Sharing: The Foundation of Social Institutions
Stephen Abram, MLS UKSG 2012, GlasgowMarch 26, 2012
These slides will beavailable at Stephen’s Lighthouse blog
Change happens very fast
Fill That Gap
1
2.0
3
What Are Libraries Really For?
• Community• Learning• Discovery• Progress• Research & Knowledge (Applied/Theoretical)• Cultural Custody & Conservation• Economic Impact
SHARING
What’s the next level?
SmellyYellowLiquid
OrSex
Appeal?
It’s the Whole Experience
“The Internet and technology have
now progressed to their infancy
News Flash
7 Gifts to Libraries
1. The book isn’t dead or dying. Reading is evolving.2. Our users/customers are improving and everyone
knows more about our customers than ever before.3. The question economy is very different.4. Technology is going social and can support social
acts for social institutions.5. The PC isn’t dead, the last information explosion
was microscopic and mobile changes the whole dynamic.
6. Talent, Insight, Community, have social value.7. Opportunities always exist more in times of change
There are no knights on horses in technology.
The VAST majority of library use is virtual and is dwarfed by all information use
‘Reading’ trumps print books . . .
7 Learning Styles
What is an EXPERIENCE?
What is a library experience?
What differentiates a library experience from a transaction?
What differentiates public libraries from Google/Bing?
The Evolution
of Answers
Sensemaking: Too much choice
Why do people ask questions?
Is your library experience conceptually organized around answers and programs?
Or collections, technology and buildings?
Why do people ask questions?
Who, What, When, Where
How & Why
Data – Information – Knowledge - Behavior
To Learn or to Know
To Acquire Information, Clarify, Tune
To Decide, to Solve, to Choose, to Delay
To Interview, Delve, Interact, Progress
To Entertain or Socialize
To Reduce Fear
To Help, Aid, Cure, Be a Friend
To Win A Bet
What are your top 10-20 questions?
What is the service portfolio model that goes with those?
One public library’s Top Questions
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
Cookbooks, Chefs . . .
Cookbooks, Chefs . . .
Meals
Tie everything to programs on a priority basis
The new bibliography and
collection development
KNOWLEDGE PORTALS
KNOWLEDGE,LEARNING,
INFORMATION &RESEARCHCOMMONS
RELEVANCE
PROGRAMS
Confusing the Customer
What is the Sun?
Aggregated databases (InfoTrac, GVRL, GDL)
Federated Discovery (PowerSearch)
Persistent URLs
Training Support
Apps, Webpages & Mobile
Marketing Support
Etc.
HOW MANY MOONS ARE THERE IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM?
146 Moons plus 23 provisional moons
Driving the Knowledge Portal alignment with User Behaviour:
Build Experiences
Be Technology Agnostic:Adapt and Evolve
Mobility: Where the Patron Is
Libraries Are Social Institutions
• Sharing without Context is meaningless and low value• Transactions without context generate less Transformation• Warehouses are not programs • Collections are not portfolios• Experience not Retrieval
Stephen Abram, MLSVP Strategic Relationships and Markets
Gale Cengage LearningCel: 416-669-4855
[email protected]://www.cengage.com
Stephen’s Lighthouse Bloghttp://stephenslighthouse.com