BFI Reuben Library

In the name of Chartership I've been following my mentors wise words and trying to get experience of libraries outside the academic sector. I was fortunate that CILIP CIG were running a visit to the BFI Reuben Library in London and so I tagged along.

Our visit started with a quick tour of the library and it's facilities. Housed in a light and airy reading room on the South Bank, the library is very welcoming and provides a nice contrast to the hustle and bustle outside. The library has only been in it's current location for a short  time, having previously been housed at a number of sites across London. The BFI itself was established in 1934 and now has the world's largest collection of written material on film and television. The library also has access to a large archive and special collections section, which relies mainly on donations. Although the collection includes international material there is an obvious British focus.

The library itself is very much focused on keeping hard copies of the material that they offer, something I've seen other libraries shifting away from. They want to provide a place where users can read around a topic, as well as having access to some of the primary film and television material. One of the most frequently asked questions at the BFI is whether they can make some of the footage that they hold available online but there are many complicated copyright issues around doing this. This is something that I think users often fail to understand across all libraries - I know I spend quite a lot of time trying to explain why things can't be scanned or photocopied in excess!

The library has several digitisation projects. It has digitised 4.1 million press cuttings dating from 1935-2010 and made these available on an on-house database (for copyright reasons). These are intended as a primary source for researchers who can see the popular opinions of films from when they were actually released (some are less than complimentary!). This resource is extremely popular with both students and journalists. I've always been somewhat on the fence about digitisation in that sometimes I think libraries just rush to digitise things for the sake of it. However I think that this project is wonderful and a great asset to the library. The library also holds a number of items that are only available as microforms and there are plans to digitise these in the future.

The staff were keen to stress that the resources in the library are not purely of interest to those researching film but also to social history researchers. Resources like the above mentioned reviews, interviews with people in the industry and magazines from the time can all help researchers to discover more about 'real life' in the past rather than just the big moments in history. They can see the film making process through multiple eyes - that of the actor, director or critic. For example, scripts with notations made in a margin will tell you more about the creative process than a textbook ever could. The collection also showcases how companies used to market their films, which again will be of interest of those studying marketing as well as film. I've worked on a project with similar material and so this is something I can relate to. I catalogued nineteenth century ephemera which had previously been dismissed but to today's researchers provides a valuable archive of social history material.

The BFI library used to be for member use only but is now free for anyone to use. Although the library ask for study space to be reserved people are free to come in and browse the latest industry journals or magazines. People often visit the BFI to see a film and then stop in to read the biography of the leading actor. The library also tries to maintain an active outreach program connected with events and film showings at the BFI. The BFI Reuben Library is an undiscovered gem and I would recommend a visit to anyone interested in any aspect of film, television or social history.

Image credit: dalcrose via Flickr

CambridgeRDA

Any cataloguers out there will know that there has recently been a transition to a new cataloguing standard - RDA (Resource, Description and Access). I work at Cambridge University Library which has been using RDA since it's introduction at the beginning of April. This has been an interesting time for us and although it's been hard work I've enjoyed learning something new.

 

Before Cambridge began using RDA, cataloguers had to undertake some intensive training, including the theoretical background (FRBR), RDA basics and hands-on practical sessions. This training has recently been made available as a creative commons licensed resource on the CambridgeRDA site (which I'm happy to say I had a small hand in creating). Resources on the site include recorded Powerpoint presentations with audio and practical exercises. We hope that it will be useful to people who are currently putting together training programmes for their own staff or those that just want to know a little more about RDA.

CILIP Cataloguing and Indexing Group have also put together a list of other available RDA training that people might find useful. This can be found here.

I hope that these resources are useful to people, and if people know of any more then please leave me a comment. I think that there are a lot of really useful materials and discussions available out there about RDA and hopefully the cooperative nature of cataloguers will mean that we can make the transition as smooth as possible!



Networking for the Underconnected

Following on from my post about my lack of public speaking skills, I've decided that one of my Chartership goals is going to be improving my ability to network.

Networking is not a word that I've ever felt comfortable with. I'm a shy person by nature and the idea of 'working a room' is just not something that has ever appealed. However, I understand the value of having a network of people that you can turn to for professional advice so I've dusted off my LinkedIn profile and am attempting to be more proactive when I go to events from now on.

Naturally, first I did some background reading on effective networking (well, I do work in a huge library!). A lot of the information out there is geared towards using networking to get a new job or grow your business but I did find some tips that could be useful:

• it's important to remember that networking doesn't have to be scary. We all network every day, we just don't call it that. How many times have you gone to a restaurant or called a plummer based on a recommendation? This is a form of networking even though most people don't see it that way. By networking you are making yourself and what you do known to people. In the future these people might think of you and recommend you to someone else based on your skills

• you need to be yourself when networking. There has been a lot of talk (both good and bad) about having a personal brand but however you feel about this it's important to remember that trying to be someone you're not is very hard work. It's much easier to build up a rapport with people if you're being yourself, both online and offline

• you can't underestimate the importance of a good 'elevator pitch'. This is a short couple of sentences that sum up what you do and why you're good at it. Elevator pitches can also be used to make eyecatching headlines on LinkedIn. I've put mine below:

Working in cataloguing means that I get to help users access the knowledge of the library. I really enjoy organising all the information that the library has and presenting it in a user friendly way, whilst the range of material means I never know what the day will bring

• introverts work better if they have time to prepare before a networking event. They also benefit from having breaks during an event. You don't have to be actively networking all of the time - take yourself off to check your messages, or step outside for some fresh air. This will help you not to feel too overwhelmed and come back to the event ready to network

• instead of worrying about people saying no to you when you're networking, think about the consequences of them saying yes - focusing on something positive helps you to project a positive attitude which others will respond to. And remember that if they do say no, it's not the end of the world!

• LinkedIn and similar sites can be useful when trying to build a network, especially if the idea of face-to-face contact intimidates you. One of the best ways to build a network on LinkedIn is to join some groups that are relevant to your professional interests and then be active within them. I must admit that this is something I've struggled with in the past, I tend to join a group then sort of forget about it! From now on I'm taking my own advice and hope to make more of an effort to participate

• if it's appropriate, link your other social media presences to LinkedIn. This gives you a chance to show your expertise in an area, for example through a work blog, and allows people to find you around the web. The big limitation on this is to make sure that what you are sharing reflects well on the image of yourself that you want to project, so don't link anything that you don't want associated with your professional identity
• remember that networking is an ongoing process not just something that you do at specific networking events. It's important to keep up with your connections, even if only by 'liking' something that they have done online. Networking is a two-way process and if you help people as and when you are able to they are more likely to return the favour in future

One of the books I found most useful was "Networking for People who Hate Networking", which is geared towards introverts like me. I had always assumed that you had to be outgoing to make the most of networking but this book shows that this isn't always true; it helps but it's not essential. The key to being an introverted networker is to take time out to prepare and think. I'm always more comfortable in situations where I can think things through in advance so this idea really appealled to me.

Finally the most important thing to remember about networking is that not everyone will do it the same way, for example introverts and extroverts will be completely different. Look around, read some blogs/books and take the advice that works for you, not necessarily what works for everyone else!

Bibliography:

Networking for People who Hate Networking : a Field Guide for Introverts, the Overwhelmed and the Underconnected / Devora Zack
The Reluctant Networker / Neil Munz-Jones
LinkedIn Made Easy: Business Social Networking Simplified / Linda Parkinson-Hardman

Photo credits: jairoagua via Flickr ; book cover (with permission)

TWI Library

I've just started the CILIP Chartership process and one of my aims is to explore the information world beyond academic libraries. I have some visits lined up over the next few months but I began last week with a visit to the library at TWI. TWI is, in its own words:

a global leader in technology engineering providing research and consultancy to its members

My tour began with an introduction to the information services section at TWI. Linda Dumper, the manager of the section, talked to me about one of her main responsibilities - copyright. The only thing that I really know about copyright is how much photocopying of material students are limited to so it was interesting to find out about another side of the issue. The research that happens at TWI obviously produces a wealth of information in the form of reports and papers. The information services section needs to make sure that not only do the authors of these reports respect the copyright of others but that copyright can be retained for any staff papers submitted to conferences or journals. Retaining the copyright for its research means that TWI can continue to provide the best service to its members. Linda also provides copyright training for staff and members, ensuring that the correct practises are followed.

Joanne Cooper and Catherine Foley gave me a tour of the library. Open to staff, members of the organisation and the public, the library provides the traditional information services that I am used to. In addition the library provides a document delivery service to its users, sending out copies of journal articles and other information. Engineering standards are an important part of the service offering of the library and they maintain an up to date selection for easy staff access. Materials are classified using an in-house system, much the same as my workplace uses. Items are classified by subject and then chronologically within that subject meaning that staff develop a thorough working knowledge of the collection and the subject. The library also maintains an industry news service with different staff taking responsibility for particular subject areas within engineering. As well as providing a valuable service to users this enables staff to develop a specialist knowledge of an area. This is a definite contrast to my work as a cataloguer which means that I have to know a little something about a lot rather than a lot about a specialised area.

Lee Pretlove talked to me about archives and records management. The research that takes place at TWI obviously produces a wealth of documents which need to be stored and and increasingly this is done electronically. There is an overlap between the records management process and traditional library services, which means that colleagues get to collaborate. Lee also talked about the need to establish a retention schedule for documents. Some of the research conducted at TWI is funded by grants which stipulate that the resulting reports have to be kept for a set period, but it is important to have a clearly defined retention policy for all documents. Good records management makes it possible to supply documents to users in a timely manner which reflects well on the information service. This process is also useful for staff who need to know where to find documents quickly and easily. To be a cataloguer I think you need to have quite an organised way of thinking so all this discussion of records management struck a chord with me!

Maggie Larbey gave me a tour of the MI-21 database of welding consumables, an important service provided by the information department. As well as being an excellent source of advice on which materials to use during the welding process, the database takes information previously only available in hard copy and creates a fully searchable electronic interface. Users can search by type and property in order to find the most suitable consumable for their need. The database is keyword searchable and provides links to further information. One of the things that I liked most about the database was that it covered both old and new materials. This is especially useful if repairing an old structure where older materials are hard to come by since the database can recommend equivalent modern products. The database also allows users to build comparison tables for inclusion in reports, a very useful feature which must save a lot of time.

Lastly, Margaret Connell showed me the Weldasearch bibliographic database. This database contains abstracts of over two hundred thousand articles of relevance to TWI users, with approximately four hundred added every month. The team, comprised of internal employees and external abstractors, search journals and the web in order to find items of interest. Abstracts are produced from either the article itself or an existing abstract and are edited to ensure consistency. Keywords are then indexed using the International Institute of Welding thesaurus. The database is updated once a month with a range of items which appeal to different segments of the user population and users can set up alerts to receive updates on areas that are of interest to them. This is something which I would I like to be involved in if I worked in a more specialised library but would be impossible with the range of materials my workplace receives under legal deposit.

It was fascinating to see a specialised library in action and my visit has given me a new appreciation of the varied range of tasks that they carry out. At the same time I can see similarities with the way that we operate in an academic library - we are both focused on the user and try to present a variety of information in easily digestible formats. Of course, I would hope that the above is true of all library services!

Many thanks to the staff at TWI Information Services for an informative and interesting visit.

Measuring the Impact of Social Media Marketing in Libraries

One of the reasons that this blog has been so quiet recently is that I've been working on my MSc dissertation. I'm pleased to say that barring a few last minute tweaks it's complete! 

The topic of my dissertation is the title of this post. I've been interested in social media use in libraries ever since I took part in Cam23 and I've come across a lot of institutions that use the tools. It came as a little bit of a shock then to find out that few places have an evaluation strategy in place when it comes to their social media initiatives. Some places make a token effort to count the number of 'likes' a post has on Facebook or the amount of times that something gets retweeted, but few look beyond this. My research was concerned with delving a little deeper and exploring whether social media use was having an impact on library users, good or bad.

I won't go into detail with the results here but below is an image of a poster that I presented at the recent libraries @ cambridge conference which summarieses the main findings:

Measuring the Impact of Social Media Marketing in Libraries by Claire Sewell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

I'm not claiming that my research is brilliant or foolproof (far from it!) but I think this an interesting area which more libraries need to explore. If you actually ask your users what they like/don't like about social media you might get some interesting answers. You might find out that your users really like your Twitter feed even if you don't get many retweeets, or that your Facebook 'likes' don't really count for much. If you rely on usage statistics alone then you could be misled.

It seems to me that a lot of librarians are having trouble convincing their managers that social media is really worth their time. Although impact is a notoriously tricky thing to measure, if you can come up with some user based evidence then you will have something concrete to show your managers next time they ask why you should be wasting time on social media!

Libraries@Cambridge Conference 2013

The theme of this years conference was 'Making an Impact', something which I have been interested in since conducting research into impact for my MSc dissertation. I should add for anyone who read my blog on last years conference that this post will not be as controversial! I'm just going to focus on a few of the points that I found really relevant in the keynote sessions. For a full report of the day, see the official conference blog which has a report on each session.

Liz Jolly gave the first of the two keynote sessions. One of the points that she highlighted was that although as a sector we are good at measuring things, we need to make sure that we are doing this for the right reasons. This is something that I've come across a lot in my own research. Libraries tend to have all manner of usage statistics but do we actually use them effectively or do we just compile them for the sake of it? Liz talked about the importance of effective benchmarking and setting our measurements in context. This last point is particularly important as we should be measuring how we align our work with the goals of our institutions if we want to prove our worth.

This is something that I've often thought about with cataloguing. I know that to some we are a dying species but I think that a strong cataloguing department is essential to the smooth running of a library. The main problem is how to get this message across. There is lots of talk at the moment about how important the student experience is and I think that cataloguers need to make the point that even if we are in the back office, what we do is actually a very important user service. Without proper cataloguing our users will have trouble finding the resources that they need - isn't this one of the most important parts of serving library users?

Liz also talked about the importance of advocating what we do to our colleagues and users. She stressed that we need to make it clear that professional bodies such as CILIP are learning organisations and we are using membership to develop ourselves, hopefully leading to better service. This is something that was mentioned at the recent CILIP CIG conference where presentations highlighted the importance of getting involved with the library outside your own department. Liz talked about going to where our colleagues are and learning to speak their language, something which I think is important. We need to stop seeing our departments as isolated units and learn to work together and promoting ourselves to our colleagues is one way of doing this.

The second keynote presentation was given by Dave Patten and Graham Stone who talked about the Library Impact Data Project. The project is attempting to establish a link between library use and final degree level - something which is really interesting to a lot of librarians! Phase two of the project is more focused, looking at off campus resource usage, hours spent logged in and overnight use amongst other things. The results so far are really interesting, for example showing that mature students (anyone over 21!!) tend to use resources more than their younger counterparts. Dave and Graham have also broken down usage by ethnicity and country leading to some surprising results which need further investigation. The presenters made the point that even if some of the results that they are producing seem to be common sense, having actual evidence of the impact of the library should not be underestimated. Demonstrating the value for money that the library can bring to the student experience is vitally important - especially in the light of the current financial climate. This is an issue that I have seen raised many times in the course of my research on impact and I'm glad to see that someone has taken this further and is producing some quantifiable evidence.

Even though the issue of impact has been raised in the profession many times before I don't think that being reminded of it is a bad thing. It's important that we don't become complacent and continue to find new and innovative ways of demonstrating the difference that we make to our users and colleagues, whichever part of the library that we work in.

The conference was as usual really though provoking and provided the opportunity to meet up with colleagues who may work in the same city but don't always have time to get together. Roll on libraries @ Cambridge 2014!

photo credit: Vermin Inc via photopin cc

Public Speaking for the Terrified!

Anyone who knows me in real life will know that I am not what you would call a natural public speaker. The thought of standing up in front of more than two people terrifies me to my very core, never mind having to sound intelligent in front of a room full of every librarian in my organisation! So when I was asked to be part of a panel discussion at yesterday's libraries @ cambridge conference I said yes with more than a little trepidation. However if 2013 is going to be my Chartership year I had better learn how to push my boundaries and there's nothing like jumping in at the deep end!

Having never done anything like this before I did what any good librarian in this situation would do - I started to research tips on how to be part of a conference panel. I found a couple of reassuring resources but most focused on how to chair a panel discussion rather than how to be part of it, so I thought I would use this post to share a couple of tips for other first timers:

• remember that you have been asked to contribute, so someone thinks you know what you're talking about even if you're less than confident. You must have done something to make them think this so try not to stress too much about how little you (think you) know about the topic
• try not to over prepare (also advice I give to people attending job interviews). It's a must to do some preparation but don't over think it. Have a list of bullet points rather than a totally planned speech which can sound a bit robotic 
• on the flip side, don't go in totally unprepared. Meet up with your fellow panelists and talk about areas you think might come up. You could even assign areas to talk about, giving you a chance to feel a bit more prepared on a smaller slice of the overall topic
• remember to talk to the audience not just your fellow panelists, especially if you're responding to an audience question. And don't do that thing where you imagine the audience naked - never a pretty image!
• at least attempt to look like you're enjoying yourself, even if you're not. Remember the conferences that you have attended where the presenter has looked totally bored and you have tuned out as a result? If you don't look interested in what's happening then the audience definitely won't be
• be yourself, in terms of both personality and dressing. Dress smartly but comfortably rather than trying to 'dress to impress'. If you wear something you're not used to then you will feel uncomfortable, which means that you will look uncomfortable
• don't give long-winded and technical answers. People will tune out. Remember a really bad panel session that you have been to where you understood nothing? Don't copy that
• the audience is not out to get you or trip you up with horrible questions, they're probably just glad it's not them on that stage! If you do get asked a question it's because you made enough of an impact with that person that they felt they needed to respond. If you don't know the answer then say so, you can always look into it and follow it up later. No one is expecting you to have all the answers
• if you have a last minute panic and end up rocking in a corner before the session remember that it's only an hour out of your life. Try to think of it as a conversation with other people interested in the topic rather than a scary experience (something else which works for me in job interviews). Audience members wouldn't be there in the first place if they weren't interested in what you have to say!

Being involved in a panel discussion is a way to ease yourself into public speaking. You're not up there on your own giving a paper and you can share the responsibility for questions with others meaning that you're not totally put on the spot. Taking part in a conference is a great opportunity and will look good on your CV in what is an increasingly competitive job market. It might take a lot of convincing (never mind a couple of stiff drinks) to get you up there but I promise that it will be worth it in the end. If all else fails remember that if I can do it, so can you!

photo credit: www.audio-luci-store.it via photopin cc