June 12, 2006 Are Libraries Innovative Enough? June 12, 2006 Stephen Abram, Vice President, Innovation.

Are Libraries Innovative

Enough? June 12, 2006June 12, 2006

Stephen Abram, Vice President, Innovation

What is Innovation?What is Innovation?

An innovation is an idea, practice, or object that is perceived as new by the individual or other unit of adoption.

It matters little, as far as human behavior is concerned, whether or not the idea is new as measured by the lapse of time since its first use or discovery.

The perceived newness of the idea for the individual determines his or her reaction to it. If an idea is new to the individual, it is an innovation.

Everett Rogers

I’ll know it when I see it!

2002 Light Sent into Future2002 Light Sent into Future

2003 Light Transported2003 Light Transported

2006 Light Goes Backwards2006 Light Goes Backwards

Boyd's team collected data showing light traveling 'backwards,' seemingly fasterthan light speed. Image credit: Univ. of Rochester

The question we should be asking is…The question we should be asking is…

What’s the BEST future What’s the BEST future FORFOR libraries? libraries?

Expectations 1.0

Search Retrieve Print Link Navigate Read . . .

Darlene Fichter, 2006

WEB 2.0WEB 2.0 RSS – really simple syndication Wikis New Programming Tools: AJAX,

API Blogs and blogging Recommender Functionality Personalized Alerts Web Services Folksonomies, Tagging and Tag

Clouds Social Networking Open access, Open Source, Open

Content

Commentary and comments Personalization and My

Profiles Podcasting and MP3 files Streaming Media – audio

and video User-driven Reviews Rankings & User-driven

Ratings Instant Messaging and

Virtual Reference Photos (e.g. Flickr, Picasa) Socially Driven Content Social Bookmarking

Librarian 2.0

The Guru of the Information age!

Innovation TipsInnovation TipsFear of FailureFear of Failure

Innovation TipsInnovation TipsListen Outside of Libraries, a lotListen Outside of Libraries, a lot

Innovation TipsInnovation TipsCross the Generations, oftenCross the Generations, often

Innovation TipsInnovation TipsFollow well, and lead from the side

Innovation TipsInnovation TipsBlog Both Ways, as conversationsBlog Both Ways, as conversations

Innovation TipsInnovation TipsTry something New EVERY DayTry something New EVERY Day

PlayPlay

Innovation TipsInnovation TipsLead and ShareLead and Share

Innovation TipsInnovation TipsDon’t Just CriticizeDon’t Just Criticize

Innovation TipsInnovation TipsStay PositiveStay Positive

Innovation TipsInnovation TipsLearnLearnUn

Innovation TipsInnovation TipsFocus on the Lesson LevelFocus on the Lesson Level

Innovation TipsInnovation TipsDon’t Kill the BabiesDon’t Kill the Babies

Innovation TipsInnovation TipsWork from the customer in, Work from the customer in, ReallyReally put the customer first. put the customer first.

Innovation TipsInnovation TipsHave a visionHave a vision

Innovation TipsInnovation TipsNO PUNY VISIONSNO PUNY VISIONS

Lots of BIG questions to think aboutLots of BIG questions to think about

What will it mean to libraries if their services can be delivered to cheap devices that almost everyone has with them all the time?  Think about it… Smart phones easily and cheaply offer Web, e-mail, music, talking books, e-books, etc. Be creative.  Design your portal to deliver

just what's needed, in the format that's needed.  Don't drown them!

How do I find andHow do I find andtrim my vision?trim my vision?

http://www.snopes.com/photos/advertisements/pcpen.asp

Chinese e-inkChinese e-ink

Web-enabled cards…!?Web-enabled cards…!?

eBook readerseBook readers

Everything’s getting smaller and Everything’s getting smaller and more personal…more personal…

Lots of BIG questions to think aboutLots of BIG questions to think about

What will it mean for libraries if secure, broadband connectivity is ubiquitous in your community?  Think about it… What if Google's investment in free broadband wireless through the electrical grid is wildly successful?   Be creative.  Compete.  Make a difference by

empowering your community to take advantage. Innovate.

Google invests in wired …Google invests in wired …

Bidirectional wireless moduleBidirectional wireless module

Hydro Broadband

The questions keep coming…The questions keep coming…

What does it mean if a decent laptop is available for under $150.00?  Think schools, public libraries, gyms, stores, playgrounds, clubs, etc. Think transformation.  How will you

empower learning, finding, and contextual experience? 

The questions keep coming…The questions keep coming…

What does it mean if virtually all content in any kind of container is available through the Internet?  Video, music, books, learning, courses, pictures, drawings, art, etc. Do you drown, surf, or swim?  How does

everyone learn the skills?  How do “quality and context” rise above “simple search and find?” What are the risks of satisficing?

And they don’t get And they don’t get any easier to answer! easier to answer!

What impact will Millennials have? What about post-Millennials? These are Internet natives, not immigrants If people and technology change,

how must libraries and librarians evolve?

Preparing for the InevitablePreparing for the Inevitable

Usability

The A frame adopted

from newspaper

layout is not what

works.

Eyetools

Principled /

Values

More Friends More Diverse

Respect Intelligence

Optimistic /

Positive

Internet Natives

More Choices

Format Agnostic

Balanced Lives Adaptive / Flexible

Civic Minded

High Expectations

Collaborative Nomadic Gamers Experiential

Independent Confident Direct More Liberal

Multi-taskers Inclusive Patriotic Entrepreneurial

Healthy Lifestyle Family Oriented

Graphical Achievement Oriented

Millennial CharacteristicsMillennial Characteristics

Credit: Richard Sweeney, NJIT

And they don’t get And they don’t get any easier to answer! easier to answer!

What will you do when 90% of courses are supported by e-learning and potentially 65% of all students never come on campus? Focus on the Lesson level, manage

relationships at the course and departmental level.

Add hundreds of database Suppliers (MS already has about 120+)

Make it OpenURLcompliant

Make it Browserless

Add a toolbar that behavesin a research way

Integrate e-commerce for articles, standards, etc.

Predict their needs through mining of Gmail, surfing, and behaviours

Personalize it and track your needs andAdd alerts …

Add for online discussions, communities of practice, group and Individual blogsand connections through social networking software

Add tools – citation, RefWorks,ProCite, stat packages,

Add virtual reference

Do OCLC stuff

Add hundreds of database Suppliers (MS already has about 120.

Make it OpenURLcompliant

Make it Browserless

Add a toolbar that behavesin a research way

Integrate e-commerce for articles, standards, etc.

Predict their needs through mining of Gmail, surfing, and behaviours

Personalize it and track your needs andAdd alerts …

Add for online discussions, communities of practice, group and Individual blogsand connections through social networking software

Add tools – citation, RefWorks,ProCite, stat packages,

And then ally withSun to build a new OS

for wireless world…Writely! Google Spreadsheets

Add virtual reference

Do OCLC stuff

What if. . .What if. . .

Search gets better and needs new hooks? (and it will)

Are you up on tagging?How about folksonomies?

EverQuestEverQuest

Reminder:150,000 or more

PER DAY!

Second Life Library Second Life Library

Second Life Library eBooks Second Life Library eBooks

Teen SL Library services meeting, Sun 5/7/06 Teen SL Library services meeting, Sun 5/7/06 

PodcastingPodcasting

Video iPod etc.

And everybody’s talking about Google!

If libraries simply align themselves with Google, what are they missing? Who remembers that Google is focused on “search”

for meeting commercial and advertiser’s needs Who's ensuring that people and entire communities

have access to quality information, resources, and services --- i.e. sustaining knowledge?

Who’s keeping in mind that discovering knowledge involves more than simply “searching and finding” content?

US

The Long Tail of QUESTIONSThe Long Tail of QUESTIONS

libraries

So, Are Libraries Innovative Enough?

And one final questionAnd one final question

What if there were no special librarians?  What would you do if you were

starting from scratch to meet people’s needs? Would your plans bear any resemblance to current plans we have for the future?

“A year from now you may wish

you had started today.”

—Karen Lamb

““The best way to predict The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”the future is to invent it.”

― ― Alan KayAlan KayComputer Technology PioneerComputer Technology Pioneer

Stephen Abram, MLSVP Innovation

[email protected]

http://www.sirsidynix.com

Thanks

Stephen’s Lighthouse Blog has all PPTs and articles on it.