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Communities in Crisis

“Communities in Crisis” Association des bibliothécaires français. Strasbourg, FR (via video).

Abstract: How do libraries respond in times of crisis? They dive deeper into their communities. Is this an act of politics? Yes.

Slides: https://davidlankes.org/rdlankes/Presentations/2015/france.pdf

Audio: https://davidlankes.org/rdlankes/pod/2015/France.mp3

Screencast:

This video has French captioning. A very heartfelt thank you to Nathalie CLOT, Directrice Bibliothèque universitaire d’Angers and Raphaelle Bats for the translation and opportunity.

Below is the timecoded translation:

Continue reading “Communities in Crisis”

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Join the Expect More Collaboratory

Four Years ago I wrote Expect More: Demanding Better Libraries For Today’s Complex World to start a conversation between librarians and the communities they serve. Since that time thousands have used the book to start conversations, teach students, do board development, and even shape director and dean searches. The time has come to take Expect More to the next step: The Expect More Collaboratory.

This is a call to join partners in expanding Expect More into a comprehensive and expanding set of community building resources. These resources will include online learning events for library decision makers, a physical and digital workbook, and an ongoing series of engagements to advocate for greater community focus and involvement in libraries. The Expect More Collaboratory will deliver a multimedia web-based curriculum for use by librarians with boards, principals, provosts, and communities.

So consider this a call for crowd sourcing. Please help in preparing our communities for better libraries. I’ve put together a site for more information and a brief video call for participation.

Expect More Collaboratory (http://www.ExpectMoreLibrary.com)*

 

*Please note this used to point to the Expect More World Tour, and you may need to refresh your browser. The direct link is https://davidlankes.org/?page_id=7974

 

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The World Tour Adds Dates in Italy and Vatican City!

Please Note: This post is being updated with more details as they become available.

ITALIANFISHThe Expect More World Tour rolls on. There is a great deal of interest in New Librarianship and a community focus for libraries in Italy particularly after the publication of the Atlas of New Librarianship (L’atlante della biblioteconomia moderna) in Italian. To meet with the folks interested in a new approach to libraries I’ve added four dates:

Pistoria Library

July 10, 2015 Pistoia, Italy
Supported by the U.S. Embassy in Rome
Topic: Community as Collection

National Library of Rome

July 13, 2015 Rome, Italy
Topic: Participatory Librarianship & LIS Education
Where: National Library of Rome
Organized jointly with AIB (Associazione Italiana Biblioteche) and the National Board

The American University of Rome

July 14, 2015 Rome, Italy
Supported by the U.S. Embassy in Rome

Koninklijk Nederlands Instituut te Rome / Vatican School of Librarianship

July 15, 2015 Rome, Italy
Supported by the Vatican Library School, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, URBS, KNIR, U.S. Embassy in Rome
Topic: The Changing Role of Librarians in Learning

A special note of thanks to Gimena Campos Cervera and the U.S. Embassy in Rome  for support and logistics. In addition to the support of the embassy, thanks to Syracuse University’s iSchool for trip support. Also a big thank you to Anna Maria Tammaro of the University of Parma and Raffaella Vincenti of the Vatican Library/Vatican School of Librarianship.

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Please Sign Up

This is a reminder to please sign up for the 2nd Annual Lankes Family Red Cross Blood Drive on Wednesday, June 3rd, from 1-7p.m. It will be held at Holy Cross Church in Dewitt, NY. We really need your help. We are trying to beat last year’s 50 units goal.

You can sign up by calling the Red Cross at 1-800-RED-CROSS or visit www.RedCrossBlood.org

For those of you not in the area but who would like to help let me encourage you to donate platelets at your local Red Cross. Cancer patients who need platelets (like I did) can only take platelets harvested at the center.

I cannot stress enough that it is through the generosity of folks just like you that I am alive today. An hour of your time can save multiple lives. One unit of whole blood can become treatments for many. The summer months are particularly important for blood donation. Patients have had surgeries and vital procedures delayed because of low availability in the local blood bank. You will also get cookies!

Also as a reminder, you can download my latest book for free as a thank you. More information can be found at: https://davidlankes.org/?page_id=8035

Thank you, and to drive home the point, here is a pleading puppy. Look into those eyes and say no…I dare you.

Puppy-Dog-Eyes-s

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Expecting More From Our Libraries

“Expecting More From Our Libraries” New York Library Trustees Association. Syracuse, NY.

Abstract: Wondering how your library’s expansion into broader programs, technology classes, Maker Spaces and more relate to the library’s role in your community? Get a better feel for the big picture as our libraries play a vital role in community engagement.

Slides: https://davidlankes.org/rdlankes/Presentations/2015/Trustees.pdf

Here is a link to the Expect More book I mentioned.

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2nd Annual Lankes Family Red Cross Blood Drive

A Message From the Lankes Family:

Please join us on Wednesday, June 3rd, from 1-7p.m. for the 2nd Annual Lankes Family Red Cross Blood Drive. It will be held at Holy Cross Church in Dewitt, NY.

David was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2013. He underwent a stem cell transplant and is now 1 year cancer free! This blood drive is a way for our family to give back to the individuals who helped save his life.

Last year, our goal was to collect 50 units of blood and thanks to the generosity of our friends and community, we were able to collect 66 units! These units helped 198 individuals! Please consider taking time during your day to help us save lives. To schedule your appointment, call the Red Cross at 1-800-RED-CROSS or visit www.RedCrossBlood.org.

All donors will also receive a Red Cross t-shirt!

As an added incentive, and to tell you our story, We’re making David’s latest book, The Boring Patient, available as a free download leading up to the event.

Click here for the Kindle version

Click here for ePub

Any updates or additional announcements can be found here.

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Radical’s Guide to New Librarianship Update

Greetings all. There was a great deal of activity around my new book, a librarian-oriented follow-up to the Atlas of New Librarianship, at the beginning of the year. Well, it is 4 months later and there has been a lot of progress. Of course most of that progress is between me and my word processor, so I thought it would be useful to bring folks up to speed.

The first update is that the working title of the book has changed. The Radical’s Guide to New Librarianship is now The New Librarianship Field Guide. Folks made it very clear in my call for input they were looking for a book that was more linear, filled with more actionable examples, and was at it’s core about implementation. So the Field Guide now includes lots of examples, discussion questions, and field observations on implementing and teaching these ideas. To be clear I still talk about librarians as radical positive change agents.

I’m changing the pages on my site to reflect the new working title over the next few days. All the “Radical Conversations” will remain.

The other reason for the change is that Field Guide is being designed for use on the go. Not only will it be a highly portable paperback, but it will be available from the get go as an ebook. So the hope is that you can use it on the front lines with librarians and other library staff.

The big update is that the first really rough draft is now out for comments from the New Librarianship Collaborative (Wendy Newman, Kim Silk, and Lauren Britton). I’m including the current table of contents below and I need your help.

You’ll see that Chapter 19 is titled “FAQs (Frequently Argued Questions).” I’m looking for your questions or the issues that pop up when you are trying to implement the community-centric, community as collection idea. I can’t promise to include them all, but I would like to provide responses to as many as possible. You’ll see a few examples already under that chapter (and a special thanks to Lane Wilkinson for letting me use his blog post to get the ball rolling).

So email me, or use the comments below.

Here’s the current Table of Contents:

  • Chapter 1: Librarianship Full Stop
    • The New Language of Librarianship
      • “Radical”
      • “New Librarianship”
      • “Member”
    • Acknowledging the Atlas in the Room
    • Structure of the Guide

Librarians

  • Chapter 2: They Named the Building After Us
  • Chapter 3: The Mission of Librarians
    • A Very Brief History of Libraries
    • A Two Part Mission
    • Your Mission is Not Unique
    • Stand for Something or Fall for Everything
  • Chapter 4: Knowledge Creation
    • Information is a Lie
    • Knowledge, Knowing, and Pragmatism
    • Recorded Knowledge is a Lie Too
    • So What is Knowledge?
    • 1+1=Climate Change?!
    • I’ll Have the Dialect Theory with a Side of Constructivism Please
      • Conversants
        • Trust Me, I’m a Librarian
      • Language
      • Agreements
      • Memory
    • The Practicalities of Being in the Conversation Business
  • Chapter 5: Facilitation
    • Access
    • Knowledge
    • Environment
    • Motivation
    • All Together Now
  • Chapter 6: Participatory Systems
    • Pressure for participation
      • The Pressure to Converse
      • The Pressure for Change
      • The Pressure for Social Interaction
      • The Pressure of Limited Resource
      • The Pressure at the Boundaries
    • What Should Be
      • Go to the Conversation
      • Focus on Aspirations not Problems
  • Chapter 7: Improve Society
    • Service
    • Learning
    • Openness
    • Intellectual Freedom and Safety
    • Intellectual Honesty
    • So What is a Librarian?
  • Chapter 8: Librarians
    • The Salzburg Curriculum
      • Transformative Social Engagement
      • Technology
      • Asset Management
      • Cultural Skills
      • Knowledge, Learning, and Innovation
      • Management for Participation
        • Advocacy and Librarianship by Wendy Newman
        • Assessment
  • Chapter 9: Pragmatic Utopians

Libraries

  • Chapter 10: What is a Library
    • A Library is a Funded Mandate
    • Facilitated Space
    • Stewards
  • Chapter 11: Saving Money and the World
    • Collective Buying Agent
    • Economic Stimulus
    • Center of Learning
    • Safety Net
      • An Assured Path to Irrelevance or An Outright Impeachment of Our Basic Principles
    • Steward of Cultural Heritage
    • Third Space
    • Cradle of Democracy
      • Democracy and Transparency
      • Democracy and Access
      • Democracy and Education
      • Democracy and Higher Expectations
    • Symbol of Community Aspirations
  • Chapter 12: A Platform for Knowledge Development
    • A System of Systems
    • From Lending to Sharing
    • What’s Your Passion
    • Components of the Library Platform
      • Access Provision
      • Knowledge Creation
      • Environment
      • Motivation
  • Chapter 13: Fitting Knowledge in a Box
    • Daedalus’ Maze
    • Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, But What About Academic Libraries
  • Chapter 14: Academic Libraries
    • A Library with an Integrated Research and Development Agenda
    • Integrating Students Across the Campus in Library Service
    • The Library Serves as a Hub for New Forms of Instruction
    • Reinventing the Academic Press to be a Publisher of the Community
    • Making the Most Important Decision a Faculty Makes More Informed
    • Academic Library Conclusion
  • Chapter 15: School Libraries
    • iTeams by Sue Kowalski
    • iTeams Take-Aways
  • Chapter 16: Public Libraries
    • Community Reference
    • Public Library Summary
  • Chapter 17: Engines of Advancement

From Mission to Missionary

  • Chapter 18: Battle Plan for the Faithful
    • Continuing Education
      • Expect More World Tour
        • Lack of Staff
        • Fear of Failure
      • ILEAD USA
      • New Librarianship Master Class
    • Key Success Factors
      • Emphasize Teachable Skills
      • Link to Longstanding Concepts
      • Build Cohorts
      • Use Projects and Inquiry When Possible
      • Cross Boundaries
      • Demonstrate Comfort with Ambiguity
      • Build Communities Not Websites
      • Provide Opportunities for Introspection and Inspiration
  • Chapter 19: FAQs (Frequently Argued Questions)
    • Open question #1: What about fiction?
    • Open question #2: What about librarians who don’t work in public services?
    • Open question #3: What about the autodidacts?
    • Open question #4: What about non-institutional libraries?
    • This Approach Doesn’t Work for Small Libraries
    • New Librarianship is Just for Public Libraries
    • Your Turn
  • Chapter 20: Coda

 

 

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Lankes to Keynote 125th NYLA Conference

assnbannerThe New York Library Association is joining the Expect More World Tour this October.

On Thursday, October 22 from 9:00 – 10:15 AM in Lake Placid, NY Lankes will give the keynote for the association’s 125th annual conference: NYLA125: Explore. Learn. Grow.

The talk will be titled “Day 45,626″

Here’s the abstract:

This year NYLA celebrates its 125th anniversary (45,625 days). 45,625 days ago Melvil Dewey, one of NYLA’s founders, saw the future of libraries in standardization, efficiency, and industrialization. 45,625 days ago the future of libraries was in shared structures, shared methods, and librarians devoted to the maintenance of institutional libraries. On day 45,626 this is the formula for disaster. On day 45,626 the future of libraries is in librarians building libraries around the unique communities they serve. The success of the next 125 years is intimately tied to the success of the counties, cities, towns, and villages of New York. Our next 125 years is in the dreams and aspirations of New York’s citizens, students, and scholars not our stacks.

Click here for all the details.