines that spell out how the web site should look? Yes, No

5. Is the library website a part of a larger institutional website (college, school, town)? Yes No

6. If yes, does the administrator of the institutional we site have control over your web site. Yes No

7. How would you rate the software you use to administer/update your site? Just right (easy to use, has all you need), OK (you figured out the basics, but the advanced stuff requires more training), Where's the manual (difficult to use, more sophisticated than what you need)

Think about your library website. Ask What is the purpose of the website -- Ask Who is the audience. Then

Think carefully about choosing a content management system. UMass Amherst uses

Silverstripe. http://www.silverstripe.com/ Many colleges use Drupal which was a little too tech heavy. There are some quirks that require workarounds.

It is a good idea to do usability testing. Others' eyes can be helpful.

Kathy Shepherd can be emailed kshepher@libary.umass.edu if you would like to receive UMass' Best Practices Guidelines and the Website Mission Statement which is kept on the committee wiki.

Brenda

Creating Informed Library Spaces Through User-Focused Discovery and Assessment

Creating Informed Library Spaces Through User-Focused Discovery and Assessment

The Georgia Tech Library has created two award-winning commons spaces and is in the final design process for a third commons. With each project, the Library has continued to refine its methods of incorporating user input in designing spaces and then assessing the effectiveness of those designs. The transparent and inclusive nature of this process has won praise and has helped create spaces that truly meet the evolving needs of end users.

Speaker: Bob Fox is the Associate Director for Public and Administrative Services at Georgia Tech University

The library already had two award winning commons. The new area is open 24/5 Sunday through Friday. Some features: Multimedia studio, productivity clusters with 85 workstations, collaborative computing, a rehearsal studio, a presentation area with fliptop tables on wheels which can be configured for collaboration or to maximize available space. No set furniture, even in the theatre area. Even soft seating has wheels.

Reference is in the East Commons now. Circulation desk moved over to the tower. Librarians assigned to this area are a little more software and hardware savvy. There's a training boot camp for library assistants. . 10pm-2am are peak times of use.

Library West Commons and Multimedia studio.

Examples of engagement:

They have been engaging their students on Facebook Georgia Tech Library http://www.facebook.com/pages/Atlanta-GA/Georgia-Tech-Library/8264471191 We're working on a visual identity for the library. We'd like your feedback. http://forums.library.gatech.edu/viewforum.php?f=11

Make your mark on the GT Library!

We need your help. The George Tech Library is looking for a visual identity. Send us your original sketches, graphics, logos, symbols, or any other ideas that can be used online, in print, and in the Library...

They have a student advisory board of 8-10 students. They try to recruit student leaders. Current board members can nominate their sucessors. They meet twice a week.

They are reluctant to put up online survey because students hate to be interrupted with popups. Though here's one http://librarycommons.gatech.edu/

During construction, they keep students up to date on availability

Real-time availability map:

LWC: Available: 82 In-use: 3 Unavailable: 4

LEC: Available: 21 In-use: 15 Unavailable: 0

The held about 30 focus groups

The Georgia Tech website has a number of planning documents available including Herman Miller case study overhead grid system and focus groups. http://librarycommons.gatech.edu/about/documents.php

After the spaces are used, they did yearly then longitudinal observational studies. 4 times per day to document where students were and if they were using a laptop or mobile device. Students did a DVD chronicling the development of the commons area zones.

They relocated IT help into the library resource center and more students used the area, brought in their laptops etc. than when the help desk was located over in IT. Usage is up and collaboration is alive and well at Georgia Tech.

Brenda

Information Literacy Showcase: Effective Practices from Public, Academic, and School Libraries

Information Literacy Showcase: Effective Practices from Public, Academic, and School Libraries

Looking for new ideas to build or enhance the information literacy program at your library? During this session, panelists will share examples of teaching and learning strategies and technologies that have been successful with key library audiences, such as young adults, college freshmen, and senior citizens. Stop by the Teaching and Learning Center afterwards to meet the panelists and learn more about their programs.

Moderator: Kelly Jo Woodside, Information Literacy Librarian, Simmons College. Panelists : Sara Marks of Fitchburg State, Julie Krass Westwood Schools, Daniel Barbour Shrewsbury Public Library, Matthew Jaquith Springfield Public Library.

Jaquith

Springfield Public Library Reference. Formerly @ Brown.

Information Literacy is the a competency find, decipher, manage and share information in our society. Adapted from ODLIS : Online dictionary for library and information science by Joan Reitz. See http://lu.com/odlis/about.cfm

Also from ODLIS: Media Literacy defined: The ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create messages in a variety of forms (print, audio, film/video, Internet, etc.) based on an informed, critical understanding of the nature of mass media, the techniques used by producers of media, and the impact of those techniques on the individual and society. An interdisciplinary field, media literacy has evolved as a necessary response to the complex, pervasive, ever-changing electronic communication environment of the 21st century. Click here to connect to the homepage of the Center for Media Literacy. Compare with information literacy.

Classes @ SPL http://www.springfieldlibrary.org/hitech.html

Why should public libraries teach information literacy? Information is a society need. People have different levels of need. Spectrum of literacy topics: Information literacy - He does a readers' advisory class using novelist - using OPACs etc to find materials using relevancy, bibliographic instruction - database use, Many classes at Springfield focus on basic computer literacy- there's a typing class a word, excel, powerpoint classes usually 2 session, 90minutes each, folder management. typing class has been very popular. media literacy- browsing, searching in many areas to find actually useful information.

Barbour - Shrewsbury PL http://www.shrewsbury-ma.gov/department/division.php?fDD=17-53

Uses his communication and marketing background to attract YAs

Some of his fun programs for grades 5-12: scavenger hunts (treasure hunts, haunted house themes), races. Teens hate bookgroups, Kings and Queens Grant teaching how to write. Natalie Perkins lead groups. She's has written First Daughter serues. Filmed them reading what they have written, then kids vote on the library blog. Shrewsbury PL checks out games. After the games were in the library, book circulation actually increased 25%. They have an IMLS grant which provides a shuttle service from the Middle School. They have a SPLAT advisory team. They have a manga collection development group which recommends books for purchase. They use Tutor.com to offer online tutoring.

Krass - Information Literacy in the Elementary School Libary. Westwood Schools.

She recommends starting early. Kindergartners learn the difference between fiction and non-fiction through readalouds. They play a fiction came. Children make up something fictional. She uses rhythm and a little song: Numbers mean nonfiction. She recommends the Jenkins book Actual size (Jenkins, Steve. Actual Size. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004. ) with a document camera.

First Grade children learn sections in the library- Easy, etc. ; Children collaborate to create a table of contents for nonfiction; learning about favorite authors. She uses picture Icons to create an easy bibliography.

Marks Fitchburg State College Library

See her bookmarks at http://delicious.com/librarygurl/mla09

Sara's opinion: College students don't spend their time using traditional research methods. They crave interactivity and online access. Collaborative knowledge is growing. Librarians should quit fighting Wikipedia because this is a battle that will ultimately not be won. Better to teach how to evaluate materials critically. Eventually, collaborative wiki types of information will be mainstream as the value of collective knowledge becomes the norm in many fields.

LibGuides http://www.springshare.com/libguides/

LibGuides concentrate on ACCESS, feature media, accessible

Statistics available from LibGuide, have just added Google Analytics, so there will be more.

Very good support from folks who know libraries, hosted by LibGuides. Library A la Carte. Free, but you have to have very good resident IT tech support.

Cost for LibGuides. At $900/year, nothing pays better.

Their cost for Academic Search Premier $.27/search, Credo $.40/search, Libguides $.04/search.

After implementing, there was a slight increase in database use and a notable increase in Academic OneFile.

Ask a Librarian makes a live Meebo chat connection on the right sidebar, there's a twitter aspect

They have the ability to use delicious and digg, but they don't use

They have embedded a quick opac search widget.

Most popular, blackboard Libguide - There is a tour of the library on YouTube which is embedded.

They add Libguides to Blackboard.

BROWSE http://fsc.libguides.com/browse.php

Outcomes and rubrics for information literacy are there. http://fsc.libguides.com/content.php?pid=6334

Crime on Television is a Libguide. http://fsc.libguides.com/content.php?pid=23758

Web 2.0 Brownbag series http://fsc.libguides.com/web20

Blackboard LibGuide http://fsc.libguides.com/content.php?pid=2346 includes a video college tour which is on Youtube.

Source citations http://fsc.libguides.com/content.php?pid=4896

Advanced Research methods. http://fsc.libguides.com/content.php?pid=37164

ALA Let's talk about it Discussion series is on a libguide http://fsc.libguides.com/LTAI involves the community as well as the college.

- Brenda

Booktalking 10 Ways

Donna Johns, librarian at Newton North High School, is reaching teens 'One Teen At a Time." There are many ways to make booktalks more exciting and Donna shared these ways with a large audience on Thursday morning at 9:30 am in Ballroom B.  Using PowerPoint, Donna used twenty slides and her own voice to give us an twenty-second booktalks.  Each booktalk focused on one image which created visual interest.  

Booktalking 10 Ways:

1. Keep It To Twenty Seconds
2. Scaffold for Different Kinds of Readers (non-fiction and magazine readers are readers, too!
   
3. Differentiate Instruction
   
4. Podcast It! (Gcast.com, etc.)
   
5. Blog It!
6. Create Master Booklists (using Library Thing or Shelfari)
7. Online Book Clubs and Discussions (Dear Reader, etc.)
8. Use Wikis (to build a collaborative community - PBWorks.com or WebPaint.com)
9. Build Book Trailers (throw some slides into imovie, add text and an audio track)
10. Enrich Your Displays (use great items such as a toast with books in it)

If you have questions for Donna, you can email her at mamasigs126@gmail.com

Donnas has two blogs: Looking for a Good Book? and Libraries4Teens.

Focusing on the Big Picture: Using Community needs assessments to enhance reference services.

Focusing on the Big Picture: Using Community needs assessments to enhance reference services.
A community needs identifies the requirements and desires of a population through direct communication with the stakeholders. By collaborating with the library's constituencies, librarians can gain a deeper understanding of what their user population needs and what types of resources and tools for discovery will be most appreciated (and used!). Learn about theory and strategy for community needs assessments, and ways that libraries can benefit from them.

Speakers: Heather McCann, Reference Coordinator, Rotch Library of Architecture and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Lana Thelen, College Librarian, Oregon College of Oriental Medicine.
McCann
Need to define community first of course. Assessment should focus on what they community values. Assessments could be focus groups, interviews, surveys. Assessments can tell you a lot about how users communicate and where they go to get information.
Cutting back? users can tell planners what services are essential.
Use assessment tools to assess an initiative you've given. After a program, website change.
Ask what kind of services they would like to have. Users can surprise you.
Types of assessments:
Interviews and Focus Groups: Advantage: simple to plan, personal communication may net you good feedback. Disadvantage: Takes time, needs interviewing expertise
Community forum: Advantage: Lots of information in a short time. Disadvantage: Hard to round up attendees, lots of planning, food etc. Vocal people can hog the air time. Good facilitator needed, especially if there's a controversial issue.
Surveys: Advantage: Qualitative and Quantitative information lends itself to analysis. Disadvantage: Takes a lot of skill to construct understandable questions to elicit good responses.
Here's a good one on Community Assessment which includes constructing and analyzing the data: See the booklets. http://nnlm.gov/pnr/training/CommunityAssessment.html

Analyzing the data
Identify themes, assess validity, express your findings, develop an action plan, collaborate with others, implement, then reevaluate the results.
It is critical to have several people involved in planning and implementing the assessment to avoid bias and to collect valid, useful information.
Brenda

Experts Share Top Technology Trends in Massachusetts

Experts Share Top Technology Trends in Massachusetts
Speakers: Emily Alling, Coordinator, Learning Commons and Undergraduate Library Services, University of Massachusetts Amherst; Scot Colford, Web Services Manager, Boston Public Library; Paige Eaton Davis, Assistant User Services Librarian, Minuteman Library Network; Megan Fox, Associate Director for Technology and Special Projects, Simmons College Libraries; Scott Kehoe, Consultant, Northeast Massachusetts Regional Library System; Rick Levine, Technical Specialist, Central Massachusetts Regional Library System; Bonnie Peirce, Head of Children's Services, Dover Town Library; Amelia Peloquin, Independent Consultant;Elizabeth Thomsen, Member Services Manager, North of Boston Library Exchange; Vicki Wright, Library Teacher, Silver Lake Regional Middle School.
Alling:
Should be a trend RSS has been around but patrons don't seem to be too interested.
Trend. Assisting patrons in saving materials and information in non-traditional media. Storyboarding, video, etc.
Discovery tools. Library Thing CWMars. Aquabrowser. Next Gen tools: Primo Federated Search engines. Serials Solutions has a new product.
Licensing terms, knowing your rights. OCLC has taken away the Marc record. What is available ethically and legally
Sustainability. Open source software. Libraries should start investing in technology savvy librarians and IT support for customization. Sharing of technical services. New job descriptions: Librarians who can publish, archive, use Library 2.0 applications.
People are tweeting: using Masslib09
Colford
iPhone and mobile devices. Microsoft Surface has a tabletop computing platform. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP5y7yp06n0

Words have become objects. Word cloud art.
Slides are old tech. prezi.com Sign up for a free account and make some presentations. You throw all of your ideal onto a desktop.
Bumptop.com shrink your desktop icons, make them bigger. Toss them around.

Davis
Mobile devices.
New access snaptell http://www.snaptell.com/ is a free download takes a picture of an item.
2 dimensional barcodes. Phone takes a picture of barcode. Example http://www.barcodeman.com/faq/2dbarcode.gif Get nutritional information
Tellme - http://www.tellme.com/ ask for weather, get a text message.

Shazam - who's singing, what song
Location interaction, Gesture interaction turn the
GI Compass mode tilt mode lets you look around.
Transcoding for languages.
Dictionaries, Refworks, Worldcat testing mobil. III has AirPac for the iPhone.
Washington DC library has a libraryApp for mobile devices.
Mobile search. Find a fact. RedSox you get last game, chunks
Spoken/Voice search on Google. It learns your voice and your accent.

SMS Text Search. Google Text. Yahoo Text. Text to call 7:1
Texting being used for digital reference services.
Simmons Library you can send your call number from the OPAC to your mobile device.

Megan Fox, Simmons
Photo story http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/PhotoStory/default.mspx
Moodle uses multimedia. Simmons uses successfully.

Clickers in class getting ubiquitous. Tablets for write upon.
http://teachingcommons.depaul.edu/How_to/Incorporate_technology/clickers/peer_instructions.html

Levine
Business Phone Information 800-Goog411
Disturbing trend: Balkanization of technology. Everything will be "out there" cloud searching / cloud computing may save information seekers and organize.
Another disturbing one: Proprietary interests. Apple empire - you buy an iPhone, you are hooked into other products, If you buy a Kindle you will buy all your books from Amazon.

Davis
Libraries are slow in implementing "Library 2.0" Librarians are way behind the patrons. Patrons already out there on Facebook, Twitter. Library service old model: Come to the library, the library supplies. Now information finding is more interactive. Users expect an attractive, fun, friendly, engaging library website. Personalize your website, invite interaction, allow ratings, tagging, reviews.

Darien Library in CT http://www.darienlibrary.org/catalog using personal tags. People can tag in natural language. Put a Meebo Me widget on your catalog when ASK LIBRARIAN comes up for missing or damaged material. http://www.meebome.com/
Plymouth State Library can send call number to cellphone. Their catalog is Scriblio http://www.flickr.com/photos/users_lib/2750656935/

Peloquin
Twitter Oprah does it, so it's "arrived."

Pierce
Mobile platforms and QR codes. First used for tracking parts QR Codes are now used in a much broader context, including both commercial tracking applications and convenience-oriented applications aimed at mobile phone users (known as mobile tagging). Code generator http://qrcode.kaywa.com/
Open organization of knowledge.
Location

Thomsen
There is a Facebook boom. Allows people to put pictures, recipes, game scores, info. No need for flicker here, delicious there, blog there. Problem that all these photos and recipes are not out there for public search.

Digital storytelling.
3D applications like google earth
Self promotion. People are creating their personal BRANDS.
Visual searching is growing.
Facial recognition.
Geocoding. You can embed geographical coordinates into your photos, so you can put a photo into a map

Scott Kehoe http://www.nmrls.org/ce/stt/ was not able to present in person, however, he points to his tech tips page.
-- Brenda

Whining in Harmony

Everybody's a baby about something, you know?

"Don't tell me that the shine is shining.  I don't care because I'm too busy whining!"

Bill Harley began the Jordan-Miller Storytelling Program presentation with song. (Wednesday, 1:00 pm.)  Either we tell stories ... or we want to.  Either we sing ... or we want to.  And "story and song are just part of what culture is" claims Bill Harley, because "they are expressions of being human and using the tools we have as humans to express ourselves."

In A Hero With a Thousand Faces, Bill Campbell tells us that it is the same story, the 'hero myth' over and over again.  Think Star Wars, Wrinkle In Time, Wizard of Oz. Someone is called away to a different world, he/she passes a test and brings it home. 

These were some of the stories and philosophies Bill Harley shared with his audience.  He was brought up in a home of books, having a mother who wrote for My Weekly Reader and a father who edited law books. He began his love affair with poetry when he became bored and looked through his own home library and began reciting Robert Services, The Creation of Sam McGee. And so began a career of storytelling and The Ballad of Dirty Joe.  

Out upon the briny deep where the wild and wet winds blow,
There sailed a cruel and evil man, the pirate Dirty Joe.
He sailed upon the scummiest craft that ever left the docks
He roamed the world and seven seas in search of dirty socks.

You can read the entire ballad on Bill's website.  You can read the picture book, as well. 

Storytelling is not rocket science.  It is getting near the listener with the story and pictures in our head.  He recommends a book called Ten Twelve Tales by Celia Barker Lottridge.  Rhyme, rhythm and repetition are all very important ingredients for storytelling.  We can all do it if we just relax and tell the story starting with the small ones.

You can read Bill's blog or visit his website.