ALA11 was completely awesome! New Orleans is an interesting city, although I didn't get to see as much of it as I would have liked. I got some great sessions in and attended my first committee meetings. Here are a few things I learned at ALA this year:
1. It's all about mobile. Mobile apps, mobile web sites, mobile marketing. Libraries need to be taking advantage of mobile technology and finding ways to use it to their advantage!
2. The user experience - It's all about the user. Libraries are using various products to unify the experience that our users have. Whether it's Drupal, LibGuides, Course Views, Library Ala Carte, or something else, this is a trend. Something that we all need to be thinking about. People want a seamless experience. In addition to the digital world, our libraries should be thinking about how users want to use the space when designing & renovating their libraries. If the users don't want to come to the library, then change the library to meet their needs.
3. E-books. I don't think you could go more than 15 minutes without hearing the word e-book from somewhere at ALA. Maybe if you were in a room by yourself and all your technology turned off, but what fun is that. E-books are here to stay and we all need to be involved. And libraries have to work with publishers to make this sustainable for them. While we are not in the business of making money, they are. And we need our publishers to stick around and be successful. It's not us against them. It needs to be us with them.
4. Transliteracy - I've heard this word a lot over the last year. We need to all be doing more of this with our students and patrons. They need to know how to use all forms of media, print and digital. Students can't be successful unless they walk out the door with a well rounded experience. If we don't give teach them how to use library so they continue educating themselves far into the future, then we've wasted their time and money and we're not doing our jobs.
5. Be flexible and adaptive - transform the library and library services to meet the needs of the students. If this means taking the information to them or embedding ourselves into places we haven't been before, then so be it. Our administrators say it's all about student success. Make it happen in the library too!
6. Have fun. Working in a library isn't all about books. Get out there and enjoy your career and remember why you went into libraries to begin with!
No comments:
Post a Comment