September 2004 Archives

how to become the nordstroms of public libraries

I was cleaning off my desktop and came across this little helpful list from an old ALA program How to Become the Nordstrom of Public Libraries [word doc] by Robert Spector. You’ll notice most of these items don’t even cost anything.

1. Provide Your Customer With Choices
2. Create An Inviting Place for Your Customers
3. Hire Nice, Motivated People; (Hire the Smile, Train The Skill)
4. Sell The Relationship: Service Your Customers Through The Products And Services You Sell
5. Empower Employees To Take Ownership
6. Dump The Rules: Tear Down The Barriers To Customer Service
7. Promote Teamwork
8. Commit 100% To Customer Service

hi – 20sep

Posted on 20Sep04 by jessamyn

Hi. I gave my talk on “emerging technologies” to the Librarians of the Upper Valley [LUV] in Newport New Hampshire today and it went well. You can read my presentation here. You’ll notice that emerging tech isn’t really the same here as it might be in your locale. I was pleasantly surprised to see that all of the librarians I spoke with used email, and many of them had what I would consider to be a healthy skepticism for the licensing and marketing of ebooks and other tech initiatives even though I would consider them as a group “tech-friendly.”

search engines get paid to direct users to for profit sites?

Posted on 20Sep04 by jessamyn

Do you think it’s bad if search engines start receiving revenue for traffic they direct towards other for-profit sites? I’m not entirely sure I understand this article about the Google/Reed Elsevier talks. I also wonder what this means for Scirus which, by its own account, was giving Google a run for its money.

Many scientists post their research on university websites, which can be accessed free of charge. Google directs its users to Reed’s sites, but Reed does not now receive a share of the revenue generated by the traffic. Google has similar revenue-sharing arrangements with other companies, but a deal with Reed would be one of the biggest of its kind. [shelf]

listen to me call John Ashcroft “snotty” on the radio

Posted on 19Sep04 by jessamyn

In the little ripple effect of the Wired article, I was interviewed for BBC World Service which Chuck heard, but apparently no one else did. I had them email me the 4 minute interview as a digital file. If you have broadband and you’d like to hear it, you can download the mpeg here [2.7 M mpeg]

hi – 18sep

Posted on 18Sep04 by jessamyn

Hi. An update on my ALA status for anyone who is curious. I was invited to serve on the Membership Committee of ALA which sounded good to me. I found out that I had been appointed to this committee when I found myself subscribed to the email list without my knowledge or permission. Judging by the responses from other people who got signed on — along the lines of “why am I on this list?” — I wasn’t the only one who found this an odd tactic. Upon further investigation, I discovered that I was on the committee as a “virtual member” or an e-member. This is usually a position reserved for people who can’t make conferences where a lot of the committee work occurs. E-members can’t vote. Since I do make conferences and in fact have to make conferences, I was curious as to why I had been assigned a non-voting position on the committee [though I have my suspicions, ALA is rarely as nefarious as I suspect they are being]. I asked around a bit and a few people mentioned that I was a virtual member because I’m good with computers and technology, which was an interesting non-answer but I think translated into “nobody knows.” After some discussion with other councilors, I decided to resign from that committee [too late to keep my name from being printed in the handbook as a member] and took a position with the Committee on Membership Meetings, a newish committee instead. Sorry there are no links to what I am talking about, I can’t bear to use the ALA web site search engine one more time.