Jan 12, 2016
Track 1 – Part 1What can we do to prepare the library of the future for
researchers ?
The Europeana Library Conference
Madrid, December 2012
Background
Traditional purpose of library under pressure Expectations and possibilities shaped by digital
changes Changing patterns of work and information
consumption – students, researchers, teacher, public, publishers, new media companies
Current economic austerity reducing budgets
Background
Researchers visiting libraries less often, particularly in science subjects
What can national and research libraries do to remain relevant to those undertaking research ?
Managing research data sets
Library takes more control of managing research data sets
Focus could be on researcher at institution or a particular subject field
Long-term digital preservation of data sets also important
Creating relationships between journal articles and datasets
Improving Licensing Capabilities
Work more closely with consortia or directly with publishers
Find better ways to lower costs Find ways to improve accuracy of data supplied
by publishers on collections; sharing that information with other libraries
Improving negotiations with publishers to allow for more sophisticated use of licenced content (esp., text and data mining)
Greater focus on sharing collections
Improve metadata via automated processes
Sharing metadata (and content) with different aggregators
More time and money spent on Search Engine Optimisation
Changing Physical Space
Remove many of physical collections from direct access within library
Provide more space for research, teaching, group learning, individual learning
Create library as a more of a social space
Helping Research Teams
Librarians becoming part of research teams
Providing guidance on such issues as Open Access and publication, dataset creation, preservation,
Subject librarian replaces by research librarian
Enhancing Discovery
Working with providers to improve search experience for users
Building new tools for searching and analysing digital content, concentrating on particular collections or subject areas
(Alternatively, … letting Google do much more searching)
Developing Mobile Technologies
Providing end-user services via mobile phones
Improving resource discovery and resource delivery via phones (e.g. QR codes for scanning in the library, location centric)
Expand reminder services for users via mobiles
More public engagement
Greater exposure of unique collections to external researchers
Find new ways for students to interact with unique collections
Greater focus on physical exhibition space – interaction with general public
More crowdsourcing type projects to interact with public
Focus on the Digital Library
Provide smaller physical library Go digital for as much of the library
collection as possible Follow public / private deals to digitise
special collections Place most of physical collection in other
locations outside main library
Other possibilities …
You may have other ideas …. ? You may have undertaken ideas that you can
share with others Discuss in groups of x?? Write headline ideas on post it notes (as many as
you want There are no limits and very few bad ideas ! Big ideas (broader strategies) AND small ideas
(short-term goals) Put them all on sheet on the wall
What can we do to prepare the library of the future for
researchers ?
Focus on the Digital Library / Students and Researchers ? / Science, Technology, Medicine / Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences / Focus on secondary resources / Aggregate digitised primary resources / Aggregate collections-level metadata / Maintain focus on bibliographic data
And now …
Select top 10 ideas on post it notes Place them on second sheets on wall,
according to cost and impact Select one person to speak for two minutes
on your choices