Technology Planning

Great little article on bad IT practices

by David Lee King on October 15, 2007

Go read the whole article at techrepublic… but here are two of their “10 dirty little secrets” about the IT department:

3. Veteran IT professionals are often the biggest roadblock to implementing new technologies

A lot of companies could implement more cutting edge stuff than they do. There are plenty of times when upgrading or replacing software or infrastructure can potentially save money and/or increase productivity and profitability. However, it’s often the case that one of the largest roadblocks to migrating to new technologies is not budget constraints or management objections; it’s the veteran techies in the IT department. Once they have something up and running, they are reluctant to change it. This can be a good thing because their jobs depend on keeping the infrastructure stable, but they also use that as an excuse to not spend the time to learn new things or stretch themselves in new directions. They get lazy, complacent, and self-satisfied.

2. Some IT professionals deploy technologies that do more to consolidate their own power than to help the business

Another subtle but blameworthy thing that some IT professionals do is select and implement technologies based on how well those technologies make the business dependent on the IT pros to run them, rather than which ones are truly best for the business itself. For example, IT pros might select a solution that requires specialized skills to maintain instead of a more turnkey solution. Or an IT manager might have more of a Linux/UNIX background and so chooses a Linux-based solution over a Windows solution, even though the Windows solution is a better business decision (or, vice versa, a Windows admin might bypass a Linux-based appliance, for example). There are often excuses and justifications given for this type of behavior, but most of them are disingenuous.

Ouch! I’ve seen library IT departments that do everything on this list. Heck, I’ve worked in them! Do your IT departments have any of these tendencies? If so, what’s your plan to stop them from happening?

10 comments

OZSDUG Meeting and Demo of Rome

by David Lee King on June 6, 2007

The Gordian Knot blog recently mentioned the OZSDUG (OZarks SirsiDynix Users Group) meeting that took place on June 5th… I attended the meeting – here are my notes:

First up, a SirsiDynix Sales Rep answered a list of pre-prepared questions:

  • Question – Can we trust SirsiDynix promises? Answer – “No.”
  • The company that bought Sirsi told them to drop one product, so they could focus on making just one thing (makes sense)
  • There has been no end of life announced for Horizon
  • They will support Horizon 7 for the next 4-6 years (see the first point, above… :-)
  • Claimed Unicorn is a modern ILS
  • Unicorn/Rome has a very open API – is this true?
  • Unicorn/Rome is closer to Horizon 8 in terms of functionality
  • Rome is simply the next release of Unicorn (ie., 3.2) plus whatever they can swipe from Horizon 8
  • Rome releases 1, 2, and 3 – some functionality will be in 3 rather than in 1 or 2
  • Rome will be beta testing this summer
  • They will release a new version once a year
  • Lots of Horizon functionality won’t be in Rome 1
  • SAAS – they don’t host it – it’s outsourced to a server farm in Atlanta (makes sense) – Sirsi handles the software upgrades
  • San Diego Public and Kansas City Public are currently using SAAS
  • Rome is simply a marketing term – they’re working on renaming it

Then another sales rep did a demo of Unicorn EPS:

  • It’s ugly (my opinion!)
  • It does (finally) have built in RSS feeds on searches (yippie!)
  • Includes federated search as part of the base package, which also works with the RSS feeds (yippie!)
  • Don’t have to subscribe to Rooms to get RSS and the federated search portion – both are part of the base package
  • Sirsi updates Rooms – not the customer! That seems odd
  • Claimed that Sirsi spent lots of time designing the default Rooms look – then the speaker spent a lot of time pointing out the three-column design and explained the eye-tracking F thing…
  • However (my opinion) the base package is extremely ugly. It looks like it was made in 1999 rather than in 2007. Sirsi could certainly spend some time and money doing little itty bitty visual tweaks to make the customer web-based piece look at least normal, if not truly modern – just hire or contract with a designer!
  • One thing that really amazed me – on the default product in the list of results, do they highlight the title of the book and put the title at the top of the record? No… instead, they put the call number up at the top, in bold and in a larger font. That doesn’t seem customer-friendly to me.
  • This guy for some reason came off as being insincere – after the Sirsi people left, a question was asked “did anyone like [sales dude]?” Almost everyone said “no!” pretty loudly (which surprised me)! I think that was because of his presentation style (he was trying to be funny, but it came out being more edgy/sarcastic) – again, my take!

Finally, the Sales Director, East spoke about future directions and answered a few questions:

  • I asked a question – with the SAAS service, do you have to look like you’re hosted at Sirsi (most hosted sites I’ve seen have a sirsi.net/libraryname URL)? They didn’t know, but called in the question (which was cool – thanks!), and yes – you can use whatever domain name/URL you want to…
  • They’re working on a web staff client – there will be a limited release later this year
  • He admitted to swiping slides from Abrams… :-)
  • Working on a faceted and visual search – I think they showed screenshots of a mock-up. It looks to be much the same as Aquabrowser, Endeca, or that new Worldcat thing that’s out
  • text messaging holds and overdues – this functionality was in Horizon 8. It is “in queue” for Rome (didn’t say which version)
  • Someone made the comment that what we see when Stephen Abram speaks or when we listen to the SirsiDynix Institute seminars and what we see when we actually see a SirsiDynix product or talk to a sales rep seem to be two very different things. To that, the Sales Director said (my summary here): we walk a fine line with Abrams and with the SirsiDynix Institute – we don’t want it to appear like we actually do all the stuff that Abrams says (apparently because he speaks at lots of non-Sirsi things??? – just what the rep said…), or what the Institute teaches. I didn’t like the separation he put between what appears to libraryland as the
    voice of the company and the actual product – if the voice and the
    product say two different things, well… that’s not good!
  • And to be fair, he DID say that Abrams has a list of stuff that HAS to be in Rome for it to be successful (so that’s something, at least). But he did NOT say that SirsiDynix was working to include that list in Rome. And

So – to sum up… we heard:

  • don’t trust Sirsi
  • they made us drop horizon
  • we promise to continue to support horizon (see #1)
  • Showed us what they consider to be a modern ILS (Rome/Unicorn)… the audience didn’t agree (gleaned from the discussion after the Sirsi reps left)
  • When Abrams says something cool, or when you hear something neat about an ILS system at the SirsiDynix Institute, don’t expect it to appear in an actual Sirsi product.

12 comments

Teaching Managers about Emerging Trends

by David Lee King on March 23, 2007

Here’s something I’m doing at my library right now, and thought I’d share. The managers at my library meet every week (I’m a manager, too). Part of that weekly meeting is “my time.” We’ve been calling it simply “Cool Stuff” – I usually do a short presentation on a Web 2.0 product or concept, or talk about an emerging techie trend, then we hold a discussion about it. It usually lasts for 10-20 minutes of our 2-hour meeting.

So far, here’s what I’ve talked about:

  • mindmapping software (showed MindJet’s MindManager Pro)
  • discussed our library’s Digital Branch plans and progress
  • Google Docs & Spreadsheets
  • AADL catalog and AquaBrowser
  • How I keep up with blogs
  • Twitter
  • Toured our Second Life storefront and discussed plans

Outcomes so far? We’re purchasing a 10 user license of MindManager; all managers know the direction we’re going with our digital branch; they’re getting familiar with web 2.0 tools; they’ve seen what OPACs can do (especially timely, since we’re a Horizon site); and they have been introduced to Second Life and know what we plan to do with our storefront.

So, IT/Technology manager – what are YOU doing to keep your managers up-to-date with technology?

10 comments

Becoming a Technology Agnostic

by David Lee King on March 21, 2007

I recently read an article about technology change on Lucas McDonnell’s unCommon Knowledge blog. This is definitely worth a read – especially for IT managers and IT departments.

Why? Lucas says this: “the increasing pace of technology change requires us to be more innovative in how we both adopt and maintain technologies,” and then provides some tips on how to do this. The tips are:

  1. Research technologies not only before you adopt them, but also while you’re using them.
  2. Don’t get emotionally attached to a particular technology.
  3. Continuously research competing technologies to the ones you are using now.
  4. Don’t build yourself into a corner.

I have heard more than one library IT department say things like “we are a Microsoft shop” or “we’ll never go Mac.” Instead of saying these things, why not do this instead: look at the technology landscape, assess your library’s needs, and then base your decisions on goals and potential outcomes? if you did that, it’s quite possible that some of those “Microsoft Shop” types of statements would go away.

For example, in the web world many libraries are traditionally IIS/.asp/MS SQL users. But if you really assess emerging web trends, you might notice that most of the emerging web uses Linux/Apache/MySQL/.php (better known as LAMP) these days. And many of the newer APIs and add-on web 2.0 services gravitate towards LAMP. So – is your web and/or IT department starting to look seriously at migrating from Microsoft to Linux? From IIS to Apache? And if not, why not?

Another thing to think about – how many of your IT departments understand web 2.0 – blogs, RSS, Wikis, and instant messaging, for starters? Not just grasping the general concept, but actually participating in it? Using and testing out these new web-based tools? My guess is not too many. It’s important for IT departments to not only understand how to maintain the back-end of a blog on a web server, but to also really know how they work. And that requires a certain amount of immersion into the technology. It requires them to read and subscribe to blogs; see how trackbacks work; find out how to hack into some APIs to make these fledgling services better. Etc.

Becoming a technology agnostic will steer us out of that corner and back onto the innovation track.

10 comments

Great Tips on Customer Service

by David Lee King on December 8, 2006

From the LibTalk blog, The Determinants of Delight – this is a great article! Candi talks about how to delight library customers, and has a wonderful list of ways to accomplish this:

  • Smile
  • Be really nice, all the time
  • Get back to them as soon as possible
  • Limit the times you say no
  • Emphasize the positive
  • Speak their language
  • Go above and beyond
  • Listen to what they want and give it to them

And now, think about that list being applied to library IT staff. What if the IT staff uses this same list in order to delight THEIR customers, the non-techie library staff? Hmm? I think it works the very same way.

2 comments

IL2006 Day 1: Perfuming a Skunk, or there’s More than One Way to Skin an Online Catalog

by David Lee King on October 24, 2006

Nanette… Champaign Public Library

First step: user survey on the website

  • what do you currently use
  • What types of enhancements would they like to see?
  • etc

Results? most came to use the online catalog, many ONLY came to use catalog – and many thought it was clunky.

Goal setting:

  • integrate online catalog into website
  • focus on ease of use

planning:

  • study what other libraries have done to make online catalogts more attractrive and usable
  • talk to the administrators of catalog to see what can be done without affecting others in consortium
  • investigate third-party solutions like aquabrowsers, endeca
  • work with automation staff
  • consider public service straff opinions
  • prioritize features into must-haves and can-wait-for-phase-two features

finally in planning:

  • we dreamed big
  • they didn’t want to dismiss anything…
  • they had a grant, so they had money…

implementation –

  • roadblocks – ILS vendor was upgrading
  • Vendor was unwilling to provide API
  • consortial concerns
  • time concerns

Online Catalog 2.0: where do we go from here

  • what can libraries do? Hire programmers.
  • support vendors who are willing to release the API for their software and support third-party development of enhancements – or go open source
  • Insist on features that our power users want – these are the fetures your power user will want two years from now

What ILS vendors can do?

  • anticipate user’s needs
  • look at what libraries are doing with your products – implement some of their innovations
  • understand that no company can do it all and well. Release your API – even Microsoft is doing it

what catalogers can do?

  • competition with google, amazon, etc  is good
  • understand that user tagging is not the end of controlled vocabularies
  • provide adequate subject access for all types of materials in all formats

Be the first to comment

IL2006 Day 1: Synergy for Better Services: IT and Library Cultures

by David Lee King on October 24, 2006

Kathryn Deiss – Content Strategist, ACRL
Matt Gullett, Technology Education Librarian, PLCMC

New technologies are changing possibilities and roles for both IT and library cultures and for library customers.

The players/actors: IT, Librarians, Customers…

Gave some definitions of organizational culture

Discussed definition of “we” – sometimes it’s IT, sometimes it’s MLS holders. It needs to be both!

Historic common ground – IT and library cultures share:

  • desire to do the right thing
  • intention to create security and integrity of systems, networks, etc
  • concern for stability of systems and services created
  • hard work to develop services for others

Tension (especially the emerging environment):

  • disruption is the norm (external environment)
  • customer create their own solutions (web 2.0)
  • diverging cultures

Discussed a study comparing Dunkin Donuts vs Starbucks customers… they are very different!

Peculiarities of each group:

  • mls – focused on process and discussion
  • IT – closed in their approach to sharing info for specific reasons – not because of mal-intent or evil motive

quick discussion of the terms user/customer/patron/public…

Perceptions of the customer:

  • library – the customer as primarily using physical product and services
  • IT view

IT sees librarians:

  1. underestimating the complexity of technoligies
  2. undervaluing the expertise of the highly knowledgeable technologist

Librarians see IT as: – over-complicating the easily accomplished; controlling the reins of technology to maintain power and sovereignty

Meanwhile, customers are inventing thier own environments – authority leaping, boundary leaping, learning-oriented

Ripe times for synergy – IT and Librarians need to work together…

Creating the “”new” is fun AND critical!

Be the first to comment

IL2006 Day 1: Creating Synergy between your Website and Catalog

by David Lee King on October 24, 2006

Glenn Peterson, Hennepin County Library

OPAC Developments 2006:

  • ILS Customer Bill of Rights – blyberg.net
  • patREST – Blyberg developed this
  • NCSU/Endeca catalog
  • NGC4LIB – new listserv discussing next-gen catalogs
  • Catalog search everywhere! Amazon, Google, MySpace

Glenn mentioned these trends:

  • Go to userscripts.org – amazon and B&N scripts… add it to firefox
  • Personalized Google pages… include live search to catalog, Library news..
  • Myspace library search right in MySpace

Synergy:
How can your website and catalog work together… add value and save the time of the user…

Two Approaches

  1. portal – something vendors are offering. bringing library content into the catalog interface.
  2. integrating catalog as one of many web-based resources

Examples:

  • Fort Collins library – includes menu on all pages, even library catalog
  • aadl.org and Phoenix Public Library – both hacked their ILS to integrate it into the whole library website experience

Opportunities:
1. links to titles

  • not too hard to do
  • booklists – link to the catalog record!
  • newsletters – online newsletter – link to those catalog records when a book is mentioned
  • new book alerts – link to those records… even using email
  • event listings…
  • etc…

2. links to catalog searches

  • on subject guides – link to the subject heading in catalog
  • pathfinders – same thing
  • reader’s advisory

3. make your links smarter

  • create a script that points to catalog records

4. single login

  • log in to catalog, databases, website, etc with one login.
  • HCL is displaying My Account info within the website. Cool.

1 comment

Notes from Good to Great

by David Lee King on August 11, 2006

I just skimmed the book Good to Great by Jim Collins, and want to remember a few things, sorta kinda about change management:

Pg. 89: “Spending time and energy trying to “motivate” people is a waste of effort. The real question is not, “How do we motivate our people?” If you have the right people, they will be self-motivated. The key is to not de-motivate them. One of the primary ways to de-motivate people is to ignore the brutal facts of reality.”

Pg. 163: “Good-to-great organizations avoid technology fads and bandwagons, yet they become pioneers in the application of carefully selected technologies.”

“The key question about any technology is, Does the technology fit directly with your Hedgehog Concept [which is a cool concept - it's a venn diagram, with three circles: 1. what are you deply passionate about, 2. what you can be the best in the world at, and 3. what drives your economic engine - the hedgehog concept is the stuff that intersects all three circles - that's the stuff you should do]? If yes, then you need to become a pioneer in the application of that technology. If no, then you can settle for parity or ignore it entirely.”

“The good-to-great companies used technology as an accelerator of momentum, not a creator of it. None of the good-to-great companies began their transformations with pioneering technology, yet they all became pioneers in the application of technology once they grasped how it fit in their three circles and after they hit breakthrough.”

“How a company reacts to technological change is a good indicator of its inner drive for greatness versus mediocrity. Great companies respond with thoughtfulness and creativity, driven by a compulsion to turn unrealized potential into results; mediocre companies react and lurch about, motivated by fear of being left behind.”

2 comments

Great things ahead for library web and library technology!

by David Lee King on April 25, 2006

In the last week or so, I’ve seen three pretty cool things:

  1. John Blyberg’s post about how to overcome the tech deficit
  2. Glenn Peterson’s new project, EngagedPatrons
  3. Sean Robinson’s project, the PayITForward web wiki

Blyberg always has good stuff to say – you should go read his post, and let it soak in. There are plenty of good ideas to be had there. And to me, the best thing he says is this:

“Look at where your patrons are spending their time, get a sense of what they want and need. It may be that your community is happy with what you’re doing, or it may be underwhelmed by what you’re not. As always, identifying what they want should drive spending, it shouldn’t be the other way around, where patrons are forced to use what we’ve spent money on.”

Glenn Peterson, web dude at Hennepin County Library, has started EngagedPatrons.org as a way to “provide website services connecting public libraries and their patrons.” Right now, EngagedPatrons is offering a variety of hosted services to libraries, including: Library events, library blogs, contact your library forms, RSS feeds, and custom web-enabled databases. Use the site’s handy contact us form for more info.

More from Glenn (via an email Glenn sent me – yes, Blyberg, you scooped me! Dang, I’m slow… :-) -

“I’m offering to host website services for public libraries at my site and to assist libraries in customizing the services (via options I’ve built into each application) for their needs. Libraries will input data, about their upcoming events for example, using web forms I’ve built and the data will be stored in a database on my server. I’ll also assist libraries in storing the HTML for their site’s navigation in the database and integrate my code with the look and feel of the library’s own website. Libraries will link from their site to mine for the services they have chosen.The patron won’t know they are on my site – the pages I host will appear to be hosted at the library…”

Now on to Sean Robinson’s PayITForward project. From the wiki:

“This idea surfaced at the Ann Arbor Library Camp. Pay “IT” Forward.
There are lots of Public IT library professionals struggling to
implement technology. Sometimes the IT department at a library is made
up of one person. We have limited budgets and limited time. The
question was asked “What would happen if we shared our expertise with
each other?” This idea then grew to “What could I do?” “

I believe (Sean or someone else, correct me if I’m wrong) the idea is for library IT professionals to share their knowledge about whatever on the wiki. This way, library techies can start building a sense of larger community – and of course, get those techie projects done!

So – lots of extremely cool stuff related to library websites and library technology this week. Keep it up!

Be the first to comment

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →