Apr 08 2010
Getting Started
You know, after spending the last thirteen weeks learning about social software tools and the positive impact they can have on a library, I forgot that there are library workers who have reservations about incorporating web2.0 into their work environment.
So, if I were the lucky individual who has to introduce a social software tool into my library, these are some of the steps I would take:
1) I would begin by studying my user community. This service is primarily for my community, so it better offer a service that interests them or is of great need to them.
2) I would then take my ideas and study several other libraries with social software or talk to other librarians who are managing their library’s social software. By studying these other libraries, I will hopefully establish the techniques that are successful and the techniques that might not be as successful.
3) Once I have some ideas of what my community needs/wants and the successful services that other libraries have offered, I would then take a look at my library’s mission statement and attempt to link my social software service and my users’ needs to this mission statement. By proving that my social software service reinforces the library’s mission statement, I believe that there will be greater leverage for this service to be agreeable with the library board and my colleagues.
4) Now, let’s say that everything is running smoothly thus far, and the time has come to introduce my ideas to, well, everyone else at the library. I believe that this is the most significant step seeing as some people may not express the same enthusiasm as myself. I’ve decided to break step four up into it’s own list of steps:
a) Let’s face it, people react negatively to newness all of the time. Change is uncomfortable. To bombard colleagues with a new service, and new technology, and possibly a new user group simultaneously is inevitably going to have negative results. Therefore, I like Michael Casey and Michael Stephens’ ideas in “The Transparent Library: A Road Map to Transparency”. Casey and Stephens explain that it is best to communicate your ideas early and frequently when establishing a new service. By informing colleagues early, they have time to process these new ideas before they are offered to the public.
b) It may also be useful to introduce these changes in baby steps. For my service to work, I may create a prototype of the service first and ask all staff members to try it before launching the end product. I can then receive feedback from my staff to determine what works for them and what needs adjustments. Hopefully, due to their contributions, the staff that originally may have had reservations will see the usefulness of the service and approve of the project. Casey and Stephens indicate the positive effects of communicating with other staff members by saying, “An involved and aware staff, like an involved and aware public, is far more likely to support you in the long run” (Casey and Stephens).
c) Another aspect that may persuade staff members to see the value of the service is to show them examples of libraries that are successfully using social software. Informing might change their opinion.
5) Now, if my new social software service is successfully launched, promoted, and gathers a solid group of library users, I then would probably take Kathy Sierra’s, author of “Death by Risk Aversion”, advice to be creative. She stresses, “So add one more skill to our career advice for young people: be willing to take risks! Perhaps more importantly, be willing to tolerate (and perhaps even encourage) risk-taking in those who are managed by you” (Sierra). I really like Sierra’s advice on stepping outside of the box or to “push the boundaries” (Sierra). However, I think that her strategies are best practiced at a later stage of the whole implementation process. So, if my service is successful and easing its way into a routine, then I might add a new and innovative service to make it more exciting to its users.
I have to admit that my strategies sound so simple on paper and in the real working world there will be some, if not many, glitches to this plan. However, I believe that I would attempt to follow some variation of the steps I have outlined here.