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