Talking Turkey To A Techhie:

Talking Turkey To A Techhie:

Coordination and Communication in the Library Systems Office

Susan M. JohnsSusan M. Johns

Pittsburg State UniversityAxe Library

Pittsburg KS 66762

March 2001 Talking Turkey

March 2001 Talking Turkey

March 2001 Talking Turkey

March 2001 Talking Turkey

Communication

March 2001 Talking Turkey

Communication Coordination

March 2001 Talking Turkey

Communication Coordination Consensus

CommunicationCommunication

March 2001 Talking Turkey

CommunicationCommunication Techhie :

Know Who Your Know Who Your Alligators AreAlligators Are

Techhie :

Know Who Your Know Who Your Alligators AreAlligators Are

Librarian :

Know Who Your Know Who Your Heroes AreHeroes Are

March 2001 Talking Turkey

CommunicationCommunication Techhie :

Think Public Think Public ServiceService

Librarian :

Think Cutting Think Cutting EdgeEdge

March 2001 Talking Turkey

CommunicationCommunication Techhie :

Listen Fully At Listen Fully At Least Once Least Once (More is Better)(More is Better)

Librarian :

Get to the Meat Get to the Meat (or the Potatoes) (or the Potatoes) of the Problemof the Problem

March 2001 Talking Turkey

CommunicationCommunication Techhie :Techhie :

Ask For Relevant Ask For Relevant ExamplesExamples

Librarian :

Provide Relevant Provide Relevant ExamplesExamples

March 2001 Talking Turkey

CommunicationCommunication Techhie :

Ask for Ask for Constructive Constructive FeedbackFeedback

Librarian ::

Give Give Constructive Constructive FeedbackFeedback

March 2001 Talking Turkey

CommunicationCommunication Techhie :

Acknowledge Acknowledge Problems, Problems, Verbally and In Verbally and In WritingWriting

Librarian :

Ask Questions Ask Questions and Speak Upand Speak Up

March 2001 Talking Turkey

CommunicationCommunication Techhie :

Document Every Document Every Move You Make Move You Make

Librarian :

Document Document Frustrations Frustrations *and* Successes*and* Successes

March 2001 Talking Turkey

CommunicationCommunication Techhie :

Get Voice Mail. Get Voice Mail. Find a Way to Find a Way to Maintain Contact Maintain Contact and Still Do Site and Still Do Site VisitsVisits

Librarian :

Allow Techhies Allow Techhies Time for On-Site Time for On-Site Visits, Especially Visits, Especially the Bathroom!the Bathroom!

March 2001 Talking Turkey

CommunicationCommunication Techhie : Techhie :

Get EmailGet Email Respond to Respond to

EmailEmail Use Helpdesk Use Helpdesk

Software Only Software Only When NecessaryWhen Necessary

Librarian :Librarian :

Use Email When Use Email When PossiblePossible

Implement Implement Report FormsReport Forms

Save Voice Mail Save Voice Mail for Emergenciesfor Emergencies

March 2001 Talking Turkey

CommunicationCommunication Techhie :

Phone Calls Phone Calls Provide Answers. Provide Answers. Seek Answers Seek Answers Always Always

Librarian :

Don’t Interrupt Don’t Interrupt Phone CallsPhone Calls

March 2001 Talking Turkey

CommunicationCommunication Techhie :

Identify What is Identify What is Cause and What Cause and What is Effectis Effect

Librarian :

Know When It Is Know When It Is Appropriate to Appropriate to Ask WHY and Ask WHY and When It Is NOTWhen It Is NOT

March 2001 Talking Turkey

CommunicationCommunication Techhie :

Use Milestones Use Milestones to Communicate to Communicate With StaffWith Staff

Librarian :

Expect Expect Milestones and Milestones and Progress ReportsProgress Reports

CoordinationCoordination

March 2001 Talking Turkey

CoordinationCoordination Techhie :

Set a Standard, Set a Standard, Including Ethics Including Ethics and Policiesand Policies

Librarian :

Don’t Ask Staff to Don’t Ask Staff to Bend the RulesBend the Rules

March 2001 Talking Turkey

CoordinationCoordination Techhie :

Notify Key Notify Key People of Project People of Project Deadlines and Deadlines and When Project is When Project is CompleteComplete

Librarian :

Develop Develop Expectation of Expectation of Time Frame and Time Frame and “Systems Time” “Systems Time” and Adjust and Adjust AccordinglyAccordingly

March 2001 Talking Turkey

CoordinationCoordination Techhie :

Write Down Write Down DocumentationDocumentation

Librarian :

Write Down Write Down RequestsRequests

March 2001 Talking Turkey

CoordinationCoordination Techhie :

Notify Scheduled Notify Scheduled Downtime Well In Downtime Well In AdvanceAdvance

Librarian :

Allow Scheduled Allow Scheduled Downtime and Downtime and Use It Use It ConstructivelyConstructively

March 2001 Talking Turkey

CoordinationCoordination Techhie :

Plan Ahead. Plan Ahead. Don’t Wait for a Don’t Wait for a CrisisCrisis

Librarian :

Make Funding Make Funding Available for Available for Scheduled Scheduled Development So Development So You Don’t Have You Don’t Have to Have a Crisisto Have a Crisis

March 2001 Talking Turkey

CoordinationCoordination Techhie : Techhie :

Know When to Know When to Goof Off and Goof Off and When to Get When to Get BusyBusy

Librarian :Librarian :

Clip Cartoons. Clip Cartoons. Techhies Need Techhies Need Them, Yea and Them, Yea and Verily, They Live Verily, They Live By ThemBy Them

March 2001 Talking Turkey

CoordinationCoordination Techhie :

Use Quiet Time Use Quiet Time EffectivelyEffectively

Librarian :

Allow Quiet TimeAllow Quiet Time

March 2001 Talking Turkey

CoordinationCoordination Techhie :

Prioritize Prioritize Projects. Projects. Complete Complete ProjectsProjects

Librarian :

Expect Projects Expect Projects to Be Completed to Be Completed and Rejoice and Rejoice When They AreWhen They Are

ConsensusConsensus

March 2001 Talking Turkey

ConsensusConsensus

Evaluate Completion. Evaluate Completion. What Can We Learn From Achieving What Can We Learn From Achieving

(or Not Achieving) Completion?(or Not Achieving) Completion?

March 2001 Talking Turkey

ConsensusConsensus

Time is Valuable. Time is Valuable. Time is Money. Time is Money. Time is Critical.Time is Critical.

March 2001 Talking Turkey

ConsensusConsensus

Reject No Chocolate or Food, No Reject No Chocolate or Food, No Matter How Stale or ArchivalMatter How Stale or Archival

March 2001 Talking Turkey

ConsensusConsensus

Reject No Chocolate or Food, No Reject No Chocolate or Food, No Matter How Stale or ArchivalMatter How Stale or Archival

Make Brownies Regularly, Do Not Make Brownies Regularly, Do Not Underestimate Their ValueUnderestimate Their Value

March 2001 Talking Turkey

ConsensusConsensus

Each Needs the Other to Do The JobEach Needs the Other to Do The Job

March 2001 Talking Turkey

ConsensusConsensus

Each Needs the Other to Do The JobEach Needs the Other to Do The Job Without the Other, Each Can FailWithout the Other, Each Can Fail

March 2001 Talking Turkey

ConsensusConsensus

Each Needs the Other to Do The JobEach Needs the Other to Do The Job Without the Other, Each Can FailWithout the Other, Each Can Fail If Communication and Coordination If Communication and Coordination

Fail, Both Will FailFail, Both Will Fail

March 2001 Talking Turkey

ConsensusConsensus

If Both Technician and Librarian Work If Both Technician and Librarian Work TogetherTogether

March 2001 Talking Turkey

ConsensusConsensus

If Both Technician and Librarian Work If Both Technician and Librarian Work TogetherTogether,

Both SucceedBoth Succeed