Blast from the Past: My presentation on "Web 2.0 & library services to young adults: An introduction"

Yikes. This is a really late post. Back in June 2011, I gave a presentation at the 5th National Library for Children & Young Adults Symposium, 2011, South Korea. The symposium was held at Duksan Resom Resort, South Korea.

OK, so this is a "blast from the past" post then.

Here's my presentation, which was an update and also an extension of this 2009 IFLA document of the same title. The organisers found that document and wanted me to present a condensed version.

Web 2.0 & library services to young adults: An introduction

View more presentations from Ivan Chew.

It might have sounded easy. Just reduce the original 78-pages to 30mins and deliver what's in the paper, right?

Umm, that would bore the heck out of me if I were the audience. So while in the plane to Seoul, I was still thinking about how to deliver the 30min talk. I wanted to be able to "tell a story" in a practical way. So I delivered what one of the delegate described later as a "workshop-style" talk.

The essence of my talk was how a Web 2.0. approach and mindset could be applied to librarians serving teens. But the presentations I enjoy are those that "told a story". And in the end, after brainstorming with a colleague, I did just that. I shared what I thought was a possible "day in the life of" a Teens Services librarian, straddling between online and offline engagement efforts.

My ego received a little boost when I was told it was like a TED talk. Heh.

It was also the first time I presented using an iPad. It was a calculated risk, as I've not delivered a talk using the iPad. I'd seen it used as a presentation tool but never actually used it. I rehearsed in the iPad, mentally went through backup plans. Arranged to test the iPad connection with their presentation equipment the day before my speaking slot. Phew, it worked beautifully.

So much so that I was confident enough, by then, to even take a "live" picture of the attendees. I directed my iPad camera towards them as the iPad was hooked up to the projector. The audience saw their "live" video capture on screen. Neat (it worked to start the 'show', as I could see the attendees smiling and being amazed -- and South Koreans were pretty IT-savvy folks!)



What was new for me as a presenter was having a simultaneous translation (in Korean) of my talk. Luckily, I chatted with the translators the day before. They advised me that I should just deliver my talk normally, as in I should not try to wait for them to catch up between words. It was easier for them if my pace of speaking was consistent (not too fast nor too slow). I did what they advised and it worked well. Trust the experts, I say!

In preparing for my talk, I had excellent help from Daryl Tay, who pointed to this excellent source of information on Digital Media stats in South Korea (I understand it was initiated by Prof Netzley).

I also got in touch with Creative Commons contacts in South Korea, who gave me a concise background on the social media and IP scene in South Korea. Not directly applicable in my talk in the end, but gave me that additional layer of verification and background information.

My Facebook post also drew several good suggestions from friends (rats, I can't seem to find that Facebook thread).

Here's a very nice quote from Shel, that I didn't get to use at the presentation:


I had a fantastic time. The South Korean organisers were (famously) excellent hosts and the programme was also one of the better ones I've attended.



Related post:
Your ideas on "Using social media as part of library services for Children or Teens", 1 June 2011.

Your ideas on "Using social media as part of library services for Children or Teens"

Question to librarians (or people who use library services): how would you use social media to serve children and/ or teens?

I've been invited to speak at the 5th International Symposium on library services for children and young adults, in South Korea. Several weeks back, I was pleasantly surprised to hear from the organiser (the National Library For Children and Young Adults) that they wanted me to present a condensed version of the "Web 2.0 and Library Services for Young Adults: An Introduction for librarians".

I'll share more of what I intend to talk/ present, in subsequent posts.

For now, I thought I'd ask the above question. I'm interested in examples or just ideas (they don't have to be earthshaking ones), to be featured in my presentation.

Thanks!
P.s. Let me know how you would like to be quoted in my presentation (if I do cite your idea/ comment).

"Can't find the game? Want to try the book?"

Was helping out at today's official opening of Serangoon Public Library.

A young boy approached me. He must have been about 12.

"Are you here to help people look for things?" he asked in a meek way.

"Yes, I am".

He was interested in an item from the Visual Discovery kiosk. Said he tried to look for it on the shelf but it wasn't available.

[He's not in the picture; just showing you how the Kiosk works]

We checked the kiosk display again.

"Halo Encyclopedia".


Seemed like a rather heavy-going book for a 12 year-old.

He pointed to the word "Game" in the display. Which made me ask him if he was interested in the book or the computer game.

"I want to play the game."

"Oh, this title is a book. Not the actual computer game".

Apparently, he was looking at the Subject field which contained the word "Game".

"Why not try reading the book?" OK, that wasn't so subtle. But I had to try.

He gave a sheepish smile. The way kids do when they mean "I'd rather not" but don't want to say anything for fear of offending an adult.

I smiled back.

A few minutes later, he came looking for me.

"Where can I find Greg Bear?"

I brought him over to the Fiction section. Greg Bear was definitely not a Children's author. This kid's reading upwards (not my place to doubt him either). "Halo" must be one heck of a game for him (Thank You, Bungie).

"What's the title?" I asked.

"Halo Cryptum". He had to spell out "Cryptum", as he couldn't quite pronounce it.


Unfortunately for him, the title wasn't on shelf.

"Did the OPAC say the item was available or out on loan?"

He started looking doubtful. We scooted to the nearest OPAC. A man was using it, so we waiting in line. The boy appeared eager for the man to finish this search, for he stepped up pretty close to the guy. But he was discreet enough to stand just a little behind.

Our turn came.

He typed in "Halo". We went through a few minutes of clicking on titles and checking the availability. I showed him how to limit the search to only SRPL.

We clicked through a few titles. Some that he picked out weren't novelisations. I explained that to him.

It seemed like we were performing a cat-and-mouse game, hunting down available titles. There was a queue behind us. I asked they boy if he wanted us to email him a list.

"I don't have email at home".

My colleague, Jan, happened to walk past. She took stock of the situation and immediately offered to help print out a list. Asked him if he could wait for 5 to 10 minutes while she went to the office to get it done (this wasn't something we readily offered on the spot, as SRPL wasn't a regional library with an advisory counter).

The boy went off.

Meantime, I thought I'd try looking around for Halo novels. Something about the kid made me want to ensure he didn't go back empty handed.

By chance, I noticed "Halo: The Cole Protocol" sitting on a display panel.


I picked that up. Found the boy sitting on a floor reading. I triumphantly presented the book to him.

"How about this?"

"I already have this," and he showed me.

Nice! But I thought I'd try one more time. I'm sure there were some other titles he wasn't aware of. I don't know what you can call it. Perhaps it was from a selfish professional reason. Professional pride?

All the OPAC stations were occupied. I wasn't sure how long the boy would be staying in the library. Gotta rely on memory.

Some time back, I read a Halo-related anthology out of curiosity. Couldn't remember the title*, vaguely remembered the author's surname started with the letters "Ny". [*Now that I've access to my RoughNotes blog, this was the book.]

Walked over to the Fiction shelf. Looked under "N" and then "Ny". It was "Eric Nylund". Two of his stories were in plain sight: "The Fall of Reach" and "Ghosts of Onyx".




I brought both titles to the boy.

The delight in his "Thank You" was simply priceless.

Thoughts on interviewing for (public) librarianship positions

NOTE: The following thoughts are strictly my personal opinions. They do not necessarily reflect the views of my employers. Of course, my opinions do form part of my assessment when I'm interviewing candidates in the course of my job. But I think you'll find what follows as mainly common sense.

During the #singlibtour, @librarianhoi asked if I sat in interview panels for job applicants. I said yes. She asked if I had any tips for interviewees.

It so happened I had read something from a free publication, from www.headhunt.com.sg. In it was an interview with the HR director of Agilent Technologies, Mr Charles Chee:

Question: "What is one blunder you see when candidates apply for a job in your company?"

Answer: "Not knowing what is expected of the job and not knowing what the company does."

Question: "What can candidates do to separate themselves from the rest of the pack?"

Answer: "Be passionately knowledgeable about the job that you are applying for and understand the expectations of the company".

The responses were 100% applicable to any library job interview, I replied to Hoi.

Our conversation got me thinking: what would I say to those interested in public service librarian positions? More specifically, those who have been selected for interviews.

So here goes:

THE PRIMARY REASON ISN'T ABOUT YOUR LOVE OF READING
If you're thinking, "The library should hire me 'cos I love to read", think again.

The primary reason is about Service. To serve. To help others.

You must have the conviction and patience to act in a customer-service role, with the broad aim of creating meaningful learning experiences.

Many candidates first start off by saying they love reading (btw, I probably said that myself when I went for my interview 15 years ago!) It's pretty much a given that librarians should be readers. But that alone isn't enough.

You can be a voracious reader but if you aren't sincere about helping total strangers meet their library-related needs, then do reconsider applying.


IT'S ABOUT SERVICE, FIRST
I can't say this enough: Above all, public librarianship is about the genuine interest for helping others, in non-judgmental ways.

We're are paid to help others. It is a job. The job requires us to make things convenient for customers, not for customers to make things easy for you.


QUALIFICATIONS
About your educational qualifications. They are merely that -- qualifications. As in, they qualify you to be selected for the interview. Whether you get the job or not depends on other factors.

As to what those "other factors" are, read on.


WHAT CAN YOU OFFER?
I've come across a few candidates who seem interested in how the employer can help them progress, career-wise. Such candidates make little impression, or they are not convincing, in how they can genuinely contribute to the organisation.

Often times, I'd like to tell them that they are applying for a job, and not a scholarship.


DOING ONE'S HOMEWORK
There are candidates who are able to convincingly show, within that 10 to 20 minutes of conversation, just how much research they have done about the job, BEFORE the interview.

By "research", I don't necessarily mean they have full knowledge of 'what a librarian does' (you can't unless you've been one). The better candidates are often able to show reasonable attempts in learning more about the work that they would be getting into.

Even in today's context -- with the Internet, blogs, mailing lists -- I'm constantly surprised at how some job applicants have no clue as to basic information about the organisation. Such candidates really have no excuse for not making the attempt.

And it's not just reading up on the Internet or memorising key points from mailing lists.

The simplest way is to use the library. Attend library programmes. Make use of the library facilities, materials and services.


FAKING IT
Ah, I bet you're asking, "What if a job candidate reads this post and bluffs his/ her way through the interview?"

Well, such people can fake all they want. They can conduct themselves like they were the perfect candidates for the job. But ultimately, they end up fooling themselves. They would have wasted their time during the months or years on the job. Time is opportunity cost.

In my experience, interviewers (there's a reason why they are a panel) can spot rote answers most of the time, no matter how well rehearsed.

Come to think of it, let's say the interviewers are fooled by you at the interview. And you get the job. But would your other soon-to-be colleagues at work be fooled all the time? Which is the worse outcome?


BEING HONEST
Be who you are, and not what you think the organisation/ interviewer expects you to be. It's less painful for both parties in the long run.

If you sincerely believe the job is for you, that's well and good. Even if things don't work out, I always believe that's OK too. As long as you accepted the job in good faith.

I also think it's absolutely OK to admit to what you don't know during the interview. Better to honestly admit what you don't know, than to fake it.

Even if you're more interested in "what can the organisation do for me" (some people just do, for their own reasons) that's fine as well. Again, as long as you admit that upfront. I can respect that.


REALITY ISN'T ROMANTIC (ALL THE TIME)
Leave your romantic notions of librarianship at the door.

Not that you can't find happiness in librarianship (many people do!) but temper that with a good healthy dose of reality.

Someone once told me that work is called work because it's not fun. At least, not all the time.



ENDING OFF
As you probably realise, I'm not giving away any secrets here. You wouldn't have any "unfair advantage" over other job candidates (well, maybe you have a slight advantage over those who didn't do their "homework" but that's just proving my earlier point, isn't it?)

Final tip: Honesty, humility and integrity are often the most important values. In my own opinion of course.

Good luck!

"I've Got Google, Why Do I Need You?" (or, "Thoughts about the Future of Public Libraries" Part 1)

A provocative, well-argued and self-explantory presentation. By Ida Aalens (who's the student in question, I believe).

The provocation, to me, was akin to the little boy telling the crowd that the emperor isn't wearing any clothes (some of us librarians anyway).

This is the current reality for libraries and librarians:

I've Got Google, Why Do I Need You?

View more presentations from Ida Aalen.

LINK

HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO PUBLIC LIBRARIES?
The presentation is from the perspective of a mature student, enrolled in a higher-education course, in an academic library setting. But it's something that's equally applicable to the situation faced by public libraries.

Public libraries have a growing tech-savvy customer base. And every year more students, like the one in the presentation, graduate and join the workforce and become the public library customers (or choose not to).

The idea behind Ida's presentation isn't new. It's the way she presented her arguments that I found refreshing.

Viewing her slides was also timely for me. I've been meaning to post some thoughts about how public libraries should react to such a current reality.

Might as well start with the next few posts.


[Next: Part 2].

Ask this librarian: For art and music

I was just trying to be cheeky for the title.

You know, ask a librarian. Asking this particular one (i.e. me) not about music or art but FOR them.

ART and the Art of Asking
A few days ago, a 15 year-old student (he was Singaporean but was studying overseas) asked if I could send him some higher-res images of a series of illustrations I created for the re-opening of Bukit Merah Public Library (it was referred as a Community Library then, when I was still managing it).

Hint: If you want a favourable response from people (from me at least), ask politely. And it helps if you volunteer more information on the Whys and Hows (i.e. be specific).

Which he clearly did.

And later, when I asked for more information about the school event he mentioned, he also added how he intended to protect my intellectual property rights: adding a watermark each image, destroying the printed images, making sure it's not disposed in a public trash bin even, and to delete from his computer.

I wrote back to say he didn’t have to do all that. Mentioned about my adoption of Creative Commons license. He could use the images as he deem fit, as long as he credited them in the way I wanted.



As I replied to him, I realised I did not make the higher-res images available online (it was before I discovered Creative Commons).

So here they are, posted at my Flickr account, if any one is interested. Instructions on how to credit them are stated at the individual Flickr post.


MUSIC
And just a few weeks earlier, another student (not a Singaporean, and not in Singapore) emailed to ask if I was willing to help her team with a soundtrack for their film project.

She was a film student working on a film project about Chinese culture and Mahjong. She found my Erhu twilight sample track from ccMixter.org, felt it would be appropriate for her film, but needed someone to create a longer track.

This was more challenging that the art work, 'cos I had to create the track almost from scratch.

I decided to do it because I had the time, and it every musical challenge was a learning experience.

More important, the student was polite in her mails and was clear on what she requested (you spot the pattern here?).

Took about two hours and came up with the following:

• Full mix - Mahjong Melodies
• Erhu sample
• Guzheng sample

It's all CC-BY licensed. Information on how to credit the tracks, here.

Two days ago, she replied.

They didn't use my track. Not that they had to, but of course I'd hoped they would.

She explained that according to their marking criteria, if they used music that wasn't their original composition, they risked getting a zero for parts of their assessment. Meaning, their overall score would not be as high and they wouldn't get top marks.

She also apologised for not using the music, thanked me again, and said they should have reviewed their marking criteria fully before asking me to compose the track.

Far from being upset, I was happy they completed their film. I'd be 'upset' if I didn't hear from her (she could've just kept mum and not tell me).

I was also happy to learn that they eventually managed to find someone to teach them a little about percussion instruments. They used their new-found skills to create the sound effects for their film.

Speaking of which, do check out their film on YouTube:



IF YOU WANNA HELP, JUST HELP
When I related both cases to a friend, he asked me, "Aren't you worried you're being taken for a ride?"

He felt there was no guarantee that my efforts would result it my works being used. And even if they did credit my work the way I wanted, that may do nothing to publicise my work (the attention was on their own works).

At that time, I just shrugged and said "Maybe" and "Who knows?"

Later on my way home, I reflected on my friend's question and comment. Certainly, those concerns occurred to me. They always did. I tend to expect the worse, in fact.

But I agreed to those requests, knowing full well of possible 'unintended consequences'.

Because I wanted to.

Especially when people asked nicely.

Aardvark (or "Is Social Search the future for the library information/ reference service?")

Fellow colleague and liblogarian, Aaron Tan, blogged about this new social search service called Aardvark (vark.com).

A few weeks ago, Aaron emailed me an invite. I took it up but only after he followed up by speaking to me face to face (I've a point to make about this, at the end of the post).


WHAT THE VARK?
Aardvark works like this: You send a question and it finds someone who can answer. Or it will send you questions that you've told Aardvark you'd like to try answering.

The service isn't an Expert System. It doesn't answer your question but would try to find another member in its network who might be able to.


Signing up was a breeze. The set-up was systematic and intuitive.

A 20-second demo was enough to get one started (to the librarians out there, this is not to say 20 seconds was enough to educate potential librarians on the art of questioning and the Reference Interview... I wish it were that easy too!)


Basically, I specify the type of questions/ topics I'm most comfortable answering.


Then I tell Aardvark whether I'd like to talk to Aardvark via email or chat, or both (by "talk", it means how I wish Aardvark to send questions for me to answer, and how I'd like to send my own questions to Aardvark).


At the Aardvark dashboard, I can access the questions I've asked and also those I've answered. So far, my questions have not been answered. I've a choice whether to resubmit

It's unclear to me how continuous and proactive is Aardvark in attempting to match my questions with people who might be able to answer. Or how questions are queued and given priority.

Seems that there's a certain time frame that Aardvark will attempt the match, after which my question would be put on my History page. I have the option of resubmitting. In that sense, I guess my question is considered "closed". Aardvark might want to provide a "Remove my question" option there.


AARDVARK IN ACTION
When I log in to my Gmail account, I can see Aardvark as one of my contact.


To interact with Aardvark, I send a text command, like IRC (do people still do IRC now?)


This is one example of how questions are sent my way (in this case, I'd "pass"):


Here's what happens when I send a question to Aardvark. I asked, "Why is the sky blue?"

I was impressed that Aardvark prompted me for more details to my question. I can see how that would help the person who might potentially answer my question.

In this case, I didn't elaborate. Aardvark acknowledges my input and assigns it a subject (it must have drawn from its thesaurus or something).


A few minutes later, I received a response from someone whose profile indicated that he was in Sweden. His reply was, "Because it looks a lot better than yellow". Heh.


And very shortly after that, I received a better reply (this time I chose to look at the reply via the Vark dashboard):


From my dashboard, I can also rate the quality/ appropriateness of the reply. Or flag inappropriate responses. Aardvark also allows me to look at the profile (as much details as they choose to reveal) of those who've answered my question.



MY QUICK ASSESSMENT OF AARDVARK
Many aspects of Aardvark impresses me.

It's intuitive and simple to use. Usability and system functionality are excellent -- the ease of setup, how quickly I was able to familiarise myself with the dashboard, how I'm able to track the questions I've asked and also the answers I've received, the level of interactivity between the system and myself (and indirectly with other users).

It's clearly very accessible (the service is just an email and chat away).

Aardvark's developers have clearly considered the user experience. I've no doubt I'm interacting with a machine. Vark doesn't pretend to be more than what it's not. Still, I'm feel I'm treated as an individual and that my question is important. There's an approriate amount of feedback and responses are timely.


What is less certain is the quality of answers. Case in point: the responses to my "why is the sky blue" question.

The first response was clearly a joke. The second response was much better but what it lacked was the citation (this is my librarian training kicking in -- we're taught to always provide the source, so that users can also verify the information themselves).


IMPLICATIONS FOR LIBRARY REFERENCE SERVICE CONCEPT
It's easy to adopt the system feature of Aardvark, but I'd suggest what is impressive about aardvark isn't its system features but its idea of utilising social network to fulfil an information need.

More important, Aardvark respresents a paradigm shift in where we librarians see ourselves in the user's information search process.

Librarians often treat a question as "completed" when we have sent off the reply. We see ourselves as the final stop in the user's information search. But looking at Aardvark, it is clear that one individual's reply is but one facet of the many responses the information seeker could potentially receive.

Which means, librarians have to see ourselves as merely participants in the users' information search and NOT a "one-stop" or "only-stop".

To put it bluntly, it's time to step down from the professional pedestal.

Aardvark forces us librarians to see that the user ultimately assesses the answer based on its relevance and not primarly WHO provides the answer.

I've heard fellow colleagues tout that the information services provided by librarians are superior because of our training and expertise. I'd humbly suggest those aren't selling points that users can relate to. To put it bluntly, users don't care about your credentials as much as the answers they can get immediately and whether they find the information relevant.


WILL AARDVARK SPELL THE DOOM FOR REFERENCE SERVICES IN LIBRARIES?
My snappy answer is 'No'.

At one level, this is an excellent wake-up call for librarians. An impetus to reassess the way we deliver reference and reader-advisory services. We librarians can see Aardvark as a competitor and we'd better react to it.

When I say "competitor", I mean a friendly one. There's no need to treat Aardvark as an adversary. I'd take it as a benchmark and a model to re-think our service.

Two, I see a service like Aardvark as something that would raise the overall awareness of Information and Reference Services among the library potential customers. For example, a person might not have used the library or any information service before Aardvark. If librarians time it right and leverage on heightened awareness, it serves as a way to promote our service.

Three, librarians should see Aardvark as a space where we become community members and participants. If we establish our credentials, as those who consistently provide answers which other community member rate highly, then I'm confident people might turn to us directly.

Aardvark might be a chance for librarians to reinforce our Brand. E.g. we'd never give a frivilous answer to "why the sky is blue".

Four, librarians (who have the competencies and passion) would automatically have an advantage over most users in terms of professional standards. I don't mean librarians neccessarily "provide better information". What I mean is the way librarians (in general) are trained to provide citations, verify and triangulate sources etc.


CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
In Aaron's post, he wrote: "Like it or not, librarians are not the first people [others] think about whenever [they] need to know something".

I feel we have to accept that as a permanent reality.

To any librarian who does not believe and accept that reality, I'll ask them this: When you have a question on what to eat for lunch or where to visit during your vacation, do you ask a friend or a stranger?

I'll go back to my earlier point, about how I tried out Aardvark only after Aaron spoke to me face to face. I'd left his email invite sitting in my email in-box for days. It was only after he explained how it works and said "You have to try it" that I decided to do so.

I'm not suggesting librarians try to be friends with everyone. We can't.

What I'm saying is that the way to go is for librarians to be part of people's social networks. Granted, critics will say this isn't scalable but I'd argue we're not giving up the in-library service.

It's about extending our reach.

Having one finger out there -- being a friend to one person in the community -- is better than none at all.

[Update 16 May 09: If you wish to try out Aardvark, leave a comment with your email or email me, indicating three topics you see yourself answering. I'll send you an invite. As of this post, Aardvark is 'by invite' only].

QQ*librarian shares her "What is Britannica?" story

Here's the lastest QQ*librarian story from her real-life front-desk experience:

She claimed she has tried Google, Wikipedia and everything (yes, Google and Wikipedia is equivalent to everything to this young reader) but to no avail.

Topic X appeared to me to be a possible entry that can be found in encyclopedias. So I directed her to the encyclopedia section, and told her to try the Encyclopedia Britannica, Americana and World Book.

She looked at me like I just spoke to her in French. Then she asked me "What Britannica?"

So it has come to this. The word "Encyclopedia Britannica" has become a technical jargon that the young generation no longer understands.

I brought her to the shelf and pointed to the encyclopedias. She stared at the shelf blankly for a minute, then turned and asked me, "how to use encyclopedia?"

LINK

If you enjoyed this one, you might want to check out the rest of her Librarian Tales.

FAQs - "About Being a Librarian"

OK, so this isn't really a FAQ.

Since I started this blog in 2004, I've received various "being a librarian" type of questions ranging from career opportunities to whether they'd be suitable for a career in librarianship.

This post is more of a compilation of posts from this blog. It isn't intended to provided comprehensive answers. I hope it'll be useful in shedding more light about what "being a librarian" entails.

Disclaimer: I am NOT the only public service librarian around. What I do is NOT the definitive Public Librarian job scope. I do NOT blog everything about what I do as a public service librarian (which means there's a whole lot more about public libraries that I've not blogged about here).

Questions about becoming a librarian (2005, Sept):

• Part 1 - A rambling introduction
• Part 2 - What does a librarian do?
• Part 3 - How does one become a librarian?
• Part 4 - What makes a good (public service) librarian?
• Part 5 - Why do people choose to become librarians?
• Part 6 - [you probably can skip this: "Why I decided to work for a library instead of a bookstore company"]
• Part 7 - Why do people remain as a Librarians?

Related posts
Singapore Library Week: I don't Shhh! for a Living (2007, Nov)

What I would tell the librarians - (2006, Oct - "The library as a Business; Public Libraries and social media; What should libraries do, if books become digital?; How can libraries use social media to attract and engage young people?; Social media is a reality")

Being a Librarian Vs. Job title = "Librarian" (2006, Apr)

Still Water Runs Deep or, "Wet Blanket Question" (2006, Feb)

Professionalism is an attitude, not a definition - (2004, Jun)

How I came to be a librarian (2004, Jun)

Thoughts on interviewing for (public) librarianship positions (2010, Sept)

Other references:
PDF Brochure: Be A Librarian - Library Association of Singapore (undated)

Feel free to post your questions at the Librarians-In-Singapore discussion group (more about the group, here).

[Updated - 15 Feb 2009]

“When they don’t have really good results on YouTube, then I use Google”

This post's title came from words uttered by nine year-old Tyler from California, USA.

Reading this New York Times article, I wonder how many Singaporean kids are like Tyler. Perhaps we'll be referring to them as the YouTube-generation rather than the Google-Generation.

Similarly, when Tyler gets stuck on one of his favorite games on the Wii, he searches YouTube for tips on how to move forward. And when he wants to explore the ins and outs of collecting Bakugan Battle Brawlers cards, which are linked to a Japanese anime television series, he goes to YouTube again.

While he favors YouTube for searches, he said he also turns to Google from time to time.

Educating the Google and YouTube Generation
I think the most obvious response from public libraries would be that being part of the "Google generation" doesn't necessarily mean that one is an expert searcher (check this out).

And this reminds us that there's a role for public librarians to play in educating the young (I still encounter 13 year-olds who only refer to a URL in evaluating websites rather than contextual information -- and they evaluated it wrong!)


Trend towards searching for Multimedia content
However, this does not address the fact that while Tyler's behaviour may not be mainstream (yet) his preference for videos is reflective of how most people learn best via multi-modal: watch, hear, read, and do.

With services like YouTube, this trend -- of searching for multimedia content first -- can only increase.

I should know.

I was inevitably drawn into it.


How I learned the basics of playing an electric bass
After I bought my bass guitar, I wanted to borrow some books from the library -- the same way I've done more than a decade ago when I was teaching myself how to play the guitar.


(Actually my preference would have been to learn the basics from another bass guitar player).

The library was closed and my computer was switched on and connected to the Internet.

I searched via Google (not YouTube; guess I'm still "semi old-school") and found this site (from ExpertVillage.com). Within minutes, I was progressively introduced to various ways in playing an electric bass guitar (today, they have a YouTube channel).

From then on, I've not picked up any books on playing the bass guitar.


Does that mean the library is irrelevant?
In my case, it's unlikely that I'd look for materials at the library. And I'm speaking as a librarian.

I emphasise "my case", as learning needs differ from person to person. However, my gut-feel says most bass guitar players in my position won't really want to look for more references on "how to play bass". What I need most is to practice.

Rather than find more things to read, I'd prefer to jam with like-minded bass players to pick up tips. It's unlikely that I can find bass players that easily (not to mention finding the same time to meet) so no surprise that I'll continue to turn to YouTube videos.

Like public libraries, the content is free to use. But unlike the library, YouTube videos can be accessed anytime, On-Demand.


Public libraries should not complete but leverage on Google and YouTube
Public libraries can -- and should -- continue to bring in quality materials on the subject.

But we should not keep saying "our content is more credible and authoritative". To me, that smacks of elitism and denial.

I feel public libraries should try to compete with the likes of Google and YouTube by trying to bring in "more" or say that we have "better" content.

We first have to acknowledge that in certain areas, the Internet offers far richer and more accessible content than public libraries can. Find out what those subjects and areas are, and work our selection policies around it.

Then for those areas, we can do two things:

1. Bring our booktalks and New Arrival alerts to services like YouTube.
2. Shift the library's focus from content-only to services and face-to-face networking

Booktalks and New Arrivals in YouTube
The librarian can post a video (e.g. introducing a book on playing the bass guitar) as a "video response" to a Youtube video on playing the bass guitar.

Notice I wrote "Librarian" rather than "Library". I'd suggest it's more effective to have a librarian post a response rather than an institution. Although both are ways to publicise the library collection, the latter seems more like blatant advertisement in my view.

I've no videos to show what this sort of video should look like. As it's not the mere transposing of a written review to video format, then something simple might suffice. Like, a librarian introducing a book on playing the bass guitar, highlighting why its worth checking out. The video doesn't have to win Oscars. Just offer it in good taste.

Perhaps more interesting would be to video a librarian with an actual bass guitar, performing techniques from the book. Or offering suggestions by sharing the experience from learning from the book AND from YouTube videos.


Face-to-face networking services
That was a fancy way of saying "start a club for people interested in music".

Libraries are typically associated with book-based clubs. I think it's high time public libraries venture into "activity-based"ones.

A club for bass guitar players would be too narrow in focus. But why not a "amateur musician club". This could be facilitated by a librarian or a library volunteer. Each session would be a mix of loosely structure talks and demos (I'm reminded of meetups like the Singapore Ruby Brigade, WebSG, and what Kevin shared at the library).

Although I'm not interested in developing my bass playing skills in the immediate future, that doesn't mean I'm not interested in picking up additional tips from people who play bass.

More important, I'd like to meet like-minded musicians, particularly "my own kind", i.e. working adults who dabble in music on the side.


Google and Youtube are my friends
The popularity of Google and YouTube are problems for the library -- IF we do not do anything in response to them.

But if we review and adapt our service offerings by leveraging on those services, I'm confident public libraries and librarians will continue to have a place in a networked world.

I can't help but think that when some librarians make disparaging comments about Internet resources, they are actually saying "I don't like my job being threatened".

The truth is, we can see Google and YouTube as threats or as opportunities.

If it's more of a threat than opportunity, then librarians have to be open to the possibility that we will be fewer in numbers -- and plan accordingly. Maybe that sounds bleak. I call it "being prepared".

Still, I don't see the future of librarianship as bleak. For now, I see Google and YouTube as friends of a librarian.

And I'll continue to refine my guitar playing.

Who knows: one day some kid -- who wants to learn how to play a bass guitar -- will go to Youtube because they can find a librarian there :)

An email about Librarian jobs in Singapore

I get the occasional email from people (Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans alike) asking about job opportunities in librarianship in Singapore.

Here's a recent one (I didn't ask for permission to quote the letter, so I've blanked out some details from the original mail):

Hi,

I saw your blog and wanted to ask you a question. I was wondering if it would be possible for me to get a job as a librarian in Singapore. I am [from country omitted] with a master's degree in library science and another master's in psychology. I am able to speak Chinese on an intermediate level.

Regards,
[Name omitted]

My reply:

Hi,

Yes it's always possible. Check out the job listings at the Library Association of Singapore website: www.las.org.sg/jobs.htm

Speaking Chinese would help, but majority of Singaporeans speak English. It's our de facto working language. More info about Singapore, at: www.sg

Cheers.
Ivan

In my reply, I forgot to add that anyone interested in library jobs in Singapore can also join the Librarians-In-Singapore mailing list. Questions about the Singapore library scene can be posted and answered there.

The 3rd LAS conference: Choy Fatt Cheong - (Part 3)

[From Part 2]

Choy said he hesitated to talk about Librarianship.

"It sounded like an old-fashioned word".


Originally uploaded by Damien Wang

He confessed that when he started out as a librarian (he came from an engineering background) he wasn't too comfortable with being called "a librarian".

But the word became more endearing to him over time.

Mr. Choy, the head of NTU libraries, was the keynote speaker on Day-One. He titled his talk: "Librarianship: What is it about now?”

What we do everyday isn't science, he said.

But the term was still relevant; it puts the library in the centre.

(I agree with Choy. Calling myself the Rambling Information Specialist just doesn't have the same ring to it, heh).

Still, Choy suggested that the term "Librarianship" failed to adequately describe what librarians really did for a living.

He shared how he polled his NTU library colleagues on what librarians did, and a recurrent theme seem to focus on "serving users".

This contrasted sharply with the time when he started his career, where librarianship seem to be focused on buildings.

"Today we are much more obsessed with the relationship with users, for very good reasons," said Choy.

He asked these questions aloud:

• Do users still want librarians to help them?
• Are people concerned enough to spend time and effort to obtain reliable information?

(Which I took to mean: Will librarians still have jobs?)

He qualified that it wasn't that libraries of earlier years weren't interested in serving users. Just that libraries could afford to "treat their users with less enthusiasm". It didn't mean poor service, just that "user-centered thinking wasn't a high priority". Meaning, in the past, the content and access technologies were only available to librarians.


The need to gain user attention
Choy remarked that librarianship today demanded much more thought on "how to gain user attention".

Librarianship was no longer centred in the backroom but at the frontline.

Librarians need to be able to "strive in the hustle and bustle of human relationships".

Choy suggested that (university) librarians should offer to help teaching staff set up class blogs, or customise digital libraries for users.


Libraries as Intermediaries
The quality of information on the Internet is improving in quality.

One needs an intermediary (like librarians) when there are barriers (to information). But barriers to information are rapidly dissolving.

However, he felt that intermediation roles still exist: Rules for sharing resources, and negotiation with information sellers.

Libraries and librarians face two obstacles in trying to play the intermediary role:

• We're not on users' radar screens
• Users may not want us as part of their equation

Choy says "early intervention" is needed to instill "good information habits". He said not enough is being done.

He ended his talk by saying "the intensity in which we interact with users will determine the success of libraries".

Libraries should make use of our current user-centric approach. Librarians should modify our current skills to create new and innovative value-add fuctions.


Originally uploaded by Damien Wang

My Thinking Aloud
I think Choy's speech provided context to librarians who joined the profession in the last five years.

But to the "seasoned librarians", Choy offered no specific answers, really.

In truth, I don't think anyone can.

I wished Choy had gone more in-depth and shared specific examples of the changes he's implemented at NTU libraries since he took over as the head. I've heard news of some developments. Like the decentralising and creation of subject libraries, the hiring of more librarians.

For instance, I think during Q&A, Choy mentioned about how he faced skepticism (from colleagues, I presume) when he suggested that NTU librarians send a letter to every single new NTU student. To offer themselves as the individual student's personal librarian.

His point was that not every student would contact the librarian. I agree.

And even if they did, they may not make the contact all at once. Or if they really did (like, nearing exams or critical assignment periods), I'm sure a competent librarian would be able to anticipate all that and put out information in blogs or the library website.

But I suppose he didn't want to make his talk to be "about NTU". A shame, in thought. It seems to me they are doing good work there.

Maybe Choy should start his own blog.

I know he'll say he won't have time (we've had a similar conversation before, heh).

But I feel he'd be blogging not for himself, but for Singapore Librarians in general.

Afterall, he's been the president of LAS for several terms, a former NLB Board member, an academic, a entrepreneur who ran his own library consultancy business, and more. And now the head of NTU libraries.

I'm sure he has lots of anecdotes and insights to share.

I'm confident he'll be on some users' radar screen -- potential NTU students -- at the very least.

[Next: Part 4]

Singapore Library Week: I don't Shhh! for a Living

From the Singapore Library Week 2007, "I don't Shhh! for a Living" segment:

Ivan Chew
Manager
Adult & Young People Services
National Library Board


I don’t “Shhh!” for a living.

Although I wish I did.

That would be the easiest job in the world. Shushing people. Index finger to lips. Pucker and Shhh! Get paid. Easy-peasy.

But it's a good thing I don't.


[How I look in my SecondLife]

For one, wrinkles form more easily if one puckers the lips too much (guys are a little concerned about looks too!). Two, it'll be a boring and meaningless excuse for a job.

For me, librarianship (public librarianship, to be specific) is a calling. Not in the religious sense but closer to a philosophically of why we do what we do.

As a public librarian, you wear many hats:

• Retail or Sales Executive (you help people with their "purchase", advising them on what "product" to buy or use)
• Marketing Executive (you publicise the library's services and products)
• Event Manager (you organise programmes and activities)
• Trainer (you conduct workshops)
• Talkshow host (you chair programmes and events; facilitate book discussions)
• Administrative Executive (reports to write; you may have to manage budgets)
• Inventory or Store Manager (you are part of the process in managing the library materials to be added or removed)
• Security Officer (you look after the safety and well-being of those who use your premises)
• Customer Relations Executive (you deal with customers, both the nice and not-so-nice ones)
• Project Manager (you organise and lead projects; you most certainly work in teams)
• Researcher (you answer reference enquiries and help customers search for information)
• Writer (you write book reviews)
• Coach (you might end up mentoring or leading staff)
• Customer (you read; you have to; enough said).

[How I look in my "First Life"]


[Why I share: Because each time I teach, I also learn]


[I looked blur then. And still do now.]

See? I wish I'd only Shhhed people for a living.

With so many things to do, why did I stick with being a librarian for the last 11 years?

Because in simple terms, I think I'm contributing some good to society. It's a nice feeling.

Better than pursing one's lips.

What I would tell the librarians

At my previous post on what Shel should tell the librarians, Shel wrote: "What would YOU say to them, Ivan? You know more about it than I do. Post it here and I will tell the audience where I got it from."

Heh, OK. Just for laughs, I'll write as if I'm giving that speech (Shel didn't say I couldn't ramble...)

BTW these ideas, on Public Libraries in particular, are very much influenced by my working in the National Library Board for the past 11 years (see also: NLB strategic plans for 2000 and 2010). The views expressed here are strictly my personal interpretation; they don't represent my employer.

So.

I'll make four general statements:

1. Libraries don't survive because they are "libraries". They ultimately survive because of what Librarians do.
2. Libraries have to act and think like a Business. Businesses survive so long their products and services stay in demand. They survive when they adapt to competition.
3. If libraries are businesses, then librarians should be Social Entrepreneurs. Our common business will be as Social Levelers.
   
4. This "Social Leveling" will come from public libraries being used to support formal and informal learning. I envision Public Libraries to become "Centres for Life Long Learning for the General Public".
   

Here are further ramblings (they don't necessarily address all four points, but hey I'm not really giving the speech):

The library as a Business
Libraries face competition, just like any business (btw, Meredith Farkas already summed up the "Why" very nicely in the preview chapter of her book 'Social Software in Libraries').

Businesses have to make a profit (i.e. any gain in excess of expenses) to justify their existence. I don't see a dilemma of Public Libraries being a Public Good and it being a Business. "Profits" is not limited to just monetary.

I think successful libraries world-wide are already managed like that. They are funded by the government (or local authorities) to deliver a social good, and they are managed like a professional business unit.

It's pointless for librarians to insist that public libraries are important and must be kept alive, when its clear that customers are not using them.

Businesses don't appeal to the community on why they should be kept alive. They act to keep themselves in business.

A business, when faced with that situation of falling sales and profits, will have to act boldly. It could be layoffs and cost-trimmings -- though in my opinion, a great business would already have kept costs low, and will rely on innovation for long term capacity-building rather than short-term cost-savings.

A business that's wired to survive will have to look at fundamentals like employee compensation and rewards, organisation culture, policies and management, customer relations, and product/ service quality, to name a few.

Same applies to libraries.


Public Libraries and social media
Social media (like blogs, podcasts, Youtube) are for socialising. Libraries should start "socializing" using that media.

1. Start by reading blogs, watching videos, listening to podcasts that OUR CUSTOMERS are publishing
2. Comment on their work (identify ourselves as librarians and engage our customers as individuals)
   
3. Finally consider if the library should start using social media, to become producers or Producer-Consumers.

The "consumer" part is important as well. Libraries also have to constantly read and comment, rather than just pushing out information on our blogs to say, "Read this". I believe we have to look around and say, "Hey, I like what this reader has blogged about".


What should libraries do, if books become digital?
The public library is a public good. Doesn't matter what form the books are. We just have to offer digital books as a public good.

It's definitely less straight-forward than offering print, because of copyright and rights management issues relating to digital media. But not insurmountable.

When push comes to shove, I'm sure libraries and publishers have to work together to continue offering a public service (via the public libraries). We have to.


How can libraries use social media to attract and engage young people?
It's not about USING social media per se.

I believe the "How" is to first acknowledge young people as individuals. This is true whether we use social media or not.

There are experts out there who can tell you more about teen psychology etc. My point is that to attract and engage young people, it's fundamental to understand what they want and need at that stage of their lives.

Sometimes what they want and need runs contrary to what libraries are traditionally providing. For example, young people want to socialise and chat. They want to date. They already do that in our libraries without borrowing a book.

So why should libraries provide physical spaces just for young people to use the furniture and not read?

That's where social media comes in.

Librarians should use social media and act as Connectors for young people. We help connect young people to other young people. Or to other adults for that matter.


But will libraries become social services?
At this point, I always get asked, "Will we end up as social services? Then how are we Librarians?"

My answer: If we see our jobs as connecting People to Information, then why not look at information that's residing in other people?

I mean, young people are already able to access information (i.e. the Internet and DIY database searches). They are already connecting themselves to information using the Internet. Increasingly, I don't buy the argument that Internet sources lack credibility or aren't as authoritative as print.

What librarians can offer is perhaps efficiency in searching (I dare not say "effectiveness" as that's subjective). But there's only so much to argue for efficiency. And young people generally have more discretionary time.

My gut feel is that by positioning librarians as Networkers and Connectors, we will make the profession more relevant, and we will ultimately help connect peopel to information.

I've no studies or statistics to prove to you, other than sharing this personal example: after I started blogging and identifying myself as a librarian, I have students asking me various questions (not necessarily about books or library services). Anyway the point is that I've made myself more accessible. And where appropriate, I'd suggest who the students can speak to (whether it's a colleague or contacts I know).

And I learned of this recent example: the owner of a cafe in Singapore created a Facebook group and organised a meetup. Now, what if it was a librarian who did that? (Incidentally, the cafe is located in the library@esplanade, so his meetup probably brought some users to the library -- an example of a synergistic partnership there).


Social media is a reality
Libraries -- and more important, librarians -- have to adapt to that reality. By "adapt", it doesn't mean jumping on the band-wagon and starting blogs or doing podcasts.

As with all things in life, first we try to understand with an open mind.

We have to try and understand what makes people take up social media. Then we see how it can be relevant to what the profession wants to achieve.

Once we are in it, we should make ourselves part of the community.

It's pointless to start jumping into Facebook or blogs if we only know how to use the tool, but not appear as genuine and sincere community members.

It's easy to learn how to start a blog. Or sign up for a Facebook account. But it's less easy to teach how one can connect as a blogger, or with other Facebook users -- in the context of providing library services.


Do the Simplest Thing Possible (STP)
We should try to be a part of that community by doing the "Simplest Thing Possible" (STP), within our means.

This STP could be to leave comments on blogs, rather than start a blog.

Or libraries could engage practitioners and experts to teach the wider community on the use of social media (e.g. how to blog, or how not to get fired when blogging).

It's less about "understanding the technology" but more of "understanding what makes the community tick".

The End

Right.

If you've not fallen asleep with my ramblings by now, I've dug up a few of my older posts on the roles of libraries and librarians:

• Role the library plays: Books in my Boat, 11 Sept '04
• Public Libraries' role in building social networks, 20 Mar '05
• Sept 11, 2005 IM chat: "Changing the World, One Friend at a Time", 15 Sept '05
• How To Begin A Romance @ The Library - by Men of Clay, 15 Apr '05
• Libraries as platforms for Community Publishing, 8 May '05
• Libraries as society's insurance against ignorance, 13 May '05
• What happened at the Meetup on 24 May 05, 27 May '05
• Social Literature, 8 Feb '06
• Philosophical discussion on "Reading", 16 Apr '06
• Perspectives (or, Role of the Library), 28 Aug '06
• Web Standards Group (WebSG) Singapore Meetup #2, 28 Feb '07
• Post event reflections: Singapore Ruby Brigade Meetup at CLL, 20 Apr '07
• Songcraft - Singapore's Songwriting Circle, 28 Apr '07

What should Shel tell the librarians?

My author and friend, Shel Israel, and I have been trading emails for the past few weeks. He wanted my thoughts on libraries and social media. He'll be addressing the librarians at the California Association of Librarians conference in about a weeks time.

I'll wait till after his speech before posting what he and I have been corresponding. Don't want to steal his thunder, so to speak, heh.

Meantime, it's not too late to let Shel know what he should tell librarians about libraries and social media.

BTW, I found the comments left at his blog post a fascinating read.

Like this one from Shawn Lea suggesting -- tongue-in-cheek -- that libraries have a "Twitter site exposing local cads who don't pay their library fines". LOL.

Oh.

It just occurred to me that while Shel could tell librarians about Social Media, he probably should say the same thing to library administrators. Especially decision makers who fund libraries.

Librarians alone embracing "Web 2.0." isn't as effective as librarians working with decision-makers who might fund those efforts. Even if there's no funding, having some moral support, if not an executive direction, goes a long way.

Off to IFLA Conference: 19-23 August 2007, Durban, South Africa (part 5)

"How do you say "Hello"?" I asked. They greeted back: "Sawubona".

At IFLA conferences, I try to chat with at least one or two IFLA volunteers. They were often local librarians and/ or library students helping out at the conference. I've found that such informal chats are a good way to understand more about libraries and librarianship in the host country.



Ms. Ntutu Sogoni (L) and Mr. Ishewakatipa M. Dube (R) were academic librarians. I spoke to them during a break in the conference proceedings. We were able to converse in English very fluently.

"What made you become librarians?"

Basically, both of them didn't enter the the profession by design. More by chance. And they stuck with it (inspite of the low pay and recognition) because they loved what they do.

"How does it feel to be a librarian in South Africa?"

Perception-wise, they told me people still think librarians stamped books. Ntutu said the popular image of a librarian was still an old lady with glasses and hair tied in a bun, and stamping books (wow, talk about universal misrepresentation!). Most people didn't know that the libraries already had electronic services and resources. Librarianship was often not on the radar screen of government officials. Ishewakatipa said libraries were only included upon hindsight when the university had plans to expand facilities and premises.

The South African situation (as they explained to me) sounded similar with what singapore faced in 1994 or 1995. I shared with them about how more public libraries were built, how staff pay and working premises and conditions were improved, how services were more customer oriented. Of course i mentioned about government funding. Which led me to explain that singapore only had a population of 4 million, over 640 sq km. How most our water and food were imported. The only resource we have are the people. They looked at me and it was all new to them.

ASIDE: I asked them if they have blogs, or heard about blogs. They looked quizzically at me. Ntutu said she heard it mention in an advertisement (non-library related it seems) but no, they didn't really know about. She asked what it was about. I said it was a free service, just like Internet email services, that allows the user to create accounts a start their own websites or online diaries. Suggested they try www.blogger.com or wordpress.com. So maybe they might start blogging after this.

I also learned from them that public libraries in South Africa were well used but under-funded. Regular users were schools that didn't have the means to have their own libraries. Generally, opening hours were 8am to 5pm on weekdays, 8am to 1pm on Saturdays, and closed on Sundays (very much like the opening hours of public libraries in Singapore 10 years ago).

Ntutu said many school children in rural areas do not have access to public libraries. I said that in their Cultural Minister's speech at the opening ceremony, there was mention of plans to fund and develop libraries in South Africa.

They said that they have also heard talks about funding but progress seemed to be slow. Then they said "We just try our best, given what we have".

Ishewakatipa was from Zimbabwe. I asked what made him decide to come to South Africa. "For a better life," was his earlier reply. Ntutu said she studied in a Bantu school and did well enough to go to better schools.

That, plus their professional attitude of "trying their best given what we have" -- I couldn't help but admire and respect them.

We parted with smiles and laughs. They taught how to do handshakes, African-style.

[Reference: Part 4]

¨The Twilight Zone¨- The Obsolete man (1961)

Librarians, watch this.

"Your occupation, Mr. Wordsworth?"

"A Librarian."

[Laughter]

"A what?"

"A Librarian, sir."

...

"I am a Librarian. That is my profession. That is my occupation. If you people choose to call that obsolete..."

...

"A Librarian. Having to do... with books... There are no more books, Mr. Wordsworth. There are no more libraries. And of course it follows that there is very little call for the services of a librarian."

Hat-tip to Damien, who started the discussion thread at Librarians-In-Singapore after, he came across this article; and to Cris who alerted us to the YouTube video.

Overview of library-related blogs in Singapore: My guest posting at Infobib (from Germany)

Ever so often, I'm reminded of the professional satisfaction I get from blogging. I would get emails from perfect strangers, who happen to be information professionals. And who're interested in what's happening in this part of the world.

Like an email from Sarah Lohre, about a month ago. Sarah hails from Germany and is part of a team who run "a little experiment" and call themselves Infobib (interestingly, I learned about how their experiment got started not from their blog but from someone else's blog post! They probably have an explanation somewhere in their Infobib post, but in German.)



I was asked to blog "an overview of library-related blogs in Singapore". Wow, tall order. Where do I even start? So I pretended as if I was having a conversation with someone, and I rambled about:

Overview of library-related blogs in Singapore [I wrote: "Now, there are about 15 active blogs written by Singapore librarians. Back in 2005, there was perhaps a quarter of that number."]

Singapore “Liblogarians” [I listed five librarians' blogs there. I chose them because they posted quite regularly... and YES, I was biased and chose only Liblogarians who worked for NLB! Of course that's not doing justice to other non-NLB Liblogarians in Singapore. But I was weak and caved in to organisational loyalty. I guess I should have been more objective. To make amends, you folks can check out my public blogroll of Singapore Liblogarians -- it's not exhaustive so if you're a SG Liblogarian, and wish to "come out of the closet", I'd love to hear from you!]

Library-institutional blogs [There's no official documentation of when library institutional blogs started, but I'm confident my information is correct as to when the first Singapore library-related blog was started. And it wasn't NLB's. I learned recently that there are more library-institutional blogs in Singapore, from NTU, so I'll find time to post about them later -- unless someone beats me to it first (yes, please do, heh) *Update: Hazman blogs about the NTU library blogs]

What do I expect from the future of library and library-related blogs in my country? I shall reproduce this portion in its entirety:

In the last 10 years, the reputations of many libraries in Singapore have improved tremendously, due to the many proactive changes adopted by the public, national and academic libraries. The image of librarians has also improved generally, although many people still do not really know what goes on within the profession. Stereotypes still abound.

I sense that younger librarians recognise they will be the ones to effecting that change in mindsets, about what the profession is about. So I think there will be more librarians taking up Social Media (like blogs, podcasts, and wikis) as a way to engage and connect with users and non-users alike.

Or to learn new skills in order to keep up with whatever’s happening on the Internet. I can personally attest to this part – I’ve learned so much from my blogging “experiments”, and you tend to meet many helpful people in the blogosphere. The amount of genuine sharing is tremendous. It works both ways.

I’d expect libraries and librarians to be around in Singapore for a long, long time. It’s clear to me that library and information professionals in Singapore have the fortitude to adapt and evolve according to circumstances and changing user needs.

Thanks again, Sarah and folks at the Infobib team, for this opportunity to share about the Singapore library blog scene. The full post of my guest entry can be found here.

You might want to take time to check out other guest posts they've invited, from librarians from other countries.

I particularly appreciate the posts, deliberately written in English, from countries where English isn't the first language. Like Spain, Hungary, Norway, Iran, France, Belarus, and many others in between. I'm sure more will be added.

Oh, they add that: "If you don’t see your home country in this list and you feel that writing an article about your country’s biblioblogosphere would be a good idea, please contact one of us."

A Day in the Life: Career Options in Library and Information Science

Congrats to Filipino Librarian (aka Vonjobi, aka Vernon Totane) for being published in Chapter 77 of this book (see the content page).

Von's chapter is about being a Freelance Book Producer. Not something you'd associate with a career in Library and Information Science, but hey, it's there! Read what Von has to say at his blog post.

I'd say most of the jobs listed in the book are available in Singapore, just that some may not be advertised. Or they may be advertised with generic job titles but the scope could be more specialised. You'd only find out when you go for their interviews, I suspect. E.g. some LIS posts may advertise for "Librarian" and they might end up considering you a position that deals with metadata, development of taxonomies, and systems architecture.

Some of the more unusual jobs listed in the book are:

• Chapter 45: Librarian/Vice President, Financial Company (Dan Cherubin)
• Chapter 53: Librarian, Private Social Club (Mary Jo P. Godwin)
• Chapter 54: Golf Librarian (Doug Stark)

Some LIS professionals go on to establish careers in fields like:

• Chapter 69: Sales Coordinator for International and Special Markets (Ann Snoeyenbos)
• Chapter 72: Senior Product Strategist (Candy Zemon)
• Chapter 73: Editor, Publisher, Author, Speaker (Judith A. Siess)
• Chapter 75: Author of Young Adult Novels (Clare B. Dunkle)
• Chapter 79: Electronic Marketing Manager (Betsy Van der Veer Martens)
• Chapter 93: Competitive Intelligence Analyst (Michael Russell)
• Chapter 95: Community Evangelist (Jenny Spadafora)

The content listings show how wide ranging LIS jobs can be. Of course the definition of the "Information Profession" could be rather broad. But imho, the significance is that these jobs are held by people who'd easily be called "librarians" (check out the list of contributors).

Incidentally, there was a recent discussion at the Librarians-In-Singapore group about job titles and development. It started after I shared this post, which subsequently led to Ivy commenting that "many are still in this profession because we choose to - not because we can't find a better job" and then about "professionalism & attitudes", then to LAS' proposal on the Professional Development Scheme.

I bet the group would have more things to say about this new book. :)