August 21, 2011
Drowning By Numbers, Part II
In 1993, I had a great opportunity to write an article in Pittsburgh History, the journal of the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania where I worked at the time. The article was called
“Drowning by Numbers: The State of Baseball History (full text)” and it bemoaned the fixation (as I saw it) with numbers in baseball history. My goal in writing the piece was to encourage baseball historians to see the social significance of sports – rather than just “recounting and re-recording the numbers baseball players assembled over time.”
While the numbers-driven approach can remove the context of sport in American Culture, the appeal of this approach does make sense. Every action and reaction in baseball produces a number. Almost like a business has a balance-sheet recording revenue and expenses, a baseball team has numbers for everything – making this type of historical approach logical.
In the 18 years since I wrote that piece, I am not sure baseball history changed all that much, but I certainly have. As the director and librarian of the Kresge Business Administration Library of the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, I am working with numbers all the time. I want to revisit this concept and see where I can apply it in two of my key areas in librarianship. As a director, I am focused on ensuring that we share our work with the school via annual reports. These are driven by numbers, some with more value than others. I am working on a Charleston Conference session on using Annual Reports for marketing purposes. So I will talk more about that later.
But I want to write today about my other world at Kresge Library. Even though I am the director of the library, I still have an active role in helping the Ross Community with library reference. I think this is a critically important part of my job to help faculty and students with reference. I believe this for a few reasons. First, it is a tremendously grounding part of my job. It allows me to know what the other librarians and staff are going through. If I am working on reference as well as the other librarians, I have a better sense of the ebbs and flows of the work.
So thinking about the baseball world when every action and reaction has a number associated with it, many see business the same way. At Kresge, we get questions from faculty, students and community members that ask for numbers that seem like they are tracked – but are hard to find. This represents one of our biggest challenges at the library – being asked a question about numbers that seem like they should be kept – but are nowhere to be seen. Or possibly the data is not kept in the fashion that the person wants. We have been asked all sorts of questions, like “how many shrimp are served by Red Lobster in a year?” Some have answers and others do not.
From a librarian point of view, we work hard on trying to figure out what they are hoping to do with the data, so many we can find proxy information. Maybe you do not get the exact count of how many shrimp are served at Red Lobster, but you get information (maybe anecdotal) on much money people spend on shrimp there. That is also a tough number to get, but sometimes it is available.
So where I am going with this is a question I got on Friday. What is the size of the “total retail product selection in the United States.” It is a cool question, and a tricky one. Basically, if I wanted to buy one of everything available in the retail marketplace in the US, how many things would I have…. What I was able to provide to this patron is some industry reports on the US retail sector, information from the BLS, and (later that weekend) , information about UPC barcodes. According to the UPC Database, there are 1,387,455 unique numbers. While that does not include everything sold, it is a pretty good start.
But in thinking about this question, I was wondering if Barry Schwartz’ Paradox of Choice” had any number. The examples in the excellent book all focused on products – like 85 different jams – rather than all the products available to consumers. But I did find this in searching via Google.
Now that is ironic…the "Paradox of Choice" is one of almost 1 million books you can get for your Kindle...talk about having a hard time making a decision...
I will be playing with this some more – but I wanted to get the conversation started.
Posted by cseeman at 10:16 PM | Comments (0)
January 06, 2011
Why Global Heath Matters to Me (The Mustard Seed)
An essay contest from the Acumen Fund and ABC News. My essay was selected as one of the ones features on their blogs:
Essay:
As a child, I was mesmerized by the parable of the Mustard Seed. In that story, a despondent mother attempted to bring a dead child back to life. A wise man said he could do that, but she would need to produce a mustard seed from someone who never known death. She quickly realized that it was not possible, teaching us that we all must know death. But I always wondered if people would suffer as much where access to healthcare was a right, not a privilege. Both in the United States and globally, access to the health care system is elusive. Global healthcare providers often struggle with ways to expand capacity to ensure that more people have access to life-saving and life-improving procedures. If we can all help in any way, we can collectively make the world that better place we all want it to be. My way is through information.
As a librarian at the Ross School of Business of the University of Michigan, I am able to work with many students who are looking at this very question. In many regards, helping these providers find the key information they need can be the real keys to success. My goal is to build a resource that can be used by business students and professional who are working in this space. Through providing some clarity among the millions of pages available via the web, we can help people find answers more quickly to the ways that we can help everyone across the globe get the attention that they need. And while this will never eliminate death and suffering, maybe, just maybe, librarians in Michigan can help others reduce the number of grieving parents everywhere. That is a mustard seed that would taste beautiful.
Posted by cseeman at 08:53 AM | Comments (0)
June 14, 2008
Haiku for Today (flickr)
Project Three Six Five
Persistence will be needed
A Picture a Day
Started Project 365 this week.
Here are my photos for the project.
This is the entire pool of flickr.
Posted by cseeman at 11:49 AM | Comments (0)
June 12, 2008
Spanning the Straits of Business Information: Kresge Library’s Embedded Librarian Program for MAP (Multidisciplinary Action Program) - Presentation and Paper for SLA
Contributed Paper and Presentation at the SLA Annual Conference in Seattle.
Abstract:
Embedded librarian programs have successfully been used to bridge the divide between libraries and distance learners, teaching faculty and lab researchers. The Kresge Business Administration Library (Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan) has created a unique approach to the embedded librarian model by having librarians work directly with in-residence student teams charged with solving ‘real world’ problems through Michigan’s signature action-based learning program, MAP (Multidisciplinary Action Program). With MAP, corporate and nonprofit organizations work with teams of 4-6 students charged with solving a problem or providing recommendations on very specific aspects of the sponsor’s work. This paper will describe the Kresge Library’s support of MAP and other action-based learning programs at the Ross School of Business. Topics will include how we work and communicate with MAP teams, examples of research and reference requests from the students, an assessment of our services, and how this changes the librarian relationships with students in their second year of study. This unique program offers exciting challenge to Kresge librarians, building bridges between the Kresge Library and the students and faculty participating in MAP, as well as between the overwhelming amount of business data, statistics and research available and the world of business practice.
Posted by cseeman at 08:15 AM | Comments (0)
June 08, 2008
Haiku for Today (Writing Book Reviews)
Cut, tighter, tighter
One seventy five in reach
Still much left to say
For all those who are writing reviews for Library Journal!
This entry was posted in the following categories: Completely Off Topic! , Haikus of the Day , Other Library Work , The World of LibrariesPosted by cseeman at 08:34 AM | Comments (0)
June 03, 2008
Haiku for Today (Hoover's)
Super-duper bonus - two Haikus!
Hoover's Disappoints
For almost all my students
Reports cost extra
Advertising here?
We pay for this database
Looks like a free site
(Those who work with business databases and resources should understand!)
Posted by cseeman at 12:34 PM | Comments (0)
May 22, 2008
Haiku for Today (MeLCat)
Colder than normal
When no students are about
Better use MeLCat
Was going to walk to Borders to get a travel book to Michigan's Thumb (Lake Huron). But it was too cold, so I turned back and ordered it on MeLCat. In a few days...I should get the book!
This entry was posted in the following categories: Completely Off Topic! , Haikus of the Day , Integrated Library Systems , Other Library Work , The World of LibrariesPosted by cseeman at 02:20 PM | Comments (0)
May 09, 2008
Rules and Rules...but PLEASE USE YOUR BRAINS!
Saw this article from Reuters.
Woman fired for giving 16-cent treat to toddler
Fri May 9, 2008 7:42am EDT
TORONTO (Reuters) - An attendant at a Canadian restaurant who was sacked for giving a bite-sized doughnut, worth 16 cents, to an agitated toddler was given her job back on Thursday after the case received wide media attention.
Nicole Lilliman, a single mother, said she was dismissed from a London, Ontario, outlet of the Tim Hortons coffee and doughnut chain after video cameras captured the 27-year-old giving a Timbit to a toddler.
--see link for the rest of the article--
I am very glad that they have seen the error of their ways and reinstated her. I know the old adage that says 'take care of the pennies, and the dollars will take care of themselves.' But this sets up a relationship between the customer, the staff and the product that distances reason with reality.
I know that employee theft can be a big issue, but for any operation that provides a service (be it a restaurant or a library), the need to know when the rules should be applied and when the rules could be suspended. And we do not need to extrapolate to everyone in the store...did everyone need a free timbit that day?
I would like to think that we can do something different or special for someone, based on the conditions that they are under. How many times to we do something over and above what is 'normal' in the library, only to have people frown about needing to do that for everyone. I think we need to trust in ourselves to know when we can bend the rules. When do we need to give people a report instead of pointing them in the direction. When do we need to walk people to the stacks rather than pointing. When do we need to send people some articles rather than a search string. And when do we need to give someone a timbit...well, just because.
Service will be a defining element of librarianship from here on out. These are, indeed, exciting times.
Posted by cseeman at 11:01 AM | Comments (0)
May 05, 2008
Report to the ProQuest Academic Advisory Board
Meeting with the ProQuest Academic Advisory Board today. As part of the meeting, each of the board members are supposed to come up with a 5-10 minute presentation on the state of affairs in the library world. I am hoping to expand on many of these themes, but here are the slides.
I will talk about this more later (once I am done with my performance evaluations...ugh). But I think it is critical that we do things that are amazing! I know budgets are tight, but this is a goal and a mission that is so critical for libraries to be a school's "competitive advantage."
I will write more later.
This entry was posted in the following categories: Business Librarianship , Conference Presentations , Management Philosophy , The World of Libraries , University of Michigan TopicsPosted by cseeman at 06:40 AM | Comments (0)
April 28, 2008
IUG Sessions on Funds - Funds (Huh!): What are they good for!
Program Title: Funds (Huh!): What are they good for!
Program Coordinator: Corey Seeman
Coordinator Institution: Kresge Business Administration Library (Univ. of Michigan)
Presented at IUG 2008 in Washington, D.C. (April 2008)
Presentation Slides URL:
Session Description (100 word limit for program publication): Funds are the building blocks of Acquisitions - allowing us to pay for orders and report expenditures. But for many sites, the fund structure lacks the ability to truly capture the information that the library wants and needs. We will explore the role that funds play in Millennium and look at: changing funds, statistical and financial reporting; and matching the funds with the fiscal close method used at your institution. The learning objective is to be able to evaluate your fund structure and use to determine if your existing structure still meets your needs.
Posted by cseeman at 02:18 PM | Comments (0)
February 21, 2008
How Everyone Contributes
If you ever wonder about the way that an organization works, you need to look at the way that people behind the scenes operate. At the Kresge Library, we have twenty positions. It is easy, in a library, to focus on the number of "professional positions" that you have, or how many librarians you have one staff. We have 8 (myself included).
But the way that I look at the library is that we all have a role to play and we all contribute to the general success of the operation. While it is sometimes hard to articulate this, one example came over the radio this morning.
Morning Edition's Susan Stamberg did a piece on the Script Supervisor this morning. When a movie is made and acknowledged during the awards shows, like the Oscars, we have awards for actors, directors, pictures, cinematographers, art directors, etc. But there are critical roles in the making of a movie that rarely shine in the light.
For a library to be productive, you need great people doing professional work. You need to convey to everyone that their work is critical to the operation of the unit. This is true if we are working with faculty on a research project, with students on a MAP team, and with staff as well compile course packs. It is also true when we collect the mail, when we check in periodicals, when we update web-pages. I hope I convey that. I guess it is something that we always need to work on.
This entry was posted in the following categories: Business Librarianship , Management Philosophy , Movies & Popular Culture , Other Library Work , The World of LibrariesPosted by cseeman at 08:59 AM | Comments (0)
February 05, 2008
For Marketing, the Most Valuable Player Might Be YouTube
From the New York Times
Advertising
For Marketing, the Most Valuable Player Might Be YouTube
By STUART ELLIOTT
Published: February 5, 2008
The Internet, digital video recorders, mobile devices and other technologies are giving a strong postgame presence to the annual roster of Super Bowl commercials.
Follow this link for the full article.
With more and more advertising available via YouTube and other resources, it is easier than ever to find and use advertising in your research.
The trick is getting the file so you can use it on your desktop when you are not connected to the Internet. Previously, I wrote about a great web application that you can use to grab YouTube videos and convert them to MP4 files.
It has the amazingly logical name of: YouTube to iPod and PSP Converter and it is a small program that will download and convert into an MP4 file format among others. Good for your iPod, your PowerPoint, your...well, whatever. This is from DVDVIDEOSOFT.COM and is free.
For students and faculty at the Ross School of Business, there is also Adforum. This database provides access to over 35,000 advertisements in all media. The focus is international. The database has audio and video capability. The source also provides access to news and other information relating to the advertising industry, including agency information. Be sure to log off as directed on the password sign on screen.
Posted by cseeman at 07:39 AM | Comments (0)
January 30, 2008
The Power of Information
When we think about all the amazing resources out there, we cannot even grasp the reach and scope of what people can find.
My son Chris has an account at Box Office Mojo. This is the place where you can get all sorts of box office information about the movies.
He has started to create "crowd reports" - basically a summary of what he saw at the theater and what he thought of the show. This is his report for Meet the Spartans (I corrected a few spelling errors)
Meet The Spartans
3:05
60-70 people (The theater was so big, it was almost IMAX size!)
Trailers:
Jumper (Actually looks cool. I'd see it.)
Fool's Gold (looks like a cute chick flick. It doesn't look too bad.)
Prom Night (Seriously. Did this really need a remake?)
Shutter (Geez. Another crappy horror movie. This looks dumb.)
Never Back Down (I 1st thought this was Step Up 2, but it's just a fighting movie.)
With the exception of Jumper & even Fool's Gold, the trailers were all horrible. I'll get in line not to see these movies?
Movie: One word to describe it. HORRIBLE! I know that I thought this was going to be funny, but I made a biiiiiiiiiiigggggggggg mistake. The first 10 minutes were a bit funny, but the rest was just poop, sex, & a bunch of pop culture references that weren't even funny.In fact, some parts of it were even disturbing, like beating up the child & the pit of death's garbage disposal. Notice that I didn't alert it as a spoiler, because you really shouldn't see this movie. It links to my new resolution. Never see movies like this again! D
The crowd didn't agree & laughed at a lot of the parts that were trying to be funny. But most of the audience was teens, so go figure.
--end--
High art - it isn't. But imagine a world where there are reports about the crowds and the reactions to public events. This is great that he has an outlet for writing and communication.
Think this is just the best.
This entry was posted in the following categories: The World of LibrariesPosted by cseeman at 11:13 AM | Comments (0)
January 04, 2008
Pew Internet and American Life Project survey, “Information Searches That Solve Problems?
New report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project survey, “Information Searches That Solve Problems?
This report looks fantastic. This is from the ALA site:
Members of Generation Y (ages 18–30) are the leading users of libraries for help in solving problems and in more general patronage, according to a Pew Internet and American Life Project survey, “Information Searches That Solve Problems? (PDF file). The survey results challenge the assumption that libraries are losing relevance in the internet age. Libraries drew visits by more than half of Americans (53%) in the past year for all kinds of purposes.
--end--
The 42 page report is co-produced by the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois.
Posted by cseeman at 06:44 AM | Comments (0)
December 27, 2007
Cost of Overdue Books - New York Times Article
Interesting article from the New York Times on December 26, 2007:
New York Region
Late Library Books Can Take Toll on Credit Scores
By ANNE BARNARD and JO CRAVEN McGINTY
Published: December 26, 2007
The Queens Library system often flexes its muscles in collecting overdue books and late fees.
Click on the title to view the whole article.
--my thoughts--
The sole purpose of library fines is to encourage the prompt return of materials so other people can have them. I suppose, in an ideal world, you should be able to hold onto a book until someone else wants it.
In the Netflix world, they claim that there are no overdues. This is certainly the case...as long as you keep paying the monthly fee!
We do not have a ton of overdues at the Kresge Library. But at the end of the year, I want to have an amnesty program linked to a donation to a local food bank, maybe Food Gatherers.
This entry was posted in the following categories: The World of LibrariesPosted by cseeman at 08:51 AM | Comments (0)
