from when Collaborating Occurs in Your Library

Success Stories

Project Web• Think of a project, event, or task you worked on

in the past or are currently working on. • Who do you need to collaborate with to get the

project completed and what is their role. • Use the graphic organizer below to demonstrate

the collaboration.

Success from Collaboration

• Why this presentation?• Often when collaboration is written or spoken

about in libraries it involves units outside the library

• This is to remind everyone that great things can be accomplished by working within the library regardless of many other obstacles

Definition• working together• the act of helping an enemy

collaboration. (2004). In Dictionary of Politics and Government. Retrieved from http://literati.credoreference.com

A quick history

• Post Katrina, the original library structure has been uninhabitable

• Since Katrina the library and it’s staff have occupied:o 1 trailero 1 trailer and a ¼ of a trailero 3 trailerso 1 room and a closeto 1 room and a closet and a semi-permanent home

Changes post Katrina

• There were retirements• There were budget cuts• There was new staff• Trailer or not we had big plans• We knew what we needed to do • We just needed to make it happen

Always the optimists

• Understaffed• Day to day library operations are tiring and time

consuming• We had 3 trailers, finally some space• We still had big ideas and plans• We had great intentions

THEN

We are not feeling so well

• For several months there were health complaints• Eventually there was testing• MOLD• All the trailers except 1 needed remediation

Homeless

• The Director, the System Administrator and the Public Services staff were homeless

• Where could we go? • Our only option: 1 room and a closet

One room and a closet

• The Director, the Systems Administrator and the Public Services staff moved in with Tech Services

• We all shared 1 room and a closet• We brought our Reserve Collection with us and

that was it • We had very limited space for students• Most of us worked at lab tables BUT we finally

had the staff in the same place and the time to communicate with one another

Separated by a Wall

• Being a cataloger and a computer person we kind of spoke the same language

• Somehow in a conversation we discussed how bad the user data was in Workflows and how we used to do user loads when we had a friend in IT

• And then…

User Load Magic

• Together we looked at the LOUIS documentation on how to do a user load

• Parts of it was gibberish to each of us• Collectively we were able to make sense of it• We did a test load and then a real load• It was…

A Joyful Occasion

Continued Success

• We realized there were many more things we could change for the better

• A listserv discussion on Shibboleth passwords, EZproxy…..

Crawl, Walk, Run….!

• 4 Database logins existed based on the provider• A monthly brochure was emailed to faculty, staff

and students with access information• A student intranet was created to provide

anytime, anywhere access to logon information• With the implementation of EZproxy, a single

logon was created!

Power of the Web

• Collaboration promoted the design and development of a Library website

• Collaboration led to an understanding of the goals and objectives of the library

• The new site provided both information and interactivity

User Friendly Interactivity

Ask a Librarian Document Delivery

Self-paced Web TutorialsLibrary Collaboration

Site

User Friendly Interactivity

Study-room reservations Library Intranet

User Friendly Interactivity

Incident Tracking Library Forum

User Friendly Interactivity

LLA Conference Collaboration

• Webex made it possible to collaborate on this presentation with sound, video and document sharing

Collaboration tools• Since everything is always

changing• Don’t forget these tools:

o Google Docso Free trial uses of software such as webexo Meebo/Instant Message softwareo Your colleagues

Lets hear from you

• Does anyone want to share your project web?

• Questions?

Contact us:Rosalind T. Chester

Web Manager / Multimedia SpecialistSchool of Liberal Arts

Tulane University102 Newcomb Hall

New Orleans, LA 70118504.862.3044

rchester@tulane.edu 

Laurie Gaillard Catalog Librarian

Southern University at New Orleans6400 Press Drive

New Orleans, LA 70126504-286-5364

lgaillar@suno.edu

Jacquie KeleherReference Librarian

Southern University at New Orleans6400 Press Drive

New Orleans, LA 70126504-286-5365

jkeleher@suno.edu