The Future: Digital/Print Library HybridsStephen Abram, MLS

METRO, Library Directors’ Round Table, Nov. 14, 2012

Funding is Attitudinal … Support versus Commitment

Deer in headlamps slide here.

Library Megatrends

Digitization’s real impact – non-fiction

Format

Print, ePUB, PDF, Kindle, etc. etc.

CD, DVD, USB, etc. etc.

Streaming

Licenses, Open Access, Creative Commons, etc. etc.

eBooks

eJournals

eContent

Copyright Issues (NatGeo, Tasini, TPP, SOPA, etc. etc.)

Author Lawsuits

Citation fragmentation

Content Fragmentation

Text

Graphics & Charts

Formulae

Pictures

Maps

Video

Audio

Gamification

Deep Data Mining

Assessments

Etc. etc.

Beyond Text

ILS

CMS

Cloud(s)

Device dependencies

Formats (e.g. Kindle)

Amazon

Apple

ADVICE . . .

Walled Gardens

Textbooks

eLearning

Learning Management Systems

Cohort Learning Environments

Presentation Systems

Virtual Conference Environment

Personal Learning Environments

Collaboration Software

MOOCs

Learning Object Diversification

Teens / Post-Millennials

Millennials

Other demographics

Business versus Consumer

The Device Divide

Mobility

End User Fragmentation

Consumer Search

Specialized Search

Professional Search

Semantic, Sentiment, Suggestion Search etc.

Mobile search

Social search

Augmented Reality

SEO

SMO

Content Spam

Geo-location

Search Fragmentation

Feature Phones

Smartphones

Tablets

Laptops

Desktops

Gaming stations

Television

E-Readers

Internet of Things

Browsers

Technology Fragmentation

15

Black and White

The polarization of discussion

Dogmatic vs. Professional positions on: eBooks, access, copyright, etc.

Black & White

Recognize key shifts

OMG – the digital book!

23

Public Libraries

Academic Research Libraries

Community College Libraries

School Libraries

Specialized Libraries

Consortia

Trends Differ Slightly by Library Sector

Recommendations (LibraryThing for Libraries, BiblioCommons, Book Psychic)

Community Glue

Economic Impact

Programs

Partnerships

Education and Learning

Public Libraries

eLearning

Repositories

Content Archipelagos

LibGuides

Patron-driven acquisitions

Information Fluency

Demarcation between Undergrad, Grad and Faculty/Staff strategies

Copyright compliance

E-Coursepacks and e-Reserves

Strategic budgeting

Partnerships

Academic Research Libraries

Information Literacy

Distance education and eLearning

Textbooks, Reserves, Coursepacks, e-all

MOOCs

Mobility

Collections for new degrees and certifications

Community College and Undergrad

Common Core

21st Century Learning

Future of the Textbook

Scaffolded Information Literacy / Fluency

Filters

Staff and Faculty relationships

Classroom pages

School Libraries

Intranets

MS SharePoint

Relationship building

Embedded Librarianship

Specialized Libraries

DPLA

Library Renewal

EveryLibrary Advocacy PAC

OCLC Linked Data

3M e-books

CALIFA / Douglas County initiatives

Cloud initiatives

Consortia

Where are the real pain points?

So what is the answer?

Grocery Stores

Grocery Stores

Grocery Stores

Cookbooks, Chefs . . .

Cookbooks, Chefs . . .

Meals

What is a meal in library end-user community or research, education and learning terms?

Let’s thinkThink: Are you thinking food, courses, days, weekly plan, or nutrition overall?

The new bibliography and collection development

KNOWLEDGE PORTALS

KNOWLEDGE,LEARNING,

INFORMATION &RESEARCHCOMMONS

What are the real issues?

Craft versus Industrial Strength

Pilot, Project, Initiative versus Portfolio Strategy

Hand knitted prototypes versus Production

e.g. Information Literacy initiatives

Discovery versus Search versus Deep Search

eLearning units

Strategic Analytics

Value measures

Behaviours

What We Never Really Knew Before 27% of our users are under 18. 59% are female. 29% are college students. 5% are professors and 6% are teachers. On any given day, 35% of our users are there for the very

first time! Only 29% found the databases via the library website. 59% found what they were looking for on their first search. 72% trusted our content more than Google. But, 81% still use Google.

We often believe a lot that isn’t true.

Be More Open to the Users’ Path

What Would You Attempt If You Knew You Would Not Fail?

My Humble Recommendations

Focus on the user, I mean really Pilot and experiment with mobile social cohorts Classes (mobile training or extended learning) Reading cohorts and book clubs Member, Researcher and Learner driven strategies first Associations, Consortia and Collaboratives Fundraising Reorganize for simplicity and flexibility Teams (business or sport)

My Humble Recommendations

Actively lobby and educate to ensure that the emerging mobile ecosystem supports the values and principles of librarianship for balance in the rights of end users for use, access, learning and research.

Support vendors and laws to be as agnostic as possible by ensuring that, as far as possible your services and content offerings support the widest range of devices, formats, browsers, and platforms.

eLearning, Mobile, Distant, Virtual

Tools

Get to where the user is.

My Humble Recommendations

Design for frictionless access using such opportunities as geo-IP and mobile ready websites

Test everything in all browsers – mobile or not – all devices.

Invest in usability research aimed at the user experience and test and learn from it and share your learning.

Don’t prioritize the librarian experience first Watch key developments in major publishing spaces

– retail, video, kiddy lit, textbooks, e-learning, fiction, etc. Spot the differences and opportunities

My Personal Hobby Horses

This is an evolution not a revolution The REAL revolution was the Internet and the Web. The hybrid ecology is winning in the near term for

operating systems and content formats. This is good since competition drives innovation and

we’re in a Renaissance not an end game right now. Engage in critical thinking not raw criticism. Be

constructive. Critical thinking is not part of dogma or religious fervor

or fan boy behavior.

My Personal Hobby Horses

This is an evolution not a revolution Perfectionism will not move us forward at this

juncture. Really understand the digital divide and remove your

economic and social class blinkers Get real about teens and Boomers Get over library obsession with statistics and

comprehensiveness. Get excellent at real measurements, sampling and

understanding impact and satisfaction. (Analytics, Foresee, Pew)

My Personal Hobby Horses

This is an evolution not a revolution We need to revisit the concept of preservation,

archives, repositories, and conservation from an access and linked data view.

Check out new publishing models like Flipboard.

Watch for emerging book enhancements and other features that will challenge library metadata, selection policies, preservation, and collection development.

The power of libraries

A Third Path

SmellyYellowLiquid

OrSex

Appeal?

Focus on the Whole Experience

Until the lion learns to write her own story, the story will always be from the perspective

of the hunter not the hunted.

Stephen Abram, MLS, FSLAVP strategic partnerships and markets

Cengage Learning (Gale)Cel: 416-669-4855

stephen.abram@cengage.comStephen’s Lighthouse Blog

http://stephenslighthouse.comFacebook, Pinterest: Stephen Abram

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