Bakker's Blog

A New Goal

Forget the dreams of revolutionizing medical libraries, never mind the vision of fostering real collaboration and information sharing through the use of technology to deliver information at the point of need and make new connections between people and networks of information - i have a new goal. 
Bring the Tom Collins back to nyc. 
Have you had one?  well, they are a Lovely summer cocktail.  but it is shockingly difficult to find a bartender who knows how to make one.  And - buy the mix so you can mix your own after work cocktail?  Don't waste your time on the upper east side.  6 liquor stores and 4 grocery stores later - no mix.  i know it's a simple drink - a little simple syrup, a little lemon juice, gin, club soda and a cherry if you're into garnishes.  but really- at the end of the day, unscrewing the caps of 2 bottles is quite enough; the thought of squeezing a lemon over my most recent paper cut just lacks that after-work-drink appeal.  Or maybe i can finagle a Cleaver thing, except this time June (that's me) goes out to work, and Ward has her made-from-scratch Tom Collins waiting with a smile when i get home from the office.

It's nice to have a new goal. 

Back Again

It has been a very long time since I have been posting.  I am no longer working in a library, but I am still very much an academic medical librarian.  I am working in an IT department now.  There are a lot of reasons why I made this transition, some big and some small.  It was also not that there weren't opportunities to move up in libraries.  In fact, I had practically the dream job (right boss, right position, almost right leeway to explore) but i said no, but more on that crazy decision later. 

Basically, I just wanted to get myself going again. 
so - hope there are some of you still out there. 

the Four Frames

At ACRL/Harvard we focused on looking at things through 4 frames: Structural, Human Resources, Political, and Symbolic (vision).  We took a quick test to see where we are, and I landed fairly even in three and low in political (gee whiz - no surprise there).  But more than just learning where I come from, I learned a new way to break down situations and work relationships.  We want to be balanced in the 4 frames since every situation has different parts, however we should recognize that most of us instinctively turn to one of the frames.  For me, it's human resources followed closely by symbolic.  So, what do you do in situations that have relationships and/or situations that are strong in another frame (especially say - your weakest one)?  Not sure...when I figure that one out, I'll have managed to dramatically reduce my work stress.  And I'll chuck it all and go on the lecture circuit.

But more than looking at where people come from, looking at situations through the lens of these 4 frames provides a tremendous amount of insight.  Sure, there are dozens of these types of frameworks out there, and I'm sure many of them are just a good, but the point is having a structured way of approaching situations.  I habitually try to look at all the different angles of a situation but I miss some, and more than that - I have a tough time putting them together in a way that leads me to a better decision.  Well - this way is providing a lot more help.  It isn't necessarily making any of my decisions or actions easier, but I feel more clear and confident about them.  By analyzing the situation and the people involved from 4 different perspectives (and forcing yourself to put the elements within the frames) helps to see things clearer and hopefully choose an action plan.  It also helps us know how to sell an idea - if you know where someone is coming from, you hit on the elements in that frame, and bam! it resonates for them.  I have always had a tough time selling to people who operated very strongly from a political frame - well now I hope to have better luck. 

The book we used as the base is Reframing Organizations by Bolman and Deal.  I definitely recommend it, it was an easy read and has some real insight with plenty of common sense applicability (however, it really started to click in the class, halfway through the week). 

Ethics in the workplace

Academic ethics, business ethics, general everyday societal ethics - many of the principles at play in all of these call for the same type of behavior.  They boil down to what many call morals - honesty, integrity, respect for others, et cetera.  Things like not passing off as your own/stealing colleagues' work, fairly evaluating people, not spreading false rumors, you know - basic qualities we are supposed to have learned at a young age. 

So what happens in a place that selectively adheres those ethics, depending on the person/people involved? How about a supervisor using a professional's ideas and passing them off as their own while keeping it a secret from the originator? This seems like a clear violation of core academic ethics, so what to do?  Recently a case like this was brought to my attention and it got me thinking.  The person involved is really struggling to meet her objectives of working on collaborative projects, and is repeatedly met with this obstacle.  My initial response - call a spade a spade and bring it up as the serious ethical issue it is.  As my new friends from Harvard taught me, check your ego at the door about it being your grand idea, and look at it as unethical and contrary to the best interest of the group.  Ah, but then the person made a great point - in the political structure at play, it might very well mean losing her job.  So - again, what to do?  Do you sacrifice your job for the greater good?  Will it make a difference if you do?  Sure there is something (and something really important) to taking the high road, but I understand the thought of being jobless...and income-less.  There are not a lot of good jobs out there.  I kind of hate losing my idealism (and the fact that I'm torn about joblessness versus doing the right thing seems to me a loss of some of my doe-eyed idealism), but gosh - the rent is due every month. 

We all know there are a lot of organizations like this out there.  They cycle through good people like there is a revolving door.  But should those places just be left alone to slip further and further downhill?  As a librarian, aren't we about the greater good, idealism, good citizenship and all that jazz?  If it makes a huge impact on your life, but makes no impact on the organization - do you play ball or just say no?  So many questions, so few answers!  In all honesty - I couldn't give a lick of good advice on this one, but I would love some. 

Vision

Still here at Harvard living in the dorms while I solve all my leadership issues, and I have had some serious reflection time.  (Yes, i am supposed to be disconnected.  shh...don't tell anyone i'm posting). The framework we are learning about has 4 frames from which to approach any situation, and one of them is Symbolic, or vision.  I have always strongly felt that vision is a key element of leadership for me.  Vision has played strongly in my leading and being led, and assessments this week confirmed that.  Okay - so it's important.  And my point is??
I have been having conversations about my last post on my vision for the future of libraries and IT, and I have been again asked an interesting question - Why don't I leave libraries for IT?  Well, there are a lot of reasons, but what I am finding is one of them is vision.  IT so often lacks a deep shared vision.  It is easy for us to have a big hairy vision of what we do in libraries and frame it in this beautiful, meaningful context.   Now, all we need to do is act on it....

You know my vision, and I truly think libraries are in a fantastic position - we have the opportunity to transform ourselves to be centers of Information and Knowledge Management by shifting our focus away from our traditional role as collectors of information towards a hub of information dissemination and knowledge transfer.  This is what I see as the future I want for us.  I see the future as an intimate integration of what is now IT and libraries to form a new force that actively reaches out and enables innovation among our constituency. 

What form does this take?  I think that depends on the context - and that means it might be different for each library and it also means it will absolutely be different throughout the future for all of us, a constantly moving target.  Yes - it probably means less books. Yes - it means our needed skills and knowledge will change.  Yes - our comfort zones are gone.  Yes - it means we need to do our research to know what this should look like, and then act on it!  and Yes - it means we will bring significant, deep and unique value. 

Off to my last day of classes at Harvard.  I've almost got the accent down. 

Being Analog in a Digital World

Those who know me know that I love the tech stuff, I love working in a field where investigating and using advances in technology is a daily affair, not something we do if we have time.  I love finding ways to make my life easier and more interesting through social software.  But when it comes down to it, it just doesn't replace the good ol' analog world of face to face relationships. I was recently talking to a friend of mine about our approaches to doing daily business; we both often prefer to deal with issues by talking to the person (instead of going back and forth with a string of emails).  We have found that a simple question or miscommunication can be solved in no time with a little face to face time (oh - and yes, with a follow up email with action items and take away points).  Further, I think the face to face relationship is an integral part of creating new working relationships (check out this post from How to Change the World).  This got me thinking about the integration of technology in our relationships. 

Work applications of social software is a hot topic right now, and deservedly so.  There is so much potential for  adding transparency to our work and idea development, propelling innovation, and bringing together a more diverse group of people to enhance whatever we do.  What's more, social software can create better solutions for less perfect methodologies.  Michelle Boule (a.k.a Jane) has a post on the agony of meetings and replacing face to face with web meetings.  She thinks that face to face meetings lack transparency, keeps the oligarchy in power and is not the most productive way to work.  Well, I agree and disagree.  Yes, there is a lack of transparency in much that goes on in the workplace and in our profession, and many times I think it is to our detriment (check out T. Scott's post on transparency).  And yes, I have sat through countless meetings that were -at best- not productive, and meetings that keep decision making in the hands of the few without the valuable influence or insights of the many [now - got to say, there is a time and place for everything, including decisions being made without getting weeks of input, and I might not always know when those times are].  But I think that face to face meetings are still an essential part of what we do.  When you have the right group of people working together, being in the same space can produce fantastic results.  We are social creatures by nature and feeding off each other's energy, enthusiasm and ideas can produce something that might not occur in an asynchronous environment.  Still, there is a time and place for all meeting types, and often a place for combining them.  I like to combine face to face with email, wikis, etc. to provide that crumb trail of the process, refine the brainstorming and hopefully enhance whatever it is we are seeking to accomplish. Technology is most often a tool to reach our goals, not the goal itself. 

Mark Funk, the MLA President, has made his theme Only Connect! and social software is naturally a big part of this year's buzz.  This is fantastic.  I think we are no where near maximizing the possibilities of technology for connecting with each other, with potential partners in other disciplines, our customers, and those people we want to be our customers.  And what is more - I am very excited to work on maximizing the possibilities not only in my own workplace but throughout the profession.  But I am not approaching this year's mounting fervor for Web 2.0 by casting off the analog connections of personal relationships to find greener pastures (heck I live in NYC - green pastures are hard to come by); rather I am seeking to enhance the relationships I have and continue to make new ones using all the tools we have around us as well as those to come.  What is that balance?  I don't know, but I am looking forward to trying it all out. 

Infoporn - does information explosion = knowledge?

As I was wandering through my Wired feeds, the titillating title 'Infoporn' caught my attention;  the story, Info porn: Despite the Web, Americans Remain Woefully Ill-Informed, describes a short survey of the change in Americans' knowledge of politics since the Internet became prevalent.  The results are not encouraging - Americans are "less able to correctly answer questions about current events than they were in 1989."  This sad story is a timely one for me, as I have been embroiled in a discussion of the current state of the country with a very conservative but even-so, good friend of mine (I know, I know - but I hope to turn another conservative soul away from the dark side).  My brilliant yet misguided friend, Ricky Bobby,* has gone past discontent and has reached outrage at the current state of affairs, and like so many Americans, wants the government to just leave us all alone.  But Ricky Bobby also laments that our fellow Americans are not rising up in their disgust, and that we are all becoming single-minded, uneducated and unaware of what is really going on around us.  As a librarian, I am naturally inclined to pounce on a discussion of the state of information dissemination and knowledge, and further with a political philosopher for a brother, must pounce yet again on any discussion of the nature of the State. 

Here! Here! Ricky Bobby!  We have found our common ground.  I too see that we have become polarized and extremists.  Neither side wants listen to the other, never mind engage in debate of the issues.  Sharing knowledge, listening to the different points and debating the issues is an essential element of a democratic state, is it not?  In fact, don't the citizens have an obligation to be knowledgeable and involved?  So - what happened? Why are the mud-slinging extremists taken as prophets of truth?  How is it that in a time of war, only 21% of Americans can name the secretary of defense, 68% know if we have a trade deficit, and 66% know the name of their governor (all figures are from the Wired article linked above).  Why have we fallen so far?  And how - in the Age of Information, can we know so little? 

Update on deprogramming: after many hours, it seems as though Ricky Bobby - aside from hankering for the days of the Monroe doctrine - is actually quite a little modern liberal on most issues, including the need for the state to provide significant living infrastructure.  However, he still listens to Michael Savage.  (This is going to take a while).   

*Names have been changed to protect those undergoing mainstream middle America Republican deprogramming. 

New York's loss

My good friends Marcus and Helen are leaving New York.  In the last two weekends, I have been able to spend a fair amount of time with them, and it is only making their parting that much more sad for me.  I have been 'stalking' Marcus and Helen for years now, but I think this is the end of that road and they will be making this trip without me following (while I love to visit San Francisco, if I'm going to live in an incredibly expensive city - i think this is the one.  I mean really- San Francisco isn't even on the map).  It has been great having such wonderful friends and getting to meet such an interesting group of people through them.  I will miss them greatly, and New York is a little worse off for their departure.  Bon Voyage to them on their long trek across our country (they'll be spending a night in my hometown Peoria, Illinois!) and I look forward to keeping in touch virtually, and missing our non-virtual visits.  The Bay area is lucky to get you both. 

Catch-22

Whew - well, wasn't the library blogosphere just buzzing with comments about the NYTimes style article on hipster librarians??  The comments ran the gamut, with the negative bitter librarian certainly striking a loud note.  We ache for publicity, but it is only okay if it has been approved by the library blogosphere?  Well, I'll take any positive publicity I can get.  Oh, and I think we're taking things a bit seriously - it was in the style section...so it's kind of supposed to be about style and fluff.  Well, Jessamyn West had a great post about the range of comments out there, and I agree with her well stated thoughts. 

Okay - now everyone...breathe.  Repeat 3 times; 'Positive publicity - it's is a good thing.'  And get back to giving our customers have the best information experience we can. 

My Neighborhood

So at several hours till the crack of dawn my expatriate siblings emailed to wish me a happy birthday, and my brother made a wish that The City is really good to me today.  Well - The City is good to me most days, and i'm sure today will be no different.  But as it happens, just last night I was reflecting on my fabulous neighborhood.  As I was getting my coffee yesterday, my friendly barista noticed I was not my normal annoyingly perky self - and in an effort to cheer me up gave me some chocolate covered cookies (and who isn't cheered by a present like that???).  And the doorman at the building on the corner (no, not my building, it's next to my hole in the wall) came out to make sure I was recuperating from my vicious summer cold and to see if I was properly eating my chicken soup and getting enough rest (I wonder...is my mother in cahoots with him?).  My morning newspaper guy takes note when I'm on vacation and asks how it was, and the Starbucks crew almost always has my drink ready with a smile by the time I hit the counter.  Effy, the proprietor of a local cafe (where I rarely eat, but not because it isn't great) always has a friendly wave, and the guys behind the counter at my corner Milano grocery store have jubilant greetings and effusive and amusing compliments when I stop by to treat myself to some yummy italian goodies.   Not one of these people make money off me directly - the coffee people get the same hourly wage if they care about my state of mind or not, I don't tip the paper guy, and the doorman - well I'm not even in his building!  These people are nice because they are nice!  wow - I wish everyone was like that.  Wouldn't it be great if all our neighborhoods and all our workplaces had people who were pleasant???  Well - I'll count myself a very lucky woman that I at least have a great neighborhood. 
Now - who out there dares to say New Yorkers are rude???  They're the friendliest bunch in crowd - now, all those tourists....