The Rochester Public Library and Friends & Foundation of RPL (New York) have joined the Expect More Collaboratory as Lead Library Partners.
The Myths of Innovation
“The Myths of Innovation” Georgia Virtual Staff Development Day. Web.
Abstract: Many see innovation as a sort of grand effort from a gifted few. Innovation seems characterized by the start-up, or the creative class. Yet innovation, adoption of positive change, is essential to all institutions and is actually an obligation of the professional – including the librarian. This session will examine the myths of innovation, how these myths can prevent positive change, and examples of locally grown innovation that makes a difference to librarianship.
Slides: GeorgiaRealPDF
Audio:
The Myths of Innovation from R. David Lankes on Vimeo.
Best Practices for Supporting Your Entrepreneurs
Nicolette Warisse Sosulski is a great librarian and a great friend as well. I asked her if it was OK for me to put something about her upcoming free webinar “Libraries and Local Businesses: Best practices for supporting your entrepreneurs.” Here is what she had to say:
I am really looking forward to the webinar I am doing for SAGE publishing this Thursday—after 11 years in biz librarianship, I still meet people nervous about business reference—and for good reason. Business patrons are directed, motivated, assertive, and know what they want to find, whether it may exist or not. They are rather like genealogists. Whether it is a product usage statistic or a 17th century ship manifest, their searches tend to be narrow, focused, and—at least to them—high stakes.
In my webinar I concentrate on the tasks of reaching out and demonstrating what libraries and librarians can do for entrepreneur patrons (some of them think we are no use, and it is our task to show them that the contrary is true), as well as clarifying and articulating the respective roles of the librarian and the entrepreneur patron (some think we are their onstaff 24/7 personal–as in just theirs–info consultant for free. Unfortunately not! ), so that we can transform them from skeptics past unrealistic customers to enthusiastic users.
Nicolette Warisse Sosulski, MLIS
Not every library is going to focus on business users, but for those who do, this should be great information. Nicolette is always looking to better serve library members, and in helping us all do so as well.
The webinar is Thursday, March 31, 2016
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific | 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Mountain | 1:00 -2:00 p.m. Central | 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern
Lankes to join the University of South Carolina’s School of Library and Information Science as Director
I am very pleased to announce that I will be joining the University of South Carolina’s School of Library and Information Science as director and associate dean in the College of Information and Communications. My appointment will take effect July 1, 2016 subject to the university’s approval process.
I make this move with a great deal of excitement, and a healthy dose of sadness. I have been affiliated with SU for nearly 28 years in one capacity or another but now is the time for me to apply what I have learned in a new environment.
While there will be more details to follow, I did want to say that it has been the greatest honor and privilege to be part of the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University. I also want to extend my thanks to the faculty, staff, and students at SLIS and the College of Information and Communications who have been so welcoming and supportive.
Libraries Transform Communities
Here is a video I put together for the 30th anniversary of the Portuguese Public Library Network:
Libraries Transform Communities from R. David Lankes on Vimeo.
New Servers
For a few behind the scene reasons I have moved my website to a new host. With any luck you didn’t notice.
The site now uses DavidLankes.org for all the URLs, rather than just redirecting to quartz.syr.edu which traces (at least the name) back about a decade to the GEM project. So please update your links.
At this point I think everything has made the move or soon will. Please let me know if you run into any dead links or URLs that point to nowhere. As a nice side benefit I fixed the links to presentations I’ve made before 2008…because I know you were clambering for my thoughts from a decade ago.
A BIG special thank you to Ryan Drescher and James Powell for providing the technical back up, and the whole iSchool tech team under Roger Merrill for all the hosting support int he past.
Changing Servers
Over the weekend and the next week I will be working on moving my site from it’s current server to a new hosted set up. That will involve changing URLs.
If all goes well everything will automatically redirect to the new site, but for future reference (when all is done) current URLs that point to quartz.yr.edu will soon be replaced with davidlankes.org
Also for this weekend the url http://DavidLankes.org will be a bit spotty.
I’ll post updates as I go.
My Last Cancer Post…I Hope
Today is my second birthday.
Two years ago yesterday nurses were shoveling ice chips into my mouth to minimize oral blisters from a Melphalan injection. The Melphalan was the last ingredient of a toxic chemo cocktail that would kill my bone marrow, and thus my ability to make blood or muster an immune response. In essence, two year ago yesterday I received a lethal dose of chemo as a salvage attempt to rid my body of cancer because the preceding 6 months of chemical warfare was insufficient.
Two years ago today a doctor slowly pushed six syringes of my own frozen stem cells into my heart. The now thawed cells would find their way back to the not decimated core of my bones and, slowly at first, begins to make the cells to feed, defend, and repair my body.
Yesterday I received six shots as my second year vaccinations, completing a two year journey of recovery and a suppressed immune system. Two years of fearing colds, only eating hot processed foods. Two years of regrowing muscle, and weaning myself from drugs that modulated my pain, my blood chemistry, even my sleep. Two years from 42 steps in a hospital ward to going home to going to work to going on airplanes to visiting the world.
Since that day of ultimate peril I have been to the Tower of London, down the Italian boot swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, to the resort coast of Belgium, to the flower markets of Amsterdam, enjoyed a November Spring in New Zealand and a February summer in Australia. I have ridden a Segway through an historic garden in Rome, examines 1,500 year old illuminated manuscripts in the archives of Bruges, toured the Vatican Library, and three days ago plunged to the floor of the Gulf of Mexico to scuba among the fish.
I did all this with the love and support of a wife who never lost faith. With a mother who shared her faith with me. With two boys who make me more proud than I ever thought was possible. I have done it with co-workers who picked up the things I dropped and a community of colleagues who now truly span the globe. By my side have been doctors and nurses and medical technicians that healed my body and fed my mind.
I pray that you never have to learn what you are capable of by facing cancer, but there is nothing inherent in recovery that makes us challenge ourselves. Travel, fellowship, love, risk is ultimately a choice. A choice to say yes and know that you will fall. But also know you will get up. And if you can’t get up at first know that you can ask for help. A choice to see the world, even if your world is only as far as the street corner.
Not everyone recovers from cancer or a stem cell transplant. Not everyone will regain his or her strength or mobility. I am lucky. Cancer no longer defines my life or the confines within it. I choose to move beyond being a survivor to simply being a person. A person faced with decisions, tragedy, and triumph. I choose to engage, to attempt, to plan, to move forward and to face the barbs and pain that comes with that choice. What do you choose?
Librarianship: Saving The World One Community At A Time
“Librarianship: Saving The World One Community At A Time” VALA 2016. Melbourne, Australia.
Abstract: We live in uncertain times of war, protest, terrorism, economic austerity, ecological disasters, and mass surveillance. What can librarians do to help communities in such turbulent times? Lankes will discuss how a proactive librarianship can build an alternative path to the growing “security versus freedom” narrative. Librarianship can shine in times of crisis, but it requires a focus on improving society over informing customers.
Slides: https://davidlankes.org/rdlankes/Presentations/2016/VALA.pdf
Audio: https://davidlankes.org/rdlankes/pod/2016/VALA.mp3
There is a video of the talk for VALA members.
Librarianship in the Growing Information Domain…or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Information
“Librarianship in the Growing Information Domain…or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Information” University of Sydney Library’s Experts Program Series. Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Abstract: How do librarians and libraries fit in the new information landscape? How does the L fit with the I in LIS?
Slides: https://davidlankes.org/rdlankes/Presentations/2016/Sydney.pdf
Librarianship in the Growing Information Domain…or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Information from R. David Lankes on Vimeo.