Digital  strategies    for  21st  century  libraries  

Wolfram  Horstmann  

Overview  

 21st  century  libraries  

~    

A  mission  ~    

Digital  strategies  ~  

21st  century  libraries      ~  

What  can  be  said  about  2099?  

             

In  1911,  could  she  predict  the  Internet?  

http://www.flickr.com/photos/derrypubliclibrary/3762251190  

Prediction  1:  World  Library  

             

Arthur  C.  Clarke  predicts  computer  based  universal  encyclopaedia  in  1962.  

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/mar/04/profiles-­‐future-­‐arthur-­‐clarke-­‐review    

Prediction  2:  Closed  Library  

       

   

“…  maybe  you  would  have  simply  banned  the  Internet  to  keep  the  libraries  open.”  

http://www.flickr.com/photos/holgalicious/5027577472/  

Literature  is  here  to  stay...  

             

 It  cannot  be  foreseen  that  literature  will  not  be  at  the  heart  of  scholarship  in  the  next  decades.  

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gorgmorg/9944210/  

...but  new  things  come  on  top.  

             

 The  world  of  knowledge  has  changed  radically  –  arriving  at  a  universal  encyclopaedia.  

http://newsinfo.iu.edu/pub/libs/images/usr/9584_h.jpg  

New  types  of  users  

             

 Library  users  are  not  only  readers  but  knowledge  workers.  

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fumi/2668956097/  

http://www.flickr.com/photos/derrypubliclibrary/3762251190  

New  units  of  knowledge  

             

 Enhanced  publications  are  a  continuum  of  textual  resources  and  underlying  data.  

http://www.ukpmc.co.uk  

New  technology  

     Complex  knowledge  resources  can  now  be  modelled  and  linked  on  the  web  –  even  for  inferential  computing.    

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hoonynoo/3092027765  

A  mission      ~  

A  21st  century  library  mission  

To  build  the  most  complete    and  authoritative  web  representation  of  physical  and  digital  knowledge  resources  at  the  university  

know.uni-­‐x.org  

Approach:  the  user  as  moving  target  

             

 Knowledge  networking  is  a  dynamic  and  complex  task,  in  which  the  user  is  a  constant.    

http://www.flickr.com/photos/yohann-­‐aberkane/2836258475  

Background:  McLuhan’s  Sensorium  

             

There  is  no  principal  difference  between  physical  and  digital  knowledge  resources  

(‘media’)  –  both  are  the  extensions  of  human  needs  

www.theparisreview.org/.../2011/01/mcluhan.jpg  

Digital  strategies      ~  

Make  all  knowledge  resources  for  the  university  discoverable  digitally.  

             

Calculation  of  existing  knowledge  resources  at  the  university  and  percentage  of  coverage.  

http://www.flickr.com/photos/willowm/5224417965  

#1  Quality  of  service  

Anticipate  the  human  being    behind  the  screen.  

             

Usage  statistics,  webometrics,  user  satisfaction  surveys.  

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bwr/141929320/  

#2  Understanding  users  

Augment  the  unique  local  collections  with  digital  knowledge  

resources.                

Number  of  physical  and  digital  resources  linked  and  their  stats.  

http://www.ehow.com/about_6760206_collection-­‐development-­‐medical-­‐libraries.html  

#3  Collection  development  

Learn  to  think  like    the  digital  user  thinks.  

             

Trainings  integrated  in  curricula;  number  of  collaborative  projects  &  amount  of  funding;  

hours  of  staff  in  training.  

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bpt/1365563763  

#4  Staff  skills  

Implement  transparent  and  effective    

digital  knowledge  policies.                

Number    and  quality  of  policy  compliant  services  and  knowledge  resources.  

http://www.provost.pitt.edu/documents/RDM_guidelines.pdf  

#5  Governance  

Maximize  the  global  digital  footprint  by  acting  as  a  knowledge  hub.  

             

Number  of  MoUs,  service  contracts  as  well  as  human  and  machine  interface  procedure  calls.  

#6  Collaboration  

http://bellm.org/blog/wp-­‐content/uploads/2011/06/facebook_map_degree.png  

Conclusion    ~  

21st  century  libraries  

~  Will  face  the  challenge  of  constantly  changing  

digital  developments  in  the  21st  century.  ~  

Can  follow  if  the  user  is  kept  in  the  focus.  ~  

Build  an  augmented  knowledge  space  of  physical  and  digital  resources  for  their  users  on  the  

web.  ~  

Will  act  as  the  knowledge  hub  for  the  university.  ~  

                     Thank  you