The Big PictureTrends beyond Technology in Libraries
Stephen Abram, MLS Teton County Public Library
Jackson Hole, WY Jan. 11, 2012These slides will beavailable at Stephen’s Lighthouse blog
Avoid the Climate of Poverty
Symptoms of Dysfunction
Terrible advocacy Slow and poor response to the e-Book challenge Generational disrespect and misunderstanding Workplace friction and avoidance Too slow technology adoption Inadequate promotion of programs
Is there still life in libraries in a fully web
world?
Yes, but . . .
Change: Are libraries Future Ready?
Fill That Gap
1
2.0
3
What Are Libraries Really For?
• Community• Learning• Discovery• Progress• Research (Applied and Theoretical)• Cultural & Knowledge Custody / Conservation• Economic Impact
SmellyYellowLiquid
OrSex
Appeal?
It’s the Whole Experience
News Flash “The Internet and technology have now
progressed to their infancy”
7 Gifts to Libraries, Publishers & Booksellers
1. The book isn’t dead or dying. It is evolving.2. Our users/customers are improving.3. Technology is going social and can support social
acts.4. The PC isn’t dead, but, again, it’s evolving and more
mobile.5. We know more about our customers than ever
before.6. Talent, Insight, Community, have social value.7. Opportunities always exist more in times of change
My son: Zachary
NextGen Library Staff
They hate the term ‘NextGen’(or any label for that matter)
Librarians
Conan the Librarian
Librarians 1918
Librarians
Don’t piss them off.
Ok, sure. We’ve all got our little preconceived notions about who librarians are and what they do.Many people think of librarians as diminutive civil servants, scuttling about “Sssh-ing” people and stamping things. Well, think again buster.Librarians have degrees. They go to graduate school for Information Science and become masters of data systems and human/computer interaction. Librarians can catalog anything from an onion to a dog’s ear. They could catalog you.Librarians wield unfathomable power. With a flip of the wrist they can hide your dissertation behind piles of old Field and Stream magazines. They can find data for your term paper that you never knew existed. They may even point you toward new and appropriate subject headings.People become librarians because they know too much. Their knowledge extends beyond mere categories. They cannot be confined to disciplines. Librarians are all-knowing and all-seeing. They bring order to chaos. They bring wisdom and culture to the masses. They preserve every aspect of human knowledge. Librarians rule. And they will kick the crap out of anyone who says otherwise.
Some hints from the research
Boomer vs GenY Don’t use family metaphors Offer non-compensation rewards, flexibility Involve them in decision-making Offer real development opportunities Prioritize social media freedom, device
flexibility, and work mobility over salary Listen, both ways – No telling! Respect goes a long way. The right to advise
must be earned
“I didn’t quit my job because it was too hard…I quit my job because it was not the best use of my short life.”
Social Responsibility Green Involvement Programs (YPO) Grapevine . . . Versus Control Make room for mistakes and you or your kids . . . What did you dream?
Change can happen very fast
What is an EXPERIENCE?
What is a library experience?
What differentiates a library experience from a transaction?
What differentiates public libraries from Google/Bing?
Books are a Poor
Branding
The Book Comet
Harper Collins fiasco Amazon self-published . . . You? Amazon “authors” New Google Bookstore Amazon Subscriptions and Lending 24Symbols Bookish Pottermore Recommendation Engines: Books & Authors, Bibliocommons,
LibraryThing . . . Apple . . . iStore, iBooks
GBS
Launched in US on June 30th
Back Office: Baker & Taylor
Expected Launch July 2011
Expected Launch July 30th
7 books - 15 billion franchiseBack office – Overdrive / Sony
What do libraries have?LibraryThingBiblioCommonsChiliFreshEtc.
FictionNon-FictionReading
What does all this mean?
The Article level universe The Chapter and Paragraph Universe eBooks Opportunity: Integrated with Visuals –
graphics and charts, ‘video’, scored, integrated with Sound and Speech, integrated with social web, integrated with interaction and not just interactivity
How would you enhance a book? How do Libraries play the game?
Can we frame the e-book issue so that it can be addressed rationally?
Why do people read?
Why do people read?1. To learn2. To engage in hearing other’s opinions (to agree or disagree or understand)3. To develop more knowledge about myself and develop as a whole person4. To be entertained and laugh, to engage and interact5. To address boredom and the inexorable progress of time6. To research and keep up-to-date7. To participate well in civil society (everything from news to voting)8. To be informed (and maybe smarter)9. To understand others (individually and culturally)10. To escape our day-to-day lives11. To stimulate the imagination and be inspired or spiritual12. To write and communicate better through reading others13. To teach14. To have something to talk about15. To connect with like-minded people
The Evolution
of Answers
Sensemaking: Too much choice
Why do people ask questions?
Is PPL’s library experience conceptually organized around answers and programs?
Or collections and buildings?
Why do people ask questions?
Who, What, When, WhereHow & WhyData – Information – Knowledge - BehaviorTo Learn or to KnowTo Acquire Information, Clarify, TuneTo Decide, to Solve, to Choose, to DelayTo Interview, Delve, Interact, ProgressTo Entertain or SocializeTo Reduce FearTo Help, Aid, Cure, Be a FriendTo Win A Bet
Gift:Content Spam
List of content farms and general spammy user generated content sites:
All Experts (allexperts.com) Answers (answers.com) Answer Bag (answerbag.com) Articles Base (articlesbase.com) Ask (ask.com) Associated Content (associatedcontent.com) BizRate (bizrate.com) Buzle (buzzle.com) Brothersoft (brothersoft.com) Bytes (bytes.com) ChaCha (chacha.com) eFreedom (efreedom.com) eHow (ehow.com) Essortment (essortment.com) Examiner (examiner.com) Expert Village (expertvillage.com) )
Experts Exchange (experts-exchange.com) eZine Articles (ezinearticles.com) Find Articles (findarticles.com) FixYa (fixya.com Helium (helium.com) Hub Pages (hubpages.com) InfoBarrel (infobarrel.com) Livestrong (livestrong.com) Mahalo (mahalo.com) Mail Archive (mail-archive.com) Question Hub (questionhub.com) Squidoo (squidoo.com) Suite101 (suite101.com) Twenga (twenga.com) WiseGeek (wisegeek.com) Wonder How To (wonderhowto.com) Yahoo! Answers (answers.yahoo.com) Xomba (xomba.com)
GOOG
The nasty facts about Google &
Bing and consumer search:
SEO / SMOContent Farms
Advertiser-drivenGeotagging
Whack-a-Mole:
FarmerPanda
Panda Silver
What are your top 10-20 questions?What is the service portfolio model
that goes with those?
The Baker’s Dozen: LVA Top 13
1. Health and Wellness / Community Health / Nutrition / Diet / Recovery
2. DIY Do It Yourself Activities and Car Repair 3. Genealogy 4. Test prep (SAT, ACT, occupational tests, etc. etc.) 5. Legal Questions (including family law, divorce, adoption, etc) 6. Hobbies, Games and Gardening 7. Local History 8. Consumer reviews (Choosing a car, appliance, etc.) 9. Homework Help (grade school) 10. Technology Skills (software, hardware, web) 11. Government Programs, Services and Taxation 12. Self-help/personal development 13. Careers (jobs, counselling, etc.) 14. Readers Advisory was 14th
Knitting & Needlecrafts
Arts & Crafts
Television Shows
Gardening
Pets
Music
Traveling, Tourism & Vacations
Exercise, Cycling & Walking
Movies & Film
Computers
Cooking & Recipes
Recreational Reading
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Top 12 Patron Hobbies
Top Hobbies?Top Homework Questions?
Top Travel Destinations?What do you know?
Grocery Stores
Grocery Stores
Cookbooks, Chefs . . .
Cookbooks, Chefs . . .
Meals
The new bibliography and
collection development
KNOWLEDGE PORTALS
KNOWLEDGE,LEARNING,
INFORMATION &RESEARCHCOMMONS
Driving the Knowledge Portal alignment with User Behaviour
How would this look?
Top Reference and Research Questions Do you know them? Or do you know retail
sales numbers or circulation numbers better? Role of Encyclopedia Shelf Talkers & databases / eBooks Being rational about homework role for public
libraries Men users – we’re pretty bad at that. The new Senior
Mobility: Where the Patron Is
Mobility
Fun Program Ideas Act Like a User Day (signs, sign up, ADD, kids) Librarian for a Day – Homework Peer Coaching Fraud and ID Theft Prevention Facebook for Teens – Study, Sharing and Social Safety
Facebook for Adults – Work, Reputation, Jobs Signage Top 20 Questions Portals Focus Groups eBay (Cameras, How to, Books, etc.) Perennial Trade / Garden Days Flickr Trading Cards Who’s here @the library (photos, FB, tweets, recommenders, talents, etc.) Collections Slap Down Research Success for Adult Learners Download Faire / Digital Days – download to phones, tablets, laptops, e-readers. 23 Things TNG
The Value of Libraries Soundbite
The Value of Public Librarieshttp://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/06/the-value-of-public-libraries/
The Value of School Librarieshttp://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/06/the-value-of-school-libraries/
The Value of Academic and College Librarieshttp://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/07/value-of-academic-and-college-libraries/
The Value of Special Librarieshttp://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/07/value-of-special-libraries/
Library Advocacy: Save the Library Campaignshttp://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/01/save-the-library-campaigns/
Storytelling…
Libraries Are Social
Institutions
Summary
Respect the generations – learn from eachother End User Psychographic Centricity Focus on the Questions (Needs, CRM) Build or Buy Knowledge Portals (Meals) Emphasize Content Quality (not books) Expand Social Media Programs on Information Literacy Advocate and Align with the Listener Tell Stories, Have users tell stories Strategic Analytics Investment – Measure Impact, ROI
and Value Collaborate vs. socialize
News Flash
News Flash
Shift Happens
The power of libraries
Stephen Abram, MLS, FSLAVP strategic partnerships and markets
Cengage Learning (Gale)Cel: 416-669-4855
[email protected]’s Lighthouse Blog
http://stephenslighthouse.comFacebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Plaxo : Stephen
AbramFourSquare, Gowalla: Stephen Abram
Twitter, Quora, Yelp, etc.: sabramSlideShare: StephenAbram1
Top Related