Kevin says "NLB’s ‘myLibrary’ Facebook App is damn shiok!"

"Shiok", a colloquial term frequently uttered by Singaporeans, can mean "Great!" or "Excellent".

Or possibly what Robin would say to Batman, "Holy 'Library 2.0', Batman!"

My friend, Kevin, created this video review/ blog post of NLB's Facebook app called myLibrary - apps.facebook.com/nlbmylibrary


LINK

Kevin wrote:

What’s interesting about the app is that it integrates much of our typical library transactions right into Facebook.

At first we might wonder, “What’s the big deal about a Facebook app? Can’t we already access the same services by going to the library’s web site?”

True that, but more than just a matter of accessibility, it’s about being “within reach” to users, and extending their library use into the third place. Allowing users to recommend books to friends or posting what they’re reading directly onto their Facebook profiles is very much for the library’s win (i.e. word of mouth).

Thanks for the video, Kevin!

The myLibrary app is primarily targeted at NLB members, who are also FB users. Details of the FB app is at this FAQ page at www.pl.sg:

myLibrary offers the following suite of features and NLB services:

1. Account checking: users can perform library transactions and view information pertaining to their library accounts including overdue items, fines information and item reservation.

2. ASK! A Librarian service: users can send information-related enquiries to librarians who will respond within three working days. They can also view selected user enquiries and librarian responses.

3. New arrivals: users can view and search for the latest items available from NLB libraries.

4. Events: users can view and search for information on upcoming events and exhibitions held at NLB libraries.

5. Blogs: users can view the latest blog entries from NLB’s family of blogs including High Browse Online, Read and Reap and YO!

6. MyStuff: this is a virtual shelf to which users can save content (i.e. blog entries, event and item information, enquiries/responses) available in MyLibrary.

7. Recommendations: users can recommend items and information available in MyLibrary to friends. In the Recommendations tab, users can view their own recommendations as well as what others have recommended to them.

8. Post to profile: this Facebook feature has been enabled for users to post content available in MyLibrary on their profile page for others to view.

9. Invite: users can invite their friends to add MyLibrary to their Facebook accounts.

The myLibrary app is something I find useful, and I'm not just saying this because I work for NLB.

I login to Facebook more than I visit the library website (I bet this is true for many FB users who are NLB members). So by linking my Facebook account with my NLB account, I can see my loan record when I'm in Facebook (the link can be deactivated anytime).

Here's a list of what I've borrowed:


In anticipation of questions concerning data privacy and security, the NLB FAQ says "...all account information and library transactions will take place within NLB computer systems that adhere to strict Singapore Government security and data protection guidelines."

My favourite feature is "Recommendations", combined with "Post to Profile". From my loan record displayed in Facebook, I can click on the "Post Profile" button and type in some comments:


Then it'll be posted to my FB profile, which my FB friends can view (depending on your FB privacy settings).


If my FB friends feel like it, they can leave comments at the profile posting itself. Just occurred to me that if Twitter is "microblogging", then the myLibrary Recommendations feature is like "micro-book review and book discussion" combined.

Would be even better if bookcover images could be displayed, and also not to truncate the book title. The NLB project team will try to introduce refinements.

If you've any feedback or suggestions for the myLibrary app team, there's a "Contact the Developer" link at the bottom of the app page. Or leave a comment here and I'll redirect them to the team.

They'd be keen to know if you think the app is shiok or not :)

Twitter feedback about Bishan Public Library

I was updating this post to add this link, and reading that linked me to this story by mrbrown.

And then I stumbled this.


[Technically, it's "Bishan Public Library" and not "National Library at Bishan", mrbrown. There's only one National Library Singapore, and it's at Victoria Street. Ah, but I'm niggling :)]

Thanks for using the library, mrbrown. I shall let the manager of BIPL know of your feedback.

Speaking in Croatia (Part 6) - Rijeka City public library

[From Part 5]

After a 2-hour bus ride through winding hills and a picturesque country side, I arrived from Pula to Rijeka city around noon. My Croatian colleague from IFLA, Verena T., received me at the bus station. It was very kind of her to make time to show me her city, before we'd to take our next bus to Zagreb.

It was a Sunday and all shops were closed (they are predominantly Catholic) , including public libraries (which is also why you won't see any library users in the photos that follow).



Here's an interesting fact about Rijeka (pronounced "Ree-Yay-Kah") public library: their various departments (i.e. Adult, Children) are sited in buildings located at different parts of the city.

This is the building that housed the public library's Adult section department (the Adult department is on the ground floor; the floors above were the city departmental offices houses the library office and other government/ cultural departments and institutions, e.g. Theatre).


About 5 minutes walk away, at the radio station building, there's a "reading room" that has mostly magazines and light reading materials on the ground floor (as the name implies, it functions more of a "browsing area").


[NOTE: There are pros and cons to this arrangement of having separate locations, but probably more cons. Visits to public libraries are often a family affair, with parents going along with their kids. Having separate sections may mean a more distinctive focus for that particular age group but it means there's fewer opportunities for different age groups to mingle and exposure to relevant materials.

I was told there were plans to construct a larger building to house all the departments together, but possibly put on hold because of the global economic downturn. Personally, I feel that times like this, city infrastructure projects should continue. It's a way to inject public monies back to the economy and also take advantage of the lower construction costs. Moreover, public goods and services like public libraries would be even more relevant and in demand during leaner times.]

Another 5 minutes walk and I was brought to their Children's library (on the ground floor, building on left Correction: the library is out of the picture. It was on my left, on the ground floor, as I took this shot. The building on the left in the picture is a hotel):


The sign above the library entrance.




This is the room with baby books, and some toys for children. The toys are not for loan though.


This toy is supposed to help very young children learn how to tie their shoelaces!


They have a row of picture books specially on "Problems and Issues" (it could mean something more than that in Croatian, I'm not sure Verena says it's more like "picture books with themes about typical problems of growing up").


For example, how to deal with the habit of sucking thumbs, relationship with parents... expressed in a way that Children would understand. And perhaps for parents to explain to their children.


This picture book is quite unique. The top part tells the story from the perspective of a young girl, while the bottom is the perspective of the father!


This is where their item barcode is placed:


Outside the Baby Books room is the Non-fiction book collection for parents, caregivers and teachers:


And also the teens corner:


I was attracted to this display board put up by their teen users.


I asked if the librarians had to actively recruit teens to help maintain the space. And I was extremely impressed when I learned some of their teens proactively asked if they could start a bookclub, because they saw something similar at another library.


This was made by a teen volunteer, for one of their Children's programme:


Looking at the teens display area, it reminded me of the importance of having some sort of area to showcase the activities for teens. Better yet, have the teens take charge of the display area.

Doesn't need to be fancy. It's the intent that counts -- both from the library and from the teens, I feel.

I observed that their libraries tend to be smaller compared to the ones in Singapore.

But this one is full of love.

It's apparent in the coziness of the place.


[Next: Part 7 - public libraries in Zagreb City]

Speaking in Croatia (Part 5) - Pictures of the Pula City Library

[From Part 4]

Here's City Library of Pula, where the Librarian's Weekend session was held. Quite modern looking, since it was a fairly new building.



One level down - Internet terminals, where members have to pay a small fee (apparently, some city libraries choose to charge a fee while some -- like Zagreb -- opted not to). I saw some teens playing online games; adults using the office productivity software:


Also on the same level: Children's section:


I like how they've the soft toys on top of the shelves. The kids at the library (on those two days we were there) were well-behaved. In fact, all the users (not more than 30 in the entire library) were well-behaved. They were quietly doing their work or browsing. No kids running about etc (but I'm not sure if they have the usual rowdy crowd on weekends).


There was an exhibition on recycling/ environment, and they had these cute looking robots made out of discarded materials:


One level up: The adult section (they don't seem to have a dedicated Young People's section, unless I missed it)


I like their book displays:


This display rack was an extension of the shelf:


They still utilise a manual check-in/ out system. Didn't see any self-check machines, and they are not into RFID yet.

[Next, Part 6: Public library spaces in Rijeka City]

Why Kevin Googles instead of using his library

Kevin wrote about his recent problem in locating a book at his university's library.

• At first, he couldn't find the book on the shelf even though the OPAC said it was available.
• After he contacted the librarian (via their IM service), he was informed that it was at the New Arrivals shelf.
• His next problem was not being able to locate the New Arrivals shelf.

Seems to me the problem could be avoided in the first place if the OPAC record showed both the permanent shelf location AND its temporary location (i.e. New Arrivals).

Admittedly, this is also a limitation of the our public library's OPAC. The current OPAC system can only display the permanent location.

I had to smile at Kevin's photo. He wrote a note that says "Access Denied" and placed it where the book should be.

Come to think of it, this is a simple solution for library's whose OPAC cannot show the temporary location. If the volume of new arrivals isn't too high, I suppose it's worth the time to place temporary placeholders to direct users to the new arrival shelf.

In the second instance, it appeared that Kevin encountered a "navigational" issue within his library. I've not been to UB library so I can't comment on how clear its directions are.

This isn't a problem unique to libraries. We encounter the same thing in any large and unfamiliar location -- roads, shopping malls.

Kevin's suggestion of having in-library GPS is a dream for many librarians. If the technology becomes cheap enough, I'm sure libraries would be the first to implement it.

But from Kevin's post, I noted several things that were right.

• He got the book eventually!
• The book was acquired by his library, and he learned about it by checking his library's website
• His library provided access to the librarians via Instant Messaging

I suppose I'm making a biased comment here (being a librarian myself) but in the age of Google and the Internet, it's easy to see what's wrong with the physical library service rather than what's done right.

Systems can be upgraded. Directional signages can be improved.

But I think what's more important is dialogue between library users and librarians.

No system is perfect.

In the midst of running the library, things are overlooked.

I'm glad Kevin blogged about it, and also offered constructive suggestions. I wonder if he sent his UB librarian his blog post link. I know the NLB libraries appreciates -- and acts -- on feedback like this.

Libraries may not be able to right every wrong immediately.

But what tends to tip the scale in favour of users would be the feedback of the majority.

When enough users ask for the same things -- constructively -- it'll be foolish for the library not to act.

Of course not everyone would want to inform the library directly. Libraries need to proactively seek what customers are saying -- in blogs, forums etc.

Or perhaps help from Friends of Libraries to pass those information along.

Libraries and libraries can always use whatever help we can get :)

[Related: 23 Jul 06 - A long term solution for how the library collection is organised?]

IFLA 2008 (part 11): Visit to Bibliothèque de Charlesbourg (Charlesbourg Public Library)

[From Part 11]

13 Aug 08, 8am. Libraries for Children and Young Adults Section off-site programme.

This is a long post. Plenty of pictures.

This morning, we visited the Bibliothèque de Charlesbourg (pronounced "char-le-boo").




We were ushered into a very cosy auditorium.


I love how they constructed this balcony to accommodate wheelchairs and maybe baby prams. So thoughtful!


The library was started in October 1981, then relocated to its new premises in October 1983. It's said to have one of the best Young Adults service and programmes.

They serve 74,000 residents. Renovated two years ago (enlarged the library space by three times, at a cost of €6.3 million Euros -- wow, did I hear that right?)

I canbelieve it cost that much.


It's an impressive building.



Our guide explained how the building is designed to be eco-friendly (something about the roof but I didn't catch the details).



The interior was designed for efficient traffic flow. The designers aimed to make it easy to find things and for the place to feel like a second home.

[I found this to be true. It's huge and looks complex but somehow moving from section to section was straight forward and along structured path ways. The 6.3m Euros was well-spent].


I believe this is the self-checkout machine. It was the only one I saw in the library. The library isn't into self-help services it seems.


The OPAC stations are clustered together. Very simple yet elegant designs. Their CPU unit is exposed. I guess it eliminates the heat issue but wonder if any users have itchy-fingers and switch the machines on/ off.


The holder for the paper (for users to copy the Call Number) is bolted down. Nice.


Here's something new to me: Library items with the "$" symbol on the cover means users have to pay a fee per item to borrow. This is the Bestsellers and popular items section. The fee is around $3 Canadian.

They have adopted to use fees to regulate demand. I wondered how they dealt with complaints by those who say they cannot pay.

There's WIFI access in the library (not sure if it's free or fee).

Here's the study area.


Table-top has concealed power and LAN points.


Their Children's Section is enclosed in glass (stops the noise).


From the outside, the desk of the Children's Librarian is visible.


Here's the inside of the section.


A shelf of toys!


There's a presentation room for kids. I think the sign says "No Admittance over 6".


When I stepped in, the space looked impressive. It wasn't apparent there was this space from the outside.


At the corner there's a audio/ headset.


There's an area where the kids can watch stuff from a TV (videos or TV programmes I think). Parents can sit on the couch overlooking the kids.


Behind the wall (where the TV is installed) is a nappy changing fold-up board and a microwave oven for heating up milk! Wow.




Upstairs is the Young People's section, if I'm not wrong. I'm guessing from the beanbags that it is! Correction: Their library inter-shelves the Young Adult and Adult collections.


Straight ahead is the Periodicals section.

There are a few steps up. The designers provided a lift (no space to build a ramp, I think).


There's a consistent clean, cool feel to the whole place. It's modern and cozy.


The cool thing is that right across the other side, you can see the office. I wonder if that's the library director at her desk?!


Walking out, you see a TV lounge area. Nice.

What's cool is that you can look across to the library office!

The Multimedia section is in the basement (kind of like a hangout for teens and young adults as well).


The AV materials are free to watch in the library (deposit required to use the player). Payment of S1.50 to borrow (I think it's a cheaper rate in consideration for teens).


They have punk and heavy metal music in their collections! Wonder if they carry Joe Satriani (man, if they put a drum/ guitar/ bass kit in the basement...)


This is a place I'd definitely want to hang out.


At the ground floor, the library is connected to an exhibition space.


Services and programmes they provide:

• Reading day in a public space
• Reading day in schools
• Introduction to reading and writing
• Public library week
• Read & Get Reading (seniors reading to kids - www.lireetfairelire.qc.ca)
• They have a mascot in their storytelling for kids. Average 34 kids per session. It's so popular they require reservations.
• Storytimes in pajamas
• Arts and science workshops
• Summer reading month (last week of June to end Aug. There are prizes when kids complete 5, 10, or 15 books)
• Film screenings (to give more reasons for users to visit. The screenings are held at regular times so that there is a routine).
• They introduced a character Chien De Lisard, aimed at young adults ages 13 to 21 (see www.bibliothequesdequebec.qc.ca/chien). At the site, teens can post on what they read (the presenter mentioned they wanted an "edgy and mildy subservive atmosphere" for the site)
• For the 8 to 12 year-olds, they have a literary society rather than reading club format. Each activity is independent of the other and has themes.
• Four times a year, daycare centres receive 65 books for children and daycare workers. Part of encouraging daycare centres to recognise importance of reading to young children.
• They organise teacher meetings; send information packs to schools
• A "School bag package" for teachers to hold classroom activities in the library
  

Very, very nice. I'm impressed.

The physical space is well thought-out. It's a huge space yet it's not overbearing. There are clear spaces for Children, Teens and Adults (though I feel the teens section ought to have it's own enclosed area like the Children's section, and with a different feel).

Their services seems quite comprehensive and proactive.

From this visit, what's interesting to me are the consistent trends of:

• Libraries moving towards an inter-generation theme
• Children's services remains at the forefront of the public library services
• Services to Youths is also deemed important. And most libraries in any country face the same challenges in trying to get teens to read

I'm also interested in how they reach out to the adults aged 30 to 49. I was too busy taking pictures and copying notes that I didn't get a chance to ask.

[I realised I've done a better job reporting what this library has done -- in terms of services to Children and Teens -- than what I've blogged about for Singapore's public libraries. Maybe I should invite a Canadian librarian over to give an objective assessment!

Anyway, if you're a Singaporean reading this, we may not have six million Euros to spend per library but otherwise what we have is pretty consistent :)]

Next: Part 12