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Prepared for the ALCTS President’s
Program
June 2005
Karen Calhoun
Librarians
Creativity
Learning
A Boundary-Breaking
Perspective
June 2005 2
The Well
“They come and go and draw from the well”I Ching, hexagram 48, Ching – The Well
•The Library as a center of collections
•The Library as a center of experts and tools to guide users to appropriate resources
June 2005 4
Boundaries and boundary-breaking
Technologycenters
Culturalheritage
orgs.Library org.
“silos”
Librarybuildings
Analogcollections
Communities of users
Libraries
June 2005 5
Being a 21st Century Librarian
• Starting points:– Technology-driven research, teaching and
learning– Disintermediation (users perceive they are
self-sufficient)– Accelerating shift in information seekers’
preferences for Web-based information and multimedia formats
Librarianship: “There are few professions whichcontribute so much to the saving of time and tothe progress of science.” –Library Journal, 1890
June 2005 6
DOMAINEXPERTS:
Professors, grad.students, researchers, deans,university leaders and staff
UNIVERSITY KNOWING
COMMUNITYINFORMATION
EXPERTS:Librarians, records
managers, archivists,others
IT EXPERTS:Desktop, computer lab
and server support; applications for academic, research, administrative
support; networks,telecommunications, security
Teaching, Learning, and the Creation of New Knowledge
“Knowledge creation is everyone’s concern,and not the responsibility of a specialized few.”–Chun Wei Choo, 2002
June 2005 7
Exemplars of 21st Century Librarianship
“Instead of being a hoarder of containers, thelibrary must become the facilitator of retrievaland dissemination.”—William Wulf, 2003
Blakeley, Daniel H.
Cornell Center for Materials Research Facility Staff page
June 2005 11
Making Library Collections and Services Visible
• Librarians must be where the users are
• Library must be where the users’ eyes are– Interconnections, interoperability, and
information delivery
• Partnerships, partnerships, partnerships
“2 ½ cheers for Google.”--Paul Duguid, May 5 2005, Cornell University
June 2005 12
Managing “Mindsets”• Neither good nor bad• Essential for making
sense of the world• Contain hidden
assumptions• Not absolute truths• Some get stuck in them• We need to be aware of
them, and sometimes challenge them
• “Everything is available on the Web”
• “Librarians wear sensible shoes and check out books”
• “The library is a wonderful storehouse of books”
• “Public services librarians understand users’ needs”
• “Users should search in the right way so they find the best resources”
• “The best catalog record is the fullest one possible”
“Research libraries, as organizations, have greatdifficulty in … implementing the revolutionarychanges that are needed for automated digital libraries.” --Bill Arms, DLib Magazine, 2000
June 2005 13
Creativity: A Way of Managing One’s Inner Processes
• Friends – Play, inquisitiveness– Inner stability
• Open, receptive• Let go of the past• Question assumptions
– Flexibility • Foes
– Cynicism– Fear– Anger– Unexamined “mindsets”– Narrow focus
“ A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind.”—Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance, 1841
June 2005 14
Vision
• Founded in the belief that the world can be a better place, even in the face of great challenge, even despair
• Demands individual and organizational creativity: new ways of thinking, seeing, doing
• Can empower and align people, build momentum, and harness creative spirit
Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.--Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address, 1863
June 2005 15
•Find mutual purpose•Provide transitional roles and phases•Support staff development•Recognize it will take time•Persevere•Tolerate ambiguity
•Foster teamwork and innovation•Manage transitions, not just change•Honor the past•Walk the talk•Build a coalition•Respect people and endings•Learn how to have a “crucial conversation”
Creative Leadership: People Matter
“Transforming an organization is the ultimate test of leadership.”—John Kotter, Harvard Business School, 1998
June 2005 16
A New Kind of Library
When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.—Franklin D. Roosevelt
•Build a vision of a new kind of library•Actively collaborate in learning and creating new knowledge
•Make organizational boundaries porous•Lower barriers to discovery and use•Leverage the skills of librarianship to advance knowledge•Integrate librarians in community social and information processes
June 2005 17
Visibility and Creative Leadership
• Increase our visibility• Examine mindsets• Nurture creativity and
innovation• Invest in people