Nancy Pearl: LJ's 2011 Librarian of the Year; Library Journal, 1/15/11

John N. Berry III, Library Journal; Nancy Pearl: LJ's 2011 Librarian of the Year:

"No one other than Nancy Pearl has so convinced Americans that libraries, books, and reading are critical to our communities. Her passionate advocacy has done that nationwide for thousands of individual readers and library workers in the trenches at the local level. She has spread book lust via broadcasts to the nation on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition and from local radio and TV outlets and through her blog posts and tweets. She has done it in hundreds of workshops and performances for library patrons, library staff at all levels, and small groups of readers who want to be with her to discuss what they’ve read and what they have written. She has taught the skills and techniques of collection development, readers’ advisory (RA), and booktalking to the LIS students at the University of Washington Information School, and honed RA skills across staffing lines in the public libraries of Detroit, Tulsa, and Seattle.

Her work has reinforced reading via libraries as essential and empowering for all people. Her innovation in training has deepened the book skills of library workers. Her public outreach has effectively promoted libraries well beyond library walls, broadening the public’s perception of the purpose of libraries. All of these efforts have earned her recognition as LJ’s 2011 ­Librarian of the Year...

Pearl’s high profile translated into her becoming the model for the shushing librarian, which is the best seller of all the action figures produced by Seattle manufacturer Archie McPhee. Both adored and abhorred, it is still a favorite among librarians and book lovers."

Civic Engagement Trumps ‘Shhh!’; New York Times, 1/31/11

Nicolai Ouroussoff, New York Times; Civic Engagement Trumps ‘Shhh!’ :

"So when the Queens Library Board of Trustees approved the design of the new Hunters Point community library this month, it was a well-deserved and long overdue breakthrough. The project, done in collaboration with Mr. Holl’s partner Chris McVoy and scheduled to begin construction early next year, will stand on a prominent waterfront site just across the East River from the United Nations. It is a striking expression of the continuing effort to shake the dust off of the city’s aging libraries and recast them as lively communal hubs, and should go far in bolstering the civic image of Queens...

The strength of this layout is that it allows Mr. Holl to balance the reader’s need for solitude with a strong sense of community...

Mr. Holl is not interested in creating a monastic sanctuary; he wants to build a monument to civic engagement. The views aren’t just pretty; they remind us that the intellectual exchange of a library is part of a bigger collective enterprise."

Corner Office, Interview with Michael Lebowitz, founder and C.E.O. of Big Spaceship; New York Times, 1/30/11

Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; Interview with Michael Lebowitz, founder and C.E.O. of Big Spaceship, a digital marketing and communications agency; Hey, Rock Stars: Take Your Show Someplace Else:

"Q. Who were some important mentors for you?

A. I haven’t really had a lot of mentors. I’ve had to sort of figure things out for myself, because I’ve had a lot of whatever the opposite of a mentor is. I’ve learned a lot from seeing what didn’t work. There should be a word for that kind of boss —“dismentor” or something...

Q. So what kind of culture did you want to create when you started your company?

A. Probably the biggest lesson I learned as we started to grow was — and this is a more sanitized version of the expression we use — “Don’t hire jerks, no matter how talented.” I became very attuned to this early on, when we were still a small start-up, and you’re doing everything you can to maintain a positive framework. So I’m looking for people I like, because I’ve seen how, no matter how talented they are, the negative is always going to pull down any positive. The second- or third- or fourth-best candidate who isn’t a jerk is going to ultimately provide way more value. Because we learned that early on, we’ve always guarded against that sort of rock-star culture."

Around Town: We can't afford to keep quiet about saving libraries; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1/25/11

Brian O'Neill, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Around Town: We can't afford to keep quiet about saving libraries:

"Do we want Pittsburgh to be a great city or not?

That was the unintentional question posed in the fall of 2009 when the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh announced plans to close five of its 19 branches.

The library board backed off when citizens raised the dickens about any move to raze the Dickens.

Raising money is a bit harder. A variety of stopgap measures have kept all branches open, but what the library desperately needs is a dedicated funding source.

Andy Carnegie left some beautiful buildings, but he didn't endow them. The library has to go hat in hand to the city, state and Regional Asset District each year for funding, and the first two legs of that trio have been consistently inconsistent.

Library directors need to crank up individual and corporate giving to build up the endowment, and city voters may be asked in November whether libraries are worth a few dollars."

Corner Office, Interview with Jeremy Allaire, chairman and chief executive of Brightcove; New York Times, 1/23/11

Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; Interview with Jeremy Allaire, chairman and chief executive of Brightcove, an online video platform for Web sites; How to Shape the DNA of a Young Company:

"Another attribute, which has been really important from a cultural perspective, is that I want people who are nice, who are genuinely good people, who have humility. If I had the opportunity to have someone who is the most brilliant person in the world but they were a prima donna, I wouldn’t want them. We’ve had a couple people like that and they just kind of get ejected from the organization. They can’t thrive, because they turn people off and they can’t operate in this kind of environment...

Q. Are there other things you do to maintain that start-up feel?

A. There’s the core communications piece. In the last year, we grew to a size where I was feeling kind of out of touch with everybody, and that felt a little bit scary. We went from 180 people to almost 280 in less than a year, so that’s a lot of change.

I actually was inspired by one of the rituals the founders of Google established — every Friday they would invite anyone in the company on a worldwide basis to join a town hall to just talk about anything that’s happening in the company. So every Friday at 10 a.m., we tell people, you’ve got an hour and we’re going to talk about anything. Everything is on the table, and we’ll bring some topics, too. It is completely open book, we could talk about anything, and people can ask any hard question. Not everyone shows up, because people have a lot going on. But it just creates this sense for people that they’ve got access to anything that’s going on in the company strategically. It’s a really helpful thing."

Proposed Budget in Texas Nearly Zeros Out Key State Library Funds; Library Journal, 1/21/11

Michael Kelley, Library Journal; Proposed Budget in Texas Nearly Zeros Out Key State Library Funds:

""A wholesale slaughter"
The proposed budget would eliminate:

• direct aid grants to public libraries statewide by reducing the Loan Star Libraries program's funding from $16.2 million in FY10/11 to $100,000 in FY12/13;

• all state funding for TexShare, a collaboration established in the early 1980s among public and academic libraries administered by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission that provides access at a reduced price to online resources, from $9.5 million to $600,000. This also would eliminate the K-12 database program for Texas public schools and their libraries...

The proposal would also eliminate the state law library and put at risk about $8 million in Institute of Museum and Library Services funds, which are the sole funding source for the state's regional library systems and interlibrary loan (ILL), because Texas would fall below the "maintenance of effort" threshold that is a requirement for the federal money.

"It's a wholesale slaughter," Peggy Rudd, the state librarian, told LJ. "I've worked in three states, and I have never seen a starting point like this for budget negotiations."

Digital Divide Propels Barnes & Noble Past Rival; NPR, 1/6/11

NPR; Digital Divide Propels Barnes & Noble Past Rival:

"While Barnes & Noble was developing the Nook, Borders was already having financial problems, leaving it ill-prepared to make the investments needed to meet the challenges of the digital age.

Michael Norris, an analyst with Simba Information, says some of Borders' problems can be traced back to its leadership.

"They've actually been through quite a few executives over just a short number of years, and every time there's been an executive change, it basically slows the company down," he said. "And it just hasn't been as nimble or agile as it should have been."...

"There's always a possibility of a resurrection here, but at this point, it looks like Borders is probably the Tower Records of books," he said."

Managing and Motivating Employees in Their Twenties; Harvard Business Review, 1/19/11

Michael Fertik, Harvard Business Review; Managing and Motivating Employees in Their Twenties:

"The best managers of younger employees are people who would otherwise love teaching for a living. They prize helping others grow and tend to overexplain their reasoning for decisions. Rather than assuming that twenty-somethings possess enough experience or perspective to read between the lines of their choices, these managers take an extra few minutes to lay out pros and cons and diagram their rationale. Three short minutes of explanation usually make excellent junior employees excited, since they feel the immediate benefits of gaining insight into decision-making processes. It also makes them better at working for you and your company, because it teaches them how you think."

Book weeding, changes stir debate at Central Library; BuffaloNews.com, 1/21/11

Mark Sommer, BuffaloNews.com; Book weeding, changes stir debate at Central Library:

"Other librarian concerns, Galvin said, include:

• Librarians are being moved out of their area of expertise without consultation.

• Librarians fear being driven into “irrelevance” to save costs.

• Centralizing collection development responsibilities will diminish a primary librarian responsibility.

• Librarians have not been consulted on management changes. They say consultation, though not contractually required, could improve morale."

Amy Chua Is a Wimp; New York Times, 1/18/11

David Brooks, New York Times; Amy Chua Is a Wimp:

"Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Carnegie Mellon have found that groups have a high collective intelligence when members of a group are good at reading each others’ emotions — when they take turns speaking, when the inputs from each member are managed fluidly, when they detect each others’ inclinations and strengths.

Participating in a well-functioning group is really hard. It requires the ability to trust people outside your kinship circle, read intonations and moods, understand how the psychological pieces each person brings to the room can and cannot fit together.

This skill set is not taught formally, but it is imparted through arduous experiences. These are exactly the kinds of difficult experiences Chua shelters her children from by making them rush home to hit the homework table.

Chua would do better to see the classroom as a cognitive break from the truly arduous tests of childhood. Where do they learn how to manage people?"

[Podcast] Steve Jobs Takes 2nd Medical Absence In 2 Years; NPR's Morning Edition, 1/18/11

[Podcast] Jim Zarroli, NPR's Morning Edition; Steve Jobs Takes 2nd Medical Absence In 2 Years:

"Apple announced Monday that CEO Steve Jobs is taking another medical leave of absence. Jobs said he'll continue to be involved with major strategic decisions. Day-to-day running of the company will be left to Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook, a longtime Apple executive."

Corner Office, Interview with Robin Domeniconi, senior vice president and chief brand officer for the Elle Group; New York Times, 1/16/11

Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; Interview with Robin Domeniconi, senior vice president and chief brand officer for the Elle Group: Say Anything, but Phrase It the Right Way:

"Q. What would say if you were asked to speak to a group of young entrepreneurs about building a culture at a company?

A. I could boil that down to two words. One is trust. You need to trust everyone you work with — and it goes into personal relationships, too — because the only thing that creates jealousy, the only thing that creates fear, is that you’re not trusting or understanding something.

Communication is the second one. If you can communicate what your fears are, your challenges are, and if you trust that the people you work with all want the right outcome, then the environment is going to create itself. It really does. If you have complete and utter trust in somebody, you’re going to really be able to be vulnerable.

It all comes down to that. It all comes down to trusting that you’re going to be O.K. with what I’m going to say, and me trusting that you’re going to be O.K. that I made a mistake, as in: “You know that risk we took? We failed. We lost money here. But this is what we learned, and you’re going to be O.K.” You’ve got to trust me, and I’ve got to trust you."

Swiss bank UBS to change much-mocked dress code; YahooNews.com/AP, 1/17/11

Frank Jordans, YahooNews.com/AP; Swiss bank UBS to change much-mocked dress code:

"Swiss banking giant UBS AG said Monday it is revising its 44-page dress code telling its Swiss staff how to present themselves, which generated worldwide ridicule for its micromanagement of their dressing and dining habits.

The code instructs employees on everything from their breath — no garlic or onions, please — to their underwear, which should be skin-colored."

California Librarians Push Back Against Brown's Zero Budget for Public Libraries; Library Journal, 1/14/11

Michael Kelley, Library Journal; California Librarians Push Back Against Brown's Zero Budget for Public Libraries:

"California's public librarians are concerned that if Gov. Jerry Brown's budget proposal to eliminate all state funding for public libraries were to pass, that it could grievously harm a subtle but vital ecosystem that underpins statewide library collaboration. And they are planning a grass-roots campaign to change the governor's mind.

Brown's proposal would eliminate funding for the Public Library Fund (PLF), the California Library Literacy and English Acquisition Service, and the California Library Services Act (CLSA). All told, $30.4 million."

Libraries seen as easy touch when it comes to balancing the books; Guardian, 1/7/11

Alexandra Topping and Benedicte Page, Guardian; Libraries seen as easy touch when it comes to balancing the books:

"Libraries were already under siege before the recession struck. Although the number has stayed largely stable over the past decade at the 4,500 mark, there has been a relentless decline in library use. Some argue fewer people visit libraries because the core service – book lending – has been badly run.

Many campaigners warn that councils are choosing to keep larger urban libraries but scrap local branches relied on by those unable to travel easily – the elderly, the poor, parents with young children. More than 300m book loans were made from public libraries last year, according to the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, yet there are libraries under threat in every part of the country."

Preparing for Your Interview; Chronicle of Higher Education, 1/13/11

Rob Jenkins, Chronicle of Higher Education; Preparing for Your Interview:

"When I say "craft" your narrative, I don't mean make it up. I trust that, if you're applying to community colleges, you really are committed to teaching. If you're faking it, the committee members will almost certainly sniff that out. And even if they don't, even if you sell your act and manage to get yourself hired, you're going to be pretty miserable teaching five courses a semester.

What I'm suggesting, assuming you really do consider yourself a good teacher, is that you keep that role foremost in your mind. Think about the experiences you've had in the classroom that led you to enjoy teaching and convinced you it was something you wanted to do. Then weave those stories into your interview answers.

For instance, you may be asked about your experience with diverse student populations. Don't answer by spouting numbers: "My last campus was 43 percent African-American and 17 percent Asian." Instead, tell a brief story about the time a student's cultural differences enlightened your class discussion, or the time you went out of your way to help a student who was struggling with the language."

[Podcast] The Best Way to Play Office Politics; Harvard Business Review, 1/11/11

[Podcast] An Interview with Linda A. Hill and Kent Lineback, Harvard Business Review; The Best Way to Play Office Politics:

Groups produce collective intelligence, study says; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1/10/11

Mark Roth, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Groups produce collective intelligence, study says:

"There were three factors that did make a difference, though.

One was the social sensitivity of group members -- how much they paid attention to each other and asked questions.

The second was turn-taking. Groups that shared the floor had much better results. "When you had someone really dominating the conversations in these groups, the group did not perform well," she said.

Finally, in general, the more women in a group, the smarter it was...

One critical step, she said, is to make sure group members take some time to discuss how they can work together to achieve their goal.

Many people don't like to discuss such "process" issues, she said, but the research has shown that "groups that pay more attention to that gets things done more efficiently."

[Podcast] Giving Negative Feedback; Wall Street Journal, 12/9/10

[Podcast] Wall Street Journal; Giving Negative Feedback:

"Freddie Mac CEO Charles E. Haldeman, Jr. tells us the importance of being candid when giving negative criticism to an employee."

Corner Office, Interview with Gregory B. Maffei, president and chief executive of Liberty Media; New York Times, 1/9/11

Corner Office, Adam Bryant, New York Times; Interview with Gregory B. Maffei, president and chief executive of Liberty Media; Sure, Take Me On. You Might Get a Promotion:

"Q. Talk about the culture you’re trying to foster at your company.

A. There has been a general change in a lot of organizations. There’s more transparency, more openness, and at least some of the trappings of the imperial boss have been reduced. And I think that’s good. I try very hard to do the things that I appreciate, like being direct about what the organization is doing. We make sure we have quarterly meetings that are very open and encourage questioning, so people feel like they are part of the organization.

Q. Can you elaborate?

A. I’ve always felt most comfortable in a culture where people do feel, regardless of the size of the organization, that there is an ability to have dialogue, and that there is an ability to feel like you can ask the C.E.O. any question. Too much formality or reverence can get in the way of a good exchange of ideas. So how do you make that happen? You’ve got to somewhat walk the walk and talk the talk. In our meeting with all employees, I try to be candid about what we did right and what we did wrong in the quarter, what’s the longer term, how we’re doing and what some goals are. And you try to get them to ask tough questions.

So I usually make sure there’s at least one or two that I know somebody will ask, that are going to be viewed as tough, because they want to make sure they get covered. Because you want to set a tone of, “Hey, people get to ask those questions.”"

Death by Irony: How Librarians Killed the Academic Library; Chronicle of Higher Education, 1/2/11

Brian T. Sullivan, Chronicle of Higher Education; Death by Irony: How Librarians Killed the Academic Library:

"In summary, it is entirely possible that the life of the academic library could have been spared if the last generation of librarians had spent more time plotting a realistic path to the future and less time chasing outdated trends while mindlessly spouting mantras like "There will always be books and libraries" and "People will always need librarians to show them how to use information." We'll never know now what kind of treatments might have worked. Librarians planted the seeds of their own destruction and are responsible for their own downfall."

Reverse Mentoring: What is it and Why is it Beneficial?; Forbes, 1/3/11

Lisa Quast, Forbes; Reverse Mentoring: What is it and Why is it Beneficial?:

"Here’s how Alan Webber, the co-founder of Fast Company explains reverse mentoring: “Its a situation where the old fogies in an organization realize that by the time you’re in your forties and fifties, you’re not in touch with the future the same way the young twenty-something’s. They come with fresh eyes, open minds, and instant links to the technology of our future”."

When Employees Blast Your Company Online; Forbes, 10/25/10

Alexander F. Brigham and Stefan Linssen, Forbes; When Employees Blast Your Company Online:

"If a company's executives feel an employee has unfairly criticized the organization online, should they take legal action? Is that always even ethical?

The executives might argue that the suits are simply meant to intimidate. There's even a word for that: "Slapp," for "strategic lawsuit against public participation." Many states, including California, have enacted anti-Slapp laws, outlawing such suits as detrimental to freedom of speech and criticism."

[Program Announcement] Midwinter Leadership Development Seminar Highlights Unexpected Leadership; LLAMA, 12/17/10

[Program Announcement] Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA); Midwinter Leadership Development Seminar Highlights Unexpected Leadership:

"Midwinter Leadership Development Seminar: Unexpected Leadership
January 9, 2011, 1:30-3:30 p.m.
San Diego Convention Center (SDCC) Room 30 A"

The Best Way to Use the Last Five Minutes of Your Day; Harvard Business Review,

Peter Bregman, Harvard Business Review; The Best Way to Use the Last Five Minutes of Your Day:

"Every day, before leaving the office, save a few minutes to think about what just happened. Look at your calendar and compare what actually happened — the meetings you attended, the work you got done, the conversations you had, the people with whom you interacted, even the breaks you took — with your plan for what you wanted to have happen. Then ask yourself three sets of questions:

•How did the day go? What success did I experience? What challenges did I endure?

•What did I learn today? About myself? About others? What do I plan to do — differently or the same — tomorrow?

•Who did I interact with? Anyone I need to update? Thank? Ask a question? Share feedback?"

Corner Office, Interview with Catherine Winder, president and executive producer of Rainmaker Entertainment; New York Times, 1/2/11

Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; Interview with Catherine Winder, president and executive producer of Rainmaker Entertainment: Got an Idea? Sell It to Me in 30 Seconds:

"Q. What are the most important leadership lessons you’ve learned?

A. I learned that everybody needs as much communication as possible — you can’t overcommunicate...

Q. What experiences did you have when you were younger that prepared you for that kind of role?

A. I’m just somebody who tends to jump into situations because I love a challenge. I was at Western University in Canada, and they were trying to get a monthly television show off the ground with the local cable company. They said they needed somebody to head it up, and I said, “I’ll do it.” I knew nothing about it. But that experience showed me how to get volunteers inspired, how to hear all the different points of view and how to pull something together and get it done in a relatively short period of time."

Corner Office, Interview with Robert A. Eckert, chairman and chief executive of Mattel; New York Times, 12/26/10

Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; Interview with Robert A. Eckert, chairman and chief executive of Mattel: The Résumé? No, Let’s Talk About You:

"I’m looking for fit, personality, values. Is this the kind of person we want around here? Will they work well? And I don’t really care how many places you worked at or what grades you got or who your favorite teacher was or what your favorite class was. It’s about what kind of people they are."