Tag: OLJ

ETL401 Blog Task 1: The role of the TL in schools

The role of the teacher librarian (TL) can broadly be understood by looking at the elements of:

  • Who we are
  • Where we are
  • What we need to know and
  • What we need to do.

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Who we are

To misquote Karl Menninger “What the teacher (librarian) is, is more important than what he teaches.” (“Karl A. Menninger Quote,” n.d.).  It is the way in which individuals fulfil their role as TL that defines how both the profession and the individual is viewed. Aspects of this include strength of character (Bonanno, 2011), communication, cooperation, collaboration, interaction and relationships with those they come in contact with including students, teachers, principals and other members of the school community (Bonanno, 2011; Farmer, 2007; Gong, 2013; Lamb & Johnson, 2004a; Morris & Packard, 2007; Oberg, 2006, 2007; Valenza, 2010).  Being a positive role model as a life long learner, inquirer and innovator with impeccable honesty and ethics is considered to be at the basis of who a TL is (Farmer, 2007; Lamb & Johnson, 2004b; Oberg, 2006; Valenza, 2010). Drawing from research in the corporate world, it would appear that likeability is more important than competence in fostering collaboration and working relationships (Casciaro & Lobo, 2005).

Where we are

The context within which the TL operates cannot be ignored (Bonanno, 2011; Morris & Packard, 2007).  This includes the national educational or LIS (Library Information Science) ideology or systems and the background and personal experiences of all the school library stakeholders. Even within the relatively homogenous environment of a single country and culture, differences exist from school to school while in the context of an International school this can be amplified (Tilke, 2009).

When looking at the literature on school libraries in less developed economies, with single textbook, chalk and talk teaching methods, where there is an absence of policy and research, lack of specialist staff in either the teaching or librarian sphere, and a weak or neglected presence in the information society, (Abdullahi, 2009; Alomran, 2009; Odongo, 2009; Rengifo, 2009) the old Persian proverb “I cried because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet” rings true.

What we need to know

The TL is expected to be a specialist both in teaching and in LIS. They need to combine knowledge, skills and experience in collection and resource management, information literacy, technology integration, curriculum and learning (Herring, 2007; Kaplan, 2007; O’Connell, 2012, 2014; Purcell, 2010; Valenza, 2010a). Various national and international professional organisations attempt to codify the skills and knowledge required in their standards and benchmarks for school librarians and set aspirational standards of excellence (ASLA, n.d.; “Australian School Library Association,” n.d., “International Association of School Librarianship – IASL,” n.d., “SLASA School Library Association of SA,” n.d.; IFLA, n.d.; Kaplan, 2007).

What we need to do

The core of what the TL does is advance school goals in an evidence based and accountable manner (Everhart, 2006; Farmer, 2007; Lamb & Johnson, 2004a; Oberg, 2002; R. Todd, 2003; R. J. Todd, 2007). The principal way in which these goals are achieved is through teaching and collaborating with other teachers (Herring, 2007; Purcell, 2010; Valenza, 2010). In addition, TLs managing people, resources and facilities (Everhart, 2006; Farmer, 2007; Tilke, 2009; Valenza, 2010).

In conclusion, the role of the TL is multi-faceted and dynamic as it continually adapts to the environment.   In each of our individual contexts it is worth taking heed of S.I. Hayakawa’s comment that “Good teachers never teach anything. What they do is create the conditions under which learning takes place.”  Those conditions are a combination of attitude, knowledge, skills and actions.

References

Abdullahi, I. (Ed.). (2009). Global library and information science: a textbook for students and educators: with contributions from Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, and North America. München: K.G. Saur.

Alomran, H. I. (2009). Middle East: School libraries. In I. Abdullahi (Ed.), Global library and information science: a textbook for students and educators: with contributions from Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, and North America (pp. 467–473). München: K.G. Saur.

ASLA. (n.d.). Standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians. Retrieved November 26, 2014, from http://www.asla.org.au/policy/standards.aspx

Australian School Library Association. (n.d.). Retrieved December 6, 2014, from http://www.asla.org.au/

Bonanno, K. (2011). A profession at the tipping point: Time to change the game plan. Keynote speaker: ASLA 2011 [Vimeo]. Retrieved December 4, 2014, from https://vimeo.com/31003940

Casciaro, T., & Lobo, M. S. (2005). Competent Jerks, Lovable Fools, and the Formation of Social Networks. Harvard Business Review, 83(6), 92–100. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2005/06/competent-jerks-lovable-fools-and-the-formation-of-social-networks/ar/1

Everhart, N. (2006). Principals’ Evaluation of School Librarians: A Study of Strategic and Nonstrategic Evidence-based Approaches. School Libraries Worldwide, 12(2), 38–51. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lih&AN=24234089&site=ehost-live

Farmer, L. (2007). Principals: Catalysts for Collaboration. School Libraries Worldwide, 13(1), 56–65. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lih&AN=25545935&site=ehost-live

Gong, L. (2013). Technicality, humanity and spirituality – 3-dimensional proactive library service toward lifelong learning. Presented at the LIANZA Conference, Hamilton, New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.lianza.org.nz/sites/default/files/Lidu%20Gong%20-%20Technicality%20humanity%20and%20spirituality%20-%203%20dimensional%20proactive%20library%20service%20toward%20lifelong%20learning.pdf

Herring, J. E. (2007). Teacher librarians and the school library. In S. Ferguson (Ed.), Libraries in the twenty-first century : charting new directions in information (pp. 27–42). Wagga Wagga, N.S.W: Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.

IFLA. (n.d.). IFLA/UNESCO School Library Manifesto. Retrieved November 26, 2014, from http://archive.ifla.org/VII/s11/pubs/manifest.htm

International Association of School Librarianship – IASL. (n.d.). Retrieved November 26, 2014, from http://www.iasl-online.org/about/handbook/policysl.html

Kaplan, A. G. (2007). Is Your School Librarian “Highly Qualified”? Phi Delta Kappan, 89(4), 300–303. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=27757339&site=ehost-live

Karl A. Menninger Quote. (n.d.). Retrieved December 6, 2014, from http://izquotes.com/quote/290881

Lamb, A., & Johnson, L. (2004a, 2014). Library Media Program: Accountability. Retrieved November 25, 2014, from http://eduscapes.com/sms/program/accountability.html

Lamb, A., & Johnson, L. (2004b, 2014). Library Media Program: Evaluation. Retrieved November 25, 2014, from http://eduscapes.com/sms/program/evaluation.html

Morris, B. J., & Packard, A. (2007). The Principal’s Support of Classroom Teacher-Media Specialist Collaboration. School Libraries Worldwide, 13(1), 36–55. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lih&AN=25545934&site=ehost-live

Oberg, D. (2002). Looking for the evidence: Do school libraries improve student achievement? School Libraries in Canada, 22(2), 10–13+. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/222527406?accountid=10344

Oberg, D. (2006). Developing the respect and support of school administrators. Teacher Librarian, 33(3), 13–18. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/224879111?accountid=10344

Oberg, D. (2007). Taking the Library Out of the Library into the School. School Libraries Worldwide, 13(2), i–ii. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lih&AN=28746574&site=ehost-live

O’Connell, J. (2012). So you think they can learn. Scan, 31(May), 5–11. Retrieved from http://heyjude.files.wordpress.com/2006/06/joc_scan_may-2012.pdf

O’Connell, J. (2014). Researcher’s Perspective: Is Teacher Librarianship in Crisis in Digital Environments? An Australian Perspective. School Libraries Worldwide, 20(1), 1–19. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1543805459?accountid=10344

Odongo, R. I. (2009). Africa: School Libraries. In I. Abdullahi (Ed.), Global library and information science: a textbook for students and educators: with contributions from Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, and North America (pp. 91–107). München: K.G. Saur.

Purcell, M. (2010). All Librarians Do Is Check Out Books, Right? A Look at the Roles of a School Library Media Specialist. Library Media Connection, 29(3), 30. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=55822153&site=ehost-live

Rengifo, M. G. (2009). Latin America: School Libraries. In I. Abdullahi (Ed.), Global library and information science: a textbook for students and educators: with contributions from Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, and North America. München: K.G. Saur.

SLASA School Library Association of SA. (n.d.). Retrieved November 26, 2014, from http://www.slasa.asn.au/Advocacy/rolestatement.html

Tilke, A. (2009, September). Factors affecting the impact of a library and information service on the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in an international school: A constructivist grounded theory approach. (A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy). Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, N.S.W.

Todd, R. (2003). Irrefutable evidence: how to prove you boost student achievement. (Cover Story). School Library Journal, 49(4), 52+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA100608794&v=2.1&u=csu_au&it=r&p=EAIM&sw=w&asid=194fea091c82b000bb3b69ca05004411

Todd, R. J. (2007). Evidenced-based practice and school libraries : from advocacy to action. In S. Hughes-Hassell & V. H. Harada (Eds.), School reform and the school library media  specialist (pp. 57–78). Westport, CY: Libraries Unlimited.

Valenza, J. (2010, December). A revised manifesto [Web Log]. Retrieved May 21, 2014, from http://blogs.slj.com/neverendingsearch/2010/12/03/a-revised-manifesto/

Image Credits:

Teamwork: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Working_Together_Teamwork_Puzzle_Concept.jpg

Heart: https://openclipart.org/detail/-by-pianobrad-137125

World map:  http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/World_Map_Icon.svg

Knowledge:  https://openclipart.org/image/300px/svg_to_png/184627/learn-icon.png

Module 6: INFORMATION POLICY – Identity, privacy, security and trust

Task
Explore some of these following readings regarding the issues of identity, privacy, security and trust:

De Rosa, C., Cantrell, J., Havens, A., Hawk, J. & Jenkins, L. (2007). Section 3: Privacy, Security    and Trust. In Sharing privacy and trust in our networked world: A report to the OCLC                membership. Dublin, Ohio: OCLC. [ebook]                                                        
   Available http://www.oclc.org/reports/pdfs/sharing_part3.pdf
Mallan, K. & Giardina, N. (2009). Wikidentities: Young people collaborating on virtual identities      in social network sites, First Monday, 14(6), 1 June. Available
   http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/viewArticle/2445/2213
Raynes-Goldie, K. (2010). Aliases, creeping, and wall cleaning: Understanding privacy in the age    of Facebook, First Monday, 15(1), 4 January.                                            
Pearson, J. (2009). Life as a dog: Personal identity and the internet. Meanjin, 68(2), 67-77.    
Davis, L. (2009). 8 tools to track your footprints on the Web, February 1. 

Based on your reading of three (3) of the above readings on issues related to online identity, privacy and/or trust. Think about online identity in relation to both individuals and organisations:
  • what is important in terms of how we present and manage those identities online?
  • what can we share and what should we retain as private to the online world?
Post a 350 word summary of important issues around online identity to your learning journal.

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Reading Module 6 this week comes at a very interesting time as it coincides with some real-life learning about the power of social media in Singapore where I live.  

To briefly summarise the case, a British Expatriate Banker, Anton Casey, made inappropriate and offensive comments relating to Singaporeans, in particular, poor Singaporeans on Facebook and on YouTube. These comments got out to the press, went viral and resulted in thousands of comments, police reports being filed, death threats to Mr. Casey, and ultimately resulted in him losing his job and having to leave Singapore. [Disclaimer – I think what he said is deplorable and casts a shadow over all expatriates in Singapore, however this is an exercise in Social Media safety not ethics or morality and will be discussed as such].

I’ll discuss each of the aspects of Identity, privacy, security and trust in turn, with reference to this case. However each of these are intimately related to the other, and none can be assumed.

Identity: Mr. Casey appears to be among the third of people who are “comfortable sharing their true personalities online as in person” (De Rosa, etal, 2007, p. 3-11) and based on hearsay had “the same personalities online and offline” (De Rosa, etal, 2007, p. 3-13). This is something that Pearson (2009) writes about, which can be summarised as “they know you’re a dog” and “we know you’re a dog”.

Privacy: As the OCLC report states that most people think it is important to have control over their personal information, however, goes on to say “Respondents frequently do not take advantage of privacy controls that are available.”  It took less than a day for the posts on what one would assume to be a private Facebook account to go viral.  And subsequent to that all other aspects of Mr. Casey’s life were made public, his address and phone number, his email, name of employer, his supervisor, details of his wife and child, his car registration number, the school he attended. As Lim Swee Say states on Channel News Asia (CNA) in relation to another Facebook incident, “There is no such thing as a private space in the social media. In fact, social media is public. Therefore, it is important that whatever we say and express in the social media should be done knowing that it would become public.” (CNA, 2012)


Security:  In his “apology”, Mr. Casey mentions a security breach in Facebook, in reality it was more likely a breach of trust in his “friendship” circle. Rayes-Goldie (2010) touches on the concept of “social privacy” and how Facebook users both circumvent Facebook controls, and protect their own social privacy through the use of alias, deleting posts and “wall cleaning”.  In this blog post, an educator gives “9 points to consider before posting on Social Media” – something that not only students, but everyone needs to think about.

There is also the question of Social media and the law.  In the UK at least, some posts in Social Media could land the person in jail. This brief infographic itemises a few incidences of this occurring with a brief summary of the law on “improper use of public electronic communications network“

Finally, the 8 tools of Davis (2009) were used, checking the footprint of “Anton Casey” and yielded the following results:
Blogpulse: – no longer exists
Boardtracker: new version “coming soon”
monitter: no longer works as Twitter changed its API
Socialmention: analysis seems rather poor as comments were deemed to be largely “neutral” 
Serph: no longer works
Spy: not a very graphically / link friendly site. 
Pipl: not only are his Facebook and Twitter account revealed (both disabled) but those of his friends as well.  And his friends (or ex-friends) seem to be equally careless about privacy as this screen shot shows (I blanked out the names in order to protect the privacy they’re obviously not protecting themselves)

since these tools are 3-4 years old and , Topsy.com and Twitter were also checked:

Topsy.com: 2756 tweets in 7 days, 
Twitter.com search: there is a new hashtag: #antoncasey

Finally – here is a slightly frightening video on the “RIOT” technology for tracking people.

https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/g8DgOjZDOOQ&source=uds



In this post, I’ve just touched on personal identity, privacy, security and trust. This incident in Singapore also had implications on the corporation where Mr. Casey was working, highlighting the need of companies to monitor not only their corporate online presence in social media, but also that of their employees, and to have appropriate policies in place.


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References:

Anton Casey loses job over derisive comments. (2014, January 25). Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved January 25, 2014, from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/anton-casey-loses-job/967580.html
C, D. (2014, January 26). 9 Points to Consider Before Posting on Social Media. Edubabbling for the Masses. Retrieved January 29, 2014, from http://www.edubabbling.com/9-points-to-consider-before-posting-on-social-media/
Channel News Asia. (2012, October 9). NTUC Chief Lim Swee Say: Firing Amy Cheong Was One of the Most Difficult Decisions. Facebook. Retrieved January 25, 2014, from https://www.facebook.com/notes/channel-newsasia-singapore/ntuc-chief-lim-swee-say-firing-amy-cheong-was-one-of-the-most-difficult-decision/10151292389877845
De Rosa, C., Cantrell, J., Havens, A., Hawk, J., & Jenkins, L. (2007). Section 3: Privacy, Security and Trust. In In Sharing privacy and trust in our networked world: A report to the OCLC membership. Dublin, Ohio: OCLC. Retrieved from http://www.oclc.org/reports/pdfs/sharing_part3.pdf
OCLC. (2007). Sharing, privacy and trust in our networked world: a report to the OCLC membership. Dublin, Ohio, USA: OCLC.

Pearson, J. (n.d.). Life as a Dog [online]. Meanjin, 68(2), 67–77.

Raynes-Goldie, K. (2010). Aliases, creeping, and wall cleaning: Understanding privacy in the age of Facebook. First Monday, 15(1). Retrieved from http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2775/2432

Rich Foreigner labels Singaporeans who take Public Transport as “Poor People.” (2014, January 20). The Real Singapore. Retrieved January 25, 2014, from http://therealsingapore.com/content/rich-foreigner-labels-singaporeans-who-take-public-transport-poor-people
Tadeo, M. (2014, January 22). British expat banker Anton Casey causes uproar in Singapore after mocking “poor people” calling a taxi driver a “retard.” The Independent Business News. Retrieved January 25, 2014, from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/british-expat-anton-casey-causes-uproar-in-singapore-after-mocking-poor-people-calling-a-taxi-driver-a-retard-9077795.html
Tan, J. (2014, January 25). Anton Casey leaves for Perth with family, hopes to return “when we feel safe.” Yahoo News Singapore. Retrieved January 25, 2014, from http://sg.news.yahoo.com/anton-casey-leaves-for-perth-with-family–offers-to-do-community-work–report-015614740.html




Library 2.0

ACTIVITY
View this YouTube video called ‘Building Academic Library 2.0’. This is part of a symposium sponsored by Librarians Association of the University of California, Berkeley Division in 2007. While this presentation is over one (1) hour in duration, there are a number of key points raised by a number of speakers, including the keynote speaker Meredith Farkas, that relate to any library or information agency that is trying to transform their library into a 2.0 Library.
Consider advice provided by one or more of the speakers in terms of a library and information agency that you know (as an employee or user). Select five (5) key pieces of advice from these speakers, and consider how these may be applied to your library to help it embrace a Library 2.0 ethos. Write up your findings as a post (of no more than 350 words in your OLJ).
 

Although the library I am working in can be considered to have embraced Library 2.0 in all of its aspects, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a possibility for improvement.  After listening to the talk, the following 5 points struck a chord with me.

1.  Use of microblogging to communicate within areas of the library – since our campus has two libraries and the college has a sister college who we co-operate closely with, also with two libraries setting up some kind of professional micro-blogging knowledge exchange would have potential benefit.  
2.  The fact that current students often turn to their parents as their first port of call.  I think we could be much more proactive in involving parents in understanding how the library can help the academic success of their children.  A few sessions aimed at parents explaining how libguides work, how the catalogue works and how to search academic articles through our journal databases and a bit on citation and social/academic bookmarking would be very helpful and possibly lead to a higher take-up.
3.  “Go where the user is” – we have started greater co-operation with subject teachers through creating LibGuides with help of their input. It would be useful to also have subject specific Diigo accounts where students, teachers and the library can all tag useful links to articles and information.
4. How do we classify? We have already separated out parts of the collection, such as playscripts, biographies, graphic books, poetry.  We are also creating special areas for the IB subjects where we keep multiple copies of “hot reads” where books are no longer purely in the Dewey System. I can only think this process will continue, perhaps to the fiction area where genres are separated out.
5. Time taken to implement.  A number of times the talk mentioned that take-up time for any technology could be in the region of 18 months.  I think we have a bit of a mentality that “build it and they will come” and perhaps we need to spend even more time on user education and encouragement to use the wonderful tools we have created.

Here is a link to a summary of the talk.

References:

Farkas, M. (2007). Building Academic Library 2.0 [YouTube]. Retrieved January 30, 2014, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_uOKFhoznI
University of California Berkeley Library. (2007). Academic Libraries 2.0 Keynote – Meredith Farkas [Blog]. Retrieved January 30, 2014, from http://blogs.lib.berkeley.edu/newdirections.php/academic_libraries_2_0_keynote_meredith_


Use of social bookmarking



I’m fairly new to social bookmarking, having only commenced using it during my Student Placement for my degree.  I’m currently using it at it’s most primitive form, i.e just as a cloud based bookmark bar, although I have used the sharing function with the librarian.

I think my use is similar to that of most people’s use of most technology.  They use it as a “quick and dirty” tool and seldom use all the functionality.  This assignment has prompted me to thinking of it in a broader sense and to exploit it more widely, particularly as I start working as a reference librarian.  I need to exploit the “social” part not just the “bookmarking” part. 

Originally our school used Delicious, but moved to Diigo as a result of the fact that it provided the following additional features that Delicious didn’t

“What can you do with Diigo that you cannot with Delicious?

Bookmark

  • – save bookmarks as private by default (optional)
  • – organize your bookmarks as a list and shown as a slide
  • – set up groups to pool resources and curate content
  • – automatically bookmark your twitter favorites
  • – keep a full-text copy of your bookmarks (Premium features)
  • – full-text search of your bookmarks (Premium features)
  • – save notes and images, in addition to bookmarks

Annotation

  • – use highlights and sticky notes as you read – do not just bookmark
  • – capture a portion of the screen and annotate on the screenshot” (Diigo, 2013)


At present we are busy preparing the Grade 11 IB students to write their extended essay.  Diigo is a useful tool to teach them and to use while conducting reference interviews for their specific essay, and also to create an area where information on common problems such as citation, accessing databases and referencing can be accumulated.  


Further to this, Library Grit has written a very nice piece on Diigo which you can access here.

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References:

Delasalle, J. (2013, February 22). Bookmarking websites: switching from Delicious to Diigo [Blog]. Library Research Support. Retrieved November 28, 2013, from http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/libresearch/entry/bookmarking_websites_switching/
Diigo V5.0: Collect, Highlight and Remember! [YouTube]. (2010, July 21). Retrieved November 28, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHWapAF1Txw
Garmoe, P. (2010, December 17). 17 Reasons Delicious.com Users Should Head to Diigo [Blog]. For Bloggers By Bloggers. Retrieved November 28, 2013, from http://bestbloggingtipsonline.com/17-reasons-delicious-diigo/
McKenzie, D. (2014, January 4). Day 1 – Diigo [Blog]. Library Grits. Retrieved January 12, 2014, from http://librarygrits.blogspot.sg/2014/01/day-1-diigo.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/zLvwr+(Library+Grits)
Transition from Delicious to Diigo ~ Instruction & FAQ. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2013, from https://www.diigo.com/transition-from-delicious-to-diigo-faq

Network, networking, social networking

As week 2 of my professional placement draws to an end I’m thinking more about this network thing.  Both now, and during my study visit I’m noticing more and more the difference between “networked” librarians and “non-networked” to put it a little crudely.  Of course, even the “non-networked” librarians are networked, in the “no (wo)man is an island” sense of the word, but its a question of where you are concentrating your efforts.  And this, to put a blunt point on it, can be a Machiavellian thing.  Which is to say, I’m not necessarily saying that more (professional) networking is good and less is bad.

I’m just going to report on the dimensions that I observe, in no particular order, and it’s not a value judgement, and I’m now wondering what kind of research has been done on this in the library sphere – I’m pretty sure there is plenty in management /corporate literature generally.

*  life of the party
well networked with peers in other departments, people stop by for a chat, get’s a lot of positive recommendations as being “fun”  (note – this does not say anything about professional capability, or ability to do the job well, just that they’re fun to be around)

*  in with the big boys
gets invited to and participates on the same level at meetings and social events with the decision makers of the organisation. Considered to be a peer in thought leadership. Paid on par with peers. May or may not be a great librarian for the “little people”

* hiding behind the desk / door
could be a brilliant librarian, could have wonderful thoughts, and the source of marvellous conversations, brilliant resource suggestions – BUT, they’re waiting for you (user) to come and extract them – unfortunately I’ve seen quite a few of these.  They’re there.  and they’re there for you, but you need to find them and engage them.  You want to send them on some sort of assertiveness training or just something that will boost their confidence.  I’m wondering how someone gets to this point – is it being a naturally shy and retiring type of person (the Susan Cain introvert), or is it the lack of opportunity to experiment safely with being “out there”, or is it having tried and then been knocked down (deliberately or incidentally) by someone else with more power or a lack of feeling for where they’re coming from?
I have a suspicion that these people are networked – in their own world and with other similar types.  Now this is a great resource in an organisation, but it’s a little bit like the functionality of so much software.  Its there and its great, but should the user have to wade through forums and how to guides, or should there be some type of annoying paperclip popping up and saying “I noticed you’re trying to … how about … (no), or is there some other way?

http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/yVPeuvFn_lY&source=uds

* sweet spot but one step short
This is the souped up version of the hiding librarian.  They don’t hide, they’re friendly, they’re on the floor, they’re helping, they’re talking, perhaps not the life and soul of the party, but they’re liked and respected by users and their peers.  They’re innovative, they’re taking initiative, they’re approachable. But, they’re not “in with the boys”.   They’re not being paid what they’re worth, not getting the resources they deserve and not being listened to, really, where and when it counts.  While it may seem a little more obvious how to get from “behind the desk” to “sweet spot” it’s a little harder to work out how to get from “sweet spot” to “in with the boys”.  Again, I’m not saying that one should be “in with the boys” I’m pretty sure library services in an organisation (and the organisation as a whole) would benefit from at least one of the librarians being “in with the boys”.  And is that within the control of the person or the organisation?

* looks good on-line / on paper
All the right qualifications, all the right names, great resume, stunning website, active on social media, great blog, but then falls flat in reality. As librarians, we’ve probably seen our fair share of this in authors – we were talking about just one such person the other day.  Brilliant person, everyone loves reading him, ROTFL type of books, but in the flesh?

* 20 years
Ok, that’s an arbitrary number, but you know what I mean. “I’ve been doing this 20 years and … / but I’ve been doing this for 20 years” I’m wondering if it’s a co-incidence that most library jobs advertised ask for 10 years of experience. I see a lot of that around the whole use of social media, the internet, eBooks, display, design and assumptions about people, learners, users.

*I’m just …
a temp, a student, an admin assistant, whatever.  This is a bit frustrating, because I’d like to think that everyone in a library takes ownership over that space.  Not in the alpha monkey sense of all vying for top dog, (sorry mixed metaphors flying fast and thick), but in the sense of “yes I can help you” or “yes I do want to think about how best to … shelve / control / order / administer etc.

I’ve probably missed out on a few types and I’m going to hit google now*.  Perhaps every library organisation needs a balance of these types in order to function well.  But I do see quite a bit of frustration as I move through these learning experiences.  And I sense that in most cases there’s just a little something that could be added or amplified to making things a better experience for everyone.  Is it about self-knowledge or organisation knowledge or fit?  And I’m wondering what type I would be when I’d be working in a library.

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I did find one interesting article, will have a dig around management literature to see if there’s more