techMETRO

Columbia Assessment Forum on April 12 to Focus on Ithaka Survey

From a recent posting to the metro-l listserv:

The Columbia University Libraries Assessment Working Group is pleased to announce our next Assessment Forum, "Findings from Ithaka S+R's Library Survey 2010" with Roger Schonfeld, Director of Research at Ithaka. (http://www.ithaka.org/ithaka-s-r/research)

"Today, Ithaka S+R is publicly releasing their Library Survey 2010: Insights From U.S. Academic Library Directors, and it is now available from our website at http://bit.ly/eBdWYd. The Library Survey aims to help academic libraries and other members of the higher education community understand the changing role of the library and how to adapt strategically to an increasingly digital environment.  This survey focuses on strategies that directors are pursuing for their libraries, the management of library collections, the development of new digital collections, and the creation of new services to meet changing user needs. The Library Survey complements our Faculty Survey 2009, together exploring the attitudes and habits of university and college faculty members in their use of information resources, their perceptions of the academic library, and their views on scholarly communications, as well as the strategies, services, and collections provided by academic libraries to meet these and other campus needs."

Date: Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Time: 9:30am - 11:00am
Location: Butler Library, room 203

This event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP to assessment@columbia.edu

Planning and Managing Digital Library and Archives Projects comes to METRO with @acocciolo

METRO is pleased to welcome Anthony Cocciolo, Assistant Professor at Pratt Institute School of Information and Library Science, to the METRO Training Center on March 23 for our "Planning and Managing Digital Library and Archives workshop. The workshop is part of our yearly workshops on essential skills for building digital colllections. Read more about the workshop below and register here.

Is building a digital collection enough? What comes next? How do we guarantee long-term access? Can we afford to do this? These and other issues will be considered in this workshop designed for both librarians and archivists interested in creating or maintaining digitization projects within their institutions. The first part of the workshop will be dedicated to establishing a purpose, perspective and strategy for your digital project so that it has the best chances for community impact and success. How will your digital collection be made meaningful and interesting to patrons? What learning goals motivate your effort? What about born-digital material? The second part will be dedicated to establishing a solid technical, organizational and resource infrastructure needed for the successful execution and maintenance of your digital project. This section will cover issues such as long-range budgeting and funding, ensuring technical elements as well as human resource infrastructure, adopting sensible standards, and ensuring legal and ethical compliance. And lastly, the course will conclude with strategies for evaluating your digital project for its efficacy.

Who should attend:
Librarians, archivists, and students interested in launching or maintaining digitization projects

By the end of this program, participants will:

• Be able to develop a strategy for a successful digital project
• Have the necessary information to evaluate their technical, organizational, and resource infrastructure for digital project readiness and make adjustments to ensure readiness.
• Be able to evaluate their digital project for effectiveness
• Be able to make legal and ethical judgments related to digitization

New METRO LibGuide Offers "One-Stop-Shop" for Professional Development Resources for Information Professionals

Barnard College Librarian Ellyssa Kroski has put together a new collection of tips and resources now available on METRO’s LibGuides instance.  The “Professional Development for Information Professionals” guide (http://bit.ly/i7qzja)  is designed to aid librarians in reaching their professional goals, with topics ranging from social networking best practices to keys to getting published.

For a more in-depth look at some of these topics, join us on March 9^th as Ms. Kroski presents “How to Create and Manage Your Online Presence” here at METRO.  This workshop will focus on how best to manage your personal brand portfolio and developing strategies for online branding success.  To learn more or to register, please visit http://www.metro.org/en/cev/28.

A New Online Experience for METRO Members

METRO is pleased to announce the launch of our new web site, representing a major move forward in the online experience for librarians, archivists, and others who want to be a part of METRO community. The redesigned METRO website (www.metro.org) makes it easier than ever to access our programs and services. But that’s just the beginning. The site now includes many new opportunities for visitors to share information and be an active voice in the library community in New York City and Westchester County. Here are just a few of the great new online features:

• One-step log-in connects you with everything you need. By taking just two minutes to register as a METRO member on the site, you can streamline the registration process for workshops and events, keep track of your participation in METRO events, upload your resume, post a classified ad, purchase METRO publications, and much more.
• Instant access to our online communities. While METRO has been active on many of the social networks our members use for years, our previous website didn’t integrate those tools effectively. We have added upgrades in technology and web design so that you can follow blog feeds, read tweets, connect to our LinkedIn group, or access other resources, all from a single page.
• More targeted and dynamic content. The new website allows visitors to use their favorite RSS reader to subscribe directly to syndicated content. With this new feature you’ll never miss important news items, job listings, or feature stories.
• Learn more about your fellow METRO member institutions. Thanks to our new rotating feature stories, you’ll learn about the latest developments at METRO and get the inside scoop on important news from METRO member libraries and archives.

Of course the METRO website still includes useful information visitors have come to rely on, including our member directory and delivery roster along with links to grant opportunities, job listings, and the resume bank. You can also link to METRO Special Interest Group activities, METRO LibGuides, and much more.

This new METRO online experience was designed based on input and feedback from our most important constituents -- you and your library industry colleagues. You are sure to find the new site easy-to-use and a great resource. We look forward to continued service to our member community, and we hope you find the new site design and new features to be engaging and useful. 

Let's Get Digital!

Librarians in the metropolitan New York region have two opportunities coming up to add some tech skills to their wheelhouse. Please read on for details:

There is only one week left to register for “Mastering CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)” with instructor KB Ng on April 15th and 22nd.  Take this opportunity to update your web design skills by learning a technique that will save you time and improve the appearance of your site. Participants should be familiar with basic HTML, but no programming background is needed.

Registration fees: $250 members; $150 myMETRO; $350 non-members
To register, please visit http://bit.ly/couqYA or contact Laura Forshay at lforshay@metro.org, 212.228.2320 ext. 10.
This program will take place at METRO: 57 East 11th Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10003

-AND/OR-

Develop your basic digitization skills at METRO on Tuesday, April 27th from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm as instructor Michael Bevans presents “Digital Imaging and Scanning: Principles and Practice.” 

This introductory course requires no previous scanning skills, and will focus on the basic principles of scanning and image quality control while establishing routines to ensure productivity and repeatability.  Additional topics will include image resolution and file formats as well as common image editing techniques.

Registration Fees: $75 members; $60 myMETRO; $100 non-members
To register, please visit http://bit.ly/9iUprw or contact Laura Forshay at lforshay@metro.org, 212.228.2320 ext. 10.
METRO is located at 57 East 11th Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10003.

How Are We Doing? Realizing a Culture of Assessment in Our Libraries

Please join METRO in exploring three perspectives on assessing library services in New York City libraries. The assessment of library services has undergone a decided shift in the last ten years. Building a "culture of assessment" has gone from an ideal to an implemented reality in libraries where unified quantitative and qualitative assessment of library services has driven improvement of those services. This panel brings together three practicing librarians to discuss their work in assessing the impact of library services on their respective communities.

Jennifer Rutner, Assessment & Marketing Librarian at Columbia University Libraries, will discuss project management for assessment projects and tips for writing good questions. Jennifer coordinates assessment projects across the 22 libraries at Columbia; including LibQual+, user-needs assessments, and usability studies. She and the Assessment Working Group support the Libraries in making data-informed decisions about public services.

Michael Lascarides, User Analyst in the Office of Strategic Planning at New York Public Library, keeps tabs on the needs and habits of the 40,000 daily visitors to the NYPL's websites -- using tools ranging from analysis software to social networks to face-to-face conversations with patrons. Michael will discuss how NYPL chooses the right tool for each job, what successes and setbacks have been encountered in the process, and how those insights led to the design of the newly-launched NYPL.org website.

Kimberly Burke Sweetman, Head of Access Services at New York University Libraries, has been involved with their assessment program since it was codified approximately ten years ago. Kimberly will focus on how the NYU Libraries implement and assess changes in physical space use.

Date: Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Time: 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm
Location: METRO, 57 E. 11th Street, New York, NY 10003
Registration fees: $25 members; $25 myMETRO; $50 non-members
Register online here: http://bit.ly/aByvfO

Listen: Project Management for Digital Library Services

A recording of the March 8, 2010 Code4LibNYC Special Interest Group meeting is now available. The meeting featured Jennifer Vinopal and Eric Stedfeld from New York University discussing project and portfolio management for digital library services.

Code4LibNYC - March 8, 2010

Download slides from the presentation here.

Two METRO Special Interests Groups Discuss Podcasting and Digital Project Planning

Friends of METRO know that we host and facilitate Special Interest Groups (SIG) for librarians and information professionals in the metropolitan New York region. Over thirteen groups meet regularly to discuss current events, pressing issues, share resources, and network. Next month, the Library 2.0 SIG and the Code4LibNYC SIG will convene to tackle two areas of technology and outreach for libraries. Please read on for details, and RSVP to let them know you're coming! 

MARCH 3, 2010 :: Library 2.0 SIG
Time: 10:00am-noon
Topic: Podcasting in Libraries
Location: METRO Offices: 57th E. 11th St, New York, NY  (4th Floor)
RSVP: Via GoogleForms or by email to let co-conveners Caroline Fuchs or Kathryn Shaughnessy know if you can make the March 3rd meeting.This meeting will cover an overview of podcasts and podcasting, and how these resources are being used in our current METRO libraries. Please bring your ideas and your willingness to share examples to the March meeting.  As always, feel free to put up links to examples of handy podcasting resources on the Lib2.0 wiki.

MARCH 16, 2010 :: CODE4LIBNYC SIG
Time: 10:00am-noon
Topic: Project Management for Digital Library Services
Location: METRO Offices: 57th E. 11th St, New York, NY  (4th Floor)
RSVP: Email co-conveners Kevin Reiss or  Joanna DiPasquale if you are planning to attend.

Practicing active project and portfolio management in creating products and services promises great rewards in improved communication, efficiency and productivity. The promised rewards can prove elusive, however, as attempts to standardize best practices across a department or institution can be stymied by resistance to change, differing needs, uneven experience, and a multitude of confusing tool choices. Attempting such an implementation can be daunting as it becomes difficult to know even where to begin.

Eric Stedfeld and Jennifer Vinopal will share some of their experiences with project and portfolio management as it has been applied at New York University , especially in the digital library area of NYU Libraries. Eric will present a brief framework that puts general project management principles in context. He will then provide background on some project management initiatives in NYU's information technologies and digital library environments. J ennifer will bring things up to date with the digital library group's current evolving practice, extending to portfolio management across projects and
services.