David Lee King

social media | emerging trends | libraries

David’s New Job

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I don’t tend towards the personal on this site, but sometimes ya just gotta. I have accepted a new job! Starting in October, I will be the Digital Branch & Services Manager (read the job ad, if you’re interested) at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. I’ll be in charge of all things digital – including the website (and building a new, extremely cool library 2.0 site – stay tuned on that one) and the IT department.

What did I like about this job? Listen to this: ” … lead a lighly skilled cross-disciplined staff in using new technologies to translate traditional library services into a digital, Library 2.0 format and provide innovative digital library service to our community.” To me, that sounds extremely fun, and really meshes with my digital-services-creation goals.

I also liked how they are treating the IT department and the web team in our emerging techie world. Some library IT departments are treated as a separate, supporting function of the library – and not really included as a department that serves the public. And no one really knows what to do with a web team – some have separate departments, some divide content and structure-type jobs (the web programmers go with IT, the content developers go somewhere else), and some are stuck in really strange areas (I’ve seen one library that lumped web services with the cataloging department!).

But Topeka has done something I think is ingenious – they changed their focus, so rather than placing the Digital Branch team within the IT department, they included the IT team as part of the Digital Branch. Maybe semantics, maybe not that new … but that little switch in thinking makes a ton of sense to me. And so I’m also pretty stoked about that!

OK – what does this mean for davidleeking.com? Probably not much – I still plan to talk about the same stuff I always talk about (and hope to actually have examples of cool things when I talk – Topeka already has blogs and a myspace account!). Postings might slow down for awhile – I have to move a family, sell a house, buy a house, tie up loose strings at my current job, start a new job … and do quite a few presentations, too!

Then again, I might just drink a few more cups of coffee, stay up late, and post something while I’m packing boxes, working on presentations, doing touch-up painting, and signing HR forms… either way, stay tuned for much more fun stuff from davidleeking.com!

Comments

  1. WOW! Congratulations on the new job! It sounds like it’s going to be a terrific position with the ability to do some really exciting things for the entire library system. Best wishes on the job, the move and all of the stressful (but good) things involved with such a big transition.

  2. WOW! Congratulations on the new job! It sounds like it’s going to be a terrific position with the ability to do some really exciting things for the entire library system. Best wishes on the job, the move and all of the stressful (but good) things involved with such a big transition.

  4. Congrats,

    But if you are so interested in creating a “library 2.0” site. Why wasn’t it ever done for http://www.kclibrary.org/ ?

    Did you just not have enough time to DO it because you were too busy talking about it?

  5. Congrats,

    But if you are so interested in creating a “library 2.0” site. Why wasn’t it ever done for http://www.kclibrary.org/ ?

    Did you just not have enough time to DO it because you were too busy talking about it?

  8. Awesome! I’m so thrilled! Welcome to the land o’ Dorothy, David! Topeka is lucky to have you, and I’m happy to have you on the KS side–makes collaborations easier. 😉

    Ad adstra per Web worlds!

  9. Awesome! I’m so thrilled! Welcome to the land o’ Dorothy, David! Topeka is lucky to have you, and I’m happy to have you on the KS side–makes collaborations easier. 😉

    Ad adstra per Web worlds!

  10. To Thisguy –

    Good question. You left out at least one other explanation: the library needs to be receptive to the library 2.0 concept.

    MCPOW is going down a different path than the library 2.0 path … nothing wrong with that, and just as valid for them. They simply have other things on their “to do list” right now.

  11. To Thisguy –

    Good question. You left out at least one other explanation: the library needs to be receptive to the library 2.0 concept.

    MCPOW is going down a different path than the library 2.0 path … nothing wrong with that, and just as valid for them. They simply have other things on their “to do list” right now.

  18. Congratulations and welcome to Topeka! I work at the State Library and my wife works at Topeka/Shawnee County Pub Library.

    Our best to you

    Bill and Diana Sowers

  19. Congratulations and welcome to Topeka! I work at the State Library and my wife works at Topeka/Shawnee County Pub Library.

    Our best to you

    Bill and Diana Sowers

  20. Tech Day was so fun that you decided you had to join us?? 🙂 We’re thrilled to have you at a NEKLS library and as Erica said, on the Kansas side of things. Congratulations!

  21. Tech Day was so fun that you decided you had to join us?? 🙂 We’re thrilled to have you at a NEKLS library and as Erica said, on the Kansas side of things. Congratulations!

  26. David, I look forward to working with you at TSCPL! I am curious to see what we will do with Youth Services’ programming as part of Library 2.0. Again, welcome!

  27. David, I look forward to working with you at TSCPL! I am curious to see what we will do with Youth Services’ programming as part of Library 2.0. Again, welcome!

  28. Congratulations David! What an interesting position and a wonderful opportunity to blend many ideas together. Looking forward to seeing what your new team comes up with.

  29. Congratulations David! What an interesting position and a wonderful opportunity to blend many ideas together. Looking forward to seeing what your new team comes up with.

  32. David, I regret I did not get the opportunity to meet you during the interview process, particularly since I can tell from the enthusiasm of my colleagues that you’re a great fit for this job. On behalf of the board of The Library Foundation and our development staff team I’d like to offer our congratulations and to say we’ll look forward to welcoming you aboard in early October.

  33. David, I regret I did not get the opportunity to meet you during the interview process, particularly since I can tell from the enthusiasm of my colleagues that you’re a great fit for this job. On behalf of the board of The Library Foundation and our development staff team I’d like to offer our congratulations and to say we’ll look forward to welcoming you aboard in early October.

  34. Fantastic! Sending good vibes your way! It is not easy stepping out like you are, but let me say it is awesome as can be!!! With you it is not about luck at all, you have great talent, and you’ll do wonderfully.

  35. Fantastic! Sending good vibes your way! It is not easy stepping out like you are, but let me say it is awesome as can be!!! With you it is not about luck at all, you have great talent, and you’ll do wonderfully.

  36. Hi David,

    I’m very pleased that you were selected. You’ll have a great IT staff to work with, and I look forward to working with you.

    Jeff Imparato

  37. Hi David,

    I’m very pleased that you were selected. You’ll have a great IT staff to work with, and I look forward to working with you.

    Jeff Imparato

  38. Congratulations David! We’ll miss you here at KCP but know that Topeka is going to benefit from your vast knowledge.
    Tell Shannon Eddings at Topeka that I said “HI.”
    Take care and have fun on the long commute!

    -David

  39. Congratulations David! We’ll miss you here at KCP but know that Topeka is going to benefit from your vast knowledge.
    Tell Shannon Eddings at Topeka that I said “HI.”
    Take care and have fun on the long commute!

    -David

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