On March 29, 2013, I presented "Innovation & Librarians" at 49th Library Week, an annual conference organized by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism (General Directorate for Libraries and Publications) and the Turkish Librarians' Association, held at the National Library of Turkey in Ankara. Although a previous commitment prevented me from making the trip, I was glad to contribute my presentation via Skype from Connecticut, USA.

It was an honor to speak with Turkish library colleagues about recent creative and technology advancements in American libraries and to share my ideas about what's next on the horizon.

Thank you to Emre Hasan Akbayrak for inviting me to the program and for the photos of the session. 

Social Media Marketing for Libraries (& Organizations)

This workshop was developed for the Electronic Resources & Libraries conference in Austin, TX. It was held March 20, 2013 and included participants from libraries, library schools, vendors, consortia, and more. Great group, and an insightful session! It was my first time attending ER&L and I'd highly recommend this conference to information managers and librarians interested in learning about the leading trends and innovations in electronic resource management. 

Thank you to Bonnie Tijerina, Sandy Tijerina, and Xan Arch for coordinating the workshop!

The 2012 ACRL NY Annual Symposium presented a day of big picture ideas and real life case studies around the theme of Cultivating Entrepreneurship in Academic Libraries. Speakers and topics at the event:

• Steven Bell,"Want a More Entrepreneurial Academic Library? First Escape Your Culture"
• Naomi House, "'I'dentity: Building a Brand by Bucking the Crowdsourcing Trend"
• Stephanie Walker,"Commercialization is Not a Dirty Word: Using Library Entrepreneurship to Begin Addressing Budget Needs"
• Lisa Carlucci Thomas, "Designing the Imperative: Transformative Culture"
• Maureen Sullivan, "Creating a Culture of Innovation"

Thanks to ACRL NY Symposium Chair Carrie Netzer Wajda and the Symposium Committee for bringing us all together.

My presentation, Designing the Imperative: Transformative Culture (& The Power of Yes), expanded upon themes I presented last month at Widen the Lens, with specific attention to the unique considerations of academic libraries operating in the evolving landscape of higher education.

Don't miss the #acrl12 storify for resources and a twitter archive from the event. Have something to add? Contact me @lisacarlucci.

​ 

Last night's class at the Grove Academy was an informative, engaging experience.  I'm already looking forward to attending upcoming classes and teaching again in December. Let us know what you want to learn: take the survey to suggest future classes.

What I Learned At The Grove Academy #1

• If you teach it, they will come. I was concerned that the topic was too specific for the first class, and would only attract a limited audience. I was concerned that the snowy/icy weather would cause delays or cancellations. I was concerned that I didn't know enough about this topic, or that I would forget everything that I've learned. I was concerned about a bunch of silly stuff, obvs.
• We teach, we learn. The best part of presenting a class like this is that that everyone learns as part of the process. The instructor arrives arrives with prepared content and departs with shared knowledge from peer experts and group conversation.
• 90 minutes is just right. It's ok to start a few minutes late to allow students to chat casually. It's after work, after all. But end on time.
• It's always good form to present with the Beastie Boys in the background. Unless students prefer otherwise. Ask.

Announcing: The Grove Academy! 

"A new kind of higher education" at The Grove. Blazing-edge topics for creative professionals. All the content you need at the right price. 

WIDEN THE LENS CONFERENCE

November 13 & 14, 2012, Columbus, OH

From the Ohio Library Council: 

Widen the Lens is focused on helping the library community envision the future of public libraries using lessons from business, marketing, education, and more. This conference is about thinking together how we can make a difference by rethinking and reshaping what we do in education, in our space, and in our community. We believe that for public libraries to be successful, we have to be more connected to the rest of the changing world.

A two-day summit on building great ideas for the future of Ohio's libraries, the Widen The Lens conference was abuzz with energy, enthusiasm, and fun. Keynote Garry Golden set the conference in motion with his talk, Building Our 21st Century Roadmap for Libraries, and the full program is full of fresh content from library and non-library experts. 

Abstract for my presentation, Transformative Culture and the Power of YES:

Learn how experimentation, evaluation, and organizational agility promote engagement and creativity; transform products and services; and deliver enhanced value to customers. Create your own “lean library” action plan; make “the case for place” with fresh marketing and programming; and explore leading trends and initiatives as libraries and information partners develop new strategies to surprise, delight, and inspire.

Thanks, OLC, for inviting me to this event! It was an excellent program and I look forward to seeing what great things develop next.

Special thanks to Jennifer Hrusch, Bev Adair, Doug Evans, and the Widen The Lens Co-Chairs for making this happen!

Did you know? Design Think Do is on Facebook! 

Like the Design Think Do page to receive latest updates and join the library innovation conversation with peers across the globe.

New to the page? Be sure to say hello and introduce yourself! 

It starts with you. Design Think Do.

The fifth annual Record Store Day marks “the one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music.” In honor of Record Store Day 2012, I watched High Fidelity, in which John Cusack plays record store owner Rob, for the first time in more than a decade.

Here's a question I received this week:

"When do you know the relationship between you (the librarian) and your library (your place of work) is over?"

As someone in the business of innovation, I'm often approached by fellow information professionals frustrated by the creative limitations of their organizational culture. What do you do? How do you know when it's time to move on?

I decided to answer this colleague swiftly, trusting that an immediate response would be the freshest. This was my reply.

1. Are you creatively engaged there?
2. Do you feel that you are valued for your strengths and encouraged to grow & develop as a professional?
3. What are the working relationships like? Are you learning from your peers and excited and nourished by the collaborations available to you?
4. Do you feel like your work there has reached denouement? Are you still actively involved in projects that you want to see through / are invested in / care about?
5. Does your career mission / priorities / trajectory still align with that of the workplace?

What would you add? What considerations have been important to you when making a job change? What would you do differently next time?

Reply via email (lisa@designthinkdo.org) or on twitter @lisacarlucci and share your thoughts.

What attracts library customers to today’s libraries? The rise of mobile culture and the smart phone society brings a dynamic shift in expectations about how, when, and where to access information. Endless media streams, interactive news feeds, and autonomous research options provide numerous avenues for information-seeking customers. What factors draw their attention to the library, rather than a crowdsourced data channel, commercial service, or search engine?

Here's a quick look:

1. Convenience
2. Community
3. Immediacy
4. Accuracy
5. Customization
6. Privacy
7. Service

Read all the details in my guest post @ Text A Librarian!

{7/5/2012 - Thank you to Ellyssa Kroski for featuring the post on iLibrarian!}