Blogs Galore Five : Seth Godin

Museums & libraries & the future . . .

I just came across this post by Seth Godin about the future of libraries. I believe that museums and libraries and archives have a lot in common as we struggle for community relevance and continued visitor-ship in this ever-changing world. I also think that libraries are a little more 'hip' to these changes and challenges, which can be seen in their spoofy videos, such as their viral Ga-Ga one, that describes what librarians do for their visitors. And I can tell that Godin is up on this as well — I particularly like how he describes the value of librarians through this quote:

The librarian isn't a clerk who happens to work at a library. A librarian is a data hound, a guide, a sherpa and a teacher. The librarian is the interface between reams of data and the untrained but motivated user.

Godin also speaks of the way information is provided and requested these days — i.e. it's a digital world, baby — is challenging the value of the library as a repository of paper books only. He makes a point that a library is much more than that: "Just in time for the information economy, the library ought to be the local nerve center for information." He adds:

The next library is a place, still. A place where people come together to do co-working and coordinate and invent projects worth working on together. Aided by a librarian who understands the Mesh, a librarian who can bring domain knowledge and people knowledge and access to information to bear.

This post really hit home that relevance is about people who enable you to engage with a place — it is not about the institution alone and its so-called self-worth. Whether it's a library, museum, shop, or government office, it's the people who work there that create a connection to the information and value of the institution, one person at a time. 

Now, how is it museum workers are directly relating to our visitors? I think the future of museums depends on how we figure this out. 

Check out the conclusion of Seth Godin's post here. Great read!

Blogs Galore Four

Sometimes . . .

. . . the Universe just knows what to say, lets you know you're not alone. Marlow Hoffman wrote a great post, Will Work for Food: Curatorial Position and Cake Preferred, for the Western Museums Association blog. It speaks about the challenges of finding employment in the museum sector. I hear you, Marlow, I hear you!

TMI ?

Connecting the dots . . . 

I have been on a journey for the past couple of weeks, perhaps foreshadowed by the TEDucation post just previous.

You see, I recently rediscovered my Twitter account, and observed / joined the slipstream of real-time conversation with museum people from all over the world. I have been caught in the undertow of the discussions, including the frightening happenings in Egypt right now. Some twitterers are able to assess the damage occurring to the Cairo Museum almost immediately, and it's both heart-wrenching and relieving to know what's going on. Truly, it's near hypnotic to be able to witness everything everywhere as it is happening, and to have a say about it through 140-character messages that are shared instantly with everyone. My brain has been so engaged in this — and I know it's getting to be too much because I have begun to dream in Twitter, which is kinda frustrating because the links don't work! 

To add to this compulsive Twitter watch, I have also really upped the museum-related blogs I follow. I have been engrossed in blogs that talk about museum architecture, collections, museums and smart phone apps, exhibition installations, visitor experience, evaluation, the definition of curator, museum 'free agents', neat ways to engage with collections and on and on. Museum people, there is a lot of good writing out there — so fabulous, it's hard to not want to read all about it. And comment on it, joining the conversation on blogs as well.

But here's where I come clean — obviously not just museums are in this social web-sphere. Although many blogs on my Google reader are museum-related, I have been caught up in the cat (penguin!) video world / silly silly stuff / amazing photo streams as well as, hello, Jezebel, for movie star updates.

Gah.

Do you remember what it was like when you continued researching for a term paper even when you kept coming across similar information? Sort of like you've done your foundations work, and you have found all the major trends, but you keep on looking anyway? And let yourself get sidetracked in fun and interesting stuff to 'reward' yourself for the good work you were doing? I sure did this . . . and I often couldn't stop researching because I was actually avoiding writing the darn paper. That's what I feel like right now — it's not like there's no more to discover, but I am reading certain fundamental points over and over again during my reading adventures. 

I have joked on Facebook that I have caught up with the internet. It's a procrastinator's dream out there, just a million tangential clicks away. This is surely where Too Much Information lives.

It's not all wasted time, though. I think all this online activity represents my desire for something more than basic information — I think I am looking for some kind of connection. Connecting online is really fast, simple, and as deep as it is wide. What a resource. But is it truly connecting with something or someone to follow them on Twitter, friend them on Facebook or RSS their blog??

These thoughts came clear when I went through this amazing slide show on businesses NOT needing a social media strategy. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube are all tools to link us together with information; they are not, however, The Connection That We Are Forming. We can have all these accounts, but they are supposed to augment our real life through engagement. Online is just another way to get that engagement.

And here's where I need to pay attention: social media accounts are not intended to stand alone, to be the end product, the last word. It's what I do with the information provided that counts, not that I know it. Action is required to make this connection real. Real world action.

I am keenly aware that I need to make the most out of the time and resources spent on this online investment, to pay attention, and to know when to stop surfin'. And it's okay to have a giggle — just not keep going to the feed to allow for major distraction. Set aside some time, but don't let it take over. That kind of thing.

The good news in this internet adventure is that I am finding is that this constant scanning of the horizon is actually helping me solidify my own ideas, and now I am 'tightening the weave' by linking things together, admiring the patterns that emerge.   

Another way I look at this online immersion is that it feels like I have been chopping a lot of wood. I have stacked a lot of it, real high.  And now it's time I commit to what kind of fire I am going to light . . . 

Museum 2.0: Six Museum-Related Blogs You Might Not Know About That Are Really Good

Blogs GALORE Four

Museum blog-o-rama . . . 
One of my massively favourite museum blogger chicks is Nina Simon with her awesome Museum 2.0 blog. Here's her latest post talking about some of her recommended museum-y blogs:

Museum 2.0: Six Museum-Related Blogs You Might Not Know About That Are Really Good
I know, it's almost too much. But oh what fun!

Blogs Galore Three

I know, it's lame to have two of these posts in a row. . .

... but I think I am driving my Facebook friends crazy reposting and raving about this particular blog. So I will put it here: without a doubt, The Center for the Future of Museums blog by Elizabeth Merritt of the American Association of Museums is absolutely essential reading for those of us who are working with and for museums today. Every post is a gem - please consider putting this on your RSS feed or Google reader. This last post, The 'Realness' of Museums' Online Communities: A Platform for the Future, for instance, includes fundamental points as:

- Social media and online engagement do not belong solely to the marketing department.
- Individuals subscribing to museums' online communities want to be educated and inspired. (In other words, don't use Facebook to only talk about the hours you are open, but as another platform to meet your mission and mandate.)
- Online communities create personal connections to the museum.

Some of these points might be very obvious to those who work and are familiar with social media in museums . . . but I am not sure if we are all there yet. And if you are still questioning where we are going with all these online relationships, check out the CFM previous post, An Alternate Future of Museums, Part II. There you can read about translating online social engagement to in-person community participation. As I said on Facebook: Bingo!

Blogs Galore Two

Another Favourite . . .


I really enjoy reading The Uncatalogued Museum blog by Linda Norris, who is based in New York state. She has had some international adventures in museums, particularly in the Ukraine, which I have found to be very intriguing. Also captivating is her thoughts on county historical societies, and whether or not they are viable, or even worth saving. Thought provoking, and comment-inciting, posts make Linda's blog a don't miss for museum professionals, for sure.