Posts filed under ‘conferences’
ALA Sessions ~ Reader’s Advisory in the e-book era; integrated advisory services.
- Plot – (For example, in most detective shows, they are considered “police procedural”)
- Character – (In mystery, you have Sherlock Holmes in every known media whether it’s book, audio or DVD)
- Theme
- crime – setting…Scandinavian setting big today
- Science fiction – technology is a huge theme
- Romance – the many ways of love…diversity of romance
– Kurt Wallander novels in Ysrad Sweden, (books, tv)
- M.C. Beaton in Sutherland, Scotland - Hamish Macbeth series (books, tv)
-Jesse Russell, Ronald Cohn – in Baltimore Md – Homicide, Life on the Street. (Book, tv, movie)
- Must have a couple (male/female, male/male, female/female)
- Has to be some kind of working steps to some sort of relationship
- Must have a happy ending
Bonk: the curious coupling of science and sex by Mary Roach
- Cyberpunk and steam punk
- Hard science fiction
- Space Opera…Star Trek prime example
- Aliens and invasions
- Dystopias and disasters
- Portal and time travel
- Near future and post-apocalyptic
- Colonies
ALA Conference – Books to Go with Rachel Van Riel 6/23/12
How to increase circulation and patron satisfaction
- Patrons will ask if they can’t find something
- People know what that are looking for
- Customers have plenty of time to spend at the library
- Most people are browsing
- Few people ask staff for anything, especially with self serve and self checkout. You have more conversations if you are roaming, especially if you are carrying books. “Please ask me a question, I hate shelving” was a catchy badge used in one place.
- Average visit to a public library is between five and ten minutes, including Internet users and those studying, so lots are less than 5 minutes.
- 3 out of 4 shoppers in the States buy on impulse. 50% of decisions to buy are made after the customer enters the store. We need to apply these statistics to our library patrons.
- We have too many books to show well, so how do you make things choosable. We cram things!
- Plan an area near the front of the library. Make a few hot spots. Usage of any unit falls off steeply when less than 70% full. Have top notch books.
- Reader centered approach
- What the book can do for you, not what it is
- More exciting and more engaging
- Can mix different kinds of books to open up reading choices
- More flexible units can top up with many different books… it is never empty.
- Appeal beyond standard genres
- Mix fiction and nonfiction
- Bring books together from different parts of the library together
- Create customer interest through humor, discovery and shared reading experience.
- Dynamic, not static
- Tempting sight lines
- Books keep changing
- Staff out in the space and not behind the desk
- Treat stock as dynamic, not static
- Experiment with merchandising and promotions
- Prioritize the 75% of impulse choosers.
A.L.A. Conference, Opening Day
I’ve been a librarian for twenty-eight years, but this is the first time I’ve attended the annual ALA Conference. By far, it’s the largest and most diverse gathering of librarians I’ve ever seen. National conferences like Internet Librarian and Computers in Libraries are dwarfed by this one! I must admit, I was a bit intimidated when I saw the lines and lines of librarians waiting at the registration desk, but we got through in just a few minutes. After getting my badge and bag, I was ready for the Opening Session with our keynote program. I certainly wasn’t disappointed!
Our featured speaker was Rebecca McKinnon, author of Consent of the Networked. She started by talking about the Arab Spring 2011 as an example of how social media can work to get news out to the world, but also how some really troubling revelations came to light as a result of regime change. Egypt was cited as an example of one of the dark sides of the Spring – activists stormed state security offices and found an astounding amount of surveillance data on individuals that had been transmitted to the government. It has become a common thing for foreign governments to be customers of US firms who provide this kind of technology. Ms. MacKinnon used Hewlett Packard as an example of just one company selling surveillance technology to China.
She then posed some interesting questions to our audience. Can technology really be a-political? Do those who produce technology have any moral responsibility to be neutral? She contends tt is the responsibility of government and companies to make sure this happens. Unfortunately, acts like SOPA threatened some of these rights. Intermediary liability was going to force sites like Wikipedia to potentially censor.
Some companies are actually trying for more transparency, including Google. How do we ensure our private information isn’t being abused by Government agencies. All telecommunications companies should have some sort of transparency policy. Only five companies have joined global network initiatives so far.
If we want the Internet to remain compatible with democracy, then we have to work for it. We need a movement in scope and depth of the environmental movement. We need to be stewards of cyberspace.
Certainly her talk provided all of us with lots of food for thought. It was a great way to kick off this conference!
E-book & E-reader Overload
In the past ten days I feel like I’ve been suffering from e-book overload. I attended the day-long virtual E-Book Summit on October 12 and then gave two presentations on e-books/e-readers to different school librarian groups on October 18 & 19. Last night I capped off my immersion with the monthly Library E-reader User Group meeting. Today, I took a break from this technology and concentrated on producing bookmarks using MS Publisher just to get my mind cleared, so I can do a presentation for Michigan Library Association’s Annual Conference next week. Guess what my topic will be … yep, e-books and e-readers!
One of the great things about giving talks to various groups is that I get out of the “public library world” and learn how others are using e-book technology in their professions. My interaction with school media specialists online at the E-Book Summit as well as in person at the two talks made me realize how far apart our worlds are at this moment. K-12 schools see a vastly different use for e-readers in their classrooms, promoting them as learning aids for special needs students and those who may be reading on a lower level than their classmates. I had never realized how the very nature of an e-reader gives the student a level of privacy so that others don’t have to see that he or she might be reading a 3rd grade level book while in the 5th grade. Media specialists also shared with me how color displays (on the Nook Color) made reading easier for dyslexic students in their classes. I came away from my presentations feeling that I was the one who had really gone to learn about e-books rather than me being the one imparting the information.
Although I can see a lower level of e-book/e-reader usage in the educational institutions than in the public sector, everyone I met either virtually or in person knows that this technology will have a profound influence on teaching techniques and information delivery in the upcoming years. Already e-reader vendors (Barnes & Noble in particular) are reaching out to educators in large school districts touting their various products. Based on the popularity of the Nook Color in the schools around here, I’m not at all surprised at Amazon Kindle’s new release of the Kindle Fire. This is a huge potential market!
As I slowly digest all of the notes I took at the virtual Summit, and think about the exchanges I had with my fellow librarians over these past weeks, I know I’ll be more aware of the expanding role of e-books not only in my public library world, but also in the various schools around my state.
OverDrive New Support
New support system coming in 2011.
Support Web Form coming rather than email.
Customer Satisfaction Survey on each form.
Additional staff added with expanded weekend coverage.
Remote Support.
Front Line Tech Support is for stand-alone libraries only at this time.
Live chat may be considered at a later time.
Digipalooza Roundup – Day Three!
Turning Ideas Into Action – Karen Estrovich
OverDrive Training Month – Sept 12-Oct 7 – - Register now since spaces fill fast. Please encourage your staff to get involved in this great training opportunity.
Install the OverDrive Dashboard so you can review circulation and collection data. See what’s working and what is not working.
Share what you’ve learned at Digipalooza with other members of your staff/consortium.
Within the next 3-6 months – OverDrive WIN program and more maximum access programs available. More suppliers will be coming soon.
One Year from Now -
Monitor & adjust budgets for demand
Users will have access to more titles and libraries will maintain control over circulation.
Potential new funds for eBooks
Shift more budget from print.
Spend for demand
Consider additional formats: music and video
Stay connected with OverDrive:
Visit the training center – http://overdrive.com/trainingcenter/
Marketing kits – http://overdrive.com/resources/partnerservices/marketingoutreach/
Contact the team anytime – http://overdrive.com/Contact/
Homework for OverDrive Team - from Amy Pawlowski (Cleveland Public)
Find a neater way to save searches in ordering.
Have a search for publishers in ordering
Have a breakdown for mobile with app breakdown by device
Have a download station for e-books !!
Be able to renew titles if no waiting list
Webmaster tools – xml feeds
One piece of software for ebooks and one for audiobooks
Ability to weed collection
Mobile searching could be better.
Better catalog integration
Better marketing tools in electronic format.
Librarians have access to patron’s library card number.
Sales rank for books by how many other libraries have already purchased.
Steve Potash Predicts the Digital Future
Steve Potash’s Crystal Ball
4 Categories of change:
1. Streaming – now we’re known as a downloading library but with the Kindle addition, there will be more streaming for ebooks. This is expose thousand of interactive and educational products.
2. E-Books EVERYWHERE – we’re now very device-centric. There are already 85 devices for ebook reading, but this is a fraction of what is coming. (web browsers on microwaves and fridges ??) Now working directly with Adobe to not have patrons have to authorize their device before downloading. Perhaps OverDrive can work behind the scenes to provide this authorization seamlessly without patrons even realizing it. (New download stations being tested are all touchscreen.)
This will also mean a higher quality of e-book. EPUB-3 standard coming out soon. More robust content will follow this release.
3. Make Libraries the premium destination for copyrighted digital media.
4. Unknown Explosion in Web Traffic - The spike we saw in January is but a fraction of what is coming. This may stress out our computer systems, library support staff, demand for library cards etc. Let’s prepare for 100x times the previous traffic !! 80% of browsers on our digital catalog never check out books – just looking. This may change soon. Our libraries need to prepare for this coming explosion!!
Educating Your User – Day 2 Digipalooza 2011
OverDrive’s new Learning Central for Staff Training : http://www.overdrive.com/LearningCenter
Jasmine Posey – Greenwich Library - in Connecticut – Their experiences with Educating their users!
Last summer she did some soul searching to find out why their digital audiobook program was not going as well as their traditional audiobooks. She decided that it was HER attitude and so she decided to embrace the digital technology. She started with patron and staff straining. Apple Store came into their library and they brought iPads out for patrons to demonstrate. They also partnered with Barnes & Noble to do training. Staff can come in ON LIBRARY TIME to get help with their e-readers, individually or in a class. OverDrive Staff Training in September became mandatory for ALL staff members. Patron training became seasonal rather than monthly. Attendance improved with this new schedule.
In the winter, staff members who owned different devices brought them into the training lab ON LIBRARY TIME and demonstrated them to patrons. These sessions are advertised in a variety of media.
By spring, staff members realized that format didn’t matter to patrons as long as they could read the book.
When the presenter changed her attitude, use of e-books began to rise dramatically. By embracing this technology on a staff-wide level, buy-in increased and key librarians actually got their own iPad to own. None of them have to share it – theirs to keep as long as they are employees of the library. They will start circulating e-readers to their staff shortly.
One program – “Help, My Phone is Smarter Than Me” was established due to the popularity of mobile apps for OverDrive. These activities, along with a positive push for staff training has made a huge difference at this Library!
Innovation in OverDrive – Day 2 of Digipalooza 2011
OverDrive’s Library Advisory Council created in 2010 to allow librarians to give feedback and suggestions to OverDrive.
Members test software, websites, and content models.
New Open EPUB format – DRM free ebooks that may be used on a multitude of devices.
Boston Public Library bought this new format and had over 200 checkouts in the first month.
Ben Alcorn from OverDrive spoke on more access to content – new improvements coming in Content Reserve!
OverDrive WIN will include:
1. Enhanced searching – better returns
2. BISAC subject headings for collection development – better results
3. Marketplace skins for different countries and platforms – can be regional or age levels
4. Patron Driven Acquisitions
5. Format Consolidation
6. Multiple cart support – you can have more than one cart open in Marketplace.
7. Advantage reporting – already rolled out.
8. Advanced Download Standing Order Plans
9. Smart List ordering
In streamlining the content selection, you’ll now choose a title rather than look at format first.
Patron Driven Acquisition – Recommend to Library – - Let your patrons tell you titles they would like to see added to the collection. You have control over whether or not to purchase it. Also has an option to let patron actually decide to add it to your collection if you set up a default budget.
More maximum access with ebooks from Lonely Planet and other companies.
Max access with Disney Digital Books already going.
DRM-free eBooks – 1500 titles from O’Reilly, Carina Press and other publishing companies from around the world.
Simon Miller from OverDrive focused on the streamlined user experience in OverDrive WIN.
1. Innovation in browsing
2. Format Options – no more format confusion – Patrons use a simple wizard to connect them to content more quickly. They are then asked which brand device they are using. From there, they see the content appropriate to their device.
3. Kindle - Existing ebooks in your collection will be available for use on all Kindle reading apps and devices. Will benefit from Amazon’s Whisper sync technology as far as notes and bookmarks. When you go to download, you’ll see “Get for Kindle” an you’ll be taken to the Kindle site but it will be coming from your library website.
4. Thousands of eBooks offer DRM-free samples (about 10% of the book) and patrons can then preview or place a hold on that title. This helps with unwanted checkouts.
5. Site enhancements from top to bottom. Quicker to navigate, better presentation of content.
6. Enhanced Quick Search . Will correct spelling to improve search result relevancy.
7. ”Remember me on this device” option on mobile devices. Desktop versions will be coming soon.
8. New Help Resources – all new articles with step by step instructions, ability to share via social networks or email.
9. Update on accessibility – Adobe Digital Editions 1.8 out in Beta – supports voice reading software and well as high contrast option. labs.adobe.com/downloads/digitaleditions1-8.htm
10. WIN Catalog – features all front, mid and backlist. All listed with samples and supports patron driven acquisition. If you decide to purchase a suggestion, they will then get an email and get first on the list.
What is available now?
Remember Me feature
Enhanced Quick Search at a small number of libraries.
Disney Max Access
Coming Soon:
“Read on Kindle” support
Format consolidation – now one record with two formats, rather than two separate units listed.
Streamlined browsing
Patron driven acquisition.
Going Mobile @ Digipalooza 2011
After a truly exciting and funny presentation by self-published author, J.A. Konrath, we then spent some time brushing up on Mobile Devices, past, present and future trends in OverDrive. (By the way, Joe Konrath is giving each OverDrive library a FREE copy of one of his ebooks!! THANK YOU, JOE !!)
Going Mobile – Device compatibility with eBook readers and other devices.
Brief history –
Mobile sites launched in 2008 when iPod compatibility came in.
EPUB books in 2010 for mobile devices
OverDrive IT still get a lot of help requests in downloading audiobooks to iPod devices, especially WMA format items. This can be a somewhat confusing process for many of our patrons since you are dealing with both the iTunes window and the OverDrive Media Console window. Megan did a quick, live demo for all of us. She then demonstrated the much easier process of downloading an ebook (EPUB) to a Nook Color using Adobe Digital Editions. Other than first authorizing the ADE software, this is fast and easy.
Today’s trends in 2011 – First quarter in 2011 – smartphones: 54% of all mobile phone sales in the US. Over 70% of the world owns a mobile phone. This has surpassed last year’s estimate for total year already! Average number of apps on a smartphone is 27.
Megan then demonstrated how to install the OverDrive Media Console Mobile App on her iPhone. Remember, you must also first authorize the Adobe Digital Editions software on your mobile device before you download for the first time.
One new feature on the Mobile App is the “Early Return” feature for eBooks so you can have availability to additional selections. Other features added by popular demand include: Remembers library card numbers, Night and sepia modes, Sleep timer, Orientation Lock, and ebook support!!
OverDrive Media Console installs in 2010 – 71% on Windows computers , 11% on Mac and 18% on Mobile devices. In 2011, Mobile has jumped up to 46% already!
Coming Soon — Help 2.0 with revamped help pages.
For Library Staff – Check out The Learning Center which provides course materials & Handouts – print them! Donna from King County Library System told us about the e-reader guides their library provides for staff and patrons. They started with small print cards – one for each type of device – that briefly gives specific help, but then leads them to more detailed online guides. They offer both video and text help. Web page also links to reviews of e-readers and compatibility information.
On the Horizon: Early return of MP3 audiobooks, Nook Color App, GPS locator for “Get Books”, Dictionary support, “Renew” a title, Browse, check out, and download in app, and Auto “Activation” All I can say is WOW!!
Kindle coming soon- works with existing collection.
Digipalooza, Part 2
The Second Session of Digipalooza is focused on Maximizing the Value of the “Virtual Branch” of your Library.
Deb Czarnik from Lee County Public Library (Florida) highlighted some important steps their library staff is taking with training for ebooks and the various formats. They have established a page on the Intranet for staff instructions regarding the various formats for downloading as well as writing articles for their staff newsletters, suggesting blogs for staff to read, and sending out monthly reports so the various branch librarians can track usage for themselves.
They also have a presence for ebooks at various public events such as the Southwest Florida Reading Festival and bringing the OverDrive Bookmobile to gatherings.
Public Promotion is enhanced through digital boards in the libraries, putting out press releases for the local papers on a regular basis, and appearing on television news shows to promote ebooks. Ebooks get prime real estate on their Library Web Page as well as the mobile site.
Billboard signs, bus stop banners help bring the local public into the library. They also make use of QR codes on front doors and self-check machines. They have them go directly to their download site. They are now working on e-newsletters to promote their ebook collection.
Christopher Baker from the Gwinnett County Public Library (Georgia) was the next speaker.
Gwinnett started with OverDrive in 2005 with WMA audio, Music and Video – and later added non-ficiton in 2008 and fiction in July in 2009. He readily admits he did it backwards !! There has been a 99% increase in circulation and requests in the past year alone.
GCPL is a popular materials collection library. They base their digital collection on the physical items already in the system, such as popular authors. They maintain a ration of 4:1 with a maximum of ten copies purchased. They initially purchase two copies of each ebook, which works very well for them. They use short bib records so that records appear in their catalog within 24 hours of purchase from OverDrive.
They offer ongoing training for staff and customers. At each library event, they have someone to talk about their downloadable collection. They find that most of their patrons had some sort of device that could be used with digital formats. The majority of their patrons continue to find the materials through their online catalog, so it’s especially necessary to keep it as current as possible. They also customize metadata to match the genres/subjects listed for traditional formats in the library.
Holly Carroll from Poudre River Public Library District (Colorado)
One of her first projects after coming to Poudre River two years ago was to get OverDrive in the library. They are in the process of catching up and building the collection in both audio and ebook format. Right now, 3% of circulation is in eformat.
They created a mobile app for their webpage and this dramatically increased usage of OverDrive. They worked with OverDrive to modify categories for easier browsing on OverDrive. They also created a bookmark with their QR code that linked directly to their app.
Staff & Public Fluency at Poudre River – Recently created a Digital Literacy Librarian position to lead training efforts for staff and public. They have purchased devices for staff to borrow, focusing mainly on the Nook. They are now buying Nooks for public loan. They partner with Colorado State University on an eBook study, mainly written for the staff but also accessed by the public. Holly recently had in article on e-content in the local paper and wrote an editiorial on DRM issues for the same paper.
They have certainly come quite a way in just under two years in promoting their digital collections!
Erika Reed – Marion County Public Library (West Virginia) - Joined Overdive in 2008 as a six member consortium – soon to be 10 members. They have formed a board composed on the directors from each of those member libraries. So much is happening so fast that they meet monthly. They are now reaching more people in West Virginia digitally than in traditional library settings. The demand on their e-collection now exceeds the demand for print version.
Lessons they learned so far:
Little dollars mean little collections and thus little circulation. They had to spend money to meet the demand and were scrambling to do so.
Patrons seem to “squat” on those first 100 bestsellers online.
Backlisting is important as is creating a fan base.
Identify staff that own a device and get them to train others. This ties into marketing as well.
Continuing education for staff involves training, reading blogs and journals – and even hanging out at Target, B&N and Walmart.
They meet regularly to discuss current issues on marketing and technology needs.
Kimberly Edson – Rochester Public Library (Minnesota) Home of Mayo Clinic1
Everything at RPL driven by mission and where it fits into their strategic plan. OverDrive was added in 2005, thanks to a foundation gift. One of their main reasons for choosing OverDrive is that it offered e-books. Budget for this is now part of their regular budget.
They found it very important to identify key staff and clarify rolls for this collection, including collection selectors, public relations, public training. They also buy devices for staff to play with on staff.
Downloadable tab reveals an entire page dedicated to explaining the collection and easy links.
Training the Patrons – by classes and by providing download stations. They made the decision at Rochester to purchase MP3 players to circulate for patrons and make use of the download stations rather than purchase Playaways. Right now they don’t plan to circulate e-readers.
Telling Your Story to Your Funders - They send a monthly report of circulation stats from OverDrive to show how funds are being used. Show the worth of your digital collection to local politicians.
