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Managing geeks September 10, 2009

Posted by Jenica Rogers in Leadership, Libraries, Management, Technology.
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This article from Computerworld — Opinion: The unspoken truth about managing geeks — is specifically and explicitly talking about IT pros, but hey, I’m a geek.  I like lots of people who are geeks.  I work with a bunch of them, too… and I found as I read this that a lot of it resonated.  I’ve never found any “management” article or book that I thought was 100% on-point, but this one has some interesting observations in it.  A few:

“Few people notice this, but for IT groups respect is the currency of the realm. IT pros do not squander this currency. Those whom they do not believe are worthy of their respect might instead be treated to professional courtesy, a friendly demeanor or the acceptance of authority. Gaining respect is not a matter of being the boss and has nothing to do with being likeable or sociable; whether you talk, eat or smell right; or any measure that isn’t directly related to the work. The amount of respect an IT pro pays someone is a measure of how tolerable that person is when it comes to getting things done, including the elegance and practicality of his solutions and suggestions. IT pros always and without fail, quietly self-organize around those who make the work easier, while shunning those who make the work harder, independent of the organizational chart.”

and

“…if you’ve managed to hire well in the lower ranks of your IT group, the staff already know how to manage things. Unlike in many industries, the fight in most IT groups is in how to get things done, not how to avoid work. IT pros will self-organize, disrupt and subvert in the name of accomplishing work. An over-structured, micro-managing, technically deficient runt, no matter how polished, who’s thrown into the mix for the sake of management will get a response from the professional IT group that’s similar to anyone’s response to a five-year-old tugging his pants leg.

What IT pros want in a manager is a technical sounding board and a source of general direction. Leadership and technical competence are qualities to look for in every member of the team. If you need someone to keep track of where projects are, file paperwork, produce reports and do customer relations, hire some assistants for a lot less money.”

I don’t care if the author thinks he’s talking about IT professionals.  Sounds like my tribe, to me. Which is probably why we’re bouncing it around the social networks at each other.

Edited to add: Interesting discussion happening here.

ETIG Library Camp: Jessamyn West May 29, 2009

Posted by Jenica Rogers in Libraries, Technology, Training, Users, conferences.
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Jessamyn West!

Now I Will Inspire You: A series of small threats and calming images

One of the things about working in a tiny adorable library is that the people who work in tiny adorable libraries don’t get to go listen to people talk about libraries and big issues.  And so most people want to think that all technology in libraries is Norman Rockwell, with Apple laptops.  There’s no screaming, no fighting, no complicated vendor restrictions, no porn, no getting scammed by people on the internet… the challenging and fascinating horror show of teaching people about the internet in tiny adorable libraries is invisible in our Norman Rockwell version of library technology.

And library technology is very different in small libraries.  “I’m singlehandedly putting stickers into all of those books, and they’ll be up and running in a Koha catalog in…. 2020? I’m aiming for August, but…”  The reality looks like this.  People who aren’t online are all not online in different ways.  Lack of resources – money, wiring, knowledge, experience, time, mobility – limit who can get online.  The digital divide is real, and our system for technology education scales very badly.  There are economies of scale in most library work – processing 30 books does not take 30 times as long as processing one book – but teaching 30 people about the internet and computers takes 30 times longer than teaching one person.  Libraries have become the social safety net for many Americans to learn what the tech-savvy think of as remedial technology skills, but the project doesn’t scale.

So how do libraries teach this kind of thing, when there are no economies of scale?  Using web pages to teach people does. not. work. when they’re not computer savvy.  And sometimes you’re not fighting against a lack of tech knowledge; sometimes it’s an emotional issue with computing in general.  With this particular user population, design is invisible until it fails.  Computers are easy until they fail.  The 2.0 technology wave is intuitive until it fails.

Context matters: Not “it’s easy”, but “I think you can learn this”.  New Yahoo users wonder why Yahoo thinks they’re fat, since the first thing they see is an ad for weight loss.  Fast and disappearing messages for errors don’t appear for people who read from top to bottom and right to left and start at the beginning and read to the end.  Given these contexts, the internet is a hurdle for people – a hurdle they have to get past to connect to their grandchildren, apply for jobs, etc. – and they’re suspicious of people who love it, and they don’t have an innate idea of “friends” online or “internet famous”.  “We are living in a future that they are not that interested in.”

“Does anybody really understand The Cloud?  I need ten words to explain The Cloud to beekeepers.”

Librarians need to be SpiderMan.  We have great power, and great responsibility.  We must teach with grace and compassion.

ALA Emerging Leaders… “people go in but never come out.  I mean, they don’t die, but there’s radio silence around it.”  So someone did a survey, asking about experiences and transparency.  One result was that people felt they had been asked their opinion simply to be asked for an opinion… but that the data was never going to be used.  LibQual: you do it, you get a crapton of data, and then what happens?  Nothing?  Whose fault is that?  Ours?  Why?  We take all that energy, and do nothing with it.

Library Camps are a chance to take that energy and do things with it.  It’s a chance to create sleeper cells of librarians who can figure out what we should be talking about and what we could do with that information, and then take it back home with them.  “Personally, not a manifesto-type, but I’m glad that my posse contains people who write manifestos.  And I’m not a hand-holding type, but I’m glad my profession has hand-holders in it.”  Until we start having conversations about our personal professional experiences, beyond our much loved 140 characters, we can’t know enough.  Learn enough.  Understand enough.  Do enough.

“Librarianship both is and is not sexy.  Exploit that.  Go be secretly awesome.  Then tell someone.”

ETIG Library Camp: Jason Hammond May 29, 2009

Posted by Jenica Rogers in Libraries, Technology, conferences.
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Jason Hammond: Lackadaisical Anarchy!

Organization Development Specialist: training, planning, developing opportunities…

With a few anecdotes, Jason raises the idea that the level of openness, trust, and comfort that people have with public transparency — specifically with blogging and social participation online — is evolving.  His plan: to discuss what he’s doing with emerging technology, and what public libraries are doing with emerging technology.  They are not the same thing, because of that evolving level of trust and interest.

Comparisons between Jason, and Regina Public Library:

  • Web Site: Jason has a blog hosted on his own domain; RPL has a static HTML website, .pdf newsletter, possibly moving to a CMS and a Virtual Services Manager.
  • Intranet: Jason uses LogMeIn; RPL has Sphider open-source PHP search engine with no remote log-in.
  • Message Board: Jason has none beyond blog comments; RPL uses free service called Boards2Go.com.
  • Traffic Analysis: Jason counts blog stats and uses Google Analytics; RPL uses nextstat.com and blog stats, but is minimal.
  • Blogging:  Jason has blogged since 2006; RPL has multiple internal and external blogs fed by broad group of library stakeholders.
  • Wikis: Jason uses as needed; RPL has internal and external wikis for subject guides and staff management.
  • RSS: Jason has it on every post; RPL only has it on blog and wiki content.
  • Instant messaging: Jason has accounts on every service; reference services uses Meebo.
  • Podcasts:  Jason has one regularly maintained audio file; RPL has regular podcasts.
  • Flickr:  Jason’s is mostly pics of his kid; RPL has local history, and albums for every branch and some services.
  • YouTube:  Jason’s is clips of the kid, again; RPL has two “test” videos from over a year ago (from their Home Lottery; OMG what a concept!)
  • Delicious: Jason uses it as a dumping ground/external memory; RPL has a delicious account for local history research.
  • Twitter: Jason updates once a month or so; RPL has no Twitter presence.
  • Facebook:  Jason has 638 friends; RPL has 676 friends.
  • MySpace:  Jason has an unused account; there is no RPL presence.
  • Slideshare:  Jason has four presentations up with thousands of views; RPL has an account that is unused.
  • Scribd: Jason has some things there; RPL is not yet using.
  • Mashups: Jason has gotten a copyright challenge for use of a Loretta Lynn song; RPL has been using some Google mashup features.
  • Gaming:  Jason has lost his edge, since his son is now his entertainment; RPL has a Wii for use in the branches, but no games for loan.
  • Mobile services:  Jason has an emergency cell phone; RPL has a mobile version of the website for core services.
  • Downloadable books: Jason’s Sony MP3 player won’t work with a Mac; RPL is launching Overdrive in July.
  • Wireless:  Jason has it at home, locked; RPL has wireless with no log-in required.
  • (Ack! I was listening and fell behind!)

So! Emerging Technology runs the gamut in public libraries, from libraries doing things that individuals might consider “old” to examples like RPL that do a bit of everything, testing and trying and exploring.  Innovation is often based on “better to ask forgiveness” models, and the need to meet patrons where they are in order to not miss the swath of young people that are at the edge of library vision.  Much emerging technology is antithetical to traditional organizational practice, so it’s a challenge to integrate it into our operations — that culture of trust and transparency has to be built.

ETIG Library Camp: John Fink May 29, 2009

Posted by Jenica Rogers in Libraries, Technology, conferences.
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Janine Schmidt welcomed us to the day and encouraged us to be innovative, referencing the Seven Imperatives quoted in the recent issue of Library Matters, ending with “be courageous”.  And off we went.

John Fink talks about innovation.  Asserts that many systems people will tell librarians “no” because they don’t want us to have fun.  Because if we’re having fun, and doing all the cool things we think up, we’re going to cause more work for systems people.  His rules:

  • Listen.  Keep your ears to the ground.  Why is RSS adoption so low? It’s baffling, because it’s a great way to constantly listen to the world.
  • Keep it Simple.  Don’t overthink your idea.
  • Keep it Cheap.  We’ve either got flat budgets or decreasing budgets.  Think cheap.
  • Love what you’re doing.  If you don’t love it, you won’t do it well or with energy.
  • Make sure you’re having fun!  Make sure that what you’re doing makes you want to come to work (or you won’t do it well or with energy).

Anti-Rules:

  • Stop buying things! And start selling things.  We are terrible at cost-recovery or profit-making, as a profession.
  • Keep it small.  Watch the cost-benefit and return on investment of having too many people involved in a project.  Agility is key to keeping it simple and not overthinking.
  • Try to avoid complexity.  Things should not be more complex than they must be, because the more pieces there are, the more likelihood something will fail.
  • Do not let projects be neverending.  Shorter is better, but know your timescale.  You can’t maintain energy in a project that never ends.
  • Make sure you’re doing something that’s not immoral.  Follow your values, both personal and institutional.

So, should you do this thing?  Is this the right project?  Take the fun rules, minus the anti-rules, and decide: is it still a good idea?  Yes?  Then DO IT!  (Or think of something else.)

But wait! Managers exist!  So, how do we integrate management structure into this DO IT! attitude?  Management should be something that removes obstacles, not creates them.  Foster those relationships.  Manager Rules:

  • You cannot know everything.  Don’t pretend you do.
  • Don’t be evil.  Don’t do anything that’s purposefully evil or creates fear.  Be transparent and do what you can, but also do what you must.
  • Say Yes!  Don’t think of ways to say no; if the project isn’t going to be dangerous, evil, or a colossal waste of time, say YES.
  • Don’t micromanage, but stay aware of what’s going on in your corner of the world.
  • Don’t create unnecessary obstacles. There’s no need to put purposeful roadblocks in front of projects and people.

In conclusion, if you can: Surround yourself with great people.  People with good energy will generate good ideas.

Question led to assertion that yes, libraries should follow Google’s 20% rule, and spend 20% of their time innovating and messing about with new things.  And stop thinking about “good learning”.  “What’s good learning?”  Just learn.

Q:  What if your IT on campus/in your government structure doesn’t trust you or have a relationship you can work with?  What do you do? It’s very very hard.  Go slowly.  Build trust and respect by proving you don’t suck.  Make one friend, pick one small project, make one good point… and build on it.  Assess their fears and prove them wrong, politely and carefully.

Q: How much tech knowledge do you need to innovate? Show of hands showed that there are very few programmers, and technology skill isn’t required to innovate about technology… just interest, and willingness to move past roadblocks.

Library Camping April 9, 2009

Posted by Jenica Rogers in Libraries, Technology, conferences.
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I just made a spur-of-the-moment decision to go to the Emerging Technologies Interest Group’s Library Camp preconference at the Canadian Library Association’s annual conference.  It’s being held in Montreal on May 29, and Jessamyn West is opening up the day with her unique perspective on technology and libraries.

I’m really excited.

All of you who are in the far Upstate parts of New York should think about this — I know the organizers, and I can’t imagine that they’re not going to facilitate a great day of discussion, debate, learning, and fun.  And it’s driveable, it’s affordable, and, well, it’s going to be great.  :)