The Library’s Second Life

January, 2009 ALIA Information Online Conference and Exhibition

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The Library’s Second Life

Janine Schmidt, Trenholme Director of Libraries, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

A typical Montreal winter work day

January, 2009 ALIA Information Online Conference and Exhibition 2


Overview Change The Library’s first life The Library’s second life


Change Faced with the choice between changing one's

mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof. ~John Kenneth Galbraith

It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory. ~W. Edwards Deming

When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves. ~Victor Frank

When you are through changing, you are through. ~Bruce Barton

Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine. ~Robert C. Gallagher

(http://www.quotegarden.com/change.html. Viewed September 14th, 2008)


http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/files/images/080211_change.jpg

http://www.blogaholics.ca/change.jpg

http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/8880_Nilakant_Change_Management.jpg


The challenges of change Millennials, “born digitals”, “switched on” older

persons, and a few still digitally challenged have new needs

Emerging social, economic and learning environments demand new responses

Amazoogle - global conversations – “conversation is king, not content”

(http://www.boingboing.net/2006/10/10/disney-exec-piracy-i.html . Viewed Nov 19 2008)

Knowledge consumers have become producers and everyone is an “expert” – on films, books, and any and every topic

Ordinary people collect, organize and produce information online e.g. documents, photos


Today’s users What is it that motivates, even inspires, millions of

users to spend hours online, not searching for information, but creating information, building content and establishing online communities? What drives users to not only contribute information, but to contribute “themselves”, creating detailed personal profiles on social sites and sharing that information to establish new relationships with hundreds of new virtual friends? No longer…”information consumers”, internet users are becoming “information producers” and will soon be the primary authors, producers and architects of information on the World Wide Web.

OCLC. Sharing, Privacy and Trust in our Networked World. 2007. http://www.oclc.org/reports/sharing/default.htm

Today’s library users Multi-task, are mobile,

constantly communicating Learn from each other Are computer savvy, with

varying ability levels, but are information poor

Want integrated content – delivered instantly

Use discovery learning Seek simplicity and instant

gratification Search and grab information

from the internet Are globally and visually

oriented May be digitally distracted?



What do clients want? Basic services - access like Amazoogle Personalized service – just for me High tech, high touch, help when experiencing difficulties and

frustration – dial up not get up Pleasant and inviting surroundings and experiences Books and journals, real and virtual, internet sites – tried and

true, and new- information delivered– just in time Answers to questions, solutions to problems, ideas, support for

good work outcomes, results, research support, inspiration Training and motivation in information resource discovery Understanding, empathy, competence, reliability,

responsiveness, timeliness, honesty - I do not care how much you know until I know how much you care

Most users do not know what is on offer and cannot easily find what we provide – know what they get, not what they could get


Social networking

Breaking news



The new communication media?

http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/rgn_wikipedia_wideweb__470x458,2.jpg IViewed March 25th, 2008)

http://www.weblogcartoons.com/cartoons/facebook.gif (Viewed 23rd March, 2008)


Online Use 2005 2007

Bookstore 50% 55%

Blogs 16% 46%

Search engine 71% 90%

Email 73% 97%

Library website

30% 20%

Yet people reading more – 1/3 Canadians read more than 11 hours per week. Sales of Canadian books up by 4.9% in 2008. College students begin searching with web. 2% begin with library website. (OCLC survey)

The competition


Justanswer

Digg

Ask.com


The Google way Universal search, Google scholar Online

Currently words, images, music, - Future - films, TV shows, video/radio broadcasts, books, academic papers, pamphlets, government documents, music, maps, charts, blogs, in all languages

“organizing all the world’s information and making it universally accessible and useful”

Finding objects, people – RFID tags, URLs to people IGoogle - personalized search, monitor search and

surfing history – who we are, age, jobs, marital status, holidays etc

Gmail, Google Maps and Google Earth on our mobile phones

Purchase of YouTube, creation of Wikipedia lookalike Cloud computing, GoogleApps - store on remote servers,

vast super computer Big Brother, hostile to privacy OR map of human

knowledge to enable others to find trade routes in the new information economy, information democracy


Symbols


The Library’s first life

First life libraries Driven by collections not clients Focused on process not outcomes Cooperated with others Edifice complex “Come and get it” Difficult to use - need to learn “how we

do things here” BUT Ranganathan’s laws – The library is

a growing organism



So what is a library today?


What is a library ? A collection of books used for

reading or study, or the building or room in which such a collection is kept

Library collects fewer real information resources, but in many formats, and continues to organize them, provide for access and use, both locally and globally, and increasingly delivery

Knowledge/information bank, information/learning hub, research/information repository, global information portal, search engine, worldwide link

January, 2009 ALIA Information Online Conference and Exhibition

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What is a librarian?


The Library’s Second Life Emphasize our clients Expand real and virtual collections Refurbish the facilities Think and act strategically Develop new products and services Improve access to and use of website and

search interfaces with links to external websites and 2.0 services

Make things easier Collaborate with others Abandon some activities

Second Life librarians Creator, critic, collector, joiner,

spectator (Forrester Research)

Blended librarian Roving librarian Information consultant, counsellor,

adviser, IT expert Knowledge manager, knowledgeable Personal search engine


Second Life Librarians Focus on client needs and wants Plan and prioritize Ensure technology provided is not “toys for the

boys and girls” but clearly related to client needs

Develop and promote client-focused services Are nimble and take risks Rove and respond to remote clients Constantly re-skill themselves and their clients Monitor new developments in the environment

and the “biblioblogosphere”


New (?) products and services Focus on the website - provide unique names to

web pages which accurately describe content in simple terms

Provide client-focused content on websites e.g. borrowing, not lending

Provide effective search interface to catalogue and other data repositories

Use interactive techniques in any information fluency/literacy classes e.g. clickers, second life, templates, learning management systems

Get constant feedback from clients – and respond! Watch – usability laboratories – and learn!



What do users want most from the Library?

5%

70%

3%0%

14%

3%5%

1. Access print resources2. Access e-journals/e-

books3. Request inter-library

loans4. Talk to a liaison

librarian5. Support for teaching6. Support for research7. Use the physical

facilities/library as a laboratory


What do users want next from the Library?

22%

14%

11%

3%

19%

27%

5%

1. Access print resources2. Access e-journals/e-

books3. Request inter-library

loans4. Talk to a liaison

librarian5. Support for teaching6. Support for research7. Use the physical

facilities/library as a laboratory


McGill’s Second Life


LibQUAL+ 2008 comments Needs more quiet study space and more

computers! Longer hours are preferable In general I am impressed with some aspects

of the McGill library system. The shortcomings rest predominantly with issues of accessibility to information resources online and the capacity/training of some library employees who interact with users regularly. I believe much more attention needs to be focused on increasing the digital access to journals and ebooks since these are the information vehicles of the current age that most students use

New (?) products and services Provide links to Digg and Delicious Provide interactive learning at point of use

and links from any online learning system being used to library resources held – linked to curriculum offerings

Use games – difference between game playing and learning?

Provide podcasts and vodcasts e.g. how to use library facilities/resources, information fluencies

Insert widgets and plug-ins – Facebook link to online chat


New (?) products and services Provide online exhibitions Use roving librarians – 40-60% of

users never ask a question at a desk Facilitate harvesting of library

collection content e.g. GoogleScholar Communicate details every way e.g.

blogs Support online and mobile learning

and access – learning for life


Online exhibitions


Podcasting


Blog collection update


New (?) products and services Promote services actively through

engagement with client groups Digitize rare and special collections

and make them available – DOD and POD

Participate in e-publishing and open accss

Mash up collaborative services Support e-research


Abandon some activities Outsource basic tasks Process reengineer everything Perfection is not attainable in this

world – near enough is usually good enough


Approach to change


Building commitment and competence to change

High commitment & low competence – new colleagues developing basic skills, willing to try, limited expertise, experienced dedicated colleagues willing to try, “keeners”

High commitment & high competence – young colleagues recognizing change provides opportunities, people who understand change is a given, strong colleagues willing to listen and learn


Building commitment and competence to change

Low commitment & high competence – competent colleagues near “burn out”, experienced dedicated wary colleagues, “traditional leaders” currently respected who feel challenged by changing “the way we do things around here”

Low commitment & low competence – old pros, been there done that, dedicated structured colleagues who like things “the way they are”, few always negative towards the “administration”



Change strategies Plan strategically and set achievable goals Develop action plans, set implementation schedules and

monitor achievements against goals Provide staff development for everyone Restructure to ensure greater flexibility, accountability and

speedier decision making Use ICT imaginatively and innovatively Improve efficiency and effectiveness Cooperate with similar best practice organizations Communicate consistently – and constantly – with everyone For things to change around here, I have to change


Future success The second life library will be different Open the doors and windows of opportunity Invite and accept participation by clients It will be messy – keep it simple Participation and a little chaos create the

most exciting venues for collaboration, creativity, community building – and transformation – right on mission

Just do it! Aiming to lead in every way If not, the Library’s first life

may be its last

Thank you for listening!


http://www.elite.net/~runner/jennifers/thankyou.htm

The Library’s Second Life

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