What's here

From LLN

What's here

Contents

Updated January 2, 2009, leaving out most lists of articles.

You've seen What's new and checked What's hot at PLN? What about the rest?

General exploration

  • Topics: The topics sidebar will lead you to almost everything else in PLN. It links to a dozen category pages, each page automatically updated when an article tagged as being in that category appears. Many articles are in more than one category--and there are quite a few categories that aren't in the topics list. (You can click on the Category List to see all of them.)
  • Related articles: When you find an article that interests you, you can generally explore related articles from the Related articles section near the end of the article, although some articles don't have such a section and these links are added manually. (If you think an article should be in another article's Related articles section, feel free to add it yourself or send a note to the editor.)
  • Bylines: Except for articles that originated in Leader's Digest and a few special cases, most articles now include byline links for authors who contributed more than a paragraph or so. So if you love what X has to say, check the Category list at the bottom of the page. Chances are, there will be a link that will take you to X's other contributions. If you want to see all the bylines, go to the Features and bylines category page. (Authors: If you'd like to add identifying text or links to your byline page, feel free to do so--and if you have trouble, email me the info.)
  • Searching: The search box is a great way to find articles by writers you like, and it can help you find articles of interest--but MediaWiki searching is a little crude, since all searches are word searches.

Overviews

Little by little, we're adding Overviews on topics. (Where do we need new overviews or topics? Let us know!) You may find these overviews to be useful starting points:

  • We got trouble... - articles on internal difficulties and possibilities, including issues with employees, management, communication, behavior and organizational structure. It's not all negative by any means; many difficulties also offer possibilities.
  • Listening and speaking, a communication commentary - articles on internal communication.
  • Open access basics - this is both a quick overview for those new to Open Access and a guide to other articles on this vital topic.
  • Blogs and wikis, a lightweight publishing overview - if you don't use or know about blogs and wikis, and understand the differences between them, you should. This brief article will get you started and guide you through PLN's rich set of articles.
  • Conferences and presentations--why leaders should care - a commentary on the reasons these topics matter to any library leader, and a guide to PLN's cluster of articles on conferences and presentations.
  • Leader's guide to open everything - PLN already has strong clusters on Open Access and Open Source, but "open" pops up in lots of other contexts these days. This "shell overview" summarizes the two primary clusters and notes some of the other Opens.

You can anticipate more overview articles in the future.

Recent additions

Most of PLN's primary topics include recent articles sections, showing up to eight of the newest (and most recently revised) articles related to that topic. The rest of this page is the recent articles sections for primary categories (and, unlike the rest of What's here, these sections are automatically kept up to date).

Most articles in PLN do not appear here, but all (or nearly all) of them do appear on the topics pages.

Leadership

When is it leadership and when is it management? The lines will never be clear, but articles in this category should deal with leadership issues.

Recent articles:

Technology

Most articles here should help you keep up with new areas of technology that relate to libraries and leadership. Some are on the relationship of technology to leadership.


Recent articles:

  • Ebook notes leads off with a suggestion that some library ebook models could mean "libraries are screwed" (and the article no longer includes some outdated items).
  • Technology trends now leads off with ten things you should know about technology, with a link to a longer article on that topic.
  • Sony Reader experiences includes brief notes on hands-on comparisons of the Sony 505 and Kindle 2.
  • Mixed early results on using the Kindle DX as an e-textbook in Ebook reader problems and issues.
  • Ebook readers and libraries combines new and older commentaries on how ebook readers do or don't work in and with libraries.
  • Notes on the OLE Project--and reactions to the draft report--now in Open source notes and resources.
  • New in Blogging notes: ten harsh truths about corporate blogging, most of which apply to library blogs as well.
  • Kindle and ebook reader notes now includes two new sections, both asserting the heat of ereaders.

Policy

This section includes issues of law (e.g., copyright) but also policy issues that matter to librarians and aren't (or aren't primarily) legal issues.

Note that Open source, discussed under Technology, is as much a policy issue as a technology issue.

Recent articles:

Funding

Articles about fundraising and funding in general--but also articles about how money is spent.

Recent articles:

Marketing

Telling the library story and other aspects of marketing.

Recent articles:

  • Advocacy and marketing (in the new LLN) now includes a new personal commentary from Michelle McLean on how marketing can and should become part of your everyday library activities.
  • Engaging the community - New notes on dealing with comments--and examples of scenarios to emulate or avoid.
  • Trends to consider includes a list of a baker's dozen "marketing trends to watch," with a link to an explanation of all 13.
  • What would you do if you saw chalked messages at the entry to your library complaining about a library policy? Chalk notes: A library success story offers one library director's answer.
  • New in Blogging notes: Ten harsh truths about corporate blogging--most of which also apply to library blogs.
  • What do you call the members of your library community? Naming them--patrons, users or members? now includes a major new commentary--and thoughts from more than a dozen librarians.
  • Marketing notes now begins with another new commentary on changes in marketing requirements (added September 11, 2009).
  • Newspaper columns and blogs now includes more than two dozen additional examples.

People

Articles about dealing with the people in your organization may appear under leadership or management as well.

Recent articles:

  • What would you do if you saw chalked messages at the entry to your library complaining about a library policy? Chalk notes: A library success story offers one library director's answer.
  • The age of librarians now includes an essay on bridging the gap between boomers and next-gen librarians.
  • Generational notes now includes a link to an annotated set of 21 informed discussions of generational issues.
  • Dealing with difficult patrons may be "the hardest part of being a librarian," the title of a new commentary in Service and policy.
  • Teamwork checklists now includes commentaries by Doug Johnson on why collaboration may be overrated--but also on when you do need groups.
  • Abigail Goben provides insights from a public librarian on why highly connected librarians go to face-to-face conferences in Library conferences: Why bother?
  • What do you call the members of your library community? Naming them--patrons, users or members? now includes a major new commentary, a poll--and thoughts from more than a dozen librarians.

Planning

Change, strategic planning, metrics and other areas.

Recent articles:

Innovation

Recent articles:

Management

Most articles in this category also appear in other categories, but some are specific to the management side of leadership.

Recent articles:

  • To what extent is scientific management and its offshoots based on fraud? "Not so fast" in Management notes summarizes a New Yorker book review on that topic.
  • Library management notes - Commentaries on aspects of library management, now including ten things to keep in mind when prioritizing library projects.
  • Learning from failure now includes a commentary on survivor bias and its meaning for "success stories."
  • Teamwork checklists now includes commentaries by Doug Johnson on why collaboration may be overrated--but also on when you do need groups.
  • Who leaves and who stays when management's gone bad? Brief excerpts from (and link to) a list now in Problematic management.
  • Three things managers do that employees never forget--and three other things they'll never forgive. New in Managers and staff.
  • Are GenXers the leaders we need? You'll find some new generational generalizations--and a direct response from a GenX academic librarian--in Generational notes.
  • Do librarians have an attitude problem regarding management? Read Librarians and management--now with two more commentaries.

Services

Libraries are service organizations; articles in this category discuss topics directly related to services. In addition to articles already noted, consider:

Recent articles:

  • Dealing with difficult patrons may be "the hardest part of being a librarian," the title of a new commentary in Service and policy.
  • Will ebook adoption mean libraries get the (economic) shaft? That's the suggestion in a new section of Ebook notes
  • Engaging the community - Commentaries on library and museum involvement with social media; new ideas from David Lee King added August 7, 2009, new commentary from Nina Simon added August 20, 2009.
  • Charging for services - Can or should public libraries have "freemium" services?
  • Service attitudes - Added June 4, 2009: Why understanding your customer isn't enough.
  • Media notes - A new compilation, beginning with a discussion on newspapers.
  • Google Books settlement: basics and issues - A relatively brief overview of the complex proposed Google Books Search lawsuit settlement, which may affect every U.S. library and the future of fair use.
  • The copyright spectrum and libraries - An overview of copyright issues, essential to library services.

Special categories

In addition to the major topics, you might find that some other category pages help you pursue specific interests, such as:

  • PLN Challenge - the usually-monthly Challenges posed to you and a group of PLN contributors.
  • LLN Peer Panel - the usually-monthly responses of a group of library leaders to specific questions (through November 2008, after which the LLN Peer Panel merged with the PLN Challenge panel).
  • LaRue's Views - Jamie LaRue's newspaper columns and other standalone contributions.
  • Leader's Digest - Current posts and monthly summaries of Leslie Dillon's leadership-related items from a variety of sources (almost all of which eventually turn up elsewhere). Note: As time goes on, items that appear elsewhere will show as links to those articles rather than as full text, leaving the monthly summaries as switching centers and items that didn't fit elsewhere.

Your turn: Talk about it

Do you find this page useful? How could it be better? Let us know!

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