This document discusses how online collaborative spaces can help libraries overcome budget constraints and time pressures that prevent in-person collaboration. It notes that multiple organizations sometimes duplicate efforts due to a lack of collaboration. The solution presented is online spaces that allow libraries to hold online seminars, discussions, and learning communities. These spaces ensure all relevant parties can participate and are a necessity as travel is difficult. Key takeaways emphasize the importance of bringing all the right people together and that online spaces allow hearing what is being said everywhere. The document encourages participants to recommend collaborative spaces and opportunities.

1. Stepping Out of the Vacuum
without Leaving Your Desk
Laura Nicole Warren, Libraries Thriving Coordinator
Library 2.012 Worldwide Virtual Conference
Thursday, October 4, 2012

2. So Much Information, So Little
Time
Follow (and Click) Along:
@LibsThriving or
@credoreference

3. The Given:
Collaboration is a Must
“…multiple organizations sometimes work separately to
accomplish the same purposes of preserving, archiving, and
disseminating print and born digital materials, raising
problems with duplication, overlap, and unnecessary
expenses” (Cadmus, 2011)

4. The Problem:
We Can’t Leave Our Desks
1. Shrinking Travel Budgets

5. The Problem:
We Can’t Leave Our Desks
1. Shrinking Travel Budgets
2. Increasing Daily
Responsibilities

6. The Solution:
Online Collaborative Spaces

7. The Solution:
Online Collaborative Spaces
Online
Seminars

8. The Solution:
Online Collaborative Spaces
Online Discussion
Seminars Forums

9. The Solution:
Online Collaborative Spaces
Online Discussion Learning
Seminars Forums Communities

10. The Key Takeaways
“None of us can know everything; each of us knows
something; and we can put the pieces together if we pool
our resources and combine our skills.”
-Henry Jenkins, Principal Investigator, New Media Literacies Project
“[Online collaborative spaces are important because they
ensure that you] have all of the right people sitting at the
table.”
-Sandra Hirsh, Director, San Jose State University School of Library and Information
Science
“[Online collaborative spaces] are a necessity as it’s very
difficult to go everywhere to hear everything that’s being
said.”
-Sarah Murray, Database Librarian, The American University of Paris

11. Let’s keep the
Thank You conversation going!
-What online collaborative spaces would
you recommend to your ERL colleagues?
-What specific online collaborative
opportunities would you add to this list?
www.librariesthriving.org

12. References
American Library Association. (2012). The 2012 state of american
libraries. Retrieved fromhttp://www.ala.org/news/mediapressc
enter/americaslibraries/soal2012
Bell, S.J. (2005). Creating community online. American Libraries,
36(4), 68-71. Retrieved from http://libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login
?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=l
lf&AN=502951328&site=ehost-live
Cadmus, F. (2011). Things in common: Challenges of the 19th and
21st century librarians. Librarian Scholarship Series. Retrieved from
http://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/ylss/8

13. References Continued
Cooke, N. A. (2012). Professional development 2.0: Developing
an online personal learning network. Library Hi Tech News,
29, 1-9. doi 10.1108/07419051211241840
Information Today, Inc. (2012). The digital squeeze: Libraries at
the crossroads. Retrieved from http://libraryresource.onl
ineinc.com/Downloads/ResearchReports
United States Department of Labor. (2012). Librarians.
Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved from http://www.
bls.gov/ooh/EducationTrainingandLibrary/Librarians.htm#tab6