Methods For Staying Current and Dealing with Information Overload

Keeping Up & Handling Information Overload Handling Information Overload Handling Information Overload
Sarah Houghton-Jan, MA, MLIS
Digital Futures Manager for the
San Jose Public Library
author of LibrarianInBlack.net
This presentation will be available at LibrarianInBlack.net

The plan for today
Strategies for Keeping Up
Tools for Keeping Up
Dealing with Information Overload

Your Library

Your Librarian

brick and mortar library users digital library users POWER USERS Library Users Today This group is growing dramatically. This group is growing slowly.

brick and mortar library users digital library users say RAWR! POWER USERS Library Users Tomorrow Angry Robot courtesy of www.bohdate.com/angryrobot

Created by John Blyberg, author of blyberg.net http://www.blyberg.net/2006/03/12/library-20-websites-where-to-begin/

“ Keeping Up” is about more than technology.

What does “keeping up” mean?

Why do you want to keep up?
Everyone's current awareness needs are unique
School librarians in private schools, adult services librarians in public libraries, business librarians...
Set your own goals for staying current

Reasons for keeping up to date
Increases staff confidence
Sets the stage for institutional progress
Increases efficiency
Helps improve users' perceptions of staff competence and knowledge
Makes individuals more employable and promotable

Why should I keep up with libraries?

Barriers to Staying Current
Please turn to the person next to you.
Talk about the barriers to staying current:
in your institution
in your own mind and life

Top 5 Barriers to Staying Current
Time (perceived time)‏
Lack of interest or motivation
Not encouraged by management
Not knowing where to start
Forgetting

“ [I]f you want to use current information technologies fully to address the problems and opportunities that your library faces, then you must quit complaining and lock and load.”
--Roy Tennant, Library Journal 2003

Would you prefer to stay current on work time or your own time?
I thought so :)‏

Finding the Time
We are all busy
A change in the culture of the library
Take 15 minutes at the end of each day
Schedule one hour per week
Schedule off-desk time for desk workers
Do it while the desk isn't busy, while you're stretching, etc.
Doing it at home?

8 Methods for Keeping Up

#1: Actually Stop and Think
Inventory the ways you learn now
Think about the content
Think about the medium of delivery
Toss what doesn't work
Add new things where there are gaps

What are you doing now?
Please turn to the person next to you.
Share what you are doing and using to keep up today.
e.g. classes, journals, blogs, listservs, conferences, library initiatives.

#2: Use Trusted Professionals as Filters
Printed publications (peer reviewed and non-peer reviewed)‏
Online newsletters (email or RSS)‏
Blogs (email or RSS)‏
eJournals in your interest areas

#3: Structured Learning
Local classroom learning
Online classes
Webcasts
Webinars
Conferences
Staff development days

#4: Use Coworkers as Filters
Ask specialists to share information on their area
Formal staff collaboration sessions
Have an issue-sharing session at the start of meetings
Share favorite resources via a weekly newsletter or blog

#5: Collaborative learning
Discussion boards
Commenting on blog posts
Listserv discussions
Subject-based library wikis
Social networking tools like Facebook, Ning, and even Twitter

#6: File New Things Away
Think about each new issue
Choose a method for keeping track of the ideas (del.icio.us, Word doc, bookmarks)‏
Categorize/tag it:
Use: you can use this for your job right away
Research: think it has potential, but need more information
Hold: not applicable now, but worth revisiting later
Junk: interesting to someone, just not you

#7: Use Your Learning to Keep It
Follow up on issues by discussing with colleagues
Start projects that use what you've learned
Teach others what you learned

#8: Get Management Buy-In
Write out some solid benefits of staff who are up to date
Showing a cost impact (time investment costed out)‏
Drawing the line between what's done on work time and what isn't
Tie it back to the library's mission
Management must give staff enough time, be enthusiastic, and acknowledge success

What works for you?
In groups of 3 or 4, discuss which of the approaches discussed sound good to you and would work well in your job/life.

Pick what works for you. Only do what you realistically will follow up on. Be proud of your professionalism.

Tools for Keeping Up

Content vs. Medium
Content: The subject matter and usefulness of the data.
Medium: The method through which the message is communicated.
Consider each issue when choosing how you stay current.

Get ready to rumble
Make sure to first inventory all the ways you're already staying current
Toss what isn't working
Make a list of the content gaps
Add new things where there are gaps
Pay attention to content
Pay attention to medium

8 Media for Staying Current

#1: Print Journals
Benefits of Print
Information vetted by editors
Wide variety to choose from
You can read it in bed or the bathtub and not get electrocuted.
Can subscribe or access in library database
Pitfalls of Print
Information is weeks or months old at publica tion

Some Print Journals
American Libraries (monthly, free w/ ALA membership)
Children and Libraries (3x year, free w/ ALSC membership)
College and Resesarch Libraries (bi-monthly, free w/ ACRL membership)
Computers in Libraries (monthly)
Library Administration and Management (quarterly, free to LAMA members)‏
Library Journal (monthly)

Some More Print Journals
ONLINE Magazine (bi-monthly)‏
Public Libraries (bi-monthly, free w/ PLA membership)
Reference and User Services Quarterly (quarterly, free w/ RUSA membership)‏
Searcher Magazine (monthly)
Young Adult Library Services (quarterly, free w/ YALSA membership)‏
More ALA journals: http://www.ala.org/ala/alalibrary/alaperiodicals/alaperiodicals.cfm
More ITI journals: http://www.infotoday.com/periodicals.shtml

#2: Email Listservs
Benefits of Listservs
Frequent, ongoing discussion
Multiple voices
Information is pushed to you
Pitfalls of Listservs
Sometimes overwhelming to the inbox
Ebb and flow of info
Scattershot coverage of issues

Some Email Listservs
ChildLit : children's literature
CircPlus : circulation and access issues
Electronic Resources in Libraries : eResources
LibRef-L : library reference issues
OSS4Lib : open source software in libraries
PubLib : public library issues
Web4Lib : web services in libraries
List of ALA Mailing lists : Buildings, Cataloging, Collections, Info Literacy, Intellectual Freedom, Management,Tech, etc.

#3: Online Newsletters
Benefits of Newsletters
Sent frequently, info is up to date
For most, can receive via email or RSS
Information is pushed to you
Pitfalls of Newsletters
Sometimes overwhelming in number
Frequent need for content = sometimes not so great content

Some Online Newsletters
American Libraries Direct : for ALA members, weekly, library news and ALA info
CLIR Issues : reports and resources about digital libraries and library preservation
Current Cites : annotated bibliographies of recent resources about IT and libraries
D-Lib Magazine : digital library research and development
EDUCAUSE Newsletters : higher education meets IT

Some More Online Newsletters
Google Librarian Newsletter : about Google services, this newsletter has not been updated in a while.
INFOMINE : new resources alert service
Internet Resources Newsletter : from the UK, captures sites other newsletters miss
Internet Scout Project Report Newsletter : weekly publication focused on online reference sources
Library Journal’s Academic Newswire : updates about academic librarianship
Library Worklife : library human resources newsletter

Even More Online Newsletters
Library Link of the Day : one daily library news story in your inbox
LII New This Week : weekly updates with new resources
LLRX : updates on new articles posted to the site
Newslink : weekly newsletter from Information Today with news about the information industry
TechSoup By the Cup : IT and web services issues
WebJunction’s Crossroads Newsletter : general library newsletter delivered once a month

#4: Live Online Learning
Benefits of LOL
In-depth treatment of a subject by an expert
Can access from your desk
Archived sessions available
Pitfalls of LOL
Infrequent
Topics not always what you are interested in

Some Live Online Learning Sources
College of DuPage Library Learning Network (costs for live and archived teleconferences, DVDs, etc.)‏
Online Programming for All Libraries (free)‏
SirsiDynix Institute (free)‏
WebJunction Learning Webinars (free)
Infopeople Webcasts (free archived webcasts only)‏
Consider distance learning opportunities from LIS schools!

#5: eJournals
Benefits of eJournals
Sometimes free
More timely than print journals
Pitfalls of eJournals
Generally not peer-reviewed

Some eJournals
Ariadne : digital library issues
D-Lib Magazine : digital special collections
First Monday : general Internet issues
Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship
Journal of the Medical Library Association
KnowledgeQuest : media and school librarianship
Law Library Journal

#6: Blogs
Benefits of Blogs
Free
Daily and extremely current
Wide variety of topics
Many encourage conversation through comments
Pitfalls of Blogs
Some great, some awful

Some Reference Blogs
The Annoyed Librarian
Blog of a Bookslut
Digital Reference
Peter Scott's Library Blog
ResearchBuzz
ResourceShelf

Some Technology Blogs
ALA TechSource
BBC Tech News
BlogWithoutALibrary.net
John Blyberg's Blog
Search Engine Watch
The Shifted Librarian
Tame the Web
Walking Paper

Some Youth Services Blogs
Game On: Games in Libraries
Homeschooling and Libraries
Kids Lit
Read Roger: Hornbook Editor's Rants & Raves
Tiny Little Librarian

Some Management Blogs
Ann Arbor District Library's Director's Blog
Lorcan Dempsey's Weblog
The “M” Word: Marketing for Libraries
She Said / He Said
Thoughts from a Library Administrator

Some Blogs for Everybody
Beyond the Job
LIS News
Librarian in Black
Librarian.net
The Shifted Librarian
Stephen's Lighthouse
Top 25 Librarian Bloggers from the OEDB
List of all official ALA blogs
LibDex: library and librarian blogs

#7: Library Social Networks
Benefits of Library Social Networks
Frequent, ongoing discussion
Multiple voices
Pitfalls of Library Social Networks
Can become extremely overwhelming if overly active
“ Communities” can be exclusionary

Some Library Social Networks
Facebook
Collections 2.0
Internet Public Library
NexGen Librarians
REFORMA
WebJunction
Flickr
Libraries and Librarians
Library Signage

Some More Library Social Networks
Meebo
Library Society of the World Room
Ning
American Library Association
Librarian Bloggers
Librarians
Library 2.o
Second Life Librarians
Young New Librarians

#8: Podcasts
Benefits of Podcasts
Delivered to your account
Can listen almost anywhere
Pitfalls of Podcasts
Audio not always the best venue for resource-sharing
Audio-only not the best learning-strategy for all

Some Podcasts
LibVibe : weekly library news podcast
LITA podcast series : tech topics
PLA Blog podcasts : public library topics
Talking with Talis : Web 2.0 and libraries
YALSA podcasts : youth services topics

#9: Other Sites to Pay Attention To
Benefits of Other Sites
Variety!
Pitfalls of Other Sites
Variety!
Information not always available via RSS or email, so requires frequent check-backs

Some Other Sites to Pay Attention To
American Library Association and divisions
E-LIS : open access repository for library and information science research and resources.
Librarian and Library Google Groups
Librarian and Library Yahoo! Groups
Library Success Wiki : examples of everything
Neat New Stuff on the Net : annotated list of free online reference sites, chosen by Marylaine Block (no alerts)‏

Some Tools to Aid Your Progress

Using Email
Filter listserv messages into separate folders
Flag or otherwise label items for follow-up
Don't let things clog up the inbox – 20 messages or less at any given time

Using RSS
Use Bloglines or Google Reader
Review RSS feeds available on favorite sites and blogs (library and non-library)‏
Review daily, or at least weekly (if only a few)‏
Flag and file items for follow-up
Periodically weed feeds

Bookmarking Tools
Organize Your Favorite Sites: Keep a current list of favorites in your web browser in folders.
Adding New Sites: When you find a new site/resource that you like, add it immediately.
Social Bookmarking: Tagged favorites accessible from anywhere.
del.icio.us
Furl
MyBookmarks.com

iGoogle

My Yahoo!

Of all the types of resources we covered, which ones sound interesting to you? Print journals, email listservs, online newsletters, live online learning, eJournals, blogs, social networks, podcasts, “other sites,” + tools

Further Resources
"15 Minutes a Day: A Personal Learning Management
Strategy" by Stephen Abram (from Information Outlook )‏
“Strategies for keeping Current” by Roy Tennant (from Library Journal )
Steven Bell’s Keeping Up Site

Dealing with Information Overload

What does “Information Overload” mean to you?

“ 'We have become far more proficient in generating information than we are in managing it, and we have also built technology that easily allows us to create new information without human intervention.” ~Jonathan B. Spira

10 Tips for Dealing with Information Overload

#1: General Organization
Inventory your input
Inventory your devices
Study the topic
Think before sending something
Schedule yourself (inc. unscheduled work)‏
Use downtime
Stay neat
Keep a master waiting list

#2: Filter Your Input
Weed, weed, and weed again
Teach others communication etiquette
Schedule unplugged times
Unplug at will

#3: Techniques for RSS Overload
Use RSS when applicable
Use RSS to send you reminders
Limit your feeds
Organize your feeds

#4: Interruptive Technology Techniques
Phones, text messaging, IM, Twitter
Use these technologies when appropriate
Check when you want to
Don't interrupt yourself
Use your status message well
Lobby for IM in the workplace

#5: Phone Overload Techniques
Use the phone when appropriate
Turn it off
Keep your number private
Let it ring
Work = work, home=home

#6: Email Overload Techniques
Stop “Doing Email”
Start scheduling email scanning time
Use email when appropriate
Deal with email by subject
Keep your inbox nearly empty
Filter your messages
Limit listservs
Follow good email etiquette
Delete and archive
Work=work, home=home

#7: Print Media Techniques
Just because you can touch it, doesn't mean you should keep it
Cancel, cancel, cancel (CatalogChoice.org)‏
Weed what you do have

#8: Multimedia Overload Techniques
Choose entertainment thoughtfully
Limit television viewing
Use your commute to your benefit

#9: Social Network Overload Techniques
Schedule time on your networks
Pick a primary network and point other sites toward it
Limit your “in-network IM”

#10: Time/Stress Management Techniques
Use your calendar (!)‏
Take breaks
Eliminate stressful interruptions
Look for software help
Balance your life and work to your own liking, not your boss's or spouse's

Above all else, breathe.

Further Resources
“ Being Wired or Being Tired: 10 Ways to Cope with Information Overload” by Sarah Houghton-Jan (from Ariadne )‏
"How to Stop Your Inbox Exploding" by Cory Doctorow
Information Overload: We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us by Jonathan B. Spira

Questions? Sarah Houghton-Jan email: LibrarianInBlack@gmail.com im: LibrarianInBlack web: www.LibrarianInBlack.net Skype: LibrairanInBlack Facebook: facebook.com/librarianinblack Facebook: facebook.com/librarianinblack Facebook: facebook.com/librarianinblack

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Methods For Staying Current and Dealing with Information Overload

by Sarah Houghton on Apr 08, 2009

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