Julian Aiken, Access Services Librarian, Yale Law Library
Google Model for Innovation Using (and Abusing it) at Yale Law School
Brilliant but Rummy (Odd) Idea No. 1
Personal Motivations.
Idea #2
When in doubt, cheat, copy, steal, and pillage.
Google.
It’s from Wikipedia, so it must be true.
Google 80/20 innovation model. Gmail, Google News, Google Shuttle, etc., came from it.
Google Earth.
Google’s Model: 80 % of staff time spent on core projects. 20% of time spent on company related projects that interest them personally. If you have a great idea, you’re supported to run with it.
Achieving Institutional Buy-in.
- staff are asked to do more with less.
- why then take them away from core duties for 80/20 models
- this is a way to reward staff.
- Ex. “reserved for employee of the month” parking passes
Adversity inventions during WWII
- chicken dinners
- t-shirts
- tom and jerry
- spam
- frisbee
- duct tape
- joystick
- synthetic rubber
- accurate brassiere cup sizing
This model can improve inter-departmental relationships: esp technical services & public services.
new and richer understanding of each other.
You know we’re two hearts believing in one mind…la la la… Phil Collins
By working in reference, Technical Services librarians took a lot of what they knew about the collection already through cataloging… [wildebeasts slide]
Cross training.
Initiatives developed through this model
- digitizing rare books
- legal scholarship repository
- therapy dogs at the library
Questions
- Pilot project that was developed in a 6-person dept. 4 of the 6 staff working currently; other two will join shortly. If it works, it will move to the larger library. Many other libraries are using similar models.
- How close to the institution does the project need to be? library-related at least.
- Cost? Time or financial too. Repository required software purchase. But the others didn’t. [idea had already been tossed around before this model was used]
- Question raised. Using work resources while off the clock to do professional things.
- Speaker discusses this model has allowed him to interact more with ILL and learn the other areas. It does depend on how well-staffed you are, but even when tight-staffed, it’s still worked.
- No cases where “No” has been said, but idea has been further developed to fit the library’s needs.
- Outreach ideas can come from this model.