Post on 05-Jul-2015
description
A World of Libraries Without Librarians
Manager York County
Headquarters Library
Reference / Outreach /
Circulation / Collection
Development
Still a Systems Librarian
rogan.hamby@yclibrary.net
"A further sign of health is that we don't
become undone by fear and trembling, but
we take it as a message that it's time to
stop struggling and look directly at what's
threatening us."
… Collections
… Curation
… Expertise
Libraries automated,
adding computers to the
infrastructure but
circulating things stayed
the same. New media
came in (vinyl, tapes, CDs,
etc…) the library handled it
all the same. And the
library chose how to do it.
In the Information Age user needs are greater than ever
from finding basic sources, to understanding copyright,
to getting a book to read to understanding if a website is
authoritative
There are more sources of every kind than ever
There is more access than ever
Access to devices and data sources are proliferating
All this stuff is going digital. Digitally
distributed, portably consumed, but so
what? We’ve got download services.
It’s disruptive. It challenges circulation’s functions and
much of the workflow of putting materials in patron’s hands.
A real but clearly solvable problem.
It’s disruptive. It challenges circulation’s functions and
much of the workflow of putting materials in patron’s hands.
A real but clearly solvable problem.
A library in every pocket challenges our
ability to supply our three core skill sets.
Collections
Curation
Expertise
Books (many sizes)
Magazines
Newspapers
Prints
Maps
Globes
Etc…
Storage (weight, sizes, total
space)
Preservation
The logistics of purchasing
Securing funds
Processing
Cataloging
Books (many sizes)
Magazines
Newspapers
Prints
Maps
Globes
Etc…
Books (many sizes)
Magazines
Newspapers
Prints
Maps
Globes
Etc…
Books (many sizes)
Magazines
Newspapers
Prints
Maps
Globes
Etc…
Books (many sizes)
Magazines
Newspapers
Prints
Maps
Globes
Etc…
Books (many sizes)
Magazines
Newspapers
Prints
Maps
Globes
Etc…
Books (many sizes)
Magazines
Newspapers
Prints
Maps
Globes
Etc…
Books (many sizes)
Magazines
Newspapers
Prints
Maps
Globes
Etc…
Books (many sizes)
Magazines
Newspapers
Prints
Maps
Globes
Etc…
New materials are being invented both digitally (FLAC)
New materials are being invented physically (Playaways)
Consumption devices have to be part of the collection to
maintain access (Kindles, computers)
Content is often licensed not purchased
Seek as many sources for materials as possible
Determine needs of users
Budget
Seek as many sources for materials as possible (with
more aggregators, self distributed and new formats than
ever)
Budget (no one has enough!)
Determine needs of users
(with the information age driving
needs through the roof &
information literacy not keeping pace)
Imagine it is 1985. Tapes are now popular and widely
circulated in libraries and bought in stores. But, the librarian
has to tell the patron the functional differences of the five major
brands of portable tape players, boom boxes, home stereo
players and car players just to get the tape to play they’re
checking out and they might ask you which tape player to
buy to get the tapes in your library to
play and then go out and buy
another tape from a store only
to find out that it
won’t play on the player bought to play
Our ability to provide our three core functions are now
compromised. There is more content than ever to curate
and it challenges us. Collections have new
storage, licensing and management challenges. We are
struggling to catch up. But it’s the expertise that’s being
shoved in our face every day by patrons.
Users are increasingly comfortable with and fearless in using the
increasingly user friendly technology.
But, the ease of use has disguised that their technical and
informational skills are not improving significantly.
So, where do they
go?
The library.
A library in every pocket means a library with a different
collection (and collection needs), different curation
(and those consequences) on a different device
(with the expertise that needs). A librarian now
may work in one library while they work with
hundreds of libraries.
Don’t worry, it will get worse.
Don’t worry, it will get worse.
No one may have wanted to
circulate 8 Tracks (and most
didn’t) but nor did anyone
want you to put your story
times on them. I’ll be doing
that with Youtube soon.
All we have to do is go virtual, get rid of our buildings, the
future is virtual, we can supply everything through
computers…
being such in power, force, or effect,
though not actually or expressly
such
i.e. NOT REAL
Virtual Libraries have force, power,
can have effects but aren’t libraries
We don’t need electronic libraries,
we need libraries (electronic and
more).
I say fight the future
because the future is
a world filled with
libraries and no
librarians, unless we
do something.
The world needs our
collections, curation and
expertise. They need us
on their phones and
computers. And they
need us in physical
facilities.
Our basements should be
server farms we host our
downloadable content on.
We need electronic libraries
and should have apps for
our libraries on every
patron’s smart phone that
they go to as quickly as
Yelp or IMDB.
Above ground we need
story times, computer labs,
game centers, career
centers, class rooms and
everything else that turns
us into community centers.
A book mobile should be
parked outside for
outreach.
In both libraries we need
librarians; we need access
to databases and we need
books. We need to be
available by email and in
person. We need humans
who build better tools and
humans who are there
when the tools aren’t
enough.
We need to be OK with part of libraries dying – its called
evolution. A lot of human assisted casual reference and
circulation will go away. This in no way endangers our
core mission. It does mean
there will be shifts. It does
not mean that reference or
circulation are dying. It
means they are evolving.
However it does mean that a library that doesn’t evolve will
find life as uncomfortable as a ten ton exotherm during the
Ice Age – i.e. freezing to death.
Demand ownership of content.
Eliminate middle men for electronic holdings.
Fold ERMSs into our ILSes.
Make critical decisions about platforms (i.e. e-readers
and formats).
Build community centers.
Never let go of libraries in those buildings.
Build a vocabulary around information literacy.
Find a way to educate about our changing role and their
changing needs.
Integrate collections for complete library experience.
Use better statistical tools and technology to better track
library needs (e.g. living hoods).
Own the content and develop the norms for maintaining
electronic holdings.
Find tools to better manage so many diverse sources.
Use consortiums to better manage material limits.
Accept that more subject expertise will probably be
needed and specializations become more common.
Libraries get an A+ for this.
Do everything we’re doing now and keep going.
Career guidance, story times, financial literacy, adult
literacy and on and on and on ….
Stop teaching IT in library schools. We don’t need to know
how to spin up a Virtual Machine (thought it’s fine if you do
know).
Teach XML and RDA and where they’ll intersect.
Teach signaling and search algorithms and human searching
behavior.
Teach to read people for reference interviews and how binary
logic works.
If this sounds like an argument for fighting to keep
traditional libraries – in many ways it is. We need to
embrace change, even radical change, but we also can
fight the entropy inherit in unguided change. We need to
update our media and mediums but there is nothing wrong
with our values.