Library Language: Vocabulary for the Modern Librarian

Post on 19-Jan-2015

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Speakers: Beth Ardner, Manager of Distributor Relations, Credo Reference; Deirdre Costello, Associate Platform Manager, Credo Reference The age of librarians toiling away in dust and silence is long over - if it ever existed at all. Librarians are in touch with different groups almost constantly, and librarianship today requires some serious communication skills. Whether it's other librarians, administrators, users, publishers or vendors, librarians have to juggle several different vocabularies to make sure they're communicating as clearly as possible. We'd like to draw on our sales, publishing, usability and web design experience to help build some guidelines and answer questions about communicating with some of these groups. This seminar will focus specifically on communicating with publishers, vendors and users, but we'd love to hear what you have to say about communication in libraries!

transcript

Vocabularies for the Modern Librarian

Library Language

Deirdre Costello

Associate Platform Manager

Credo Reference

deirdre.costello@credoreference.com

Beth Ardner

Manager, Distributor Relations

Credo Reference

beth.ardner@credoreference.com

Communication. Is it:

1.A library issue?

2.An institutional issue?

3.A community issue?

What are some communication issues

in your library? Do they reach beyond

the library?

Common Frustrations

• Difference in expectations

• Difference in opinion

• Perception of terms used

• Misunderstandings

The So What

The primary purpose of libraries is

to provide INFORMATION to their

communities.

Misunderstandings

mean they can't

function.

Who are we talking to?

• Users/Patrons

• Administrators

• IT/Tech

Support

• Other librarians

• Other libraries

• Publishers/vendors

• Board of Trustees

• Other

stakeholders?

How are we talking?

Direct

• Email

• Phone

• In person

• Chat

Indirect

• Reports

• Signage

• Website

• Body language

Our Focus.

Deirdre: Users

Beth: Vendors

• Examples

• Best Practices

• Your stories

http://www.walkingpaper.org/5104

Examples: Signage

Signage is metadata about

librarians: it reflects attitudes,

priorities and assumptions about

users.

What do the following say?

Current Research •

• Average user success rate for finding

articles: 52%*

• Improving vocabulary and writing

choices can increase success by

124%**

*Kupersmith, J. (2012). Library Terms That Users Understand.

http://escholarship.org/uc/item/3qq499w7?goback=.gde_687427_member_160788971#page-1

**Nielsen, Jakob. (1997). How Users Read on the Web. http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9710a.html

Current Research Words commonly misunderstood by library users:

• Acronyms & brand names

• Database

• Library Catalog

• E-journals

• Index

• Interlibrary Loan

• Periodical or Serial

• Reference

• Resource

• Subject categories

such as Humanities

or Social Sciences

Kupersmith, J. (2012). Library Terms That Users Understand.

http://escholarship.org/uc/item/3qq499w7?goback=.gde_687427_member_160788971#page-1

Best Practices: Users

Understand your users.

• Comments, observations

• Catalog and website search logs

• Interviews, focus groups

Best Practices: Users

Use natural and active language.

• "OPAC" becomes "Find Books"

• "Databases" becomes "Find Articles"

• "ILL" becomes "Borrowing from Other

Libraries"

Best Practices: Users

Be consistent. This is harder than it

seems!

• Consistent terms

• Consistent symbols

• Consistent design

Best Practices: Vendors

The same rules for users apply here.

• Vendors are users too

• They don't know every library term

• Use natural language,

straightforward terms, and avoid

acronyms and brands.

Best Practices: Vendors

Be direct.

• Vendors aim to please and want to

know what you need.

• They are in the business of customer

service.

• You know your library best.

Best Practices: Vendors

Share your vocabularies.

• Vendors have to know corporate

vocabularies.

• Ask questions - learn their

terminology and share yours.

• All businesses have their own unique

internal vocabulary.

For Example...

Try out these terms from within the

book industry:

• Service Recovery

• Independent Reader

• SPO

• IPT

• TTF

• BINC

Other Areas? Tell us about your experiences!

• Does your library have a policy on

language and vocabulary that you

would be willing to share?

• What are your experiences with

other stakeholders?

• Administrators

• Board of Trustees

• IT/Tech Support

• Others?

Conclusion

Communication is key to the success

of the library. Let's continue the

conversation!

Resources

Library Terms that Users Understand:

http://escholarship.org/uc/item/3qq499w7

Plain Language: http://www.plainlanguage.gov/

Walking Paper: http://www.walkingpaper.org/

Useit.com, Jakob Nielsen's website: http://www.useit.com/

In particular, his article on How Users Read on the Web:

http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9710a.html

Signage - better none than bad:

http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/columns/my-

mind/signage-better-none-bad

Passive-aggressive library signs:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/passive-aggressive-library-

signs/

Thank You!