My Experience With eBooks: Yea or Nay?

To some extent, I've been ignoring eBooks other than from a personal level. Professionally, I'm more worried about electronic access to periodical literature than anything else. If not for the fact that my two roles on campus collided recently, I might still feel that way. You see, Adjunct Professor Jessica decided to try an experiment this semester: I assigned an eBook to my freshmen writing class. To be honest, I wasn't too keen on the idea, but it was the only way to get affordable access to the material in question. So there you are.

Before I share the results, let me give you a little background. The class is a First-Year Seminar (think of a typical Freshmen Writing class, give it steroids and add lots more reading, and you'll be close) built around the focus of cartoons as a reflection of society. The topic lends itself easily to videos and nonfiction reading, but not so easily to fiction. It's not that fiction is required, but I like to vary the kinds of reading I assign. I did a lot of research, but I kept coming back to the fact that the only book that would work for the topic, that was also easily available, was Who Censored Roger Rabbit? by Gary K. Wolf - a book that's only available as an eBook. (Yes, this is the book on which Who Framed Roger Rabbit? was based. VERY different story, though.)

Now that you have the context, flash forward to last week when we discussed the book in class. Most of my students enjoyed the content, but the format got mixed reviews. Since I'd known this would be a gamble, I decided asked what they thought of using an eBook. I heard some positive and some negative, so I decided to ask more directly. "Okay, who liked working with an eBook?" A little less than half of my students raised their hands in response to that question. I followed with, "And who owns an eReader?" The exact same group raised their hands. I wasn't surprised by the results, seeing as I'd read the book on my laptop and found it an irksome experience.

I know people were making a big thing about a recent Pearson Foundation study that reported a majority of high school and college students "believe that tablets will effectively replace textbooks within the next five years." Based on my personal experience, we've still got a long way to go before it's a truly viable option - at least where I work. Even if all the other problems are solved, eReaders are still out of the reach, price-wise, of our poorer students.

What about you? What do you think about the recent study? And what about your own experiences with eBooks - do you like them or not, and why?

So You Want To Be a Medical Librarian, by Alison Aldrich

Nine years ago, I was wrapping up graduate school and looking for my first professional librarian position. I was thrilled to find out I’d been granted an interview at an academic health sciences library, but I was at a loss for how to prepare. I hadn’t really been focusing on medical librarianship as a possible career path. The career services office put me in touch with a helpful alumna who emailed me what amounted to a crash course in medical librarianship. It worked and I got the job. Nearly a decade and two positions later, I am still happy to call myself a medical librarian. In the interest of paying it forward, here is my advice to those of you who are considering medical librarianship today.

About that science background…
Many medical library job descriptions list a science background as a desired qualification. If you’ve got it, you should definitely flaunt it, but if you don’t, it’s not the end of the world. You should be curious about how bodies work, willing to learn, and not easily intimidated by the likes of scientists and brain surgeons. It also helps if you’re not squeamish. If you can picture yourself spending an enjoyable afternoon working on a literature search about bowel obstructions, medical librarianship might be the career for you.

The M word
Marketing, marketing, marketing. This advice goes for any kind of librarianship, really, but if you are offered a position as a hospital librarian, be prepared never to stop proving your worth. Librarians provide critical support for healthcare quality, but libraries don’t bring in the big bucks for healthcare organizations. Without specific examples of how you are making a difference, your library could look like an easy target to a hospital administrator at budget cutting time. Get to know your administrators. Make sure you have champions among the clinical faculty who are willing to vouch for you. Definitely get out from behind that library desk. Be flexible about taking on roles that aren’t traditionally library-ish, like helping to implement a new electronic medical record system, getting involved in knowledge management, or serving on a patient safety committee. Success is possible! For more information about hospital librarianship and its associated challenges, check out the Vital Pathways Project.

Understand how medical education works
MCATs, four years of medical school, this crazy thing called Match Day, a year of internship, three to five years of residency, maybe a fellowship, three levels of board certification exams… Understanding the process of becoming a doctor in the United States (or wherever you are) is important for figuring out how to make yourself indispensible. The same concept applies to nurses, dentists, pharmacists, physician assistants, chiropractors or any other professional group you might be serving. Recognize that the healthcare team is made up of multiple players, including you, and that each player has a distinct role. Know about scope of practice (who does what) and how the level of responsibility increases through the educational process. This will give you a big head start when it comes to interpreting and drawing out your patrons’ information needs.

Make friends with PubMed

PubMed is the National Library of Medicine’s taxpayer funded, freely available interface to the MEDLINE database, which is an extremely comprehensive index to the world’s biomedical journal literature. Because it’s free, it’s universal, so if you are going to learn an interface in preparation for job interviews, this should be the one. Learn how to develop a good PubMed search strategy using keywords, controlled vocabulary (Medical Subject Headings or MeSH), and limits. Plenty of online tutorials are available to help you get started.

More than buzzwords
Evidence-based medicine and health information literacy are important concepts in medical librarianship right now. Do some homework so you can be prepared to talk about these topics if and when they come up in a job interview.

Physicians practice evidence-based medicine when they factor the best available research information into decisions about how to care for individual patients. To the uninitiated, this might seem like a given. Surely your doctor is keeping up with the best evidence… right? Well, it’s not so simple. Consider that hundreds of thousands of new biomedical research articles are published every year. Consider, too, that medicine is an art as well as a science. Some physicians might bristle at the suggestion of evidence-based medicine because they feel it underestimates the importance of their own clinical judgment and experience, or they might see it as a cost-control measure standing in the way of what’s best for individual patients. True evidence-based medicine is supposed to incorporate scientific evidence, clinical judgment, and patient values. The librarian’s job is to make sure the scientific evidence piece finds its proper place.

Health information literacy is the set of skills and abilities we all need in order to find, understand, and appropriately act on information having to do with our health. As a medical librarian, some of the most challenging reference questions you ever answer will come from patients and their families. Become familiar with reliable sources of consumer health information. MedlinePlus is a great place to start. Recognize, too, that sometimes the best thing you have to offer a worried patient or family member is a sympathetic ear.

Medical librarianship just might be the most dynamic, rewarding career path you never thought about pursuing. If this post has piqued your interest, I encourage you to get connected with medical librarian community. We have a great association, Medical Library Association, an active listserv (details here: http://www.mlanet.org/discussion/medlibl.html) and our very own Twitter hashtag, #medlibs. I wish you the best of luck as you prepare for those interviews.

Alison Aldrich recently started a new position as Clinical Informationist at the Ohio State University. Follow her on Twitter @aldricham

Like Stage Fright, Only More Specific, Or, Librarians Have to Speak in Public Whether We Like It Or Not

I've been thinking about public speaking lately. You see, despite being extremely outgoing, I still get nervous when speaking in public. Really nervous. Really REALLY nervous. This nervousness confuses me, since I teach all the time without even a blip of nerves. Put me in front of a classroom of students, I'm off and running. Put me in front of a group of my peers? I'm a mess. And that's the reason I've been thinking about public speaking lately: I'm giving a presentation, mostly for faculty and staff, on campus this week.

While prepping for a talk, I do all the standard stuff. I created an appealing yet simple PowerPoint presentation (yes, I still use PowerPoint despite the consequences); I nailed down my introduction and my conclusion, but I'm leaving the body of my talk as bullet points; I've been practicing; I've familiarized myself with the space; etc. However, in the midst of talking myself out of ritual suicide as an avoidance method, I'll do a few things that I know aren't quite so common, so I thought I'd share.

1. Wee-wahs (also known as lion face-lemon face). This entails stretching the muscles in my face to both extremes - out and in - in order to loosen up. It feels and looks very silly, so I do it in private. As odd as it sounds, it does help.
2. Shadow boxing (or substitute your favorite self-contained exercise method).  Doing this right before you speak will get rid of some of your nervous energy and release a few endorphins, results which will help you calm down a bit. The friend who taught me this method said that she does push ups against a wall, and I imagine running in place could work the same way.
3. Abolish "um" with a deep breath instead. This isn't so much a prep method as it is a technique for during your presentation, but I still want to share. I know speakers don't do it on purpose, but when I hear a presentation filled with "um" and "uh" and "you know," I tend to lose track of the content. I don't want that to happen to my audience, so when I feel an "um" coming on, I take a deep breath. It helps me gather my thoughts without distracting my audience. Besides, momentary pauses in your speech can actually help cement your message.

So now it's your turn. Do you have any advice for those of us who dread public speaking?

Ten Things I Didn’t Learn in Library School, by Eric S. Riley

When I first started working for the Public Library in 2007 there were numerous things that came up over the course of my day-to-day work that were just never discussed in library school. If they were, they were not in the classes that I took. But let me tell you, if there was a "getting real" class, it should have been mandatory. So, here's a quick list of things that I was totally unprepared for:

1. Janitorial Work  

You learn about reference questions, and about customer service, but let me tell you: no one tells you that you will have to deal with clogged toilets, human waste, vomit and God only knows what kind of trash that will be left all over your floors, walls, flower pots... Sure, there is cleaning staff, sometimes, but when a kid loses his lunch, or the toilet is overflowing, you've got to jump into it. Have the rubber gloves handy, know where the cleaning supplies are, and do the best you can.

2. Mental Illness

When dealing with the public, you will be dealing with ALL kinds of patrons. These include people who are delusional, schizophrenic, obsessive-compulsive, those on missions from God, etc. When working with people who have mental illnesses, it's best to treat them the same as every other customer, give them the help that they need, and make sure that they don't disturb the others around them (or vice-versa). Keep things safe and respectable.

3. Public Health

Perhaps my least favorite thing to deal with, after cleaning up human waste, is to field complaints about a patron with a very bad cough or who has serious body odor. Some libraries have a policy stating that a patron has to have decent hygiene, and can be ejected if they have too strong of a body odor. However, I've always found it difficult to ask someone to leave if they seem obviously sick. You have to weigh the risk to public safety (and your amount of sanitizer) against the needs of the other people in the building.

4. Activism

Local activists can be a mixed blessing. They can advocate on your behalf, but they can also be your biggest most vocal critics. It's best to work with them to the best of your ability, and listen to what they have to say. Don't take their criticism personally. It's not about you; it's about your institution. If you have a positive relationship with your local activists they can really help you out when you need it.

5. Complaints

You learn about book challenges, and intellectual freedom, but what about just general complaints? Especially complaints dealing with things over which you have absolutely no control. You have no idea how many times you might hear, "your computers are too slow," or "story time is too loud." Eventually you'll get into the rhythm of having a steady answer, but believe me, it gets old hearing it. Don't lose your cool, you may have heard it a thousand times, but this may be their first.

6. Exorbitant Fines

Sometimes people will come in and try to check something out even though they owe the library hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars in lost materials. Sometimes that person is a child. Do what you can to find a way to mitigate the situation. If it's about missing items, have them bring the items in and give them a break on the fines. If they can't find the item ask them to get a replacement copy or take something else in trade. Fines are there for a reason, but sometimes the rules need to be bent. Use your best judgment when it comes to fines. Keeping someone coming back is better than losing them forever.

7. Sexual Situations

I think we've all heard or seen stories of people who sneak off for trysts in the bathrooms, the hidden corners of the library, the back rooms, etc. Whether it’s for thrills, or it's the only place they can go, sometimes some people will try this in the library. I have no advice on how to deal with this, except to bar them for indecent behavior. If it's really bad, you should get the police involved.

8. Vandalism

Somebody out there think it's funny to be a jerk. They will tag your building with spray paint, use markers on furniture, kick things, break things, all of it intentional. Most of the time vandalism happens when you're not paying attention, or when the facility is closed. If it's gang related or severe enough damage, contact the police to let them know what happened. The best thing to do is to get your cleaning people in there as soon as possible. You can generally clean paint off the side of a building, get marker off of a chair, and windows can be replaced. Be super-careful to not injure yourself with damaged items.

9. Parent/Child Discipline

Some parents still spank their children, or worse, smack or beat their children. When does disciplining the child cross the line in the library? Unfortunately, it's a judgment call. If you feel like a parent's treatment of their child is crossing the line into abuse, you can contact the local police and social services.  On the opposite end of the spectrum are parents who just drop off their children, and leave them unattended for long periods of time, sometimes all day.  If the children are very young, call the police.  It’s not your responsibility to monitor or protect those children. It’s the parent’s job.

10. Violence

Nothing prepares you for when you have a violent incident at the library. Anything could bring it on, jealousy, gangs, theft, property damage, anything. When violence erupts you need to contact the police immediately. If your library has security guards, they should be trained to deal with violence and to fill out reports. If there is an incident, you will be asked to fill out a statement. Write down as much as you can possibly recall, and hand it over to the authorities. Do NOT give any information to the parties involved, any assistance given to them could be construed as aiding and abetting. Keep your cool, and follow the instructions given to you by the police.

Eric S. Riley is the branch manager of the Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Neighborhood Library, a part of the DC Public Library system in Washington, D.C.  He has worked in academic, federal, and public libraries since 1994.  In 2010, he was profiled by Library Journal as a “Mover and Shaker” for his innovative work in public programming at DC Public Library. He currently writes the “Librarian Exploring the Future” blog.

Not So Different After All, Or, Academics and Publics vs. Predatory Pricing

I always try to write about things libr* people have in common - customer service, communication skills, job hunting, etc. But how much do we really have in common when it comes to collection development and our relationships with publishers? For instance, a friend who works in a public library said something like, "If a paperback costs more than $10, I don't even look at it." I responded, "If a paperback coast less than $10, I don't even look at it." To be more explicit: she's only interested in mass market paperbacks whereas I avoid them.

Think about these differences through the lens of recent publishing scandals. On the public library side, it's ebook pricing problems. Random House has moved to agency pricing and other publishers are completely refusing to sell ebooks to libraries. On the academic library side, it's the Research Works Act and Elsevier and getting access to scholarly and scientific articles. The publishers with which public librarians do business seem to want to employ predatory pricing and the publishers with which academic librarians do business seem to want to employ predatory pricing. Not so dissimilar after all.

If we aren't that different in our problems, I can't help thinking that there's got to be a way we can team up to fix our problems. I just can't think of it. So no, I don't have the answers this week, but I'm wondering if you do. I'd love to hear from any of my readers about this, but I'm especially interested to hear from the people at whom this blog is targeted: library science graduate students and new library science professionals. With all of our experience, established professionals haven't managed to solve these issues yet. So, new libr* kids, please help me with your fresh perspective.

What do you think?

First Thursday's Just For Fun: Bloggeration

Last month, I gabbled on and on about the webcomics I love. You agreed with many of my choices (yay!) and even introduced me to some new ones. That was so much fun that I figured I'd continue in the same vein for the new "Just for Fun" post, and talk about some of the non-libr* blogs I follow. Before you go any further, remember I'm both a crazy cat lady and a big ol' nerd. You still in? Good.

So, in no particular order, here they are:


 
BoingBoing is a random collection of awesome, including some library related materials. Posts range from esoteric to nerdy to simply cool. Some of my recent favorites are "Haunting photos from Fukushima, one year later: 'Invisible You,' by Satoru Niwa," "Star Wars pancake molds," and "Stained glass TARDIS."


The Daily Squee 
This is pure, unadulterated, cuteness. Each picture is more squee than the last. Recent favorites are "Drink Me Up" (a cheetah cub), "Bow Down Before Me" (a sleepy ferret), and "But Doc, I'm Not Sick" (a red panda getting a vet check).



The Daily What is another random collection of awesome. Lots of news, interesting videos, and random cute things. Recent favorites are "Not Dead Yet of the Day" (a woman got up out of her coffin and made herself breakfast), "Toy Chain Boycott of the Day" (some doofuses are planning to boycott Toys R Us over Archie featuring a same sex couple getting married), and "Kids Unintentionally Say The Darndest Swear Words of the Day" (NSFW, but cute).



The Daily What Geek is The Daily What's geeky kid sister. All the random goodness I expect from The Daily What, but with an amped up geek factor. Recent favorites are "T-Rex Bite Study of the Day," "Star Wars Yoga Posters of the Day," and "Interesting Ethics Study of the Day."


There are more I follow, but I think that's enough for now. Besides, I want to hear from you. What non-libr* blogs do you follow, and why?

Why Google Doesn't Scare Me, Or, Library As Place

Bear with me as I tell a bit of a story before launching into the main gist of today's post.

The library's roof no longer leaks (rumor is that is has leaked, off and on, since the building opened in 1995) which is a cause for much rejoicing. It is also a cause to repaint, now that we know (hope?) there won't be anymore water damage. I adore this building. It's one of my favorite things about working for this college. So, walking around my library and seeing the painters' progress, makes me smile. See what I mean about the beauty of this place:

These spiral stairs go from the basement to the first floor.

Old, old, old government documents in nice, neat rows.

My favorite study room.

That brings me to my main topic: "the library as place". I keep coming back to that concept, again and again, lately. The comfy chairs, the study nooks, the art... all of it makes this a welcoming space. Further, "library as place" is the reason I'm not worried about competing with Google. This library is a community center and a destination on campus. Sure, as a college library, we are here to help with research and to provide access to information, but we're so much more. How can Google ever compete with us? Google's not even a place.

What do you think? Why do the naysayers who keep predicting the Death Of Libraries never consider the library-as-place aspect?

Update: I just got around to reading this Grant McCracken, HBR Blog Network piece, "Innovating the Library Way," for which I saved the link a little over a month ago. Turns out this HBR writer agrees with little ol' me. Nice.