Mmm...all kinds of knowledge and information.
Based on the definition of "learning organization" and Chris's opinion of one, there are a couple of ways in which the members of Team Sisyphus are part of an important yet fun learning organization. First, I think that as a group, the four of us work very well and efficiently with each other. Emily is an excellent (and understanding--shout outs to those who have naughty alarm clocks) supervisor, always making sure we understand the projects and explaining everything well when we don't. The processing assistants are fine communicators as well, discussing and resolving any problems with Emily in a timely and efficient manner. So how exactly do we share knowledge, you ask? Well, we share the quirky items we come across--giggling and pointing to the Y4's "Case of the Billion Dollar Stripper" (it turned out to be some sort of metaphor) and "Dumping of Human Waste from AmTrak Trains" (?!) are some fine examples.
Another way in which we share some information, both of what we find within our prestigious library and within the work environment, is through blogs. This ASR blog is one example, and its informal counterpart, "
Regenstein is for Lovers," is another. I started it to keep in touch with my former co-workers of the Bookstacks Department; in retrospect, we were a fine learning organization, sharing our individual Bookstacks knowledge and skills.
I have always been curious about the contents of a library, both in the books and in whatever comes our way as library employees. When I worked in Bookstacks, I used to keep a notebook of found objects in returned books--lost photos, letters, ticket stubs, etc. See below for a sample page.
I no longer check books back into the system, so I am unable to continue this fine collection of lost memories, but the Regenstein is for Lovers blog is one way to continue recording odd encounters. Who knew that one of the biggest university libraries owns a copy of
Tariq "K-Flex" Nasheed's The Art of Mackin'? Or that there are
huge Hilary Clinton fans in Nepal? In light of a recent safety (or lack thereof) incident in Hyde Park, contributor m.h.
writes about campus police, campus safety, and ultimately encourages us to
ride as often as possible--a bike, a bus--and to travel in packs. The safety of the library and its patrons are important too, so I shared a library newsbit on the
UCLA incident where an ID-less student was Tasered. The library isn't just about knowledge in the books sense--it's eccentric knowledge and knowledge for our safety, too.
You see, we may seem quiet and introverted in our mannerisms at work, especially since one of us *ahem* is located away from other team members. But in fact, Team Sisyphus and its colleagues in other departments work extremely well together in sharing a burgeoning culture of supporting the growth of knowledge and information. Keep blogging, everyone!
Benefits of working at a learning organization
Working at the University of Chicago Library affords its faculty and staff members an opportunity for continuous training and skills advancement. Through the University’s training website (https://training.uchicago.edu/index.cfm) staff and faculty members have a wide variety of courses to choose from. With encouragement from management to attend classes and the wide variety of classes offered, employees at the University are given the chance to learn and grow as individuals, which is vital to the growth of any organization.
Festive Office Environment
A human interest story brought to you by the good people of the ASR project.
[Preliminary note: No books were hurt in the making of this blogpost.]
Working on the ASR project can sometimes lead to doing odd things around the library. For example, yesterday we were given the task of shifting the left over books from the book sale into a central location. The purpose of this was to free up space for the books we are withdrawing in our "Reduce to One Best Copy" project. Those withdrawals are going to an upcoming book sale. In the past, the books have been piled high around our desks and other places in Technical Services until they could be moved into the book sale room. (See picture of Kei with her withdrawals.)
Now that the book sale room is in order, Kei doesn’t have to fear being crushed in an avalanche of books. (Thanks Emily!)
The point of this post, though, is to show off pictures of my newly decorated cubicle, which has been variously referred to as my “office,” “cubicle,” “cube,” and “cubbie” (circa kindergarten). All of the materials we shifted will be slowly making their way to some book trucks in the front lobby of the Reg, where they will be free for the taking. Yesterday, I took some of the homeless material in myself. It can now be admired by anyone who makes their way to the cataloging section of JRL 170. On to the pictures!
First up is Emily’s “office,” which was my inspiration.
Here are the before and after pictures of my cubicle.
Before: (baren wasteland)
After: (festive playground)
Going from right to left, top to bottom, the first “piece” is a 2006 map of Idaho.
Pour un Homme French “parfumeur” advertisement. This ad was taken from the back of an Air France long distance flights (itinéraires long-courriers) information booklet. As was the map just below it, featuring the Mer de Chine Meridionale, the Mer de Chine Orientale, and the Mer du Japon. Due to a disturbing lack of bibliographic information in this booklet, we can only date its publication to some time after 1984.
Shanghai Street Guide from 1985, pp.48-49. Some of the landmarks featured on this page are a tobacco factory, a bicycle plant, a textile plant, a rubber products plant, another bicycle plant, and an electric meter plant. So there you have it, pages 48 through 49.
Finally, we have the crown jewels of my cubicle paraphernalia. A reprint of a 1566 map of North America by Bolognino Zaltieri. It seems that in place of the Pacific, we have the Mare del Sur.
Team Sisyphus in The Water Cooler
The University of Chicago Library's ASRS Group, otherwise known as
"Team Sisyphus" has made into the University Library's November 2006 issue of
The Water Cooler. Feel free to find us on pg. 2 -
Feature Article of the Month.
My Perspective of a Learning Organization
My opinion of how an organization should work encompasses and embraces the notion of the overall acceptance of collaborative work that incorporates both synergy and dependency upon each of the participating organizational members.
I believe that leadership and communication, on all levels of an organization, go hand-in-hand. All members of a learning organization must embrace the communication model in order for the organization to be successful. Thus, each member of a learning organization, whether they are workers, managers, or the head honcho, must act as message senders, message receivers, listeners, self-managers, opportunists, and leaders in the communication process.
The Definition of a "Learning Organization"
A
learning organization is "an organization that is able to transform itself by acquiring new knowledge, skills, or behaviors. In successful learning organizations, individual learning is continuous, knowledge is shared, and the culture supports learning. Employees are encouraged to think critically and take risks with new ideas. All employees' contributions are valued".
(The Learning Organization: An Integrative Vision for HRD, by Victoria J. Marsick and Karen E. Watkins, Human Resource Development Quarterly, Winter 1994; and "Learning Organizations Come Alive," by Martha A. Gephart, Victoria J. Marsick, Mark E. Van Buren, and Michelle S. Spiro, Training & Development, December 1996).
Here are a few reference links to consider when laying the foundation for a "learning organization"--regardless of whether it is a library or non-library environment:
1)
Society for Organizational Learning2)
North Suburban Library System3)
The University of Arizona Library: Living the Future-Conferences
The ASRS Project as a Learning Organization?
This blog is representative of my attempt to implement some "learning organization" techniques (which will be defined in the next couple of posts) into the ASRS project at the University of Chicago Regenstein Library, as part of the LIS 716 01 course called "Communication for Leadership" in Dominican University's Graduate School of Library and Information Science program.
I have already begun laying the foundation to make this happen. I am now up to the point of getting others involved. And, I figure the best people to get involved with this process are those already involved in the ASRS project. So, I will do my best to see if they will accept my invite to join this blog.
Manufacturers of the University of Chicago ASRS Project
The University of Chicago Regenstein Library is currently deliberating in regards to which manufacturer of Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (ASRSs) it will choose to carry out the storage facility addition. For instance, one such manufacturer of ASRSs in the University Library's lineup is
HK Sytems.
The following link gives an overview of the ASRS products that are offered by HK Systems (a website that I created for my LIS 753 - Internet Fundamentals & Design course):
http://domin.dom.edu/students/fannchri/LIS753/home.html
Meet the ASRS "Team Sisyphus"
"Team Sisyphus" (from left to right): Emily Raney-
ASR Supervisor, Holly Wilson-
ASR Technician, Kei Hotoda-
ASR Technician, and Christopher Fanning-
ASR Technican.
"Team Sisyphus" (from top to bottom): Emily Raney-
ASR Supervisor, Christopher Fanning-
ASR Technician, Holly Wilson-
ASR Technician, Kei Hotoda-
ASR Technician.
I no longer check books back into the system, so I am unable to continue this fine collection of lost memories, but the Regenstein is for Lovers blog is one way to continue recording odd encounters. Who knew that one of the biggest university libraries owns a copy of Tariq "K-Flex" Nasheed's The Art of Mackin'? Or that there are huge Hilary Clinton fans in Nepal? In light of a recent safety (or lack thereof) incident in Hyde Park, contributor m.h. writes about campus police, campus safety, and ultimately encourages us to ride as often as possible--a bike, a bus--and to travel in packs. The safety of the library and its patrons are important too, so I shared a library newsbit on the UCLA incident where an ID-less student was Tasered. The library isn't just about knowledge in the books sense--it's eccentric knowledge and knowledge for our safety, too.
