Moving forward: think, reflect, play...

This blog is a continuation of Stepping back, looking forward: A year to think, reflect and play... More than anything, my sabbatical leave taught me that I need to take the time *daily* to look forward...even in the midst of a hectic work schedule. And the library staff needs to do the same...think, reflect, play... Formerly Stepping back, looking forward

7/18/2006

OCLC Western Digitization and Preservation Center, Lacey, Washington

July 7th, 2006

Today I met with Gayle Palmer, Digital and Preservation (DPR) Services Manager, OCLC Western.

Gayle joined OCLC in July 2002 and coordinates program services, consulting, training and grant facilitation programs for the DPR Western Center. She has been active as a trainer in the areas of project management, metadata, and web development for government information.
Gayle formerly served as a Principal Library Information Specialist at the Washington State Library. While at the State Library she served as the program coordinator for Washington State’s Government Information Locator Service and conducted the Statewide Digital Images Initiative. Among the past development projects she has directed are the Find-It! Washington find-it.wa.gov/ and Find-It! Consumer finditconsumer.wa.gov/ search engines. She was the coordinator of the Washington State Newspaper Program. She acts as a grant reviewer for the Institute for Museum and Library Services, National Leadership Grant office.

Gayle is an active contributor to local history and has served as an editor and compiler of two historical books and the union list of Washington newspapers on microfilm. She received a Masters of Science in Library and Information Science from Case Western Reserve University and a BA in History from the University of Michigan.

Gayle has graciously agreed to serve as one of my project advisors for my sabbatical. We met in Lacey, Washington and discussed the three component parts of my project. In the course of the meeting, we talked about possible campus resources to be digitized:
  • historical backfiles of the Courier (60 linear feet with film shot for each issue.)
  • current microfilmed copies of the Courier (microfilmed for the Library several years ago by the Hntington Library)
  • Oral histories
  • photograph collections throughout the campus (including Library archival collections, departmental collections, Tournament of Roses years, OMD, etc.)
  • videos produced for the college promotions
  • audio cassettes (of historical interest)
  • art slides from the Art Faculty
  • online reserves
  • sheet music collections (not bound by copyright)

Other possbilities she urged me to consider addressed the needs of more global campus uses including

  • student records
  • internal documents
  • research office publications
  • E-portfolios

In addition, we spoke of grant opportunities including Librarians for the Twenty-First Century, National Endowment for theHumanities (NEH), the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS),and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). Focus of these grants will be shaped after I survey community colleges in the state to assess where they are in the digital arena. Focus could be on skill development, organizational approach to managing digital projects including development of a demo project that illustrates the effectiveness of a digital asset management system, e-portfolios that encourage student/faculty interactions, policies and procedures.

Gayle and I discussed the possibilities of getting directors from different states together. One possibility would be to look at a grant with the Library Directors from the Western States that would focus on training and planning digital projects.

Gayle mentioned Clark Kelso will paly an integral role in the development of IT in California. Professor J. Clark Kelso serves as Governor Schwarzenegger’s Special Advisor on Information Technology and Chief Information Officer for the State of California. As Chief Information Officer, he is responsible for providing State leadership on information technology policy and for working collaboratively with other information technology leaders throughout state government. http://iwceexpo.com/attendees/bios2006/j_clark_kelso/index.html

More later...



Follow up notes: Western State Community Colleges focused on Managing Libraries in the Digital Age (How flat is your library?) Look at the Silicon Valley History Project
focus on management, funding, strategies, changing environment/skill building
Possible contract with OCLC Western or the Community College League

Visit to Seattle Public Library

He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven (William Butler Yeats)
Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
--William Butler Yeats
It's not surprising that Librarians on vacation (or on sabbatical leave) visit other Libraries. So on June 30th, 2006, I did just that. While heading to the hammock at the Hood Canal, we stopped to see the Central Library.

According to their website, "More than 25,000 persons visited the new Central Library on opening day. As expected, it is drawing more than 8,000 visitors per day during its first year of operation (4,000 a day in the old building)." We were there...

We approached this amazing building from the South and stood gazing at the exterior design. Light and angles...diamonds reflecting the beautiful light from the sunny Seattle day. Each of the nine floors presents different concepts in space and use. The visitor can't help but wonder: "If this was my home public library, where would I choose to be..."

Although the building was not filled to capacity, there was no question that the computer commons was one of the most popular zones...all ages and ethnicities, business suits and homeless sitting side by side in this digital arena. RFID and self-checkout was a breeze...
The compact shelving serving the Friends of the Library was one of my favorites...Volunteers close it up and go home!

You won't see the extnsive automated book handling (I saw it when I was at an OCLC Western meeting a year ago) but you can read about it at this site:
http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=branch_central_bookhandling&branchID=1

Check out this photo gallery...don't miss the Dewey numbers on the floor, the yellow elevators, the mixing chamber, the colors, the light, the spaces...the beauty!
http://www.spl.org/images/slideshow/NewCentralSlideshow.asp

What a way to begin!