Remembering 9/11

I was appalled when I read in the L.A. Times (“A Challenge for Teachers and Students” by Teresa Watanabe) this morning that, at least in California, instructors are given only 45 minutes to teach students about 9/11.  Now I don’t happen to think that 9/11 is the single most important event ever in U.S. history.  But I do believe that it has, so far, been the most influential event of the 21st century and that if young people are to, at all, objectively consider why our country is where it is today, then they must learn about and discuss the ramifications of this critical event.  If teachers aren’t allowed to conduct these conversations, then it’s up to public librarians to do so.

I was president of the California Library Association (CLA) when the terrorists struck on 9/11.  Although I was grieving like everyone else, I also saw the opportunity for librarians to take a lead in the local, as well as national, healing process.  And so I wrote a column, called “Light in Times of Darkness,” for CLA’s now defunct newsletter California Libraries, urging my colleagues to use their professional skills to help others move through their mourning and confusion. Ten years later, I believe this admonition remains just as relevant. If you think so, too, then please read on.

“Light in Times of Darkness”

The ruins of what once was the World Trade Center are still smoldering as I write this column.  Emergency crews are working around the clock to rescue people trapped under the rubble.  Medical personnel, counselors, and religious leaders are all caring for the survivors.  Everyone has a role to play in overcoming the crisis.  Even my husband, who works in radio here in Los Angeles, is on 24-hour alert in case a late story breaks and all hands are required at the station.  In the library profession, many of us are asking ourselves what we can do to help others in such a time of dire national need.

Like most of you, I was riveted to my television set watching the unbelievable events unfold on September 11th.  As a human being I was outraged by the deliberate acts of violence perpetrated against the innocent people of New York City and Washington, DC.  As a librarian and educator, however, I was fascinated by the reporters trying to cover the details of the disaster as objectively and thoroughly as possible.  Although horrified, I was nonetheless grateful for the FAA’s visual documentation of the flight paths taken by the hijackers and even for the amazing footage that captured the destruction of their ultimate destinations.  As shocking as these images were, they remain primary evidence of the careful planning that went into the execution of these heinous acts.  Even more poignant were the accounts of the people who viewed and/or experienced the disaster first-hand.  Their stories create a context which supports the enormity of the events of that day.  Pictures of airplanes flying into buildings may provide us with irrefutable fact; but it’s the eyewitness accounts that help us understand the underlying truth of what really happened.

Unfortunately, in the days following the disaster, the media have become so frenzied to report whatever they see, the full picture is sometimes obscured by the sensationalism of the moment.  As Los Angeles Times commentator Howard Rosenberg recently noted, TV newscasters have a bad habit of reporting information without first sorting it out.  That, of course, is why we are so important.  Unlike other professionals, librarians are obligated to objectively provide the information people need to make sense of this national tragedy.  

So how do we proceed?  We do this by practicing keen collection development skills that emphasize accurate and balanced sources of information.  Certainly our shelves are full of materials describing and lauding the American way of life; but books about our possible enemies must also be represented to help us understand what motivates their actions.  Furthermore, we must assist our users in navigating the sometimes murky depths of the Internet.  Which pieces of virtual information are trustworthy and which are not?  Which are created with the sole purpose of inciting hatred and prejudice and which are not?  We may choose not to block access to inflammatory websites, but we must then be equally vigilant in promoting more reliable and objective sources of information if these are indeed what our customers want.

As reference librarians, we must also keep up-to-date on the issues of the day so we can answer our patrons’ questions intelligently.  Although we ourselves may not be able to ease their minds, we should at least know enough of the situation to make an appropriate referral.  In addition, we should provide space in our facilities where people can talk to each other about their concerns and fears.  There is much we can do to help others cope with the crisis and prepare for the days ahead. In particular, we can invite local officials to hold a town hall meeting in the library’s community room; present programs and storytimes that inspire hope and leadership; bring in experts to discuss emergency planning; and create bookmarks or webliographies of local social service agencies.  

By providing access to all necessary information the library remains an ever-important source of enlightenment, especially in times of darkness.

Source:  California Libraries (October 2001): 1, 13.

Espresso Book Machine

I had the happy opportunity to visit the Grace Mellman Community Library in Temecula last week. The branch, which I hadn’t seen since it first opened in the 1990s, was recently remodeled. A festive multicolor linoleum-tiled floor now enlivens the children’s room and a previously imposing bank of computers has been replaced by a cozy reading area.

The star of the day, though, was the Espresso Book Machine, a device that prints books on demand. Patrons can either request an item from Flash Books, a database of some 3 million digitized items, or bring in their own manuscripts for publication. The project is funded through a Library Services and Technology Act grant, awarded by the California State Library to the Riverside County Library.

Starting at $8, the cost of printing Flash Books titles is very much in line with today’s mass market paperbacks. Publishing one’s own original book is far more expensive, however. Patrons pay $75 to have library staff prepare their manuscripts for printing. In exchange, they get two copies of the book, plus an electronic pdf file of the manuscript. Additional self-published copies cost between $8 and $15 to print, depending on the number of pages.

The actual printing of the book takes about 5 minutes. (Click here to see the Espresso Book Machine in action.) Pages are produced on one side of the machine, while the other side prints the cover. Once the cover is complete, it slides to the center of the machine, where glue is applied before the pages are dropped onto the inside spine. The cover and pages are then pressed together before the entire book is cut to size—6” x 9” is standard, though other sizes are also apparently available. This being a library, the excess page cuttings are used as bookmarks, p-slips, etc., and, therefore, are not wasted.

It was fun watching a book being created right before my eyes. But even more importantly, there seem to be numerous ways the library’s customers can benefit from this service. Besides the obvious advantage of having access to 3 million Flash Books titles, patrons can also publish an endless array of self-written materials: family histories, journals, teen poetry, learning aids, homeschooling texts, personalized children’s books, etc. In addition, manuscript fonts can be manipulated to create large print versions of books only available in regular-sized type. Staff can also print extra copies of school reading-list titles when all others have been checked out. Patrons can either purchase or borrow print-on-demand books. Those that are not purchased are then considered for possible addition to the collection.

On the down side, the Flash Books component is clunky at best. Accessible only by keyword, the database has no capacity for limiting or refining searches. A search of “Tom Sawyer,” for instance, not only brought up several editions of Mark Twain’s book, it also yielded an endless list of books about Twain, as well as items written by authors named Tom and/or Sawyer! Moreover, the Flash Books database is devoid of any bibliographic or content information other than title and author, making requests for specific editions or topics very difficult. Staff hope to one day use Flash Books in lieu of interlibrary loan, but the database will have to be seriously redesigned (by the vendor) before this can happen.

If the problems with Flash Books can be overcome, I think this project has the potential to add an extremely interesting dimension to public library service. Even without Flash Books, providing the ability to print quality copies of self-published works is an invaluable service for patrons accustomed to creating their own content on the ‘Net and elsewhere. Books, after all, promote literacy, whether they are written by famous authors or the kid down the street, and libraries are all about literacy. I’m excited to see what outcomes ultimately emerge from Grace Mellman’s Espresso Book Machine project.

Services to Homeschoolers

I attended an excellent workshop last week on serving homeschool families. Offered by Infopeople, California libraries’ premier continuing education provider, the session was conducted by Adrienne Furness, author of the brief but informative book Helping Homeschoolers in the Library (ALA, 2008).

Although I’ve researched kids’ academic needs for almost 20 years now, I still know very little about homeschooled students. I was therefore surprised to learn that more parents homeschool their children out of concern about the school environment (88%) than they do for religious reasons (83%) (see National Center for Educational Statistics). I was even more surprised to find out there are more homeschooled kids in Southern California than any other place in the country.

Several homeschooling philosophies exist, but the most prominent, according to Furness, are “unschooling” and conservative Protestant. Unschooling follows the tenets of John Holt, who espoused a movement of child-led learning that often incorporates “real world” activities. Typically, unschooled kids volunteer at community agencies as part of their education and are well-versed on current events. If there is a curriculum, it tends to be more freestyle and focused on experimentation.

Religious homeschools, on the other hand, are far more structured and purposeful. Conservative homeschool teachers are highly organized and vocal. Curricula come prepackaged and are often shared among families.

Though homeschooling is currently legal in all 50 states, the laws vary widely from state to state. In California, homeschooling families have to declare themselves a private school or enroll their child(ren) in a charter, public or other school that allows independent home study. Instruction must be in English and adhere to the following subject parameters:

• Grades 1-6: English, math, social sciences, science, fine arts, health, and physical education

• Grades 7-12: 1-6 subjects plus an international language, applied arts, vocational education, and driver’s education.

One workshop attendee had a hard time getting her head around the fact that any ol’ parents can identify themselves as teachers and then proceed to educate their kids. My own feeling is that it should make no difference to us whether the parents are qualified or not, just as long they use the library’s resources to teach accurate and current lessons. In fact, I’d rather have them start with the good information available in the library than use questionable information gathered elsewhere.

So what should public libraries do to accommodate homeschoolers? According to the many people Furness has interviewed nationwide, homeschoolers primarily need: (1) space to meet and (2) special borrowing privileges, such as “teacher cards” and extended loan periods. They also appreciate working with librarians to create programs that not only teach library skills, but relate to their curriculum. Library programs should be conducted in the afternoon, because most homeschool “desk learning” occurs in the morning, and should focus on the library’s resources. Since many homeschools encompass a wide range of ages, library programs should be advertised by “skills level” rather than age.

Homeschooled kids know how to talk about books and are extremely well-read. At minimum, librarians can serve homeschooler needs by developing collections that represent multiple viewpoints, conservative as well as liberal. Classic literature should be well-represented for families that prefer not to read contemporary fiction. In addition, the library should carry as many “how-to” homeschool books as possible, even though they are not widely available through jobbers. (For reviews, see Cathy Duffy Homeschool Reviews and Furness’s own Homeschooling and Libraries Blog.) Some libraries even offer homeschool “resource centers” with three-dimensional realia and equipment (e.g., a telescope!) that can be checked out for class use.

Seems like there are lots of opportunities here to develop public library programs for kids from all kinds of educational settings. What's good for homeschoolers may also be just as good for more traditional students. Something to think about when writing that next youth-services grant . . .

California Reference Think Tank

I stink at predicting the future. My political candidates and causes usually lose and most people are not interested in the professional issues I’m most passionate about (i.e., homework help and library history).

Why, then, would I attend a two-day Think Tank on the future of statewide reference service in California? As a former reference librarian—and a pretty damn good one, at that—I still have an acute interest in reference and where it’s going now that most people, including librarians, use Google as a one-stop information provider. I'm also concerned about reference services for youth and wanted to make sure kids weren't left out of the statewide equation. Though the Think Tank never really addressed any particular population groups, we did attempt to forecast what’s ahead for public libraries as two futurists from the media project FringeHog guided us through a day-long scenario-building exercise based on current information-seeking and consumer trends.

Some of the “trends” were definitely old hat. “Friend-Fomation,” for instance, where folks rely on friends to find, sort, vet, and curate information, is hardly new. People have always checked with friends and family first to see what they might know about a topic or to get advice—so no surprise there.

Social networking and Web 2.0 are not new to us, either. Many libraries have their own wikis, blogs, and/or MySpace or Facebook pages, where they advertise services and new programs through electronic word-of-mouth. These days, if you want to be an opinion leader, you have to have your own blog or social network page to communicate effectively.

I do like the “trend” of eliminating boundaries through technology, which is something I think we’ve always done in libraries. Universal borrowing, interlibrary loan and shared catalogs have all become easier thanks to the Internet and borderless access. Librarians invented these concepts and have embraced them for many decades, even though some government officials may be overly protective of their jurisdictional lines. For any boundaryless library service to exist, city and county administrators must first be convinced of the benefits to their own constituents. This was true when library consortia were formed in the 1960s and will no doubt continue to be true as libraries begin to share more and more resources in the virtual world.

I raised my eyebrows at the notion of “Everyware”—a future world where information is embedded in everyday objects and places. Not only will “things” be able to think and interact with each other and us, they’ll also store, transmit and create data. Smacking a little too much of “Big Brother,” this trend creeps me out and makes me very leery of the potentially corruptible power of future technology.

Call me an old-time anti-corporate liberal, but I’m also skeptical of trends that are strongly based on commercial models. “It’s All About Me,” which describes a shift in consumer demand from conspicuous mass consumption to mass personalized consumption, is a perfect example. Customers can now buy Kleenex boxes decorated with a picture of their pets or design running shoes emblazoned with their names. Heck, I've even bought customized M & Ms celebrating my 20th wedding anniversary! But is this trend the result of customer demand or are manufacturers just cleverly repackaging their products? Successful corporations may be nimble enough to follow each market’s whim, but libraries tend to be more restricted by their bureaucratic nature and limited funding sources.

Still, librarians are an extremely creative lot and so some truly remarkable ideas did emerge from the conference. Among my favorites was the “embedded librarian,” where groups, businesses, etc., will be able to connect with a public library staff member who will become their own “special” librarian during the course of a project, etc. Academic librarians have partnered with their patrons for a long time, but this is an entirely new concept for public librarians, whose standing in their community could benefit from offering an extra layer of specialized service. My Think Tank teammates and I see a future where library service is more personalized and relevant to the patron.

We also liked the idea of “pushing” information to potential clients through radio-frequency technology. Say, for example, you’re shopping for rose bushes at your local nursery. Through radio frequency, the library could automatically send a message to your hand-held device, promoting its collection of gardening books (yes, I believe libraries will continue to offer books well into the future!). Although this seems a bit too “Minority Report” for my taste, I do like the idea of reaching out to patrons at their direct point of need.

A common theme among the various Think Tank teams was that people trust the library. They trust our expertise at being able to navigate through even the most tangled web of information. Plus, they trust that we have no political ax to grind except to advocate for their information-seeking rights. My own feeling is that the more Google creates a disintermediated world, the more our patrons are going to need us to make sense of that world. No matter how sophisticated they may be at operating computer systems, most people still need help navigating through "process." One of my teammates mentioned that she’s had to show library users how to make airline reservations on Expedia. Is this a task for trained librarians? I don’t know. But I do think this type of service is one that many of our patrons might find very useful.

Think Tank results will be shared at the upcoming California Library Association conference in November. Be watching for opportunities to contribute to this ongoing discussion.

"Navigating With Youth" IFLA pre-conference, Montreal

I attended my first IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations) conference earlier this month. Well, actually, it was a pre-conference, called “Navigating With Youth,” and I was invited to present a paper on the California State Library’s online homework help program. The conference was held in Montreal and was bilingual—French and English. The Canadians slipped easily between the two languages. For the rest of us, headphones were provided so we could hear an immediate translation of what was being said. There were over 150 participants from 12 countries, including France, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Japan, Croatia, and the Netherlands—very exciting.

Unlike other library conferences, where programs are scheduled concurrently so participants have to pick and choose among events, all the presentations were held in the same large auditorium at McGill University. Everyone pretty much stayed for every program, which was fine because they were all, for the most part, outstanding. Brief highlights of the various presentations follow below.

To Trust in Young Adults is the Best Approach/Dr. Charles E. Caouette (Dept. of Pyschology, University of Montreal): Since reading is associated with school and tests, kids need more opportunities to read outside of school. Young people are also looking for adults who will talk to them in an authentic manner and help them sort out life issues. They live in the present and distrust adults who lie and/or are inauthentic.

You Are, but IM: Connecting Young Adults and Libraries in the 21st Century/Patrick Jones (author and consultant): A proponent of the “40 developmental assets,” Jones reviewed the ten core values of YA service described in his book “Connecting Young Adults and Libraries.” Information literacy speaks directly to teens’ primary core value: independence. Kids don’t read more because they don’t have the time.

Best Practices in Library Services/Ingrid Bon (Biblioservice Gelderland, The Netherlands): Bon reviewed the IFLA young adult services guidelines. In her library, teens are given website space to provide online reviews of concerts and other local events, so they can gain a sense of community. (What a fabulous idea!)

Communauté Enfantine et Bibliothèque: La Place de l’Alcazar dans la Vie Quotidienne des Enfants de Belsunce/Elsa Zotian (France): Zotian shared the findings of a study she conducted at the Alcazar Library, where she observed how young adolescents use space and the collections. Kids there see the library as: (1) an after-school service provider; (2) a cultural place; and (3) a place to socialize. Kids like to go to the library to do their homework because it’s an unstructured environment. Immigrant children, in particular, are very aware of the free services offered by the library and exploit them to the fullest.

Connecting Libraries to Teens in the Digital Age/Karen Sharkey (teen services librarian, Vancouver Public Library): Kids love to recommend books to other kids and so Canada has created a nationwide online teen reading club.

Got Game? Greater Victoria Public Library’s Video Game Pilot Project/Kristen Andersen (Greater Victoria Public Library): The library loans console games (e.g., xBox, Wii, etc.) exclusively. Because of high demand, the loan period is seven days—a real problem for some games that take 50 hours to complete. Theft is no worse than that experienced with DVDs, but wear-and-tear is greater. Part of the collection can be reserved; duplicate unreservable copies are available to check-out on a first-come, first-served basis. The collection is advertised over local college radio.

Toronto Tunes: Toronto Public Library Launches a Local Music Collection/Lisa Heggum (youth collections librarian, Toronto Public Library): In 2006, the library established a collection of youth-oriented CDs by local Toronto bands, in order to reach-out to young people (ages 13-24). Selection was done by reading local reviews, word-of-mouth, and through suggestions from a local music store. The library also beefed-up its music book collection. A “listening list” of the library’s holdings was inserted in each CD jewel case. To promote the collection, two concerts were held at the library, featuring better-known local bands. Publicity was leaked to a local music scene blogger, which then generated lots of citywide media attention. The concert tickets, which were distributed free at the library and other youth-oriented spots around town, promoted the library’s new CD collection. Both events “sold-out” within hours and were a roaring success. In 2007, the library added a series of music-related workshops to the program. (This was my favorite presentation. Lots of potential here for this to serve as a model for other North American libraries).

Forever Young—The Library in a Post-Modernistic Reality: Experiences from Knowledge-Exchange Network Project in Library Services for the Young/Annette Waterstradt (librarian, Greve Bibliotek, Denmark): In 2004, four Copenhagen libraries formed a network to find ways to communicate with young people, ages 14-20. Their purpose was to include them as active participants in planning the future of the library. When asked how they’d like "grown-ups" (i.e., library staff) to behave, the young adults responded that they want them to have a sense of humor and enthusiasm, and be friendly, respectful, open to new ideas, helpful, empathetic, and “not tired of living” (this last one got a big laugh!). With this input in mind, workshops were developed to train staff: (1) how to communicate (e.g., dialog) with young adults; and (2) to ask “What can I do to better serve young people?” Teen opinion leaders were used to promote library services.

Où Sont les Romans qui Racontent des Problèmes? Classer Autrement les Romans pour les Jeunes afin de Mieux Répondre à Leurs Besoins et les Inciter à Lire/Soizik Jouin (librarian, Bibliothèques de la Ville de Paris, France): French librarians have developed subject classification, based on spheres of interest, and have begun to apply this process to juvenile fiction. When kids ask for books by title, they’re usually doing so for a school assignment. But when kids ask for books by subject, they’re usually pursuing personal reading. What influences teens to read?: the theme of the book (60%); the book’s title (41%); the book’s cover (40%); and librarian's recommendation (only 6%). At Jouin’s library, youth fiction is shelved by theme. A second copy of the book is shelved separately by author, if the book/author is popular. (This was the single most popular presentation of the conference, with several people asking for more information about this topic. Indeed, this is a fascinating subject worthy of more exploration).

Trends, Strategies, Success and Learning Points—The Young People’s Services Public Libraries/Heng Huey Bin (Ang Mo Kio Community Library, Singapore): The library hosts what they call a “pseudo bookclub,” where kids can participate without having read the books being discussed. The hope is that the club will get kids so excited about the books, they’ll want to read them on their own.

The Career Library/Mikkel Hellden-Hegelung (librarian, Københavns Biblioteker, Denmark): Prompted by an 80% drop-out rate throughout the community, the library decided to create a “career library,” where practitioners (e.g., doctors, lawyers, etc.) are made available to young people (ages 14-25) as advisors. The library recruits and trains the volunteer mentors and then arranges initial meetings, in the library, between the adults and the young people. Not only has the program brought in young adults who never used the library before, but also non-user volunteers who now have a buy-in into the library. (This is another fabulous project that would fit nicely under the State Library’s “Transforming Life After 50”/Boomers program).