Comments on: On gentleness and librarianship and 2.0-ish-ness… and “They” http://freerangelibrarian.com/2007/08/29/on-gentleness-and-librarianship-and-20-ish-ness-and-they/ K.G. Schneider's blog on librarianship, writing, and everything else Sun, 20 May 2012 03:37:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: Library 2.0 Roundup - Redux « Life as I Know It http://freerangelibrarian.com/2007/08/29/on-gentleness-and-librarianship-and-20-ish-ness-and-they/comment-page-1/#comment-52890 Library 2.0 Roundup - Redux « Life as I Know It Wed, 12 Sep 2007 18:35:32 +0000 http://freerangelibrarian.com/2007/08/29/on-gentleness-and-librarianship-and-20-ish-ness-and-they/#comment-52890 [...] On gentleness and librarianship and 2.0-ishness . . . and “They” - posted on August 29, 2007. [...] [...] On gentleness and librarianship and 2.0-ishness . . . and “They” – posted on August 29, 2007. [...]

]]> By: Rainy Day Webrarian » More on the Librarian 2.0 wars, aka, the twopointopians http://freerangelibrarian.com/2007/08/29/on-gentleness-and-librarianship-and-20-ish-ness-and-they/comment-page-1/#comment-51780 Rainy Day Webrarian » More on the Librarian 2.0 wars, aka, the twopointopians Mon, 10 Sep 2007 19:50:09 +0000 http://freerangelibrarian.com/2007/08/29/on-gentleness-and-librarianship-and-20-ish-ness-and-they/#comment-51780 [...] On gentleness and librarianship and 2.0-ish-ness… and “They” [...] [...] On gentleness and librarianship and 2.0-ish-ness… and “They” [...]

]]> By: Me on 2.0 « Thus Spoke Pragmatic Librarian http://freerangelibrarian.com/2007/08/29/on-gentleness-and-librarianship-and-20-ish-ness-and-they/comment-page-1/#comment-50034 Me on 2.0 « Thus Spoke Pragmatic Librarian Fri, 07 Sep 2007 15:42:24 +0000 http://freerangelibrarian.com/2007/08/29/on-gentleness-and-librarianship-and-20-ish-ness-and-they/#comment-50034 [...] of those who try to advocate new ideas in hostile environments. Still, bragging about being “a bitch and a half with a cherry on top” doesn’t seem like the best way to get people on board with one’s cause. Also, as I [...] [...] of those who try to advocate new ideas in hostile environments. Still, bragging about being “a bitch and a half with a cherry on top” doesn’t seem like the best way to get people on board with one’s cause. Also, as I [...]

]]> By: How to Become a Librarian in 40 Years or Less http://freerangelibrarian.com/2007/08/29/on-gentleness-and-librarianship-and-20-ish-ness-and-they/comment-page-1/#comment-48770 How to Become a Librarian in 40 Years or Less Wed, 05 Sep 2007 22:04:04 +0000 http://freerangelibrarian.com/2007/08/29/on-gentleness-and-librarianship-and-20-ish-ness-and-they/#comment-48770 [...] so then i read Free Range Librarian’s response  http://freerangelibrarian.com/2007/08/29/on-gentleness-and-librarianship-and-20-ish-ness-and-they/ to the Annoyed Librarian’s post.  I dig her.  She’s way more real-life.  She [...] [...] so then i read Free Range Librarian’s response  http://freerangelibrarian.com/2007/08/29/on-gentleness-and-librarianship-and-20-ish-ness-and-they/ to the Annoyed Librarian’s post.  I dig her.  She’s way more real-life.  She [...]

]]> By: K.G. Schneider http://freerangelibrarian.com/2007/08/29/on-gentleness-and-librarianship-and-20-ish-ness-and-they/comment-page-1/#comment-47292 K.G. Schneider Mon, 03 Sep 2007 16:01:57 +0000 http://freerangelibrarian.com/2007/08/29/on-gentleness-and-librarianship-and-20-ish-ness-and-they/#comment-47292 Sharon, amen on that. Sharon, amen on that.

]]> By: sharon http://freerangelibrarian.com/2007/08/29/on-gentleness-and-librarianship-and-20-ish-ness-and-they/comment-page-1/#comment-47253 sharon Mon, 03 Sep 2007 13:46:21 +0000 http://freerangelibrarian.com/2007/08/29/on-gentleness-and-librarianship-and-20-ish-ness-and-they/#comment-47253 I used to read AL for a while, but I got tired of eavesdropping on the pity party that she and her buddies are holding. Even though they despise their jobs and their profession, they are all obviously too comfortable financially (I gather AL works in an academic library) to leave and find work more to their taste. I was a software engineer until about 2 years ago. In my brief career working in libraries, I have encountered two that are technologically progressive and unafraid and one that is dominated by people who don't want to learn anything new for the next 7 or 8 years, until they reach retirement. I'm sure that's too small a sample from which to draw any conclusions, but I'll take the first kind, thank you. I used to read AL for a while, but I got tired of eavesdropping on the pity party that she and her buddies are holding. Even though they despise their jobs and their profession, they are all obviously too comfortable financially (I gather AL works in an academic library) to leave and find work more to their taste.

I was a software engineer until about 2 years ago. In my brief career working in libraries, I have encountered two that are technologically progressive and unafraid and one that is dominated by people who don’t want to learn anything new for the next 7 or 8 years, until they reach retirement. I’m sure that’s too small a sample from which to draw any conclusions, but I’ll take the first kind, thank you.

]]> By: Pattern Recognition » Twopointopians http://freerangelibrarian.com/2007/08/29/on-gentleness-and-librarianship-and-20-ish-ness-and-they/comment-page-1/#comment-47201 Pattern Recognition » Twopointopians Mon, 03 Sep 2007 11:52:29 +0000 http://freerangelibrarian.com/2007/08/29/on-gentleness-and-librarianship-and-20-ish-ness-and-they/#comment-47201 [...] (plenty of people have weighed in, both in the comments and on their own blogs…see Meredith, KGS, and David Lee King for more). I did want to comment briefly on the AL’s followup post, [...] [...] (plenty of people have weighed in, both in the comments and on their own blogs…see Meredith, KGS, and David Lee King for more). I did want to comment briefly on the AL’s followup post, [...]

]]> By: Dale http://freerangelibrarian.com/2007/08/29/on-gentleness-and-librarianship-and-20-ish-ness-and-they/comment-page-1/#comment-46041 Dale Sat, 01 Sep 2007 13:20:18 +0000 http://freerangelibrarian.com/2007/08/29/on-gentleness-and-librarianship-and-20-ish-ness-and-they/#comment-46041 As some of you have heard me say, the second library I worked for (starting in 1981) was in her late 70s at that time. Without the technology, she was right on every "Library 2.0" idea that I've heard. Her point was that the library belongs to the community, not to the staff. I heard that repeated yesterday by one of the most "techie" librarians I know. As some of you have heard me say, the second library I worked for (starting in 1981) was in her late 70s at that time. Without the technology, she was right on every “Library 2.0″ idea that I’ve heard.

Her point was that the library belongs to the community, not to the staff. I heard that repeated yesterday by one of the most “techie” librarians I know.

]]> By: Kathryn http://freerangelibrarian.com/2007/08/29/on-gentleness-and-librarianship-and-20-ish-ness-and-they/comment-page-1/#comment-45512 Kathryn Fri, 31 Aug 2007 14:50:34 +0000 http://freerangelibrarian.com/2007/08/29/on-gentleness-and-librarianship-and-20-ish-ness-and-they/#comment-45512 I just want to concur with Karen's remark about the use of "it's not our organizational culture" as an excuse or a way of explaining why something cannot happen, is happening, or isn't happening in any organization/library. I find that people often (understandably) confuse "organizational culture" with "organizational climate." This can lead to ideas such as "let's change our org culture [in a week or a month or a year]." Folks, culture has very very deep roots beyond even the values we espouse. Those roots are embedded in our assumptions about what the world is like. Those assumptions go back to our founders and revolve around things like time (finite or not?), individual or group work more important?, etc. This is not my original thinking but concepts developed by Edgar Schein at MIT and father of the study of organizational culture in modern times. Our assumptions are so deeply embedded that we do not even know they are there; we do not know we are running on them because any other way of thinking would be anathema to us. So changing culture can happen but very slowly and only through conscious and often painful testing of assumptions. - if, indeed, it does have to change. This does not mean we cannot change our work and services (and even mental models) as our environments change. Of course we can and we always have. Sometimes change is slow and evolutionary and sometimes we are hit with something very big - seismic even. And in spite of our deeply embedded cultures we can and do adapt to those changes - sometimes even leading them. BTW, organizational climate is not as deep as culture and is really like the temperature of the organization; how it feels to work there; how happy people are, how much risk people feel they can take etc. Climate factors, when they are described as unfortunate, can often be traced back to systemic problems in the organization. Things that can be changed if properly diagnosed. This is NOT about organizational culture! So if the "inhabited web" as I like to refer to the web in which anyone in the world can create and share content, in which the model of participation is extremely broad, is 2.0 then I would call this a very powerful change, a seismic change. The question we might ask ourselves is "are we feeling optimistic about this shift?" What actions and what dialogue will our optimism spur? I just want to concur with Karen’s remark about the use of “it’s not our organizational culture” as an excuse or a way of explaining why something cannot happen, is happening, or isn’t happening in any organization/library. I find that people often (understandably) confuse “organizational culture” with “organizational climate.” This can lead to ideas such as “let’s change our org culture [in a week or a month or a year].” Folks, culture has very very deep roots beyond even the values we espouse. Those roots are embedded in our assumptions about what the world is like. Those assumptions go back to our founders and revolve around things like time (finite or not?), individual or group work more important?, etc. This is not my original thinking but concepts developed by Edgar Schein at MIT and father of the study of organizational culture in modern times. Our assumptions are so deeply embedded that we do not even know they are there; we do not know we are running on them because any other way of thinking would be anathema to us. So changing culture can happen but very slowly and only through conscious and often painful testing of assumptions. – if, indeed, it does have to change. This does not mean we cannot change our work and services (and even mental models) as our environments change. Of course we can and we always have. Sometimes change is slow and evolutionary and sometimes we are hit with something very big – seismic even. And in spite of our deeply embedded cultures we can and do adapt to those changes – sometimes even leading them.
BTW, organizational climate is not as deep as culture and is really like the temperature of the organization; how it feels to work there; how happy people are, how much risk people feel they can take etc. Climate factors, when they are described as unfortunate, can often be traced back to systemic problems in the organization. Things that can be changed if properly diagnosed. This is NOT about organizational culture!
So if the “inhabited web” as I like to refer to the web in which anyone in the world can create and share content, in which the model of participation is extremely broad, is 2.0 then I would call this a very powerful change, a seismic change. The question we might ask ourselves is “are we feeling optimistic about this shift?” What actions and what dialogue will our optimism spur?

]]> By: K.G. Schneider http://freerangelibrarian.com/2007/08/29/on-gentleness-and-librarianship-and-20-ish-ness-and-they/comment-page-1/#comment-45383 K.G. Schneider Fri, 31 Aug 2007 10:37:16 +0000 http://freerangelibrarian.com/2007/08/29/on-gentleness-and-librarianship-and-20-ish-ness-and-they/#comment-45383 Writing anonymously is skeezy, unless you're a true whistleblower. Not talking about who you're talking about is equally skeezy. I wrote this post in part because Michael Golrick had written about AL and I wanted to weigh in. I too have plenty of library administration experience, and I have concluded I disagree with Michael on his <a href="http://michaelgolrick.blogspot.com/2007/08/library-20-different-visions.html" rel="nofollow">"different visions" post</a>. It's not a binary, two-sides-of-the-story discussion where the "facts" are equally "aired." Jessamyn, this weekend I'll follow up on your links et al. Writing anonymously is skeezy, unless you’re a true whistleblower. Not talking about who you’re talking about is equally skeezy.

I wrote this post in part because Michael Golrick had written about AL and I wanted to weigh in. I too have plenty of library administration experience, and I have concluded I disagree with Michael on his “different visions” post. It’s not a binary, two-sides-of-the-story discussion where the “facts” are equally “aired.”

Jessamyn, this weekend I’ll follow up on your links et al.

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