Digitization 101

Jeremy Cusker (Cornell University Libraries) talked through a collaborative journal subscription project, that was focused on lowering costs. He noted that when a vendor carries open access journals, that it doesn’t reduce the costs. He also noted that it wasn’t possible to be completely data driven.  Some selectors felt that how faculty felt about specific journals needed to be considered. 

• Jill Wilson
• Erin Smith
• Emily Clasper
• Elaine Lasda
• Jeremy Cusker
• Kelly Johnson

• They did a shelf count and they measured the collection 
• They were only able to add 84 shelves, which was not enough.
• While all the books would fit into the library, the shelf fill rate would be higher than recommended.

• No extra room
• Ongoing discussion on future plans for space

• Solid planning gives you a framework to rely on, even when the project doesn’t play out as planned
• Keep the goal and related projects in mind when making changes

• Identify problems and brainstorm solutions
• Make sure the problems are clear
• Establish workflows and designate responsibility 
• There should be a coherent workflow
• Embrace iteration

• Create helpful resources
• Get information into the hands of people when they need it 
• They built tools into their libguide.  They put in the libguide information that they had normally covered face-to-face.

• They found that they needed to standup for themselves
• Expectations and boundaries clearly defined

• What happens when you’re spread too thin?
• You need to advocate
• Recruit additional help

Jill Wilson (ChaseDesign LLC) and Erin Rowley (University at Buffalo) presented on "Project Management Basics."

• Scope and charter: what is and is not. Be aware of scope creep.  The charter should help you keep things in bounds.
• Time and task: estimating and tracking the time it takes to do all the things in order to complete the project.  What is the critical path?
• Cost and procurement
• Human resources 
• Quality control and risk: risk assessment matrix
• Stakeholders and communication: potential influence vs. potential interest.  How do people want to be updated?

They noted that it all overlaps!  In addition, not all components will be part of every project.

Then Jill and Erin noted one more thing: You need to close your projects.  Take the time to reflect, learn, and document.  Make it a formal closure. They suggested scheduling the closure meeting when you schedule the kick-off meeting.

• Need to focus on strategic goals
• Scarce resources
• Frustration with the pace of change
• Work is not done efficiently
• No pathway to truly cross-functional world

• Focused on strategic goals
• Clear objectives
• Efficient use of resources
• Faster progress
• Risk Management
• Communication tools

• Misunderstand project management - This has to do its setting expectations.  It is not a tool, set of documents,  a task list, a Gantt chart, a single method. It is a methodology and Emily provided her definition (slide 14).  She noted that there is a difference between project work and operational work.
• Confusion with reporting and authority - managers coordinate the projects, but it will be people in specific silos who do the work. Communication in this structure can be slow. Some organizations use a projectized structure. There are dedicated project managers, who gather people to work on specific projects. In terms of structure, Emily talked about strong, weak, and balanced matrix.  You need to sort our organizational confusion.
• Communication complexity - You cannot skimp on communication.  The number of communication paths becomes a problem. 10 people would have 45 communication paths!  Prioritize strong communications. Consider communication structures between projects. Where is your hub?
• Cross departmental resources management 
• Change management 
• Career development

The Upstate New York Chapter of SLA is holding its spring conference today (April 12) in Syracuse, NY. The conference theme is "Managing Projects: Tales from the Trenches."  Among the presenters are Elaine Lasda and me, who are talking about personal time management, or as our proposal said, "Managing the Most Critical Project of All: Yourself."  Rather than creating a handout, we are posting our resources here, so the links are clickable.  Enjoy.

Session Description

Session Resources from Jill Hurst-Wahl

Getting Things Done

• Alan Henry. (2014) Productivity 101: A Primer to the Getting Things Done (GTD) Philosophy (LifeHacker)
• From David Allen and Getting Things Done
• Five Simple Steps That Apply Order to Chaos
• Podcast Episode #3 – David Allen guides you through a Mind Sweep (23 minutes)
• Podcast Episode #7 – Guided GTD Weekly Review (32 minutes) 
• Podcast Episode #40 – Best Practices of Email Communication (29 minutes)
• Podcast Episode #45 – Dealing with Competing Priorities (33 minutes)
• Allen, D. and Fallows, J. (2015) Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. Penguin Books.

Session Resources from Elaine Lasda

·        Tools

• Evernote 
• Toodledo 
• Trello 
• Trello Inspiration page (templates)  
• Zapier 

·        Select “Guru” articles and blogs

• NYTimes Smart Living Blog 
• Marc Andresson system using Trello
• Michael Hyatt system using Evernote 
• Michael Hyatt on writing things down
• Michael Linenberger system using Toodledo
• Cathy Mazak  on Academic writing using Trello

·         Planners

• Rituals for Living Dreambook PDF Planner
• Panda Planner Blog

·         Book

• Smallwood, Carol et al. (2013). Time and project management strategies for librarians. Lanham:Scarecrow Press. 

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Addendum (9:15 p.m.): During the session, I mentioned this blog post entitled "Building a Team", which includes helpful links on being more effective with email.

As a child, I went to school to learn "reading, writing and 'rithmatic", also known as the three R's.   Arithmetic (a branch of mathematics) is impressed upon us as being important; as important as reading.  However, since many of the devices around us do simple arithmetic for us, we tend to rely on those devices instead of our own abilities.  But can you be an information professional without being good at arithmetic and mathematics?

Consider:

• Can you create a project proposal for a new digitization program without calculating server space requirements, time estimates for specific aspects of the work, or costs of purchasing services?
• Can you decide on the resources needed to create metadata for a collection without doing math?
• Can you decide on the best deal for digital asset management software without using math?
• Can you make decisions about your book or resource budget without doing any calculations?
• Can you provide input on your organization's budget without math?
• Can you analyze detailed cost quotes if you cannot do math?
• Can you double-check a vendors invoice without math?
• Can you evaluate a job offer if you cannot do math?
• Can you...?

In other words, arithmetic and mathematics are not just for those people interesting STEM related professions (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).  Everyone in the information profession needs math skills.  Everyone.

Do you need to learn calculus and trigonometry?  Likely not, although you will give your brain a good exercise by doing so.  You do need to be able to sit in a meeting (or in your office), run calculations and know that they are correct.

Need a math refresher? 

• Put away the calculator and start using a pen and paper. 
• Don't rely on someone else to calculate something for you.  Do it yourself.
• Check out the arithmetic and pre-algebra videos from the Khan Academy.

Yes, I know...you selected the information profession because you believe it is a word-based field.  Surprise, it's not.  Instead this is a field where math skills are integral to what you will do everyday.  (I had two hiring managers today emphasize this!)

When an employer calls to check someone's references, the person asks a number of questions.  One of the things the employer wants to know is if the person can work in teams.  Most academic programs have classes where teamwork is required.  Students learn how to work in teams through instruction, in-class exercises and by just doing it. 

Below are two handouts from Loughborough University on working in teams. I've used these with students and know that there are some business teams that could benefit from them. Both have similar content, with the longer handout also being newer.

• Working in Groups (12 pages), http://www.lboro.ac.uk/service/ltd/campus/grpwork.pdf
• Working in Groups (4 pages), http://www.lboro.ac.uk/media/wwwlboroacuk/content/library/downloads/advicesheets/Working%20in%20groups.pdf

This semester, I used information from Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono with students.  This book helps you think about your own approach to situations and problems, and gives you a framework for approaching a problem differently.  It could be very useful to have an entire team read the book and then "try on" the different "hats."  It could help a team function more effectively.

Finally, at a recent event, we were broken up into small groups and given the "marshmallow challenge." Below is the TED video about it and there is a web site with more details.  This is an interesting engineering problem at which kindergarten students excel at (not adults).  You might consider using the marshmallow challenge as a team building exercise, then use the video to debrief the group and start a conversation about what teams need to do in order to function well.

During the spring semester, I teach a class called "Planning, Marketing and Assessing Library Services."  This is a project-based class where students work in teams with a host librarian to create a project plan, marketing plan and assessment plan for a new library service.  There are numerous details that the students must include in the plans and I suspect that it is overwhelming at times.

The good news is that these students are learning in a safe environment how to plan.  Many people learn this skill on-the-job and often badly.  We all have times when we fail to plan...fail to understand what they key activities are...fail to recognize who should be involved...fail to articulate the deliverables...fail to create a complete budget...fail...to...well, you get the idea.  Failing sometimes has dire consequences.  We may need to backtrack, pull in more resources, spend money that we hadn't allocated, ask for an extension, etc.  Failing also means that we're stressed, as is the organization.  Failing is never pretty.

Over the years, I have been surprised by the projects that have failed to plan.  I once encountered a project team that was too busy to plan, yet couldn't get their project started because there wasn't agreement on what they needed to do.  I've also encountered projects that were grant funded and were the details provided to the grant - the plan - were part fictitious.  Success in those situations is harder...do-able...but harder.

If you have never planned a large project, do not despair. I know that you have actually informally planned things that have been successful. Now you need to learn a more formal, rigorous process for planning.  You can do that through workshops, college courses, or even becoming a certified project planner through the Project Management Institute.  You could also do reading on the subject.  However, reading isn't enough because you will tend to ignore that parts of project planning that you don't like (or that you don't realize are necessary).  Some sort of class will ensure that you are exposed to all of the elements of project management.

In the class that I teach, we use a variety of readings on project planning, creating marketing plans and creating assessment plans.  Below are two of the textbooks/workbooks that I use. One is on marketing and the other is on assessment.  Yes...those are two activities that all libraries should plan!  If you don't want get these books...look for others.  They're out there and they will help you be successful.

As I re-surface old blog posts here in Digitization 101, I'm also thinking about past content from my other blog (eNetworking 101).  Many many months ago, I wrote blog posts both in eNetworking 101 and in Digitization 101 about the book Tribes by Seth Godin.  As I look back at those blog posts and the book Tribes, it occurs to me that our digitization programs need followers (tribe members), leaders and champions.  A champion is someone who understands what has to happen and want is needed so everything goes smoothly. A champion then uses his or her connections to acquire resources and eliminate roadblocks.  Most importantly, a champion erects roadblocks to stop those that want to interfere.  Stopping interference can be critically important, since well-meaning people will want to intrude for a variety of reasons.  A champion needs to be able to understand the intrusions and handle each in an appropriate way.  If there are legitimate ideas and concerns, then the champion needs to work to get that information to the team in a way that is constructive and not disruptive.

The champion may not be the manager and it may not be someone who has been appointed "the champion".  Likely it is someone who sees the need and then fills it.

As you look at your program, do you have a champion?  If you don't have one, do you need one?  If the answer is yes, look around your organization for someone who has the "social capital" to fill the role for you. You'll need to approach the person and tell them what you're looking for. Be sure to tell the person that this is a role that requires being aware of what is occurring in the organization and the ability (and willingness) to provide some influence on behalf of your program.  If the person is unsure of the role, just say "hey could you keep your ears open for me and tell me if there is something I need to know that is going to affect this project?"  If the person can do that, then he or she is one step closer to being your champion.

Champions do need information from you, so be sure to keep your champion in the loop on what's going on. This could be a simple as checking-in over a cup of coffee.

What I find interesting about project management is that we often look for people who have managed similar projects. If you have managed a digitization project in the past, then you can manage a digitization project in the future. However, project management is a skill that can be applied to any type of project. If I can manage all of the steps (and contractors) in order to successfully build a home, then I can have the skills to manage a digitization program. However, I may not have the subject area knowledge about digitization that I need. The good news is that knowledge can be attained.

What has been the most successful project that you have managed? Was it work related or perhaps something that happened in your personal life (remodeling a kitchen, settling a tricky estate, coordinating an international move)? If it wasn't completely successful, what did you learn from it and how will that impact your next project?

If you are interviewing someone for a project management position, consider asking both about professional and personal projects that they have managed. You may find that the person has managed large projects as a volunteer or managed interesting projects in his/her personal life.

If you know nothing about project management, there is an open source project management handbook online. Although written specifically for IT projects, anyone may find it useful. [10/20/2008: URL corrected]

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Technorati tag: Project Management

Many programs find it necessary to use volunteers in order to get work completed. I often speak out against using volunteers because I know that volunteers may not have the correct knowledge or work ethic for the job, although they are often enthusiastic. Yet I've seen volunteers be very effective in digitization programs when they did have the correct skills.

The Nature Conservancy is an organization that relies heavily on its volunteers. Gleaned from is Autumn 2007 magazine (p. 62) are these ideas for keeping and using knowledgeable volunteers:

• Make them responsible for specific tasks.
• Give them some authority, if they have the correct knowledge to make good decisions.
• Help them fall in love with what they do. If they love what they do, they do it well and for a long time.
  

The Nature Conservancy has found that these three ideas help them keep volunteers for many years. If it works for them, it should work for us when we need volunteers to pitch in and help.

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Technorati tag: Staffing

A friend emailed me today about a YouTube video of Pavarotti and James Brown performing together. That led me to a video of Pavarotti and Barry White...and then of him singing with Bono. Pavarotti used his collaborations to expand the number of people who heard opera music. He believed that the more people that heard it, the better.

We know that collaborations can make our projects stronger and more durable. The lesson we should learn from Pavarotti is that collaborations also give us a way of telling more people about what we do and why. Collaborations can help us broaden the number of people who support our projects and who might advocate on our behalf.

Undoubtedly, Luciano Pavarotti used collaborations to open people's ears and eyes. Let us do the same.


BTW -- I've used this photo from Flickr twice which has a Creative Commons license on it. Now I see that the same photo is posted Flickr in at least two different accounts, so I'm not sure who really owns the rights to it. If there is a problem with my use, I hope someone will alert me so I can remove it.

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Technorati tags: Collaboration, Pavarotti

I was speaking to a software company last week and we talked about how organizations decide what to purchase. Unfortunately, many organizations do not have the time (and maybe money) to do product trials. Therefore, organizations base their decisions on what a company tells them, rumors/information from other sources, product reviews (if there are any), and price. However, no matter how much you read and talk, it does not take the place of a product trial. Testing one product -- or two or more -- with your own computers, data, employees, etc., will give you the information you need to be a better purchasing decision. Instead of making a blind decision, your eyes will be wide open. You will have seen and experienced those things that will really make a difference -- how the product works for you and your co-workers.

It does sometime seem that the more expensive a product, the less likely an organization is to trial it. Perhaps that is because there may be a cost to the trial. But wouldn't you rather do a trial than purchase something that you are going to regret?

And wouldn't you be able to justify the purchase more effectively if you have tried it?