Confused about the New Health Care? Have patrons with questions you can't answer? Here’re four links to help you get better informed.
H.R.4872 Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010: Text of the bill, history, voting records and other basic legislative information. This is from Thomas: "In the spirit of Thomas Jefferson, legislative information from the Library of Congress."
HealthReform.gov The government Health Reform website managed by the Department of Health and Human Services.
“Health care reform bill 101: what the bill means to you” from the Christian Science Monitor.
"Health Care 2010: Tracking the national debate on health care system overhaul" from the Washington Post.
Enjoy!
Melissa.
Government Documents Coordinator.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Freedom of Information: Your Key to Open Government
I attended the Jane Kirtley lecture “Freedom of Information: Your Key to Open Government.”
Dr. Jane Kirtley is the Silha Professor of Media Ethics and Law at the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
March 16th is National Freedom of Information Day, chosen because it’s James Madison’s birthday, and he’s known as the Father of the 1st Amendment. The week around March 16th is Sunshine Week, sponsored by the American Association of Newspaper Editors, which is “a national initiative to open a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Participants include print, broadcast and online news media, civic groups, libraries, nonprofits, schools and others interested in the public's right to know.”
The 1930s was when the Freedom of Government Information story really begins. Previously, the federal government was fairly small and relatively weak, and keeping information secret was not as important. In the 1930s, with the Great Depression and the New Deal, the Federal Government expanded very quickly and grew more and more powerful. Information started to really be the coin of the realm, and so to be a power base and subject to a hoarding mentality.
On July 4, 1966 The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was signed into law. It “is a law ensuring public access to U.S. government records. FOIA carries a presumption of disclosure; the burden is on the government - not the public - to substantiate why information may not be released. Upon written request, agencies of the United States government are required to disclose those records, unless they can be lawfully withheld from disclosure under one of nine specific exemptions in the FOIA. This right of access is ultimately enforceable in federal court.” National Security Archive.
FOIA gets amended roughly every 10 years. The 1996 amendment ordered government agencies to put information online. Unfortunately it was an unfunded mandate. Here’s the text of the current FOIA law at the Department of Justice.
If a person or entity wants a piece of federal government information that the agency in question does not want them to have, the person files a FOIA request with that agency. It’s up to the agency to prove that they don’t have to provide the information based on current FOIA law. If the agency denies the request, the requester then has the option of taking the agency to court if they feel the request was denied unfairly. Given the number of courts authorized to hear FOIA trials, the agency can almost always find a judge who’s sympathetic to them and will decide in their favor.
Unfortunately, FOIA does not always work as intended. There are often delays (the oldest open FOIA request is from 1992), sometimes because an agency doesn’t want to release the information, but more often because of things like bureaucratic delays, lack of clarity in the law, and lack of resources.
The largest users of FOIA are commercial concerns that are looking for a financial advantage. They can also more easily afford to pay for court costs if their requests are denied.
Government agencies are required to report on their FOIA activities. The DOJ puts together an annual compilation of Annual FOIA Reports Submitted by Federal Departments and Agencies and Annual FOIA Litigation and Compliance Reports. Also, every year the National Security Archive at George Washington University does a FOIA audit for the departments of the Federal Government.
After 9/11/01, a lot of government information was hidden with national security used as the reason. Personal privacy is the current popular reason for withholding information. Kirtley says there are 2 ways to deal with concerns about general access to information that is potentially sensitive. You can suppress it, which she feels is short-sighted – you’re treating the symptoms, not the disorder, or you can pass very carefully worded laws that criminalize the misuse of such information and create a judiciary that vigorously enforces them. She prefers the latter option.
President Obama promised a new era of open government, explained in the White House’s Open Government Initiative. There are also new guidelines for FOIA. Unfortunately, there’s very slow progress getting them implemented in Federal Agencies.
The legislature is considering the Faster FOIA Act of 2010, introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), “which will establish an advisory panel to examine agency backlogs in processing FOIA requests. Under the legislation, the panel, named the Commission on Freedom of Information Act Processing Delays, will be required to provide to Congress recommendations for legislative and administrative action to enhance agency responses to FOIA requests. The panel will be required to identify methods to reduce delays in the processing of FOIA requests, and will be charged with examining whether the system for charging fees and granting fee waivers under FOIA should be reformed in order to reduce delays in processing fee requests.”
Minnesota’s answer to FOIA on the state level is the MN Data Practices Act.
Here’s an Abbreviated Fact Sheet and a Data Practices Overview.
Dr. Kirtley stressed the importance of legacy or traditional media. One of the great media roles is watchdogging the government, an example of which is the creation and sponsorship of Sunshine Week. With legacy media’s decline, these efforts also decline. Now the American Association of Newspaper Editors have so little money that most of the content on this year’s Sunshine Week website is recycled from last year.
Her last point was that we need to contact our elected officials and tell them we want them to take open government seriously and to get judges who will enforce laws vigorously and not just let things pass.
Enjoy!
Melissa.
Government Documents Coordinator.
Dr. Jane Kirtley is the Silha Professor of Media Ethics and Law at the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
March 16th is National Freedom of Information Day, chosen because it’s James Madison’s birthday, and he’s known as the Father of the 1st Amendment. The week around March 16th is Sunshine Week, sponsored by the American Association of Newspaper Editors, which is “a national initiative to open a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Participants include print, broadcast and online news media, civic groups, libraries, nonprofits, schools and others interested in the public's right to know.”
The 1930s was when the Freedom of Government Information story really begins. Previously, the federal government was fairly small and relatively weak, and keeping information secret was not as important. In the 1930s, with the Great Depression and the New Deal, the Federal Government expanded very quickly and grew more and more powerful. Information started to really be the coin of the realm, and so to be a power base and subject to a hoarding mentality.
On July 4, 1966 The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was signed into law. It “is a law ensuring public access to U.S. government records. FOIA carries a presumption of disclosure; the burden is on the government - not the public - to substantiate why information may not be released. Upon written request, agencies of the United States government are required to disclose those records, unless they can be lawfully withheld from disclosure under one of nine specific exemptions in the FOIA. This right of access is ultimately enforceable in federal court.” National Security Archive.
FOIA gets amended roughly every 10 years. The 1996 amendment ordered government agencies to put information online. Unfortunately it was an unfunded mandate. Here’s the text of the current FOIA law at the Department of Justice.
If a person or entity wants a piece of federal government information that the agency in question does not want them to have, the person files a FOIA request with that agency. It’s up to the agency to prove that they don’t have to provide the information based on current FOIA law. If the agency denies the request, the requester then has the option of taking the agency to court if they feel the request was denied unfairly. Given the number of courts authorized to hear FOIA trials, the agency can almost always find a judge who’s sympathetic to them and will decide in their favor.
Unfortunately, FOIA does not always work as intended. There are often delays (the oldest open FOIA request is from 1992), sometimes because an agency doesn’t want to release the information, but more often because of things like bureaucratic delays, lack of clarity in the law, and lack of resources.
The largest users of FOIA are commercial concerns that are looking for a financial advantage. They can also more easily afford to pay for court costs if their requests are denied.
Government agencies are required to report on their FOIA activities. The DOJ puts together an annual compilation of Annual FOIA Reports Submitted by Federal Departments and Agencies and Annual FOIA Litigation and Compliance Reports. Also, every year the National Security Archive at George Washington University does a FOIA audit for the departments of the Federal Government.
After 9/11/01, a lot of government information was hidden with national security used as the reason. Personal privacy is the current popular reason for withholding information. Kirtley says there are 2 ways to deal with concerns about general access to information that is potentially sensitive. You can suppress it, which she feels is short-sighted – you’re treating the symptoms, not the disorder, or you can pass very carefully worded laws that criminalize the misuse of such information and create a judiciary that vigorously enforces them. She prefers the latter option.
President Obama promised a new era of open government, explained in the White House’s Open Government Initiative. There are also new guidelines for FOIA. Unfortunately, there’s very slow progress getting them implemented in Federal Agencies.
The legislature is considering the Faster FOIA Act of 2010, introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), “which will establish an advisory panel to examine agency backlogs in processing FOIA requests. Under the legislation, the panel, named the Commission on Freedom of Information Act Processing Delays, will be required to provide to Congress recommendations for legislative and administrative action to enhance agency responses to FOIA requests. The panel will be required to identify methods to reduce delays in the processing of FOIA requests, and will be charged with examining whether the system for charging fees and granting fee waivers under FOIA should be reformed in order to reduce delays in processing fee requests.”
Minnesota’s answer to FOIA on the state level is the MN Data Practices Act.
Here’s an Abbreviated Fact Sheet and a Data Practices Overview.
Dr. Kirtley stressed the importance of legacy or traditional media. One of the great media roles is watchdogging the government, an example of which is the creation and sponsorship of Sunshine Week. With legacy media’s decline, these efforts also decline. Now the American Association of Newspaper Editors have so little money that most of the content on this year’s Sunshine Week website is recycled from last year.
Her last point was that we need to contact our elected officials and tell them we want them to take open government seriously and to get judges who will enforce laws vigorously and not just let things pass.
Enjoy!
Melissa.
Government Documents Coordinator.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Questions patrons may have about the 2010 Census
Q. My census form has the wrong city on it. Should I send it in?
A. Yes. ""Don't worry," Dr. Groves wrote in The Director's Blog on March 17, noting that the mailing address and physical location of a house were different for census purposes. People will be counted "in the jurisdiction where your home is physically located," the director said. Addresses in a single ZIP code were labeled using a single city name to streamline delivery for the "largest single [mailing] ever undertaken by the United States," Dr. Groves noted.
The Postal Service uses multiple city names to deliver mail when a ZIP code crosses jurisdictional boundaries, he said. Each census form has a unique bar code that is used to check-in forms as they are returned by mail; the bar code is tied to a mailing address that includes the city or town associated with the physical location of the home. The director urged people not to cross off the address or bar code on their questionnaire."
Q. Will participating in the 2010 Census potentially get me in trouble with the immigration authorities?
A. No. "Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano told lawmakers that the department is "committed to working with the Census Bureau to ensure our enforcement responsibilities do not interfere" with "a thorough and accurate" census.
In a March 16 letter to members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Secretary assured legislators that personal census responses "will not be shared with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and may not be used for immigration enforcement purposes." The Census Act (13 U.S.C. §§8 & 9) prohibits the Census Bureau from revealing any personally identifiable information collected in the census and provides that personal census responses may not be used against an individual, are immune from legal process, and may not be admitted as evidence (without an individual's consent) in any judicial or administrative proceeding.
The letter followed a meeting between Hispanic lawmakers and President Obama; at that March 11 meeting, the lawmakers expressed concern that continued immigration raids would discourage immigrants from participating in the census. Secretary Napolitano reiterated that neither the Commerce Department nor the Census Bureau would ask ICE to suspend immigration enforcement during the census. She acknowledged for the first time, however, that the two executive branch departments were working together to ensure that immigration-related activities "do not affect [the Census Bureau's] ability to collect accurate and comprehensive data for the census.""
from The Census Project, Census News Brief 3/21/10
Enjoy!
Melissa.
Government Documents Coordinator.
A. Yes. ""Don't worry," Dr. Groves wrote in The Director's Blog on March 17, noting that the mailing address and physical location of a house were different for census purposes. People will be counted "in the jurisdiction where your home is physically located," the director said. Addresses in a single ZIP code were labeled using a single city name to streamline delivery for the "largest single [mailing] ever undertaken by the United States," Dr. Groves noted.
The Postal Service uses multiple city names to deliver mail when a ZIP code crosses jurisdictional boundaries, he said. Each census form has a unique bar code that is used to check-in forms as they are returned by mail; the bar code is tied to a mailing address that includes the city or town associated with the physical location of the home. The director urged people not to cross off the address or bar code on their questionnaire."
Q. Will participating in the 2010 Census potentially get me in trouble with the immigration authorities?
A. No. "Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano told lawmakers that the department is "committed to working with the Census Bureau to ensure our enforcement responsibilities do not interfere" with "a thorough and accurate" census.
In a March 16 letter to members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Secretary assured legislators that personal census responses "will not be shared with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and may not be used for immigration enforcement purposes." The Census Act (13 U.S.C. §§8 & 9) prohibits the Census Bureau from revealing any personally identifiable information collected in the census and provides that personal census responses may not be used against an individual, are immune from legal process, and may not be admitted as evidence (without an individual's consent) in any judicial or administrative proceeding.
The letter followed a meeting between Hispanic lawmakers and President Obama; at that March 11 meeting, the lawmakers expressed concern that continued immigration raids would discourage immigrants from participating in the census. Secretary Napolitano reiterated that neither the Commerce Department nor the Census Bureau would ask ICE to suspend immigration enforcement during the census. She acknowledged for the first time, however, that the two executive branch departments were working together to ensure that immigration-related activities "do not affect [the Census Bureau's] ability to collect accurate and comprehensive data for the census.""
from The Census Project, Census News Brief 3/21/10
Enjoy!
Melissa.
Government Documents Coordinator.
Cool new Gov Doc tool: Census Mail Participation Rates for 2000 & 2010
The Census Bureau has put out an interactive mapping tool for finding out Census Mail Participation Rates for 2000 & 2010. This tool goes down to the census tract level, and will also give you a snapshot of an area using colors representing participation rates. Data is updated Monday through Friday, and is so pretty close to real time.
Right now Minnesota is at 29% with the National rate being 20%. In 2000 MN returned 78% while nationally the rate was 70%.
It's really important that MN has a high response rate for the Census; millions of dollars and a seat in the House of Representatives are at stake.
Enjoy!
Melissa.
Government Documents Coordinator.
Right now Minnesota is at 29% with the National rate being 20%. In 2000 MN returned 78% while nationally the rate was 70%.
It's really important that MN has a high response rate for the Census; millions of dollars and a seat in the House of Representatives are at stake.
Enjoy!
Melissa.
Government Documents Coordinator.
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
3 Bureau of Justice Statistics Reports on Sexual Victimization in Corrections Facilities Cited in the New York Review of Books
Hello.
This came up on my Government Documents listerv. We might want to know how to find these resources in case a patron asks for them.
The New York Review of Books cited three Bureau of Justice Statistics reports on sexual victimization in corrections facilities in the March 11th issue. They provided a bibliography but not web links. Here are the reports. I cannot find any of them in CGP or in DD2's shipping list database of items distributed to depositories. But you can find them through the BJS website and using Google.
Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities Reported by Youth, 2008-09
by Allen J. Beck, Paige M. Harrison, and Paul Guerino
Bureau of Justice Statistics, 49 pp. (2010)
http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/svjfry09.pdf
Sexual Victimization in State and Federal Prisons Reported by Inmates, 2007
by Allen J. Beck and Paige M. Harrison
Bureau of Justice Statistics, 48 pp. (2007)
http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/svsfpri07.pdf
Sexual Victimization in Local Jails Reported by Inmates, 2007
by Allen J. Beck and Paige M. Harrison
Bureau of Justice Statistics, 43 pp. (2008)
http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/svljri07.pdf
Enjoy!
Melissa.
Government Documents Coordinator.
This came up on my Government Documents listerv. We might want to know how to find these resources in case a patron asks for them.
The New York Review of Books cited three Bureau of Justice Statistics reports on sexual victimization in corrections facilities in the March 11th issue. They provided a bibliography but not web links. Here are the reports. I cannot find any of them in CGP or in DD2's shipping list database of items distributed to depositories. But you can find them through the BJS website and using Google.
Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities Reported by Youth, 2008-09
by Allen J. Beck, Paige M. Harrison, and Paul Guerino
Bureau of Justice Statistics, 49 pp. (2010)
http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/svjfry09.pdf
Sexual Victimization in State and Federal Prisons Reported by Inmates, 2007
by Allen J. Beck and Paige M. Harrison
Bureau of Justice Statistics, 48 pp. (2007)
http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/svsfpri07.pdf
Sexual Victimization in Local Jails Reported by Inmates, 2007
by Allen J. Beck and Paige M. Harrison
Bureau of Justice Statistics, 43 pp. (2008)
http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/svljri07.pdf
Enjoy!
Melissa.
Government Documents Coordinator.
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
BYKI
Byki (pronounce BIKE-e) is new language learning software from Recorded Books (publisher of the Pimsleur language sets) and Transparent Language. It contains 85 languages including ESL for several languages. No Hmong or Somali yet, but Byki is still growing.
Byki is based on a flash card system. It is meant to be the equivalent of the first 2 or 3 semesters of college. The user can save their progress and jump around among the cards, which have words or phrases in the user's native language one side 1 and the foreign language on side 2. There are 5 main steps in the course:
1. Review It--look through both sides of the cards. If the speaker is too fast, click on the "turtle" icon below to slow them down.
2. Recognize It--See side 2 of the card and think or say side 1.
3. Know It--See side 2 of the card and type the information from side 1.
4. Produce It--See side 1 of a card in your list and think of or say side 2.
5. Own It--See side 1 of a card and type the information from side 2. Clicking on the "keyboard" icon below will re-map your keyboard to the characters of the foreign language. It will not work for syllabic languages like Chinese or Japanese unless the user re-programs their home computer to type in that language.
In addition, you can record your voice and have it graded for pronunciation. This requires a microphone, but cheap ones can be purchased for $7 or so. Recording seems to work only with Internet Explorer on Windows PCs, but if anyone is able to get it to work with other browsers let me know. Some, but not all, of the non-Latin-alphabet languages have an alphabet tab to help in learning letters or syllables.
To help the user feel part of a learning community, each language has a Facebook page, Twitter stream, and a blog. A "Word of the Day" can be sent to the user's email or RSS reader.
Users are encourage to contact Byki's Tech Support if they have any technical issues. There is also an FAQ and a video guided tour.
--Andrea
Byki is based on a flash card system. It is meant to be the equivalent of the first 2 or 3 semesters of college. The user can save their progress and jump around among the cards, which have words or phrases in the user's native language one side 1 and the foreign language on side 2. There are 5 main steps in the course:
1. Review It--look through both sides of the cards. If the speaker is too fast, click on the "turtle" icon below to slow them down.
2. Recognize It--See side 2 of the card and think or say side 1.
3. Know It--See side 2 of the card and type the information from side 1.
4. Produce It--See side 1 of a card in your list and think of or say side 2.
5. Own It--See side 1 of a card and type the information from side 2. Clicking on the "keyboard" icon below will re-map your keyboard to the characters of the foreign language. It will not work for syllabic languages like Chinese or Japanese unless the user re-programs their home computer to type in that language.
In addition, you can record your voice and have it graded for pronunciation. This requires a microphone, but cheap ones can be purchased for $7 or so. Recording seems to work only with Internet Explorer on Windows PCs, but if anyone is able to get it to work with other browsers let me know. Some, but not all, of the non-Latin-alphabet languages have an alphabet tab to help in learning letters or syllables.
To help the user feel part of a learning community, each language has a Facebook page, Twitter stream, and a blog. A "Word of the Day" can be sent to the user's email or RSS reader.
Users are encourage to contact Byki's Tech Support if they have any technical issues. There is also an FAQ and a video guided tour.
--Andrea
Thursday, February 25, 2010
PHOTOGRAPHY TOUR OF THE LIBRARY
On Saturday, Feb. 13, I gave a tour to members of the Flickr Twin Cities group. They were doing a photo walk of downtown St. Paul. Here are some lovely pictures they took of the library:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/libtour21310/
Check out this page for some comments they made.
--Andrea
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/libtour21310/
Check out this page for some comments they made.
--Andrea
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
POWER SEARCH!
The Foundation Directory Online has a new search option: Power Search! Now a patron can search FDO's four main databases at once: Grants, Grantmakers, Companies, and 990s. In addition, it searches news stories, RFPs, PubHub reports, and The Catalog of Nonprofit Literature. Pubhub is a collection of foundation-sponsored reports and the Catalog of Nonprofit Literature is the catalog of the Foundation Center's own libraries.
A phrase surrounded by quotation marks or a string of keywords can be entered into Power Search, for a more "Google-like" experience. "And" is implied between a series of words. Once a search is entered, options appear on the left to guide further searching. FDO now gives you options to narrow your results. I like the way numbers of hits are listed with each option. You can also search with results by putting a keyword in the search box at the top. if you change your mind about narrowing, simply uncheck the box on the left to go back to your old results.
Don't forget though, when you search the individual databases the default is still "or". For example, in Search Grantmakers if you want to find grantmakers who have a geographic focus of either Minnesota or the whole country, you view the index and click on "Minnesota", then "National". "Or" will be added automatically. If you want an "and" search, you have to type in "and".
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
HEATH AND MEDICAL RESOURCES IN ELM
This webinar focused on the five new health databases available from ELM. Health Source: Consumer Edition and Alt Health Watch are designed for the general public. Health Source includes full-text of popular health periodicals like Prevention and Men's Health, pamphlets, reference books, and Merriam-Webster's Medical Desk Dictionary. Also, the Lexi-Pal Drug Guide, which contains information such as side-effects and contraindications for generic and brand name drugs, including over-the counter. Alt Health Watch is a database of academic and popular periodicals and reports on complementary and alternative medicine.
The Consumer Health Complete database combines the previous two databases to make a good starting point for the patron. In addition, it offers 2000 medical images and 800 videos. Its evidence-based reports are 2-page overviews of health topics which are fact-heavy and easily digestible. Medical terms are hyperlinked to the medical dictionary. The Blausen Human Atlas offers animations of human anatomy. For the most part, these databases offer the usual EBSCO options for saving, emailing, and printing entries. The two exceptions are the medical images, which can only be saved by right-clicking on them with the mouse, and the videos and animations, which cannot be saved, but can be accessed later by copying the permalink.
The other two databases, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition and Medline, are geared to an academic/professional audience. Medline has citations and abstracts only, not full-text.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
EBSCO POINTS OF VIEW
Points of View is a database of resources for persuasive essays or speeches. It includes reference books, television and radio transcripts, and primary sources as well as articles. Each resource is given a Lexile or reading level number. There are also research guides on how to choose a topic, make an outline, write the essay, and cite sources.
The patron can search for topics, browse the hot-button topics on the front page or click on "view all topics" for an A-Z list. Most topics contain an overview, point and counterpoint (pro and con sounds too negative), and a critical analysis. The critical analysis helps the patron to judge articles, separate fact from fiction, decide their own opinion and debate it.
Points of View allows the patron to create a folder just like MegaFile and Novelist Plus. Sharing of folders is not currently available, but it is slated for 2010. Meanwhile, patrons can view Points of View articles in their shared folder, they just can't create the shared folder in POV.
--Andrea
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Excelling as a First-Time Supervisor
Recently I had the opportunity to attend "Excelling as a First-Time Supervisor"
Key points that I learned are:
*The four personality types and what these types are looking for and how to reach them: Director/Ruler (need to get/see results ), Social/Entertainer (needs to be appreciated), Thinker/Analyzer (just wants facts), Relators, (see relationships)-this can help you figure out where people are coming from.
*When correcting it is better to show than scold or yell as this can lead to excuses and blaming.
* People's minds have a horse and rider. The horse is the unconscious mind full of what one has learned and how one has been conditioned to react. The rider is the conscious mind. We need to make sure that the rider is in charge and helps us control our reactions to what others say and do and to life in general.
*Keys to success are remembering about the horse and rider, establishing relationships, and good communication.
* Learn about supervisees on own through research and talking with informed people, don't comment on predecessors track record, but be aware of it.
*Communication is 55% body language, 38% vocal inflection/tone, 7% content. The first 93% is not reflected in e-mails so one has to be very careful using this form of communication. Sometimes it is necessary to change the way we communicate to be effective.
*Roles of Today's Leaders: Developer of People, Communicator (check for understanding), Coach, Barrier Breaker, Bureaucracy Smasher, Expediter, Facilitator.
*Benjamin Franklin Technique-A method for assessing staff: List strengths, weaknesses, and actions to be taken (training, cross training, counseling, coaching, better systems or procedures, a better match between nature of work and employee's style, other actions)
*Managing Change: 1) Grease the skids-explain why the change is needed, 2) Let staff help decide why change is needed and how to implement it, 3) Maximize information flow before and during the change, 4) Close the loop coming out-give lots of feedback
*5 Unique Qualities of Leaders: 1) A passion for action (lead by example), 2) An ability to remain focus on getting objective accomplished, 3) A passion for helping others succeed, 4) A sensitivity to the moment to motivate, 5) The ability to deal effectively with blame (because people are scared) and praise-give a safe environment to make mistakes
*6 ways to achieve personal excellence as a leader 1) welcome change, 2) willing to say "no" looking for ways to say "yes", 3) help others be right, 4) check humility quotient, 5) deal effectively with blame and praise, 6)don't blow own horn
*Delegating: 1) create milestones and a clear objective in projects, 2) have a timetable,3) make people accountable for work, 4)coach them along the way, 5) let them know how important the work is, 6) let them know what they can and can't do.
*Developing staff: 1) Find out what motivates them, 2) When mistakes happen: clarify expectations, explain consequences, explain what want changed and by when, ask for feedback and commitment, show firmness and seriousness about matter, keep brief record of the meeting. Don't ignore problems, Don't criticize/discipline in public, Don't yell, Do look at the behavior.
*When need to discipline: make sure it is fair, prompt, dispassionate, consistent, you are in the right mind set and have practiced what you want to say, and you document what was said/done. Be tactful-this means making a point without making an enemy.
When you need to correct the way someone does something, go from their strengths. If you have someone who gives you too much information at one time you could say "I see you've got a lot of great ideas and I want to help you be a better communicator so you can share them. My mind can't process all the ideas you are giving me at once so I need you to tell them to me one at a time so I can really listen to them."
*When communicating: Look at the image you and your business convey, model how you want company's resources treated, evaluate how accessible you are and what image your office/work area projects.
*Communication methods: 1) in person if possible, 2) minimize written communication, but use it when needed, 3) write to the level of the receiver and keep it simple, 4) don't put anything in writing that not willing to "eat", 5) Do put in writing anything you want on the record like confirming a verbal agreement, 6) Look at body language and what it conveys, 7) Look at the types of questions you ask and what kind of information you can get with them.
*Listening fixes: 1) Listen to what is said, not what think will be said-repeat a little of what was said to confirm what you heard and to help connect to the person, 2) Don't interrupt, 3) Minimize interruptions from others, 4) Give verbal and non verbal feedback-give feedback by emphasizing importance of what someone is doing and asking for his/her help.
*Attitude: understand that thoughts and feelings lead to actions
* Believe in your staff, Be humble, care about people so you can 1) be demanding of them, 2) be compassionate, 3) discipline them, 4) praise them, 5) risk not being liked
--Erin
EBSCOHOST TRAINING SESSION RE-CAP
Below are some tips and ideas from the Ebscohost training session on September 3, 2009.
Consumer Reports is now available.
Congressional Digest is now available.
Folders—Both session folders and “My Ebscohost” folders are available. Users who set up “My Ebscohost” folder can set up alerts, create subfolders and share their folders with other users (who also have a “My Ebscohost” folder). Custom folders can be shared in Ebscohost and Novelist.
Customer supports site contains free handouts and information about database features. For example, this page explains how to share a folder.
Smart text searching option (choose “smart text” under “search modes”) — allows users to paste in large amount of information (such as an abstract from an article). Ebscohost parses out that information and uses “or” searches.
Image results are now pulled out of native (digitized) pdf files and will soon be pulled out of html files—so users can see images available in articles. The database also includes information on how to cite images and a permission feature, which tells users how the images may be used.
Articles contain persistent links, which can be posted to a library web page or saved by users to access articles.
Default searching looks only in citation info. A “search within full text” option is available.
Novelist picture book extenders offer ideas for activities to accompany picture books.
Points of View — Key content is not available in any other Ebsco resources. This database includes 800 topics with four essays on each topic.
Novelist Plus is improving its readers’ advisory services. Training modules are available on the right sidebar. Recommended Reads in Novelist Plus provides good ideas for book displays
--Tracy
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Foundation Grants to Individuals Online Webinar
Foundation Grants to Individuals Online is a database for people who are seeking grants, but are not part of a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit. As far as searching the database goes, it is the same basic structure, but keep in mind that there are only about 8,000 grants in this database, as opposed to 90,000 or so in Foundation Directory Online. As in FDO, searching by fields of interest is best, just click on the words "field of interest" on the search screen to bring them all up. Since there are relatively few entries, using more than 2 fields of interest will probably result in zero hits. If the patron isn't having any luck, try the text search (truncation with * is allowed), then look up the fields of interest in the most relevant results. It is also recommended to try the most specific field of interest first, then broaden the search.
In addition to the grantmaker search, the front page of FGTIO also has a place where patrons can sign up to be emailed requests for proposals; reference guides for different types of indivduals such as artists, musicians, students, filmmakers, etc.; and topical research lists, which are bibliographies of publications and electronic resources.
If the patron doesn't know where to get started, the Foundation Center web page has a handy guide. The worksheets at the bottom can help them focus their search. The patron should try to determine if they have any affiliations that could help them: schools, employers, religious affiliations, trade associations, clubs, or the military. Grants may also be available for children, spouses or other close relatives.
Another option for an individual is fiscal sponsorship, where they affiliate themselves with a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit. This means that they could search throgh the larger body of grants in the Foundation Directory Online, but there is usually a small fee. If the patron is actually looking for help starting a business or other for-profit enterprise, that is beyond the scope of the Foundation Center databases, but they do have some links on their web page to get them started.
One final fact: According to this webinar, only 5-10% of foundations have a web site, which underscores the importance of these databases.
--Andrea
In addition to the grantmaker search, the front page of FGTIO also has a place where patrons can sign up to be emailed requests for proposals; reference guides for different types of indivduals such as artists, musicians, students, filmmakers, etc.; and topical research lists, which are bibliographies of publications and electronic resources.
If the patron doesn't know where to get started, the Foundation Center web page has a handy guide. The worksheets at the bottom can help them focus their search. The patron should try to determine if they have any affiliations that could help them: schools, employers, religious affiliations, trade associations, clubs, or the military. Grants may also be available for children, spouses or other close relatives.
Another option for an individual is fiscal sponsorship, where they affiliate themselves with a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit. This means that they could search throgh the larger body of grants in the Foundation Directory Online, but there is usually a small fee. If the patron is actually looking for help starting a business or other for-profit enterprise, that is beyond the scope of the Foundation Center databases, but they do have some links on their web page to get them started.
One final fact: According to this webinar, only 5-10% of foundations have a web site, which underscores the importance of these databases.
--Andrea
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
SENIOR LEGAL FAIR
On September 17, I manned a table for the library at the Senior Legal Fair. The event was put on by Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, also known as SMRLS (rhymes with "curls"). SMRLS provides legal assistance to low-income people in the southern part of Minnesota.
The event included one-on-one advice or will appointments with a lawyer and also sessions on such issues as immigration, identity theft, elder rights, and housing. Some sessions were available in Hmong, Vietnamese, Russian, Somali, and Spanish. Organizations such as the Social Security Administration, Ramsey County Law Library, Owl-MN, UCare, and Senior LinkAge had tables. The latter seems like a good place to refer people who need counseling in issues such as prescription drug help, legal assistance, nursing homes, caregiver support, etc. Senior LinkAge is staffed by trained health and human services professionals.
I talked to 47 people who had questions ranging from registering a Washington County card, to getting power of attorney forms, free or low cost internet, tax help, ESL classes etc. Many stopped by to say they loved the library. Quite a few were interested to find out about the Gale Legal Forms database.
--Andrea
The event included one-on-one advice or will appointments with a lawyer and also sessions on such issues as immigration, identity theft, elder rights, and housing. Some sessions were available in Hmong, Vietnamese, Russian, Somali, and Spanish. Organizations such as the Social Security Administration, Ramsey County Law Library, Owl-MN, UCare, and Senior LinkAge had tables. The latter seems like a good place to refer people who need counseling in issues such as prescription drug help, legal assistance, nursing homes, caregiver support, etc. Senior LinkAge is staffed by trained health and human services professionals.
I talked to 47 people who had questions ranging from registering a Washington County card, to getting power of attorney forms, free or low cost internet, tax help, ESL classes etc. Many stopped by to say they loved the library. Quite a few were interested to find out about the Gale Legal Forms database.
--Andrea
Thursday, June 18, 2009
FOUNDATION CENTER VIRTUAL NETWORK DAYS, DAY 2
HOW FOUNDATIONS BEHAVE DURING AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN
The Foundation Center does a great deal of research on foundations. Steven Lawrence, the Senior Director of Research, discussed the effects of the current economic situation. He said that foundation giving decreased by 1% in real dollars from 2007 to 2008, not as much as expected. Two-thirds of foundations expect to reduce giving in 2009 but one-fifth expect to increase giving. Most funders expect to maintain the number of programs and geographic areas, even dipping into their endowments to do so, but are less likely to add new ones. 100 foundations were affected by the Madoff affair, and two have closed completely.
THE ROLE OF THE CC SUPERVISOR IN PROMOTING CENTER SERVICE AND RESOURCES TO HELP YOUR COMMUNITY
This webinar was presented by the Foundation Center's Director of Marketing and VP for Communications. The Foundation Center is very active in outreach to grantseekers, grantmakers, and policymakers. Tools included the following: e-newsletters, emails, brochures, specials events, Facebook, Twitter, the Foundation Center web site, and ads in non-profit newsletters and web sites. 60% of the Foundation Center's income is from fee-based services: In addition to Foundation Directory Online and the other databases, they will do grantseeking research for a fee for non-profits without the staff to do it themselves. Cooperating Collections are advised to promote the Foundation Center services with flyers, on their web sites, on Twitter, in press releases (the Foundation Center has templates for this), and at computer terminals. A downloadable form is available for patrons who want to opt-in to Foundation Center emails.
THE ONLINE LIBRARIAN: WEB SITES FOR HARD-TO-ANSWER REFERENCE QUESTIONS
This was my favorite webinar. Two librarians who staff the Foundation Center's Ask Us email and chat reference for the public talked about the most common questions they get. These include the following:
How do I get government assistance?
How do I get funding to volunteer abroad?
How do I find out about social entrepreneurship?
How does my group get funded without 501 (c) (3) status?
How much should our new director get paid?
How many nonprofits are there in the U.S?
For the most common questions, there is also an excellent FAQ on the Foundation Center homepage. The librarians use delicious to organize their bookmarks.
BEST TITLES FOR YOUR COLLECTION WHEN FUNDS ARE TIGHT
Jimmy Tom, the Manager of Bibliographic Services, talked about resources the Foundation Center has for collection development. The Foundation Center's library holdings are searchable online and also have a blog and rss feed for keeping track of new acquisitions. Topical resource lists and reference guides that include books, articles and electronic resources are also available. The periodicals Philanthropy Annual and Philanthropy News Digest have book reviews. Two new acquisitions he highlighted were the DVD Ready, Set, Raise: Your Guide To Grassroots Funding, which might be good for a library program, and Prospect Research: A Primer For Growing Nonprofits, which helps the reader analyze the wealth of individual donors.
Handouts, interesting articles, and bibliographies for the conference are available here. There was also a Twitter page, a LinkedIn group, and an Ning group for the conference. All in all, the virtual conference went well, although I would have liked a little more interaction. I had technical difficulties with one webinar, but there should be archived versions available soon.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
FOUNDATION CENTER NETWORK DAYS, DAY 1
MIDWEST COOPERATING COLLECTIONS MEET-UP
The first session was a chat with other Midwestern Cooperating Collection supervisors moderated by a librarian from the Cleveland branch of the Foundation Center using Cover It Live. Trends in use of the Cooperating Collection were discussed. Most reported skyrocketing demand and patrons needing more help. Some have reported success in getting funders to work with them and offer "meet the grantmakers" programs at their library, while others said that grantmakers are reluctant to participate due to reduced funds. Hot trends included giving circles and urban gardens. Most supervisors were encouraging patrons finding it hard to obtain 501 (c)(3) status to look into fiscal sponsorship instead, as the requirements are less onerous. It was suggested that these meet-ups be offered on a quarterly basis, which I think would be a good idea.
STATE OF THE FOUNDATION CENTER
The President and Vice President of the Foundation Center discussed what's going on there now and in the future. Did you know there are now Cooperating Collections in Thailand, Mexico, Nigeria and Brazil? The business model of the Foundation Center blends earnings from the databases with grants, so they are doing OK considering the economic climate. In order to continue to be a high-tech, high-touch operation, they are working on a new web platform that combines the databases, training, and Web 2.0 aspects, to come out some time this year. Focus on the Economic Crisis is a new page on the Foundation Center web site that collects research, news, videos, and a map of stimulus funding by state.
BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH NONPROFIT CLIENTELE
Linda Leovic Towery, CC Coordinator for the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, discussed how she works with internal and external customers. With administration and other librarians, she invites them to classes and makes sure to get feedback for annual reports. She also recommends publicizing the resources to elected officials, as they often get requests from non-profits and people in need. Other staff must be trained so that they can assist patrons when the CC Coordinator is not around, and the CC Coordinator should be given the opportunity for outreach in the community.
For patrons, libraries can be intimidating and looking for grants can be scary. Towery built an in-house database of the names and phone numbers or emails of everyone who asks her about the Foundation Collection. She has monthly classes for nonprofits and lunchtime guest speaker programs which she publicizes by sending emails to patrons in her database. Towery reminded us that the Foundation Center wants us to teach people how to use the Foundation Directory Online, not do searches for them. She always asked the patron if they are a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit, and if they want grants to individuals, she lets them know that there are only 6,000 such grants, mostly for research and education, and not a complete list of educational grants by any means.
SOCIAL NETWORKING TOOLS FOR NONPROFITS
The two presenters of this webinar feel that there is no downside for a nonprofit in using Web 2.0 tools, but it's good to try them first to see what works best for you. Instead of thinking of it as "extra work", us Web 2.0 to have a conversation and learn from others, rather than doing things the old-fashioned way: closed, small and proprietary.
--Andrea
Thursday, May 21, 2009
PUPPET STAGE 60TH ANNIVERSARY
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
On May 17th, Central Library celebrated 60 years of the Jemne Puppet Stage. Several staff who had performed in the stage over the years returned, reminisced, and enjoyed two nursery rhyme puppet shows and a special appearance by The Forty Performing Bananas. Presenters included retired Children's Room supervisor Shirley Brady who talked about Della McGregor and the puppet stage and Steve and Carolyn Lonning who performed for many years as the Star Puppet Theater.
--Barb S.
Friday, May 08, 2009
Notes from the workshop Novelist Plus
Five Central staff attended this session at Ridgedale on Tuesday, May 5. The presenter, Duncan Smith is one of Novelist's creators, researchers, and trainers. By the way, the "Plus" after "Novelist" is the addition of nonfiction to the database. Mr. Smith's presentation went beyond simply a "how to use Novelist Plus." He talked about how important the function of "reader's advisory" is to patrons.
According to Mr. Smith, fiction readers usually have about five favorite authors in mind when they come to the library looking for a book. Their hopes are that we have purchased the current or new books by their favorite authors and that there will be an available copy on the shelf. If not, they tend to drift, check the book carts for recently returned materials (it must be good if someone else checked it out - right?), or they will ask the librarian to recommend a good book.
Reader's advisory begins by a librarian asking the patron what their favorite books are. In a sense, we are asking the patron to tell us a story. They may tell us about their favorite characters, plot, setting, theme, subjects, or the effect the book had on them.
On our part, we should not push against a reader's taste but we should listen carefully and re-state or paraphrase to make sure we heard the story correctly and to acknowledge that we heard and understood what they were trying to convey. It's particularly important to listen for any part of the story that is re-stated or re-emphasized because that means it has important meaning for the reader. Acknowledging the reader's experience lets them know that we are celebrating that experience along with them. Remember, it is the quality of the interaction with the reader, not the frequency that matters. Mr. Smith reminded us that readers are engaged and creative as they read.
Duncan Smith remarked that readers are "escapists" and he asks, "What are they escaping from?" According to him, readers are escaping from a limited and narrow view. Readers want to live fully and reading helps "recover potentialities that our everyday lives take away." Now there's something to ponder.
The second half of the workshop was all about the functions of Novelist Plus and its many wonderful features. I did pay close attention but did not take many notes. Maybe my colleagues that were also in attendance can add to this blog. I noted that the juvenile nonfiction part of the database is curriculum based to help students with assignments. The database even has lexile ranges to assist us in finding materials suitable to young readers. Novelist Plus will put together series with short list capabilities to print out for the patron. Print lists are also available to help with displays. Finally, there are many, many subject keywords to assist us in our searches. I learned that the "xy" in a search field means "keyword" (I didn't know that). Should you want me to show you a function about Novelist Plus, please ask and I will be happy to demonstrate! I really do like Novelist Plus and have found it very user friendly. I also recommend this workshop if its offered again - it was excellent!
-Deb K.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Enhancing Quality Staff 2009
Here are some notes from Enhancing Quality Staff 2009.
The keynote speaker was Eric Celeste, a technology consultant. He discussed some of the issues raised by the new “cloud computing” concept, where much of your personal data and documents are no longer kept on your own computer but stored in places such as Google Voice or Google Reader. This has the incredible advantage of allowing you access to your material from anywhere. For example, Google Voice allows you to have one telephone number which you can instantly transfer from device to device. Going to be staying at your parent’s house for a week—you can make it so that any time someone calls your telephone number, it rings at their house. No more juggling phone numbers or having people unable to contact you.
All of this connectivity comes at a price, however—privacy. Google gets a complete record of who you call. Other convenience services are even more intrusive. Mint.com, for example allows a person to access all of their financial information in one place. To do this you must give Mint.com all of your account names, passwords, and even security challenge question answers. This question, privacy versus convenience, is going to be popping up more and more.
Celeste also mentioned a new search engine to keep an eye on--Wolframalpha.com. It goes live sometime this month. It is a computational search engine and will be able to process data sourced from the web to answer questions, rather than just find answers already determined by others. You will be able to ask it, for example, to describe the weather for a week in 1865. Here is a link to Wolfram’s blog describing how it will work:
Another interesting speaker described using Google’s collaborative tools to co-author a book with two people in Europe. An earlier speaker had discussed using these tools (here is a link to his Google Docs slides), but listening as she described how she actually had used it was much more illustrative.
One final observation was that everyone was talking about RSS feeds (Really Simple Syndication) as the new way for libraries to keep in touch with their patrons. More and more people are using RSS to keep up with their favorite web sites. RSS feeds notify the patron when new material is added to a web site that has RSS enabled. Perhaps this is something we should think about. For an example of a library RSS implementation, visit the Hennepin County Library’s web site.
-Ron
The keynote speaker was Eric Celeste, a technology consultant. He discussed some of the issues raised by the new “cloud computing” concept, where much of your personal data and documents are no longer kept on your own computer but stored in places such as Google Voice or Google Reader. This has the incredible advantage of allowing you access to your material from anywhere. For example, Google Voice allows you to have one telephone number which you can instantly transfer from device to device. Going to be staying at your parent’s house for a week—you can make it so that any time someone calls your telephone number, it rings at their house. No more juggling phone numbers or having people unable to contact you.
All of this connectivity comes at a price, however—privacy. Google gets a complete record of who you call. Other convenience services are even more intrusive. Mint.com, for example allows a person to access all of their financial information in one place. To do this you must give Mint.com all of your account names, passwords, and even security challenge question answers. This question, privacy versus convenience, is going to be popping up more and more.
Celeste also mentioned a new search engine to keep an eye on--Wolframalpha.com. It goes live sometime this month. It is a computational search engine and will be able to process data sourced from the web to answer questions, rather than just find answers already determined by others. You will be able to ask it, for example, to describe the weather for a week in 1865. Here is a link to Wolfram’s blog describing how it will work:
Another interesting speaker described using Google’s collaborative tools to co-author a book with two people in Europe. An earlier speaker had discussed using these tools (here is a link to his Google Docs slides), but listening as she described how she actually had used it was much more illustrative.
One final observation was that everyone was talking about RSS feeds (Really Simple Syndication) as the new way for libraries to keep in touch with their patrons. More and more people are using RSS to keep up with their favorite web sites. RSS feeds notify the patron when new material is added to a web site that has RSS enabled. Perhaps this is something we should think about. For an example of a library RSS implementation, visit the Hennepin County Library’s web site.
-Ron
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Civility in the Workplace
Civility in the Workplace by Dr. P. M. Forni
Woodbury Public Library, April 22, 2009
The quality of our lives depends upon the quality of our relationships, which depend on the quality of our relational skills. These depend on codes of civility and good manners.
Civility depends on benevolent awareness of others; applying restraint, respect, and consideration; caring about others and treating them well even if we don’t know them and may never interact with them. Example: wiping the sink in an airplane bathroom for the benefit of its next user.
Conversely, rudeness weakens social bonds and social support, damages self-esteem, increases stress, harms relationships, poisons the workplace, and can escalate to violence. Its ripple effect makes it difficult for others to think, reason, and treat others well.
Rudeness stats: 90% experience it, 50% lose work time worrying, and 12% leave the job. Over 50% of the American workforce experiences high stress; 35% rank “people issues” as worse than workload. Cost: $300 billion/year (health care, missed work, etc.).
Effective leaders build consensus; possess vision and integrity; they communicate temperately and resolutely. They gather widely in team formation, accept input from all members, share credit fairly, turn to all members including those perceived to be “uninteresting”, welcome new colleagues.
Defenses against toxic stress include getting to know co-workers, becoming more inclusive, not burdening co-workers with insecure hostility, being aware that we don’t have to constantly prove our worth.
For best performance, evaluate whether an action is ethically right, or simply self serving; consider consequences on others; note whether others prefer our absence to our presence; imagine a confrontation with another as the source for a training video.
Responding to rudeness: SIR Sequence:
State facts
Inform other(s) of impact of his/their actions
Request the behavior not happen again.
Civility improves social bonds, relationships, stress reduction, work quality, and job satisfaction.
Steps to take: assess civility level and commit to improvement.
Choosing civility: listen and pay attention; acknowledge others (greet, respond, etc.), include others; speak kindly; accept and give praise; acknowledge other’s contributions and achievements; don’t claim undeserved credit; respect others’ time and space; apologize promptly and sincerely; assert without being aggressive; criticize constructively, not destructively; accept blame, responsibility.
SPPL owns Dr. Forni’s Choosing Civility: the Twenty-five Rules of Considerate Conduct and The Civility Solution: What To Do When People Are Rude. His website is http://krieger.jhu.edu/civility
--Bill B.
Woodbury Public Library, April 22, 2009
The quality of our lives depends upon the quality of our relationships, which depend on the quality of our relational skills. These depend on codes of civility and good manners.
Civility depends on benevolent awareness of others; applying restraint, respect, and consideration; caring about others and treating them well even if we don’t know them and may never interact with them. Example: wiping the sink in an airplane bathroom for the benefit of its next user.
Conversely, rudeness weakens social bonds and social support, damages self-esteem, increases stress, harms relationships, poisons the workplace, and can escalate to violence. Its ripple effect makes it difficult for others to think, reason, and treat others well.
Rudeness stats: 90% experience it, 50% lose work time worrying, and 12% leave the job. Over 50% of the American workforce experiences high stress; 35% rank “people issues” as worse than workload. Cost: $300 billion/year (health care, missed work, etc.).
Effective leaders build consensus; possess vision and integrity; they communicate temperately and resolutely. They gather widely in team formation, accept input from all members, share credit fairly, turn to all members including those perceived to be “uninteresting”, welcome new colleagues.
Defenses against toxic stress include getting to know co-workers, becoming more inclusive, not burdening co-workers with insecure hostility, being aware that we don’t have to constantly prove our worth.
For best performance, evaluate whether an action is ethically right, or simply self serving; consider consequences on others; note whether others prefer our absence to our presence; imagine a confrontation with another as the source for a training video.
Responding to rudeness: SIR Sequence:
State facts
Inform other(s) of impact of his/their actions
Request the behavior not happen again.
Civility improves social bonds, relationships, stress reduction, work quality, and job satisfaction.
Steps to take: assess civility level and commit to improvement.
Choosing civility: listen and pay attention; acknowledge others (greet, respond, etc.), include others; speak kindly; accept and give praise; acknowledge other’s contributions and achievements; don’t claim undeserved credit; respect others’ time and space; apologize promptly and sincerely; assert without being aggressive; criticize constructively, not destructively; accept blame, responsibility.
SPPL owns Dr. Forni’s Choosing Civility: the Twenty-five Rules of Considerate Conduct and The Civility Solution: What To Do When People Are Rude. His website is http://krieger.jhu.edu/civility
--Bill B.
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