FLICKR

Have you ever sat at the Reference Desk and wondered why a patron was frozen in place and looking slightly over your head? This can be disconcerting until you realize they are looking at the Pollak Library question and answer slide show which projects on the wall behind the Reference Desk.

What if we added photos to the slide show from "mystery spots" within the library? For example, we might have a photo of the Book Loft, a photo from the Media Commons, or a photo from the latest earthquake.

Everyone loves pictures.

The photo above is the view I have had for the last 13 years from my office on the third floor of library north. I will miss it, but I am happy that I have a photo of it!

Galbraith lives

I've been thinking about John Kenneth Galbraith lately, and wishing he were still here to comment on our current economic crisis. Today's issue of Paper Cuts , a blog about books, written by the editors of the New York Times Book Review, features Galbraith, and reminded me of his famous quote: "The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. "

RSS Feeds and the Pollak Library

For RSS feeds to become a successful communication tool for our library, our users must become our subscribers. Making that happen is the challenge.

Ensemble Leadership

While driving to work yesterday, I heard Alan Chapman, on KUSC, discussing the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and its unusual organizational structure. The orchestra doesn’t have a conductor, but rather chooses members to interpret the pieces, and then rehearses, performs, and records without a conductor.

How does this work? By relying on the eight Orpheus principles: put power in the hands of the people doing the work, encourage individual responsibility, create clarity of roles, share and rotate leadership, foster horizontal teamwork, learn to listen and talk, seek consensus, and dedicate passionately to your mission. (George Cohn, Booklist)

Although this is interesting in itself, even more interesting is that a book was written that applies this strategy to the corporate world: Seifter, H. and P. Economy. (2001) Leadership Ensemble: Lessons in Collaborative Management from the World's Only Conductorless Orchestra. New York: Times Books, 2001.

As I near retirement, I realize that I have been privileged to work with many people who embody the eight Orpheus principles. You have made the Library a very gratifying place to work.