Hi, my name is Jo Alcock and I’m proud to be named a Shover and Maker. I’m a Resources Librarian at University of Wolverhampton, UK. I blog as Joeyanne Libraryanne and write abour anything I find interesting (generally things to do with new technologies such as Web 2.0 and how they can be used in academic libraries).

I’m a newly qualified librarian; I finished my PGDip in October 2008 and started my first professional post (my current job) in November. I should really be working on my dissertation to complete the MSc but I’m so busy shoving and making (and settling into my job) that I haven’t got round to starting that yet.

In my professional role, I’m particularly proud of the shoving and making I am doing to help prepare our academic library services for the future and provide support for our students who are spending increasingly less time on campus. One of my main projects is a Facebook Page, and I’ve also produced blogs and utilised other Web 2.0 services such as social bookmarking, online document sharing, and online calendars for event promotion. A lot of this I did before I was in my librarian post but I shoved until I could get things done, and it definitely proved worth the effort.

In my spare time, I’m proud of the work I’ve been doing on my blog, Joeyanne Libraryanne. I’ve found my blog, and also Twitter, incredibly useful to shove my way into librarian networks and make new contacts, many of whom I now think of as friends. These networking avenues have opened up new opportunities for me such as writing and co-writing articles for journals and speaking at conferences (I have my first one in July).

I’m proud of how far I’ve come in the last year or two, and am looking for to more shoving and making in future.

My name is Martha Hardy and I’m proud to be a Shover and Maker! Most recently, I’ve shoved myself through library school and endeavored to make myself a kickass librarian. During the past tumultuous year, I’ve obtained the MLIS, applied for professional jobs, wrenched myself away from my beloved peeps at the Bio-Medical Library at the U of MN and landed my dream job. Seriously, during my library school years I frequently said to myself, “Self, you know what would be the most awesome, cool, challenging, relevant, meaningful and fun job? Reference and instruction librarian at Metro State, that’s what!” With a multitude of service learning programs, constant outreach to the community, a mission to serve non-traditional and returning adult students and the most diverse student population in the state, Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, MN is the antithesis of an ivory tower institution. Many academic librarians espouse the gospel of empowering students as citizens and lifelong learners by teaching them to access information, but the Metro librarians make this manifest every day. As a proud Metro alum, I couldn’t be more pleased. I’m a lucky duck.

During the past couple of years, I’ve conducted a series of workshops, webinars and conference presentations on Extreme Googling (originally co-developed with Scott Domansky of Bio-Med). I meet the users where they are in the familiar territory of Googleland and teach them some basic search skills: to define their research questions, search broadly and narrowly, to consider which types of information resources best meet their information needs, to search iteratively, etc. I also market the hell out of the library collections and enthusiastically promote library services such as reference, RefWorks and ILL. I teach about the Deep or Invisible Web and emphasize what they will find on the open Web and what is still only available through the library. My next workshop is on using Google tools for current awareness. Wish me luck.

LSW may be a virtual, nebulous, anarchic organization, but its impact is real. My LSW Friends in the Computer have provided me with mentorship, support, context, friendship, feedback, and much-needed uber-silliness at exactly the right times. Just as we have shaped LSW into what we need and want, we can transmute Libraryland from the inside out. Go forth and transmogrify!

Hi. My name is Justnathan and I am a Shover and Maker. I work for the Roanoke Public Libraries as their Community Technology Center Librarian. When I asked where my Community Technology Center was, they said “If you see a computer in the library, that’s your Community Technology Center.”

I work on lots of different projects; I’ve done Web 2.0 and basic computer training for our staff and computer classes of all sorts for our patrons. I’m known as the computer guy so I regularly get questions on everything from how to connect to our wifi to uploading pictures on to dating sites to downloading ringtones on to cellphones. I do my best to answer these questions; I work at our reference desk a good bit of the time and think that the title “curiosity satisfaction technician” may be my ideal job title. After all, that’s pretty much what I do.

I’ve worked in other fields over the years and I can honestly say I’m in love with being a librarian. I love the fact that I can shove people out of their hard-wired patterns and make them think a little. I love the fact that other librarians (and assorted smart folk) can shove me out of mine. I love the fact that my self-imposed job description is to make my community stronger; to give them skills that can help them connect and succeed.

I blog on occasion at www.justnathan.info and I’m Justnathan on lots of sites around the Internet. If libraries get your mind racing and your heart pounding, give me a shout. I’m sure we’d have a lot to talk about.

whooooffft. Puh-puh-puh. Is this thing on? Can you HEAR{screeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEeee} me?

Oh, sorry, everyone. I guess I got a little too close to the keyboard. Okay. So. I’m supposed to say a few words about me, who I am, what I do, why I’m here, and stuff like that, is that it?

You know, this kinda feels like a job interview or that time I made the Movers & Shakers list. All the interviewers wanted was to talk about me and you know what? I’m tired of talking about me. I’m not just the Head of Readers’ Services for Kansas City Public Library. There’s way more to me than that. I’m already planning for my retirement. My second career is going to be heavy machinery operator. Yeah.

And I’m not just a columnist for Booklist or NoveList, either. I write thank you notes, too. And rude and quirky postcards to my friends. And pithy comments on bathroom walls about the weak drinks they serve at the Riot Room.

Yeah, I blog. I blog a lot at Book Group Buzz and occasionally guest stint over at Likely Stories. I ride herd on Off the Page, too. I’ve even been known to dash a few lines for my own blog, Kaite’s Bookshelf.

Sure I was KCMLIN Trainer of the Year. Big deal. Did anyone tell you about the time I spelled “cartilage” correctly for the Library’s Books ‘n Beer team in the city-wide spelling bee? No? That’s because they don’t think that’s im-por-tant.

So I was Macmillan’s Librarian of the Month last August. So what? I won a hula hoop contest that same month at Crosstown Saloon and no one wrote about that.

Kaite Mediatore Stover awaits the next cage match

No one ever asks me about the really important things. Like is it true I’m part owner of Ebbsfleet United? Can I really tap dance and read tarot cards? And why don’t I just bake the cookie dough already and stop eating it out of the bowl? See? Those things are crucial. They are integral to my personality. But all anyone wants to know is when I’m going to get my rear in gear and get those two chapters submitted to Jessica and Mary K. and then finish my own book. I don’t know, okay? Stop nagging, already!

Look, are we done here? Because I’m seriously falling behind in my loafing and you’re not helping. If you want to get me out of this jam, pass me the sidewalk chalk and bubbles and let’s go outside and git ‘er done. C’mon. Whattayasay? Enough about me. Let’s talk about you.

Erica Reynolds and her daughter Cady promoting KC Science, INC

I’m Erica Reynolds, the Web Content Manager for the Johnson County Library, and I have been self-awarded the Shovers and Makers award based on the fact that I have assembled the best Web Content Team in the universe—this clever and wily team includes some famous Shovers and Makers like Mr. Neff and Mr. LaCrone. The rest of the team should nominate themselves, too, but they are probably too busy working. The fact that I get to work with 6 people who are solely dedicated to writing, filming, recording, photographing, posting, editing, digitizing, formatting and designing content and graphics for the Web is a dream come true. Now, I just need to utilize my deadly persuasive skills to convince the administration to re-purpose another position into a programmer who is solely dedicated to the patron interface of the library catalog, and all of our patrons will be transported to library heaven.

I’m obsessive about card sorts, paper prototypes and usability studies of all stripes, and I would run them every day if I had someone else to enter all the data so that I could just run studies and then sit back and bask in glow of analyzing spreadsheets, comments, navigation paths, and charts. When we redesigned the Library’s site, I documented all our studies and shared our measurement tools and results at: www.jocolibrary.org/usability.

I used to be driven and obsessive, but now I regularly phone it in and work luxurious 40-hour weeks as I prefer to spend time playing in the park with my daughter. She does her share for the Library, too, like helping to promote KC Science, INC—a smashingly successful community partnership we developed with an IMLS grant. KC Science, INC is a consortium of Kansas City area libraries, museums, parks, and educational organizations collaborating to help inspire natural curiosity and excite the public about all that is astonishing, beautiful, and spectacular in the natural world and the act of discovery. I firmly believe that a stronger connection between students, science and nature is paramount to our nation’s economic success and global environmental future, and I’m happy and proud to be the project director of this exciting partnership. Oh, and I really want one of those S&M buttons.

A few months back, when I was talking about plans for Shovers and Makers with Josh, I wondered if people would really want to do it. We figured if a few dozen people posted to the site it would be worthwhile, especially if some of those people weren’t already friends of ours.

As of this writing, we have 132 profiles on the site. So I feel pretty good about that. I knew that the idea of Shovers and Makers wouldn’t resonate with everyone, but obviously it seemed like a fun idea to enough people to make it worthwhile. I was concerned that either Library Journal or past and present “Movers and Shakers” winners would think that the site was a swipe at them or sour grapes or something. If any of them did take it that way, they didn’t tell me, and I’m happy that so many Movers and Shakers are also Shovers and Makers.

We timed this site to go live shortly after the Movers and Shakers were announced, so it was a nice coincidence that the Computers in Libraries conference came shortly thereafter. It was great fun to pass out S&M buttons at the conference and to see so many people in their LSW / S&M t-shirts.

Jill Hurst-Wahl’s write-up of a random lunch conversation with a non-librarian at CIL is my favorite semi-S&M story that I have heard so far. (Though Laura Carscaddon’s making connections story is just about as good.)

But all good things come to an end. Fewer and fewer people are posting profiles, which probably means it’s time to wrap this up. So consider this an announcement that Shovers and Makers 2009 will come to an end on May 15. The site will stay up, of course, but I’ll remove the form for adding new posts. I’ll probably leave comments on the posts open. So if you have been meaning to make an S&M post–if, say, I gave you a button at CIL and you haven’t posted yet (ahem)–May 15 is your deadline.

All of the posts are labeled “Shovers and Makers 2009,” leaving open the possibility that there will be “Shovers and Makers 2010″ and so on. But I’m not sure that people will want to just repeat what we did this year. And it’s possible that it would be best if this was a one-time event. If you have any ideas for what “Shovers and Makers 2010″ should be, please leave a comment on this post or email nerdboys@shoversandmakers.net to reach Josh and Iris and me.

-Steve

Libraries can often take themselves too seriously and Glenn Harper (aka harps) at the Frankston Library Service (FLS) is helping to change that. Thinking globally on the web (via Blogger and Twitter) whilst acting locally via the FLS blog, Glenn has taken online library promotion and community engagement to places it may not have been before.

The Blogalogue is a free-wheeling, textually light hearted and often visually stimulating library blog. Fighting sterotypes and alienating more stuffy members of the profession, the Blogalogue serves as an image changing and web 2.0 learning vehicle. It is developed, published, edited, written and largely photographed by Glenn.

Some highlights of the Blogalogue’s online presence so far have included claiming TV’s The Librarians Middleton Interactive Learning Centre as an FLS branch, running an AFL football tipping competition involving both staff and community and claiming that libraries are a stimulus package. Along with What’s On information, the PDF publication of each month’s customer feedback has become a populare regular feature. Usually brief, the posts are punchy, fun and sometimes highly visual, with a considerable use of various web 2.0 technologies and services.

Glenn has demonstrated an impressive ability to shove over the out dated image of the conservative public library and make a new paradigm for online engagement. This work has been recognised via several opportunities to speak about his work as an online maverick at professional events, including at the ALIA ’08 conference.

I humbly accept this reward on behalf of all those trying to drag libraries and librarians into the new century.

I’m Michelle McLean, officially an Information Librarian for Casey-Cardinia Library Corporation, a public library service in Melbourne, Australia.

I say officially, because I am in the process of trying to get my title changed to Virtual Services Librarian. The reason for that change is that 80% of my part-time hours are spent on my library services virtual presence, which means our website, our electronic resources, our blogs etc, etc.

I gratefully accept this award, based on the following:
- nobody will give me a Mover and Shaker award and this is just as good
- I am proud of the way I have taken our library website into the 21st century – in the last year we have added more blogs (2 of which I contribute to regularly), created screencasts to show our users how to best use our new catalogue and added Google Maps to our branch information and directions (amongst other things)
- I have also helped our profession more generally, by presenting papers at several conferences on Web 2.0 and keeping up-to-date in the profession and by having articles published in the library literature on the same topics
and
- I continue to share my professional experiences and ponderings through my personal blog Connecting Librarian and as part of the team at Libraries Interact

I am privileged to share this award with many other worthy winners, many of whom are not only my colleagues, but my friends. I am pleased to be able to stand beside you in this honour.

I’m back from CIL2009 and I’m declaring myself a Shover & Maker!

Ok, for the record, I’m the Technology Innovation Librarian for the Nebraska Library Commission. Yes, I’m one of those “state workers” (say it like it’s gum stuck on the bottom of your shoe if you want to say it right.) Great title right? But what does it mean? Well to me it means that I get to play and investigate then pass on what I’ve learned to other librarians.

Does this get me in trouble sometimes? Of course it does but if I’m not frustrating someone, I’m not doing my job right. Change breeds frustration. Some cope well, others… not so much.

As for a project I’m proud of that would be the WiFI Connectivity Grants I ran last year. IN the end more than 50 libraries now offer free public WiFi that didn’t before. I’ve been training for almost 15 years now but I’d finally run a project from beginning to end that has a direct effect on libraries and their patrons. This year is getting Nebraska Libraries on Plinkit. (What have I gotten myself into?)

I make. I shove. Sometimes in that order. Sometimes not.

I’m Frieda Toth, and have been for years known as the Loud Librarian. Most of us in the profession know that the whole “shh” thing is an annoying cliche, but I’m proud to go wayy behind smashing it.

I’m the first Teen Services Librarian in the 100-year history of Crandall Public Library. That means nobody can say, “But that’s not the way the previous librarian did it!” So our Teen Group has done a Murder Mystery, a boffering demo…you get the idea.

The thing I’ve worked hardest on so far is my Hot Topics collection. Remembering that being a teen was feeling a constant state of embarrassment, I selected a couple hundred books on dating, STDs, alcohol, gender ID, religion, lack of religion, politics, cutting and other things teens don’t want to ask the middle-aged lady with the bun about. I put all the books in a discreet place behind the Teen Center couch, so they can browse in private. The books are popular enough to get strewn about but rarely appear on someone’s library card, which is just the way I hoped they’d be used.