Erik Thorlund JepsenDanish Agency for Libraries and Media

Digitizing Danish Libraries:

Experiences and initiatives

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Agenda

1. The Danish Agency for Libraries and Media

2. Societal and economic challenges and opportunities+ Digital Denmark: Strategies, Services

3. Danish LibrariesStructure, Legislation, Strategies

4. Digitizing Libraries Experiences and learning's, Future work

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The Danish Agency for Libraries and Media

• Agency under the Ministry of Culture

• The central government organ for libraries and media.

• Handles a number of administrative tasks in relation to the libraries, including administration of the Act regarding library services.

• Deals with development tasks in association with the libraries’ activities and administrates a number of subsidy schemes within the library area.

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The Danish Agency for Libraries and Media

• Mission Experiences and knowledge for everyonesupporting and developing access to knowledge and understanding in an inclusive democracy

• Tools– Strategic development together with stakeholders

(committees, conferences, ad hoc meetings…)– Subsidy schemes (development pools + Central Libraries (6

regional libraries)– Administration of central services

• Library.dk• National Bibliography• National transportation system• Licenses for research libraries – DEFF• ….

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Societal challenges and opportunities

• Recession? (GNP going down. Payments Balance going up)

• Demographic changes (were getting old)

• Fragmentation (ghettos and people out of business – economically and socially)

• Lack of education and skills (Youth education the largest issue)

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Societal challenges and opportunities

• Structure reform 2007 (from 300 to 98 municipalities + 16 to 5 regions)

• Fusions everywhere (universities and profession schools)

• Pressure for streamlining public services -> national digital solutions

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Digital Denmark

• Strategies (2007 -10 + new on the way)– Efficiency, efficiency…..efficiency…better services (Ministry of

Finances and Ministry of Science)

– Cooperation between national bodies and autonomous municipalities (and commercial sector)

– Pressure for national solutions (but demand for freedom of choice! -> Slows down digital development, organization and business models)

• Results– Borger.dk / Citizen.dk (incl. My Page)– NemID / EasyID – Digital services almost everywhere (E.g.. Tax, application

forms..)

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Danish Libraries - Library Act (2000 - )

– § 1. The objective of the public libraries is to promote information, education and cultural activity by making available books, periodicals, talking books and other suitable material, such as recorded music and electronic information resources, including Internet and multimedia.

– The municipal council is obliged, possibly in co-operation with other municipal councils, to run a public library with departments for children and adults.

– § 9. The county libraries act as main loan centre for the public libraries by endeavouring to obtain material to the extent that the public libraries do not themselves possess this material

– State Library + Royal Library (Legal deposit +)

– § 16. Union Catalogue + Library.dk

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Danish Libraries - Structure

• Public library in each municipality – 98

• 6 County libraries – Responsible for supply of materials, development of

competencies, agents for nationwide solutions…

• 2 National libraries (also University Libraries)

• University and profession school libraries (governed by ‘Ministry of Science’ and ‘Ministry of Education’)

• DEFF (Danish Electronic Research Library): Governing board for all research libraries

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Challenges and opportunities – Libraries

Digital marketplace Traditional library content and services overtaken by

commercial vendors (Free of charge?) Services are innumerable and the market confusing for the

citizens Where is the library profile and opportunities in the digital

marketplace? Need for libraries to relate strategically to the challenge

User behaviour, needs and expectations Individualization Differentiation Impatience Demand for constant access

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• Public Libraries in the Knowledge Society (2010)

• DEFF Strategy 2011 – 2014– On the way– Focusing on relation to users with special attention to

commercial sector

Strategies

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Role of the public library

Danish report on: The public Libraries in theknowledge society, 2010

Visions:1. From collection to connection

2. A collective national digital library

3. Partnerships / do what we are good at

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Danish Digital Library - the vision?

• To establish a coherent digital library covering all fields of media and library services from baby- to researcher level

• Corresponding with the library space

• Aiming at all citizens with segmented services and building on partnerships of all kind

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How do we get there?

• Establish a convincing strategy

• Demonstrating capability by good working examples on new services

• Lobbying and marketing for a new political understanding of a library concept meeting the needs in the knowledge- and innovation society

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Digital means ’change’

• The ’traditional’ library still works well but we loose more and more users if we do not move faster building digital libraries

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The digital medialandscape is part of a bigger agenda

• The knowledge and innovation society

• The changed economic balance between Europe and the new economies

• The fragmentation of social life and growing tension

• Needs for better skills

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The European agenda

• Knowledge societies imply globalisation and a new competition pattern – jobs are moving east

• The answer to the challenge is ’innovation’ based • on more research, better education, lifelong

learning, a strong identity and cohesion in society.

• We are in badly need of all these elements facing illiteracy, social tension in a more and more multicultural society+

• the fragmentation and cultural changes in the ’late modern society’ are roaring for counter strategies

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A new library concept

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Analogue and digital services should be integrated• The physical library space is for public libraries

still the hub

• The activities in the four spaces of the new library concept are virtual & real

• The programmes support the agenda of society, from innovation to democratic inclusion and participation

• Partnerships basic for organisation

• Yet, an average of 8-10 percent of budgets are used on digital materials and services!

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Some Danish steps so far – integrating virtual and real services

• Paul’s Giftshop• Home work online• Literatureweb• Ageforce• Danish Digital Library

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The website forms a universe of its own

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The web for literature ’Fiction.dk’ is a new intermediary (works together with reading clubs and DR)

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Homework-online hits boys that are not visiting the library

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Empowerment of 50+

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Next

• Danish Digital Library – state and municipalities unite

• Integrated acces/federal search to all relevant material

• Open source and SOA• National solutions on infrastructure, licensing and

webservices• Local priorities and presentations, local profile in

library space and programme• Basic collection of web-media for all libraries?

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Libraries in the digital marketplace

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Equal access to digital information resources – How?

• Differences in local priorities

• -//- economy

• Should the state subsidy for this?

• Through county libraries, The State Library, A basic collection

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Number of Licenses – public libraries

•

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Money spent on licenses

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The library space remains - but virtual services are part of it as water taps in a household

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Thank you

etj@bibliotekogmedier.dk