Academic llibrariescybertour2014

Academic Library Top Strategies

Stephen Abram, MLSComputers in Libraries CyberTourWashington DCApril 7, 2014

Grocery Stores

Cookbooks, Chefs . . .

Cookbooks, Chefs . . .

Meals

So What Should Our Academic Research Library Priorities Be?Remaining Relevant and Having a Positive Impact

1. Liaison and Relationship Management: EngagementUp Your Game• Know your local community demographics• Focus on needs assessment and social assessments• Prioritize: Love all, Serve all, Save the World means nothing

gets done• Priorities are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable,

Relevant, & Time bound• Look for partnerships that add value

2. Programs --- More, more, moreUp Your Game• Programs that aren’t text first – Arduino, Makerspaces, music, media…• Scalability, reproducibility, sustainability, affordability• Targeting• Align with Collections – every collection must be justified by programs and

strategic alignment• Force strategic investment budgeting• Look for partnerships that add value• Don’t go it alone. Focus on large scale sustainable programs• Connect to the longer process not just events• Virtual and in-person• In the Library and reaching out with partners

What are the real issues?

• Craft versus Industrial Strength• Personal service only when there’s impact• Pilot, Project, Initiative versus Portfolio Strategy• Hand-knitted prototypes versus Production• e.g. Information Literacy and Fluency initiatives• Discovery versus Search versus Deep Search• eLearning units and program dissemination • Citation and information ethics• Content and repository archipelagos

• Strategic Analytics• Value & Impact Measures• Behaviours, Satisfaction• Economic and strategic alignment

3. Experience PortalsPrograms or Class or LessonUp Your Game• Align with Collections – But add virtual experiences• Start being Mobile in the extreme• Look for partnerships that add value• Focus on relationship management / liaisons• Ensure the program delivery person is embedded including

librarians• What are your top learning or research domains? Start there.• Don’t go it alone. Build scalability and sustainability.• Look for replicability – look for commonalities

The new bibliography and

collection development

Ask Us, KNOWLEDGE

PORTALSKNOWLEDGE,

LEARNING,INFORMATION &

RESEARCHCOMMONS

4. Learning StrategiesUp Your Game• Start offering diplomas and certificates• The Non-credit Course• Look for partnerships that add value• Offer real educational opportunities not just adjacencies• What does your community need for economic advantage?• What courses to you offer or recommend? (MIT, Harvard, Stanford,

TED, Khan Academy, etc.)• Play and connect yourself

5. Repositories on Steroids

Up Your Game• OCLC Linked Data & APIs• DPLA Vault & APIs• 3D, learning object, LibGuides, audio, or streaming media repositories• Understand Pedagogy in the context of student experiences and

educational goals• Understand human development from teens to adult learning• Understand the projects• Makerspace… laboratories – onsite relevance• Consider partnerships to put librarians into real liaison• Consider coaches and tutoring partnerships

6. Take Branding to the Next LevelUp Your Game• Take the strong ‘library’ brand and add dimension• Personal branding – Who are your stars? Promote them.• Program branding• Take risks for attention (AIDA)• Embed your brand beyond the library walls and virtually• Go beyond the information brand to informing, creating, and

social

7. Collections Alignment

Up Your Game• Grow collections investments in strategic areas but digital first

and not just size . . . Alignment trumps size any day• Develop hybrid strategies that are consistent and integrated for

digital and print and programs• Be obsessive about consultation, recommendations and advice• Truly integrate virtual and physical – hybridize• Social alignment rules

8. Upgrade Your Teaching Skills

Up Your Game• Learn how to reach and teach online• Teach how to learn online• Teach how to research online• Everyone in academic libraries should be focused on

teaching/researching first, then library• Learn more systems than one!• Be obsessive about consultation, recommendations and advice• Social alignment rules and use the tools

9. Uncomfortable Bonus: SacrificeUp Your Game• Dog, Star, Cow, Problem Child/?• Reduce investment in successes• Increase investment• Look at TCO• Look at all costs incurred and not just hard costs• Do NOT value your time at zero• Review opportunity costs in soft costs

Being Open to Ambiguity

Be the Change We Want to See

Stephen Abram, MLS, FSLAConsultant, Dysart & Jones/Lighthouse Partners

Cel: [email protected]’s Lighthouse Blog

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