Two useful librarian seminars in June

We had our second annual library seminar at DBS Library last Friday, which caused quite a stir on Twitter (great). Below are two free webinars that neatly weave themselves in as constructive follow-ups along some of the themes that we covered on the day.

A Quiet Culture War in Research Libraries, and What It Means for Libraries, Researchers, and Publishers

Tuesday, 30^th June, 14:30 – 15:15 GMT

There is a growing rift between those who believe the library's most fundamental purpose is to support and advance the goals of its host institution and those who believe the library's most important role is as an agent of progress and reform in the larger world of scholarly communication. Although these two areas of endeavour are not mutually exclusive, they are in competition for scarce resources and the choices made between them have serious implications at both the micro level (for the patrons and institutions served by each library) and the macro level (for members of the larger academic community).

The tension between these two worldviews is creating friction within librarianship itself: as tightening budgets increasingly force us to choose between worthy programs and projects, there is growing conflict between those whose choices reflect one worldview and those who hold to the other. How this conflict plays out over the next few years may have significant implications for the scholars who depend on libraries for access to research content and for the publishers and other vendors for whom libraries are a core customer base. (Provided by UKSG)

How to Fail at Social Media: Lessons Learned from Other Libraries

Wednesday, 17^th June, 17:30 – 18:30 GMT

It’s easy to have some successes in our library’s social media efforts. Unfortunately, it’s even easier to fail. Whether it is how we begin in our social media efforts or how we focus on informing instead of engaging, many libraries have tasted the bitterness of failure. The good news is, we can learn from the mistakes and failures of others and not repeat their mistakes.

This fast-paced interactive and fun webinar program will show you (rather poignantly) how to improve your social media presence and your outcomes in connecting with your users.

We will include examples of failing and succeeding from the social media pages of many public and academic libraries. This program is appropriate for beginners and veterans in your library’s social media efforts. (Provided by Utha State Library)