Four inconsistent pictures, some questions and no answers: some notes about research libraries in modern times

Lorcan Dempsey, OCLC ResearchCambridge University Library, 13 October 2008

CREDITS

• Slide 1. Picture of Sterling Memorial Library. Günter Waibel.• Slide 17. From avlxyz on Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/avlxyz/2077892948/. License: Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

• Slide 10. eBoy foobar poster. http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/wp-content/uploads/shop/EBY_FooBar_35t.png. Available from http://shop.eboy.com/.

• Slide 21. Bondi Bay. Sydney. Powerhouse Museum. On Flickr commons. http://www.flickr.com/photos/powerhouse_museum/2363539264/ Also at: http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=30669. No known copyright restrictions.

SETTING EXPECTATIONS

Crude,Simplistic &Reductive

Jokes

ONE

Materials workflow and the library systems management environment

Userenvironment

Materialsworkflow

Managementenvironment

End User Access

Management

Digitised/Digital

Bought/Physical

Elctronic/Licensed

Specialcolls/

Archives

Management

Userenvironment

Library &NetworkResource

Managementenvironment

End User Access

Management

Digitised/Digital

Bought/Physical

Elctronic/Licensed

Specialcolls/

Archives

Find It

Get It

Manage It

Metadata

Content

Userenvironment

Library &NetworkResource

Managementenvironment

End User Access

Management

Digitised/Digital

Bought/Physical

Elctronic/Licensed

Specialcolls/

Archives

Find It

Get It

Manage It

Metadata

Content

ILL/CIRC LINK RESOLVER SPECIAL

SPECIALILS ERM REPOSITORY

OPAC MetaSearch Website

A-Z NxtGen

MARC DC EADA&I XXX

Maths

Catalog

TWOSome thoughts about collections

COLLECTIONS GRID

high low

low

high

Stewardship

Un

iqu

enes

s

Low-LowFreely-accessible web resourcesOpen source softwareNewsgroup archives

Low-HighBooks & JournalsNewspapersGov DocumentsCD & DVDMapsScores

High-LowResearch & Learning Materials Institutional recordsePrints/tech reportsLearning objectsCoursewareE-portfoliosResearch dataProspectusInsitutional website

High-HighSpecial CollectionsRare booksLocal/Historical NewspapersLocal History MaterialsArchives & ManuscriptsTheses & dissertations

Licensed• Purchaser• Licensed• Scholarly record?• Book content

Print (B&J)• Value

– Opportunity cost

• Systemwide– Storage– Digitization– Preservation

high low

low

high

Stewardship

Un

iqu

en

es

s

BOOKS AND JOURNALS

Archives and special collections• Mobilize in learning

and research• Digitize

The new institutional record• The outputs of

research and learning – Data – big and small– Eprints, learning

materials– A life’s work on a thumb

drive

• Records management– Podcasts, videos, …– Website, prospectus, …– Business records

high low

low

high

Stewardship

Un

iqu

en

es

s

THE NEW SPECIAL COLLECTIONS?

THREELibrary services in the new network environment

libraryUser environmentsManagement environment

Licensed

Bought

Faculty&studentsDigitized Aggregations

Resource sharing

PersonalWorkflow

RSS, toolbars, ..

Network level workflow

Google, …

Institutional WorkflowPortals,

VLE, IR, …

Integratedlocal user

environment?Library web

presenceResource sharing, …

Archives

Then: Resources scarce; attention abundant

Discovery happens elsewhere

Then: users built workflow around libraries

Now: library must build services around user workflow

Now: Attention scarce; resources abundant

A feed-based universe

Google scholar

FOURValue and risk

User experienceExpertise

CollectionsSystems and services

H&SS STM Prof

A&H SS Bio Sci Med Physci Eng Bsns Law

Coll-ections

Bought

Licensed

Inst.

UserExper-ience

Place

Network

Expert-ise

Systems &services

Apps

Infra-Struct-ure

Thank you

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