In her book RenGen: The Rise of the Cultural Consumer and What It Means to Your Business, author Patricia Martin predicts that the current economic disruption is the prelude to an historical renaissance led by a generation driving change through collective creativity. "Libraries need to pay attention, because what happens in a renaissance generation is that the society begins to shed the things that are less relevant with what's new."
http://www.therengen.com/
http://blog.patricia-martin.com/
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Generation We
Millennials are the largest generation in American history. Born between 1978 and 2000, they are 95 million strong, compared to 78 million Baby Boomers. They are independent—politically, socially, and philosophically—and they are spearheading a period of sweeping change around the world. Commited to the common good, frustrated with dominant institutions, and eager to drive change through innovation and technology.
http://www.gen-we.com/
http://www.gen-we.com/
Libraries' Role in Improving Communities
How Civic Institutions Can Play a Pivotal Role in Improving Communities
http://www.pps.org/info/placemakingtools/making_places/leading_from_the_ground_up
http://www.pps.org/info/placemakingtools/making_places/leading_from_the_ground_up
Revolution in the Stacks
Library trends reviewed from the perspective of a magazine whose primary audience is American state and local government officials.
http://www.governing.com/articles/0806libraries.htm
http://www.governing.com/articles/0806libraries.htm
Monday, December 15, 2008
Future of the Internet III
A new Pew study on the future of the Internet:
Key Findings:
Key Findings:
- The mobile device will be the primary connection tool to the internet for most people in the world in 2020 - which means our website design must provide a usable interface for handhelds.
- The transparency of people and organizations will increase - Library 2.0 - but that will not necessarily yield more personal integrity, social tolerance, or forgiveness.
- Voice recognition and touch user-interfaces with the internet will be more prevalent and accepted by 2020. What kind of impact will this trend have on standards for MPL computers?
- Those working to enforce intellectual property law and copyright protection will remain in a continuing "arms race," with the "crackers" who will find ways to copy and share content without payment - with libraries mediating in the middle ground.
- The divisions between personal time and work time and between physical and virtual reality will be further erased for everyone who is connected, and the results will be mixed in their impact on basic social relations.
- "Next-generation" engineering of the network to improve the current internet architecture is more likely than an effort to rebuild the architecture from scratch.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Strategic Update - Master Planning our Future
At the same time as we are ramping up our Virtual Branch and the delivery of virtual library services to customers located at home, school or work, we are also planning for the construction and renovation of our bricks-and-mortar libraries for customers who choose to access library services by physically visiting our branches.
Funding: Funding for new library construction comes from the Town of Markham through Development Charges (90%) and taxes (10%).
Master Plan Process: The Town decides where and when it will construct new libraries (as well as parks, recreational facilities and cultural facilities), and how they will be funded, through a process known as the Integrated Leisure Master Plan (formerly called the Parks, Recreation, Culture, Libraries and Open Space Master Plan). The Master Plan will provide a road map for the development of future municipal facilities and services in Markham for the next 10 years. It is critical to the future of Markham Public Library, and to ensuring we have an adequate physical infrastructure to meet the library service needs of Markham residents.
Project Manager – our CEO: Our Library CEO Catherine Biss is the Project Manager for the Master Plan, working with Town staff – Colin Service, Manager, Planning & Policy Development for Recreation Services, and Sara Tam, Manager, Business Planning & Innovation for the Community & Fire Services Commission. The Project Consultant is Monteith Brown Planning Consultants.
Staff Workshop: On October 29, 2008, twenty Library staff attended a staff launch and workshop session facilitated by the consultant. Our staff (as well as staff from parks, recreation and culture) provided input regarding existing service delivery levels, library service needs, and future trends. A summary of staff input is provided in the attached document.
Household Survey: During October - November, 2008, the consultant conducted a random household telephone survey soliciting feedback from residents around current service delivery expectations and desired future services and amenities. This survey was conducted in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, or Tamil.
Group Survey: To gather feedback from key user groups, including Library user groups, a Group Survey has been distributed to gather more detailed feedback about the specific needs of user groups identified by staff.
NEXT STEPS:
Community Search Conference: In mid-January, key stakeholders will have an opportunity to provide strategic feedback through a Search Conference for invited user groups and community leaders.
Focus Group/Open House Events: During February to March, there will be 8 to 9 Focus Group/Open House events for the general public, in various locations across all of Markham, designed to gather input and feedback from all Markham constituents. It is hoped that some of these events will take place in library branches, in our open spaces, to optimize inclusivity and public awareness.
For an overview of the Master Plan project, please take a look at the Council presentation at http://www.markham.ca/markham/ccbs/indexfile/Agendas/2008/General/gc081027/03-1010%20Presentation%20to%20Council_October%2027%202008_draft%20v2.pdf
Funding: Funding for new library construction comes from the Town of Markham through Development Charges (90%) and taxes (10%).
Master Plan Process: The Town decides where and when it will construct new libraries (as well as parks, recreational facilities and cultural facilities), and how they will be funded, through a process known as the Integrated Leisure Master Plan (formerly called the Parks, Recreation, Culture, Libraries and Open Space Master Plan). The Master Plan will provide a road map for the development of future municipal facilities and services in Markham for the next 10 years. It is critical to the future of Markham Public Library, and to ensuring we have an adequate physical infrastructure to meet the library service needs of Markham residents.
Project Manager – our CEO: Our Library CEO Catherine Biss is the Project Manager for the Master Plan, working with Town staff – Colin Service, Manager, Planning & Policy Development for Recreation Services, and Sara Tam, Manager, Business Planning & Innovation for the Community & Fire Services Commission. The Project Consultant is Monteith Brown Planning Consultants.
Staff Workshop: On October 29, 2008, twenty Library staff attended a staff launch and workshop session facilitated by the consultant. Our staff (as well as staff from parks, recreation and culture) provided input regarding existing service delivery levels, library service needs, and future trends. A summary of staff input is provided in the attached document.
Household Survey: During October - November, 2008, the consultant conducted a random household telephone survey soliciting feedback from residents around current service delivery expectations and desired future services and amenities. This survey was conducted in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, or Tamil.
Group Survey: To gather feedback from key user groups, including Library user groups, a Group Survey has been distributed to gather more detailed feedback about the specific needs of user groups identified by staff.
NEXT STEPS:
Community Search Conference: In mid-January, key stakeholders will have an opportunity to provide strategic feedback through a Search Conference for invited user groups and community leaders.
Focus Group/Open House Events: During February to March, there will be 8 to 9 Focus Group/Open House events for the general public, in various locations across all of Markham, designed to gather input and feedback from all Markham constituents. It is hoped that some of these events will take place in library branches, in our open spaces, to optimize inclusivity and public awareness.
For an overview of the Master Plan project, please take a look at the Council presentation at http://www.markham.ca/markham/ccbs/indexfile/Agendas/2008/General/gc081027/03-1010%20Presentation%20to%20Council_October%2027%202008_draft%20v2.pdf
Monday, December 8, 2008
Strategic Update - Collections - The Right Stuff
Collections Strategy – “The Right Stuff”
“The Right Stuff” is the name of our over-arching collection strategy – it’s all about meeting our customers’ needs by connecting them to “the right stuff” (books, media, magazines, e-books, etc.) when, where and how they want it. The Collections Project Team, led by Collections Strategist Larry Lockway, is responsible for aligning our holdings with customer demand and ensuring that MPL provides high-performance, high-turnover collections. Recent highlights of the Team’s work include:
Collections Specialists: Our “Right Stuff” strategy is supported by a network of Collection Specialists, who oversee the ongoing development of assigned collection areas (adult fiction, adult nonfiction, teen fiction, etc.). The Specialist Librarians carry out collection specialist responsibilities for the system, staying on top of trends in customer demand and publishing, providing input for Collection Profiles and wish lists, monitoring award-winners, best-sellers, sleepers, etc., doing collection analysis (e.g. collection turnover), liaising with local schools on collection issues, and reporting on their area of responsibility to the Collection Development Strategist.
Improving Magazine and Newspaper Collections: Based on work by our Periodicals Strategist, Librarian Wendy Tang, our processes for the regular review of periodical subscriptions have been improved. Also, in response to customer demand and to reduce the workload associated with periodical processing, in 2009 we will begin receiving multiple copies of high-demand magazines and newspapers, with one copy designated for in-library use and other copies available for borrowing. This strategy will also support E3 by enabling staff to stop performing inefficient material-handling processes such as newspaper stapling and putting current issues in plastic jackets.
Improving French Collections: Based on research and analysis by Children’s Librarian Jennifer Dias-Stevenson regarding customer demand related to French immersion programs in local schools, we will revise our collection profile for children’s French materials and increase our budget lines accordingly. Improvements will include high-interest, low-vocabulary items and more curriculum-related materials.
“The Right Stuff” is the name of our over-arching collection strategy – it’s all about meeting our customers’ needs by connecting them to “the right stuff” (books, media, magazines, e-books, etc.) when, where and how they want it. The Collections Project Team, led by Collections Strategist Larry Lockway, is responsible for aligning our holdings with customer demand and ensuring that MPL provides high-performance, high-turnover collections. Recent highlights of the Team’s work include:
Collections Specialists: Our “Right Stuff” strategy is supported by a network of Collection Specialists, who oversee the ongoing development of assigned collection areas (adult fiction, adult nonfiction, teen fiction, etc.). The Specialist Librarians carry out collection specialist responsibilities for the system, staying on top of trends in customer demand and publishing, providing input for Collection Profiles and wish lists, monitoring award-winners, best-sellers, sleepers, etc., doing collection analysis (e.g. collection turnover), liaising with local schools on collection issues, and reporting on their area of responsibility to the Collection Development Strategist.
Improving Magazine and Newspaper Collections: Based on work by our Periodicals Strategist, Librarian Wendy Tang, our processes for the regular review of periodical subscriptions have been improved. Also, in response to customer demand and to reduce the workload associated with periodical processing, in 2009 we will begin receiving multiple copies of high-demand magazines and newspapers, with one copy designated for in-library use and other copies available for borrowing. This strategy will also support E3 by enabling staff to stop performing inefficient material-handling processes such as newspaper stapling and putting current issues in plastic jackets.
Improving French Collections: Based on research and analysis by Children’s Librarian Jennifer Dias-Stevenson regarding customer demand related to French immersion programs in local schools, we will revise our collection profile for children’s French materials and increase our budget lines accordingly. Improvements will include high-interest, low-vocabulary items and more curriculum-related materials.
Strategic Update - Marketing & Programming
Marketing Strategy
The beautiful MPL book bag featuring our logo and tagline (imagine learn grow) will launch at the Library Board meeting on Monday December 15th, and will thereafter be available for customer purchase. Polly Chan, Accounting & Purchasing, will provide procedures for tracking book bag inventory and revenue. More MPL branded merchandise, including MPL t-shirts, is on the way.
Programming Strategy:
As part of our “Relevant Programs” strategy, and led by Marketing & Programming Strategist Diane Macklin, several exciting and innovative programming plans and strategies are in the works:
CLASS (Online Program Registration and Payment): The long-anticipated implementation of CLASS, which will allow our customers to register online for library programs, is scheduled for early 2009. Staff training is planned for early February, and will involve staff entering the spring programs into the CLASS system. Customer service benefits include increased convenience, remote 24x7 access to program registration, printed receipts, and the ability to register for Library programs at the same time as registering for Recreation and other Town programs. Efficiency benefits (E3) of CLASS include automatic printing of customer receipts, automatic deposit of program revenue, improved reports, internal process improvements, reduced workload related to program administration, and overall alignment with current Town processes for program registration.
Partnership with Opera York – “And the Rat Laughed”: MPL is partnering with Opera York to develop Holocaust Education Week events and programs in relation to the upcoming production of “And the Rat Laughed” – a Hebrew opera set during the Holocaust. A recent article in the Thornhill Liberal “Opera about Holocaust experience coming to Richmond Hill” profiled this production http://www.yorkregion.com/article/85541.
Partnership with Mayor’s Youth Task Force: The Teen Services Committee is working with the Mayor’s Youth Task Force to present a Battle of the Bands event at the Milliken Mills Community Centre on Friday, May 8th. For a number of years MYTF has successfully offered this event as part of Youth Week. MPL will be assisting the group with their publicity and promotion. The MYTF goal is to increase participation from 900 last year to 1200 this year and to garner media attention and promote the event as a local success story for teens. In previous years audience applause has determined the winner and an MYTF member has served as emcee. MPL will also be working with MYTF to secure a judge or emcee that will create a buzz for the event. The MYTF has also invited MPL to attend their monthly meetings.
Partnership with Teens Art Council: Teen Librarian Amy Dolmer is working with the Markham Teen Arts Council to plan a book cover-inspired fashion show for Youth Week 2009 (first week of April).
Programming and the Information Services Review: As part of the implementation of the Information Services Review (ISR), Diane and Andrea Cecchetto, the ISR Project Manager, have developed a new programming model. The new model is designed to ensure consistent standards of program planning and delivery at all branches, improved efficiency in program development and delivery, and improved revenue generation. It should be noted that in the context of the current economic recession and the Town’s E3 initiative, the need to generate program revenue is even more compelling. The new programming strategy will also include standard schedules for programs, marketing strategies/tools, training for staff involved in program delivery and for program presenters. Due to the long lead time required for program planning, full implementation of the programming model is projected for the Winter 2010 programming season. For more details, please be sure to attend the soon-to-be-scheduled Town Halls in January.
The beautiful MPL book bag featuring our logo and tagline (imagine learn grow) will launch at the Library Board meeting on Monday December 15th, and will thereafter be available for customer purchase. Polly Chan, Accounting & Purchasing, will provide procedures for tracking book bag inventory and revenue. More MPL branded merchandise, including MPL t-shirts, is on the way.
Programming Strategy:
As part of our “Relevant Programs” strategy, and led by Marketing & Programming Strategist Diane Macklin, several exciting and innovative programming plans and strategies are in the works:
CLASS (Online Program Registration and Payment): The long-anticipated implementation of CLASS, which will allow our customers to register online for library programs, is scheduled for early 2009. Staff training is planned for early February, and will involve staff entering the spring programs into the CLASS system. Customer service benefits include increased convenience, remote 24x7 access to program registration, printed receipts, and the ability to register for Library programs at the same time as registering for Recreation and other Town programs. Efficiency benefits (E3) of CLASS include automatic printing of customer receipts, automatic deposit of program revenue, improved reports, internal process improvements, reduced workload related to program administration, and overall alignment with current Town processes for program registration.
Partnership with Opera York – “And the Rat Laughed”: MPL is partnering with Opera York to develop Holocaust Education Week events and programs in relation to the upcoming production of “And the Rat Laughed” – a Hebrew opera set during the Holocaust. A recent article in the Thornhill Liberal “Opera about Holocaust experience coming to Richmond Hill” profiled this production http://www.yorkregion.com/article/85541.
Partnership with Mayor’s Youth Task Force: The Teen Services Committee is working with the Mayor’s Youth Task Force to present a Battle of the Bands event at the Milliken Mills Community Centre on Friday, May 8th. For a number of years MYTF has successfully offered this event as part of Youth Week. MPL will be assisting the group with their publicity and promotion. The MYTF goal is to increase participation from 900 last year to 1200 this year and to garner media attention and promote the event as a local success story for teens. In previous years audience applause has determined the winner and an MYTF member has served as emcee. MPL will also be working with MYTF to secure a judge or emcee that will create a buzz for the event. The MYTF has also invited MPL to attend their monthly meetings.
Partnership with Teens Art Council: Teen Librarian Amy Dolmer is working with the Markham Teen Arts Council to plan a book cover-inspired fashion show for Youth Week 2009 (first week of April).
Programming and the Information Services Review: As part of the implementation of the Information Services Review (ISR), Diane and Andrea Cecchetto, the ISR Project Manager, have developed a new programming model. The new model is designed to ensure consistent standards of program planning and delivery at all branches, improved efficiency in program development and delivery, and improved revenue generation. It should be noted that in the context of the current economic recession and the Town’s E3 initiative, the need to generate program revenue is even more compelling. The new programming strategy will also include standard schedules for programs, marketing strategies/tools, training for staff involved in program delivery and for program presenters. Due to the long lead time required for program planning, full implementation of the programming model is projected for the Winter 2010 programming season. For more details, please be sure to attend the soon-to-be-scheduled Town Halls in January.
Strategic Update - Virtual Branch
As part of our Strategy to develop “The Right Information Technology Tools”, and led by Suliang Feng, our Manager of Virtual Services, the MPL Virtual Branch continues to expand. Recent progress includes:
Virtual Branch Expansion: Over the last 6 months, through expansion of the Virtual Branch, we have added 188,243 unique e-books and 11,699 unique e-journals to our virtual collection. This, along with our Federated Search tool, enhances access to the “long tail” of online information, and expands our collections to a size and depth far beyond what would ever be possible to contain in our bricks-and-mortar branches. In effect, this strategy will provide Markham residents with 24x7 access to resources equivalent to those held by the great research and academic libraries of the world.
Overdrive: As announced by Suliang earlier today, the soft launch of Overdrive (downloadable audiobooks, e-books, movies) took place this morning.
New Business Resources: Reference Canada (an excellent resource for small business and job search) and OneSource (a world-wide business information resource centre) will launch this week.
Staff Training: Intensive staff training on Federated Search, OverDrive, Reference Canada and OneSource has taken place to ensure staff are prepared to support customer access to these new resources.
Website Improvements: Staff met with ITS to discuss this project in the context of the Town/Region portal project, which will ultimately encompass a redesign of the MPL website, along with the websites of all Town business units. The first phase of the portal is expected to go live in late 2009, which means that a full redesign of the MPL website is not currently warranted. As an interim measure, we will work with our ITS client advisor to give our website a facelift, improving its look and functionality.
For more information on the portal project, please see the Council Report at
http://www.markham.ca/markham/ccbs/DocExtract2.asp?Document=cl081014-006c-0005.htm&vpath=/markham/ccbs/indexfile/index/council/cl081014-006c-0005.htm
Virtual Branch Expansion: Over the last 6 months, through expansion of the Virtual Branch, we have added 188,243 unique e-books and 11,699 unique e-journals to our virtual collection. This, along with our Federated Search tool, enhances access to the “long tail” of online information, and expands our collections to a size and depth far beyond what would ever be possible to contain in our bricks-and-mortar branches. In effect, this strategy will provide Markham residents with 24x7 access to resources equivalent to those held by the great research and academic libraries of the world.
Overdrive: As announced by Suliang earlier today, the soft launch of Overdrive (downloadable audiobooks, e-books, movies) took place this morning.
New Business Resources: Reference Canada (an excellent resource for small business and job search) and OneSource (a world-wide business information resource centre) will launch this week.
Staff Training: Intensive staff training on Federated Search, OverDrive, Reference Canada and OneSource has taken place to ensure staff are prepared to support customer access to these new resources.
Website Improvements: Staff met with ITS to discuss this project in the context of the Town/Region portal project, which will ultimately encompass a redesign of the MPL website, along with the websites of all Town business units. The first phase of the portal is expected to go live in late 2009, which means that a full redesign of the MPL website is not currently warranted. As an interim measure, we will work with our ITS client advisor to give our website a facelift, improving its look and functionality.
For more information on the portal project, please see the Council Report at
http://www.markham.ca/markham/ccbs/DocExtract2.asp?Document=cl081014-006c-0005.htm&vpath=/markham/ccbs/indexfile/index/council/cl081014-006c-0005.htm
Monday, December 1, 2008
Teens, Video Games and Civics
A new Pew Internet Study find that some video games can make better citizens of teens.
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/263/report_display.asp
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/263/report_display.asp
Video Game Report Card
As part of our Right Stuff strategy and providing customers with what they want, we added games to our collections in late 2007, and continue to respond to trends in the gaming industry. A new report by the watchdog group, the National Institute on Media and the Family, praises the video game industry, and retailers for taking effective measures to limit kids' exposure to violent and inappropriate content.
http://mediafamily.org/research/vgrc_index.shtml
http://mediafamily.org/research/vgrc_index.shtml
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