Bullet Point: “Innovation is the Job of ALL Librarians”

All too often we seek someone else to be innovators and change agents. Vision is the director’s job, or we wait for the keynoters and library prophets to point the direction. In truth innovation is a job for every librarian in every role. Everyone likes to see innovation as some act of grace in the shower where brilliant thoughts pop out of the ether and totally change the world. If this is ever the case, it is very, very rare.

Innovation happens in the every day. In fact every day changes can lead to world changing ones. My favorite example is the creation of the shot clock in basketball.

In 1953 Danny Biasone, owner of the Syracuse Nationals saw a problem with the game. His audiences were getting board, because once one team pulled ahead in a game they simply sat on the ball, not risking shots that could lead to turnovers. It lead to slow, low scoring games. Biasone introduced the concept of a 24 second clock that started after a team passed the center line. WIthin 24 seconds that team had to shoot the ball to either score, or reset the clock. The innovation had the desired effect – games move more quickly.

What Biasone could not have anticipated was that a faster basketball game gained in popularity, and was a perfect fit to the emerging television sports industry. TV stations picked up on basketball, that lead to an even greater audience. While the Syracuse Nationals are no more, their innovation really lead to the NBA, that Forbes magazine pegs as a $3 billion business (http://www.forbes.com/2004/12/08/04nbaland.html).

So instead of thinking of innovators as Steve Jobs, and Albert Einstein, think Danny Biasone. By making every day improvements in what we do, based on what we are doing it for (for the NBA, entertainment, for us knowledge creation) even small innovations can have massive impacts.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

Not Done Yet: Charting a New Course for Librarianship

“Not Done Yet: Charting a New Course for Librarianship” 40th Anniversary Speakers Series, Smithsonian Libraries, Washington, D.C.

Abstract: A look into the past and future of libraries through the lens of participatory librarianship.
Slides: https://davidlankes.org/rdlankes/Presentations/2008/Smithsonian.pdf
Audio: https://davidlankes.org/rdlankes/pod/2008/Smithsonian.mp3
Video: http://ptbed.org/downloads/Smithsonian.mp4
Smithsonian Webcast: http://www.sil.si.edu/lectures_40th_Lankes.html

Screencast:

The Library as Conversation

“The Library as Conversation” Library Adaptation: Expose Yourself, WNYLRC Conference, Buffalo, NY.

Abstract: Every librarian has “the story.” That story about linking a patron to a needed social service or helping someone get a job, or simply find the perfect book. These stories lie at the heart of the library. Books, videos, web pages, these are simply artifacts – tools to aid in the libraries true mission of building knowledge. The keynote will outline a vision of libraries as true and participatory knowledge organizations. Organizations that facilitate the conversations of their communities, not simply provide access to a collection.
Slides: https://davidlankes.org/rdlankes/Presentations/2008/Buffalo.pdf
Audio: https://davidlankes.org/rdlankes/pod/2008/Buffalo.mp3
Video: http://ptbed.org/downloads/buff.mp4

Screencast:

The Obligation of Leadership

“The Obligation of Leadership” 2008 LITA Forum, Cincinnati, OH.

Abstract: No matter how many users one talks to in designing a system, there will be a gulf between what a user wants and what a system can do. The belief that users even know what they want, or that somehow a library can correctly interpret the needs of users is at best presumptuous. To truly build systems that met the needs of users, we must let them build these systems directly. By transforming our library systems into participatory systems, not only do we better meet the needs of our patrons, we also build systems that reflect the core principles of librarianship — getting away from simply adopting new technologiesdeveloped in other fields. This presentation will explore the concept of participatory systems, and talk about what from the Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 world is durable, and how to avoid the latest fads.
Slides: https://davidlankes.org/rdlankes/Presentations/2008/LITA.pdf
Audio: https://davidlankes.org/rdlankes/pod/2008/LITA.mp3
Video: http://ptbed.org/downloads/LITA-Record.mp4

Screencast:

More Panoramas

I have set up another Blip.tv channel that I use to put one off videos and streaming screencasts I use for class. There isn’t really any rhyme or reason to them as a whole. I just did a piece on using Photoshop and cell phone cameras to make panoramas some or you might find interesting. At the very least you can see what my office looks like.

iPhone Panoramas

I saw a great link to a new iPhone application called PanoLab on Gizmodo. The app takes the lightweight camera on the iPhone and lets you turn out some very interesting looking panorama images (here’s mine):

IMG_0647.JPG

Here is a link to a lot more on Flickr and a link to PanoLab. If you have an iPhone, I highly recommend it (and it’s free).