SLA Leadership Summit: Notes on running an effective meeting via conference call/video conference

These are notes from this morning's brainstorming session (not in order of importance):

• Set a agenda with time limits for each item.
• Establish rules for meetings.
• Use Robert's rules or other agreed upon rules for running the meeting (be consistent).
• To set a meeting time, use Timeanddate.com (international meeting planner) and/or Doodle.com.
• Know which items you need a decision on.
• Know who is supposed to be voting.
• On the phone? Mute yourself.
• Ask specific people on the "call" for their comments.
• Don't just use last month's agenda.
• Is there nothing to report? Take it off the agenda.
• If your item isn't on the agenda,then it is not going to be discussed.
• The Chair does have the prerogative to change the agenda at the last minute, but this should not be a normal activity.
• Allow time for people to unmute themselves.
• Can you collaboratively write the minutes?  e.g., Google Docs, blog post, Box.com
• In your minutes, capture actions and decisions, not the entire discussion.
• If you're using a tool to disseminate the agenda that allows comments, ask people to comment before the meeting.
• Know the purpose of the meeting.  Is it a working meeting or a meeting for disseminating information?
• How do you disseminate information from the meeting out to the membership? Blog posts, newsletter, brief highlights?
• Assign action items to specific people and set deadlines.
• Be ready to take some topics offline and then have a report given at the next meeting.
• Start and end promptly.
• Identify yourself when you speak.
• Learn how to use the technology in advance.
• Reports should be written ahead of time and disseminated.
• Board members and meeting participants should read reports ahead of time.
• Get notes out as quickly as possible.

Additional Resources:

•  Here are "9 Tips for Effective Online Meetings", http://www.productivity501.com/9-tips-for-effective-online-meetings/7468/
• Conference Call Tips, http://www.tollfreeconferencing.com/conferencing-tips/

My January - July 2012 schedule (or at least how it looks now)

Besides teaching graduate classes at Syracuse University (SU), I will be attending (and sometimes speaking at) these events during the first half of 2012:

• SLA Leadership Summit, Jan. 25-28 (with SLA Board of Director meetings on Jan. 24-25), InterContinental Buckhead Hotel, Atlanta, GA

• First Mondays / A Conversation with Jill Hurst-Wahl, Feb. 6, Solvay Public Library, Solvay, NY - I will be talking about careers, providing career advice, and discussing the book  The Information and Knowledge Professionals Career Handbook.  Participants are encouraged to bring questions.
• Computers in Libraries 2012, Mar. 21-23, Washington Hilton, Washington, DC - I'll be moderating Track E - 21st Century Library Systems & Operations on Mar. 22.By the way, the SU iSchool will be exhibiting at CIL, so I'll likely spend some time in the booth.
• SLA Annual Conference, July 15 -18, McCormick Place, Chicago, IL.  I will be giving a Career Connection session entitled "Make the Most of a Difficult Situation: Solutions to Get You Through." (SLA Board of Director meetings will occur before the conference begins.) 

I'd also like to make it to the next Olin Innovation Lab at Olin College, which I expect will be in April. (details on the last one)  These are small,informative events focused on IT and engineering.

As always, if we happen to be at the same event - or even in the same vicinity - please reach out and say "hello". If possible, let's find time to meet for a cup of coffee!

Event: DigCCurr Professional Institute: Curation Practices for the Digital Object Lifecycle

As received in email.

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Registration Now Open!

DigCCurr Professional Institute: Curation Practices for the Digital Object Lifecycle

Supported by IMLS Grant Award #RE-05-08-0060-08

and the School of Information and Library Science, UNC-Chapel Hill

May 20-25, 2012 & January 7-8, 2013 (One price for two sessions)

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Visit http://ils.unc.edu/digccurr/institute.html for more information.

REGISTRATION LINK: http://cfx.research.unc.edu/res_classreg/browse_single.cfm?New=1&event=612E21BE7477F79D361921C40901D94BE49885E1

The Institute consists of one five-day session in May 2012 and a two-day follow-up session and a day-long symposium in January 2013. Each day of the summer session will include lectures, discussion and hands-on "lab" components. A course pack and a private, online discussion space will be provided to supplement learning and application of the material. An opening reception dinner on Sunday, Continental breakfast, break time snacks and coffee, and a dinner on Thursday will also be included.

This institute is designed to foster skills, knowledge and community-building among professionals responsible for the curation of digital materials.

Registration:

• Regular registration : $950
• Late registration (after April 15, 2012): $1,050
• Summer Institute accommodations (includes 5 nights of a private room in a 4 room/2 bath dorm suite on the UNC campus, with kitchen, linens, and internet access): $300*

*We highly recommend that you choose the on-campus accommodations but many area hotels will be available. This fee covers accommodations for May 2012 only.

If you are a grant recipient working on a digital project, we recommend that you check with your program officer to request approval to use available grant funds to attend the institute.

Institute Instructors Include:

• From the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Dr. Cal Lee, Dr. Richard Marciano, Dr. Helen Tibbo.
• Dr. Nancy McGovern, from the University of Michigan.
• Dr. Seamus Ross, from the University of Toronto.
• Dr. Carolyn Hank, McGill University.

Institute Components: (may be subject to some revisions and reorganization)

• Overview of digital curation definition, scope and main functions
• Where you see yourself in the digital curation landscape
• Digital curation program development
• Engendering Trust: Processes, Procedures and Forms of Evidence
• LAB - DRAMBORA in action

• Strategies for engaging data communities
• Characterizing, analyzing and evaluating the producer information environment
• Submission and transfer scenarios – push and pull (illustrative examples)
• Defining submission agreements and policies
• Strategies for writing policies that can be expressed as rules and rules that can automatically executed
• LAB - Making requirements machine-actionable

• Importance of infrastructure independence
• Overview of digital preservation challenges and opportunities
• Managing in response to technological change
• Detaching Bits from their Physical Media: Considerations, Tools and Methods
• LAB - Curation of Unidentified Files

• Returning to First Principles: Core Professional Principles to Drive Digital Curation
• Characterization of digital objects
• LAB - Assessing File Format Robustness
• Access and use considerations
• Access and user interface examples
• How and why to conduct research on digital collection needs
• LAB - Analyzing server logs and developing strategies based on what you find

• Overview and characterization of existing tools
• LAB - Evaluating set of software options to support a given digital curation workflow
• Formulating your six-month action plan - task for each individual, with instructors available to provide guidance
• Summary of action plans
• Clarifying roles and expectations for the next six months

January 7-8, 2013
Participants in the May event will return to Chapel Hill in Jan. 2013 to discuss their experiences in implementing what they have learned in their own work environments. Participants will compare experiences, lessons learned and strategies for continuing progress. Friday, January 4th will be a public symposium, free to the Institute participants. (Accommodations for January will be the responsibility of the attendee.)

Visit http://ils.unc.edu/digccurr/institute.html for more information.

For more information, contact Angela Murillo (amurillo@email.unc.edu) for Institute questions or Wakefield Harper (wharper@email.unc.edu) for payment or registration questions.

Proposed U.S. Laws - SOPA and PIPA

More is being written each day about the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA).  In an effort to point you toward helpful information, I am providing the links below.  (I have included a couple of pro-SOPA/PIPA pieces, so you can hear the "other side".)  If you are in the U.S., please use these are a place to start educating yourself.

Why are people opposed to these proposal?  While the bill names (or nicknames) sound like something that would be helpful, each could be used to stifle free speech.  In addition, they would give the government new power and would make it difficult for people (web sites) to share information online. I'm sure there may be other reasons why these bills are "bad", but those are the three that come to my mind. 

If you find yourself opposed to these proposed regulations, check the links under "Protests" and add your voice to one of the protest efforts.

If you have additional information or comments that you would like to share on SOPA and PIPA, please feel free to leave them on this blog post.

Proposed Legislation:

• H.R.3261 -- Stop Online Piracy Act
• S. 968 - Protect IP Act

Additional Information:

• Pinterest, PIPA, Parrot (podcast) - listen to the 1st six minutes for their take on PIPA.
• T is for Training conversation between Maurice Coleman & Jill Hurst-Wahl primarily on SOPA (~60 min. podcast) [added 1/17/2012]
• Obama Administration Responds to We the People Petitions on SOPA and Online Piracy 
• White House Will Not Support SOPA, PIPA
• The Concerned Librarian’s Guide to the 2012 ALA Midwinter Exhibit Hall
• Statement from Copyright Alliance Executive Director Sandra Aistars, RE: Introduction of H.R. 3699, the Research Works Act
• Smith to Remove DNS Blocking from SOPA
• Motion Picture Association of America Inc. (MPAA), Jan. 13 press release

Protests:

• VETO the SOPA bill and any other future bills that threaten to diminish the free flow of information (Petition at WhiteHouse.gov)
• Stop the E-PARASITE Act (Petition at WhiteHouse.gov)
• Fight the Blacklist: A Toolkit for Anti-SOPA Activism
• Boing Boing will go dark on Jan 18 to fight SOPA
• Simple Stop Sopa - A WordPress plug-in that will take your site dark on Jan. 18 so you can join the protest.

For New Yorkers: Notes from the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries, Jan. 12

These are my informal notes from today's conference call meeting of the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries.

First, here is text that I wanted to share from the minutes of the December RAC meeting:

Update on Funding/Staffing for the State Library. The Cultural Education Fund, a special revenue fund which supports the Office of Cultural Education and the ongoing operations of the State Library, State Archives and State Museum is still in deficit - $12.7 million. Budget restrictions continue to be extremely tight. No staff positions have been filled or backfilled in the State Library since January 2009.  The State Library has lost 65 FTE since the Great Recession began in December 2007 (a 36% reduction). The Acquisitions Budget has dropped from $4.27 million to $2.5 million.

2020Vision Process Action Plan and Next Steps - John Hammond

The 2020 Vision will be presented at the April's meeting of the Board of Regents.  It is hoped that the Board will vote on them during that meeting.  After that, the Council will work with the New York State Library on implementation.

The Council will seek to have time at the NYLA conference to update the library community on the 2020 Vision.  The Council will also volunteer to talk to other groups about the plan.

Office of Cultural Education Update - Jeffrey Cannell

This covers four different program areas: The New York State Museum, State Library, State Archives, and the Office of Educational Television and Public Broadcasting.

The office has been looking at its strategic goals for the next three years. The themes for this time period are:

OCE as a Statewide Institution

Partnerships with other USNY institutions

Collections Stewardship and Research

Increase and expand public access to the collections and our programs

Relevant minutes: 12/11 Cultural Education Committee Meeting

News:

• Nov. 29, 2011, Assembly Hearing on Funding Public Libraries
• Notice: ASSEMBLY STANDING COMMITTEE ON LIBRARIES AND EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY 
• Info from NYLA: Assembly held a day recently talking about library funding
• Senator Farley Announces Establishment of Senate Library Committee
• Heard brief updates on:
• Joseph F. Shubert Award – Mary Muller, Chair (committee members)
• LSTA Committee – Louise Sherby, Chair (committee members)