MLS Committee Planning Workshop · MLS Community Planning Workshop Northeastern University 2-22-16...

MLSCommitteePlanningWorkshop

NortheasternUniversity/BostonFebruary22,2016

1.Thecontext:What'shappeningglobally,nationallyandlocallythatis,orwill,haveaneffectonMLSanditsmembers?Thinkabouttechnology,social/generationaltrends,consumerpatterns,institutions,etc.

• 16instantgratification.Complexlicensingissues

• 3Dprinting

• Administrationisunawareofinstructiongoingoninthelibraries.

• Challengeofexpressingvaluetolibrarystakeholdersandcommunity

• Closureoflibrariesunnecessarilywithoutconsideringtheconsequences

• CommonwealthebookCollection

• Cuttingfunding/positions,Inequality,lackofperceivedvalue,informationisfree,mobiledevices--commercializationoftheinternet,SEOoptimizationgamingtheresults,gates/barrierstoinformationbypublishers,thecosteducation,publisherswilldothingsonawhim---embargos.SmithsoniansellingaccesstoGALE,Needtoaggregateinformationinameaningfulway

• Datamanagement/mining,NIHdatasharingmandate

• Deliverysystemisawesome

• Difficultbudgets,Costsofresources,Gettingeasiertoshareinformation,LicensingofElectronicresources,Privacyissues,Patientandstudentprivacy,Anti-intellectualism,TeachingtotheTest,Promotingtheimportanceoflearningandeducation,OpenAccess,CreativeCommons,Patronengagement

• Doingmorethingswithsameorfewerstaff,needfortrainingandkeepingup,technologyneeds,etc.

• Electronicstorage-accesstodatabases,e-books,etc.Immediategratificationhasmodifiedhowconsumersconsume

• ExpectationsfromotherplaceslikeAmazonandUPSthathaveverydifferentfinancial/staffingmodels

• GOOGLEisnotreallyfree....Perceptionsarewarpedintermsofaccess

• IonlywantwhatIwantwhereIamandhowdolibrariesservicethat,whenyouprovideaservicethatisbasedontheneedsoftheaverageperson,tryingtocomeupwithacommonthing,isbecomingharderandharder

• Informationstorage,e-books,databases(Accessibility)

• Keepingthestaffuptospeedinusingtechnology.The“IwantwhatIwantwhenIwantit”effectsstaffinginadifferentway.

• Librariesascommunityspace,newuse/configurationofspace/facilities;newrolesforlibraries;communicationw/vendors/consultants/etc.

• Librariesbuyingresourceswithoutaskingaboutaccessibilitytotheblind.

• Makerspaces,co-workingandincubation

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• Mediasharingisdifficult

• Morerelianceonelectronicresourcesforsomepatrons,PatronDrivenAcquisition,TeachingInfoLit

• Needtobewherestudentsare,e.g.,keepupwiththeirtechnologies,etc.

• Needtolearnfromeachotheraswebringinnewprograms,ideas,etc.

• Peopleknowthelibraryforresources

• Perceptionthateveryonehasdevices

• Principalsdon’thaveastakeorunderstandtheroleofthelibraryintheschool.

• Remoteaccessismoreavailable

• Resourcesharingespeciallyforaccreditation

• Sharingofresourcesiskey

• Societyistaughtthatifitisprinted,itisvalid.Evaluationofinformation.

• Speedofknowledgegeneration

• Staffingandsuccessionissues,esp.Managementlevel

• Technologygap...astechnologyisimprovedpatronsarebeingleftbehind.Can’taffordadevicetogetaccess,evenifyougiveittothemforfree...thethingshastobeaccessible,knowitexistsandbeabletouseiteffectively,accessibilityiflikeabridge,youwon’tgetacrossthebridgeunlessitisalltogether

• Thedecisionmakersdonotreallyunderstandthedifferenceinvalidityofstuffontheweb

• Theelectronicbookhaschangedinnature,butsomeoftheactivitiesareinaccessibletotheblind.

• Theteachingandlearningcomponentforlibrariansandteachpeoplehowtousethesedevicesandbecriticalthinkers,isaskingalotoftime,usethemusefully,...weneedtohavereallygoodassessmentsandevaluation,sowecanproveourcasetofunders

• Thisconceptthattheelectronicnatureofthingshasmuddiedhowthingsare...onkindle,theaveragelengthofakindleisdramaticallysmaller,changingthennatureofthething,theobservationmodifiesthething

• Userexperienceresearchanddesign,Discoverysearchengines,Userinterfacesofourelectronicresources

• Usingtechnologynottodothings....whydoweneedalibrariansayadministrators,ifpeoplehaveadevice...?

• Whileyouareengagingwiththemedia,youarealteringit,standardizedtestsarebecomingmoreinteractive....librariescouldbetterrepresentpopulationswithimpairmenttoensurethatpublishersarecompliant.

• Whydoesalibrarywanttodomorethanwhatalibrarydoes?

Themes/further ideas: Instant gratification, all information is free, challenge with licensing, issues with accessibility, staffing: doing more with fewer staff and training, managing expectation and meeting exp. of stakeholders, patrons, funders, people used to free services without understanding what it really costs to do it, collection of knowledge is expanding like a big bang, staying relevant and proving it to those who control the budget, rapid changes in patron needs and the whole field, having to react to almost instant changes from vendor markets, importance of instruction for accessibility.

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RichPictureTeam1

RESOURCEFOCUS

“flowofresources”TypesoflibrariesasbridgeStakeholders–students,patrons,parents,administratorsResourcesonbridgeTrolls–administrators,reeducatetobe“bridge-keepers”Possibilityofanoptimisticfuture

Librarianswithmagicwands

3.Envisioningourfuture:It’s2025andlibrarieseverywhereandofalltypesarethrivinghubsoftheircommunities.Drawapicturedescribingwhat’shappening.Whatdolibrarieslook/feellike?Wherearethey?Whoisinandaroundthem?Whataretheydoing?Howarelibrariesconnectedtotherestofthecommunityandtheworld?Whoareourpartners/collaborators?Whatservicesdotheyofferandforwhom?Whatnewskillsdolibrarianshaveandwhatnewrolesdotheytakeon?

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RichPictureTeam2

PATRONFOCUS

Cloudsrepresentwhatthepatrondoesnothavetocontendwith–administrators,publishers,Google

Libraries/librariansprotectpatrons

Differentofferingsofthelibrary

Grouphasadislikeofadministrators,publishers–“evilempires”

Administratorsthinkshowingmovies,etc.isawasteoftimesincelibrariesareaplacetostudy,dismantletheprograms,“doyouwantyourlibrarytofail?”

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RichPictureTeam3

Library/LibrarianFocus

Peopleinthecenter

Toolsandnecessitiesontheedge,arrowstoshowconnections

Offeringsofthelibraryontheedge

Communityandlibraryadvocateforoneanother

Librariesasasafespace

Diversityinstaffandpatrons

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RichPictureTeam4

MIXEDAPPROACH

Connectionsbetweendifferentcommunities,connectivity

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3.Strategicanalysis:Thinkingaboutthecontextandwhatwewanttoachieve,whatarewedoingreallywellthatwewanttoKEEP?Whatisn'tworkingthatwewanttoABANDON?WhatmightweINVENTorREINVENTthat,ifwedid,wouldmakeabigdifferencetooursuccess?Note:Repetitionsareintentionaltoshowemphasis.

KEEP

• Accesstoculturalresources

• Adaptingtochange

• Bookclubs,sopeoplecaninteractwithwhattheyarereading

• Collectivecatalogue

• Communitynewspapers

• Expandinge-resourceaccess

• Instructionandlearning

• Keepcurrentwithtechnology

• Librarianswithprofessionalexpertise

• Libraryasspace

• Librarymission

• LibrarypatronsasacommunityResourcessharing

• Lookingatthebigpicture

• Partnerships

• Physicallibraries

• Preservationandaccess

• Relevantcollections

• Resourcenetworktogetthings,sowedon’thavetobuyeverything

• Resourcesharing

• Resourcesharing

• Resourcesharing,docdelivery/ill.Programming.Instruction,continuinged.

• Thedeliverynetwork,MLSisresponsiblefordelivery

• Theideaofthelibraryasacommunitycenter

• Thelibraryoflastrecourse,ifallotherlibraryprogramsarenotfundedbythestate,theBostonlibrarydoesit

ABANDON

• Badcollectionhabits

• Bordersbetweenlibraries:geographicandkindsoflibraries(reinventtoo!)

• Duplicationofcollections/titles,

• Limitationsandreinventthepossibilities

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• Oldhabits

• Outdatedmaterialsandformats

• Outdatedtechnology

• Redundancyofservices

• Unnecessarytasks,assumptions

INVENT

• Atooltomoreaccuratelycollectusagedata(lowcost,opensource?)

• ForPerkinsondeliveryuponrequest,getitonceamonth,e.g.Bringthestuffwhenamemberofthefamilydies,andsomeofitbelongstoPerkins

• Forums/conversationsaboutvendorsandnegotiation

• Libraryasplace,disserviceofthinkingofourselvesasaspacebetweenfourwalls.Bringanaspectofthelibrarytothepeople,beyondthewalls,e.g.Bookclubbyconferencecall

• Morecollaboratione.g.ThefourlibrariesinWatertown,gooverandholdeventsateachoftheschoolsineachofourcommunity,theproblemwiththepublicseethelibraryonmainstreet,butmaynevergointoit,inventawaytomakelibrarybeyondthewallshappen

• Newwaystogatherdataaboutthecommunitieseffectively

• Partnershipswithpeople,firmsandcommunitygroupsthatneedthelibrarytohelpgetattentionfortheirservices..e.g.becomepartofthemall,alongsidecommunityspace,makerspace,buildaspacesothatpeoplewanttocomeandlivethere,120.000legallyblind,20.000peoplevialibraries.,seemsthereis100,000wedon’tgetto....howdowegettothem...andisthesame....needtogrowthcommunity,helpingeachotherdothate.g.locallibraryworkwithPerkins...doazipcodesearchandmail.

REINVENT

• Accesstocommunitynews

• Advocacysoitisconstantlyrenewingitself,becausetheofficialsareconstantlychanging....specialistfundingforoneoffprojectisawaytoprotectotherrevenuestreams

• Bemoreevidence-based

• Bestpracticesandmeasurementsforsuccess

• Diversifyingfunding,mostofPerkinsisstatefunding...placingemphasisonasinglesourceofrevenueisputtingthemselvesindanger...e.g.Perkinsgets96percentofrevenuefromstate,indiversificationgoforcorporatesponsorship....workwiththemainbusinessonprojects/programs,becarenottoputthestatefundinginjeopardy

• Findabilityofresources

• Howwecommunicateourvaluetoourcommunities

• Howweshareourvision,whyareimportant

• Instructionasculturechanges

• Librariantraining(cantheMLSplaymoreofaroleinMLISeducation?)

• Libraryasidea

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• Marketing;publicity;communicaterelevance

• Negotiatedcontracts.Licensing,thoughpoweroflibrariesworkingtogether,createavotingblock!

• Outreach+campaigning

• Physicalspace,e-booklicensing,ownershipvssharedcollections,staffingmodels,libraryeducationandcareerpaths

• Relationshipwithinformationproviders

• Staffdevelopment

• Staffrecruitment

Themes and further thought: Rethink library as place, underlying thought about moving from advocacy to partnering so partners are your advocates.

4.Takingaction:Thinkingaboutwhatwe’velearnedsofar,whatprojectorprogrammightwestartrightaway—individuallyand/orcollectively—thatwillhelpusachieveourvisionforlibraries?Whatsuccessfulmodels/programsmightweborrowfromotherstates/countries?Whatmightwedothatcouldbecomesomethingforotherstoemulate?

1. ACelebrationofResource-Sharing:statewidecelebrationandmessageaboutvalueandaccomplishments;includeROI/valueinfo,andpatronstories;goal:encouragelibrariestoparticipateinresource-sharing,recognitionofstaffinvolved;perhapsamembershipdrive

2. Textbookaccessibility:workwithpublisherstogettextbooksdigitizedversionsstudents,JITdigitization.MLScouldbealiaison.Librariescansendlistoftextstoacentralpoint;centralrepositoryfore-booksversion.Foraccessibilityforstudentswithlearningdisabilities/visuallyimpairedstudents

3. LetsMakeaDeal:Aninitiativethatusesworkshopstoteachnegotiationskills,meetingstodiscussvendors,adatabaseofwhohaswhatorneedswhatresourcestosupportbetternegotiations,somethingtofacilitatesmallerresourcesharing.Couldresultinimprovedstate-widesharingaswell.(SimilarprograminNJ,OhioLINK.Georgia)

4. OPENTECHFORLIFE:Blindcommunitytoengageallofourpubliclibrariesthathaveacquiredtechnologiesandsoftwaretomakethetechnologiesavailableviaclassroomstolearnhowtousetheme.g.makeacomputertalk,orbraille,orscanningtoOCR,tousetheequipment,librarieshavethisstuff,butpeopledon’tknowhowtouse....wehavebeentryingtoputtogetherapubliclibrarybasednetworktodothis....e.g.,Chicopee,thefurtherfromBoston,thelessavail.IfLIBdoesnothavefunding,getuserpays

5. IMAGETAGPROJECT:GetpeopletowriteALTtexttagstolibraryholdingsofimagese.g.pictures,videos,archivalcollections

6. Informationliteracyfairsheldindifferentlibrarycommunities--tailortolocalpatrons--featurestatewideandlocal/regionalresources

7. STATE-WIDEAUDIOBOOKSStatefundedrepositoryofdownloadableaudiobooks,soeverylibrarycanusethem.Thecollectionisforeveryone,alreadybeenpaidfor.

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8. Centralknowledgebaseofthecostsofthedatabases;vendortools;journals;books...Forbetterpricingnegotiation;includecomparisontoolsbetweenresources.Alsoincludedifferenceinlicensing;databaseusage;priceincreases.Aggregateanddisseminate

9. TheLibraryasSpace,Reinvented--consultantsandexpertstoadviseonhowtosetupspaceandequipmentsoitbestmeetsuserneeds(beyondMBLCbuildingprogram),totalrefresh;fundingforimplementation

10. CHRISTMASEVERYDAYATTHELIBRARY:androids,anykindofdevice,tablets,.ex-user,refurbs,

11. CommonwealthCard