The Library Environment 2020

Stephen Abram, MLSColumbus Metropolitan Library

Columbus, OH Mar. 2, 2011

What I Read (quickly) . . .

Columbus-centered Region wants: Retain current businesses & employers Attract new businesses & employers Leverage its research assets Support civic infrastructure

Goals by 2020: 180,000 new jobsIncrease personal income 40% ($15,000) $25-35 million in new investment $10 billion in capital investment Note: 20% of workforce is in 40 employers Regionally very low economic development budgets & VC

What I Read . . .

ColumbusML Region Issues The Threat to Reading The Threat to Education

K-12 7-12 Higher Ed Continuing Ed / Distance Ed

The Economic Threat From higher levels of government and tax base From national and international economic trends

Ohio Scores 2009

CML Focus

Transformational Focus on: Young Minds Economic Development Power Users Staff Capacity and Engagement

Questions for Today

1. Is this the end of libraries as we know them?2. Whither learning, community, support?3. What is the role for librarians and all types of

libraries in our info-future?4. What are the key challenges?

Book-centric core service is mutating very quickly The world of answers is shifting radically Web-centric world is moving mobile and personal very

quickly Learning fundamentals have changed Massive, global economic shift to knowledge economy

We Only Get So Many Once-in-a-Lifetime

Chances To Do Great Things

5 Dysfunction

s of Librarianshi

p

Seeing Our

Users as

Readers

StrivingFor

Perfect

LookingOnly to

TechnologyFor

Solutions

We’reStill

A BigSecret

SleepyLion

Syndrome

What has changed?

Libraries at the heart of the community is no longer just physical

Libraries as whole school partners Physical access and basic reading evolves to

intellectual access with new competencies Libraries at the heart of the campus Students are focused at the lesson and event

(essay, test, exam) level

Skip to the End: Why listen to me?

School libraries raise standardized test scores 15-25%!

School library / Public library partnerships increase scores 5% plus!

Libraries and information content and technology leadership are critical to Higher Ed

Communities with libraries as an investment receive very high ROI – average 650%!

There are more libraries than McDonalds & Starbucks combined with better distribution and staffing models for government services

Chefs, counsellors, teachers, magicians

Librarians play a vital role in building the critical connections between

information , knowledge and learning.

The Elephant in the Room

Very Big Secret

A few strategies to consider

Knowledge Portals Understand the goal (i.e. success, learning,

confidence, stress reduction, ...) Understand the User Experience

Psychographics, Personas, Satisfaction Alignment with Curriculum

21st Century Learning, State & National Standards Combine Technology with User Segments

e.g. Mobile with Moms, Social Media with Teens, etc.

Change can happen very fast

Sensemaking

Emboldened Librarians hold the key

GOOG

The nasty facts about Google &

Bing and consumer search:

SEOContent Farms

Advertiser drivenGeotagging

End of Aggregation

Grocery Stores

Grocery Stores

Cookbooks, Chefs . . .

Cookbooks, Chefs . . .

Meals

Grocery Stores

Books

MindMap: What is a book?

1. Reading2. Learning3. Pedagogy4. Research5. Exploration6. Reference7. Engagement8. Enjoyment9. Evaluation

What does all this mean?

The Article / Object level universe The Chapter, Paragraph, Scene, Clip Universe Integrated with Visuals – graphics and charts Integrated with ‘video’ Integrated with Sound and Speech Integrated with social web and collaboration Integrated with interaction and not just

interactivity How would you enhance a book?

News Flash “The Internet and technology have now

progressed to their infancy”

KnowledgePortals

The new bibliography and

collection development

KNOWLEDGEPORTALS

KNOWLEDGE,LEARNING,

INFORMATION &RESEARCHCOMMONS

Steal This Idea

StrategicAnalytics

What We Never Really Knew Before (US/Canada)

27% of our users are under 18. 59% are female.

29% are college students. 5% are professors and 6% are teachers.

On any given day, 35% of our users are there for the very first time!

Only 29% found the databases via the library website. 59% found what they were looking for on their first search.

72% trusted our content more than Google. But, 81% still use Google.

We often believe a lot

that isn’t true.

2010 Eduventures Research on Investments

58% of instructors believe that technology in courses positively impacts student engagement. 71% of instructors that rated student engagement levels as “high” as a result of using technology in

courses. 71% of students who are employed full-time and 77% of students who are employed part-time

prefer more technology-based tools in the classroom. 79% of instructors and 86 percent of students have seen the average level of engagement improve

over the last year as they have increased their use of digital educational tools. 87% of students believe online libraries and databases have had the most significant impact on

their overall learning. 62% identify blogs, wikis, and other online authoring tools while 59% identify YouTube and

recorded lectures. E-books and e-textbooks impact overall learning among 50% of students surveyed, while 42% of

students identify online portals. 44% of instructors believe that online libraries and databases will have the greatest impact on

student engagement. 32% of instructors identify e-textbooks and 30% identify interactive homework solutions as having

the potential to improve engagement and learning outcomes. (e-readers was 11%) 49% of students believe that online libraries and databases will have the greatest impact on

student engagement. Students are more optimistic about the potential for technology.

What do we need to know?

How do library databases and virtual services compare with other web experiences?

Who are our core virtual users? Are there gaps? Does learning happen? How about discovery? What are user expectations for true satisfaction? How does library search compare to consumer

search like Google and retail or government? How do people find and connect with library virtual

services? Are end users being successful in their POV? Are they happy? Will they come back? Tell a friend?

Data Opportunity

Top Reference Questions (See Gale Survey Tool) Top detailed searches on you databases (Gale) User satisfaction with databases (Foresee) Website traffic (Google Analytics from Gale ...)

OPAC usage data (Collections vs. traffic)

Visibly Tie to Strategic Outcomes

Health and Wellness / Community Health / Nutrition / Diet / RecoveryDIY Do It Yourself Activities and Car Repair

GenealogyTest prep (SAT, ACT, occupational tests, etc. etc.)

Legal Questions (including family law, divorce, adoption, etc)Hobbies, Games and Gardening

Local HistoryConsumer reviews (Choosing a car, appliance, etc.)

Homework Help (grade school)Technology Skills (software, hardware, web)

Government Programs, Services and TaxationSelf-help/personal development

Careers (jobs, counseling, etc.)Reading Choices and recommendations, books & authors

Travel and Vacation, Tourism SupportSupporting College credits, Distance Education, and Adult Continuing Education

Personal Finance and Investments / Financial LiteracyReligion and spirituality

Retirement and Seniors ServicesGeneral Reference / Quick Answer Questions (e.g. telephone numbers, addresses, definitions, locations, library hours and services, etc.)

Coming to America or our Community (Immigration, Moving)Book Clubs / Community Reading / Summer Reading

Business. Leadership and ManagementParenting and Child Development

Adult Literacy / ESLEntrepreneurship and Consulting

Small and Medium-sized Business SupportWorld Cultures/Understanding Our World

History Studies (Civil War, WW2, etc.)Choosing a School, Program/Degree, College or University / College Planning

Finding People / Biographies

0.00 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80 1.00 1.20

Relative Patron Interest in Various Areas

The Baker’s Dozen

1. Health and Wellness / Community Health / Nutrition / Diet / Recovery 2. DIY Do It Yourself Activities and Car Repair 3. Genealogy 4. Test prep (SAT, ACT, occupational tests, etc. etc.) 5. Legal Questions (including family law, divorce, adoption, etc) 6. Hobbies, Games and Gardening 7. Local History 8. Consumer reviews (Choosing a car, appliance, etc.) 9. Homework Help (grade school) 10. Technology Skills (software, hardware, web) 11. Government Programs, Services and Taxation 12. Self-help/personal development 13. Careers (jobs, counselling, etc.)

Hobbies and Gardening

Consumer reviews (choosing a car, appliance, etc.)

Health and Wellness / Community Health / Nutrition / Diet / Recovery

Local History

Homework Help (grade school)

DIY Do It Yourself Activities and Car Repair

Genealogy

Legal Questions (including family law, divorce, adoption, etc)

Test prep (SAT, ACT, occupational tests, etc.)

Technology Skills (software, hardware, Internet/web)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

88.3%

83.1%

81.7%

75.9%

72.9%

67.8%

60.0%

60.0%

58.3%

51.7%

10.0%

15.3%

16.7%

22.4%

25.4%

30.5%

31.7%

35.0%

41.7%

48.3%

1.7%

1.7%

1.7%

1.7%

1.7%

1.7%

8.3%

5.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Resource Levels for Top Ten Areas of Patron Interest (Question 1)

EnoughNot EnoughNot Applicable

History

/ Socia

l Studies

Scien

ce / S

cience

fairs)

Biographies

Litera

ture

Speci

al Ev

ents

(Black (

or Hisp

anic,

Asian, N

ative

American

) Hist

ory Month)

Women

’s Studies

Religio

n0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

45.0% 46.7% 46.7%32.2% 33.3%

5.2% 3.4%

43.3% 38.3% 38.3%

42.4% 35.0%

12.1% 11.9%

10.0% 13.3% 13.3%22.0%

20.0%

22.4%39.0%

1.7% 1.7% 1.7% 1.7%11.7%

56.9%

44.1%

0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1.7% 3.4% 1.7%

Student Homework Support - Level of Requests by Area

N/ANot at all CommonSlightly CommonCommonVery Common

Euro

pe

Middle Ea

st

United Kingd

omAfri

ca

World

Cultures

/Unders

tanding O

ur World

Australi

a /New

Zeala

nd

China / Fa

r East Asia

Easte

rn Eu

rope

Latin Ameri

ca

India / P

akist

an

Cuba & Cari

bbean

Russia

Asia Paci

fic0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

18.97% 20.00%

6.90% 8.62%14.04%

1.72% 5.00%10.53%

1.89% 3.39% 6.90%0.00% 0.00% 1.69%

39.66% 38.33%

37.93% 32.76% 22.81%

24.14% 20.00%14.04%

18.87% 16.95% 10.34%15.25% 13.79% 8.47%

34.48%28.33%

36.21% 41.38% 47.37%

56.90%50.00%

57.89%

49.06%55.93%

51.72% 52.54%46.55%

45.76%

6.90%11.67% 18.97% 17.24% 14.04% 17.24%

23.33%17.54%

28.30%22.03%

31.03% 30.51%39.66%

42.37%

0.00% 1.67% 0.00% 0.00% 1.75% 0.00% 1.67% 0.00% 1.89% 1.69% 0.00% 1.69% 0.00% 1.69%

Areas of World Which Generate Most Questions

N/ANot at all PopularSlightly PopularPopularVery Popular

Gardening (L)Knitting & Needlecrafts (P)Knitting & Needlecrafts (L)

Arts & Crafts (P)Arts & Crafts (L)

Television Shows (P)Television Shows (L)

Gardening (P)Computers (L)

Pets (P)Pets (L)

Music (P)Traveling, Tourism & Vacations (L)Traveling, Tourism & Vacations (P)

Exercise, Cycling & Walking (L)Exercise, Cycling & Walking (P)

Movies & Film (L)Movies & Film (P)

Cooking & Recipes (L)Computers (P)

Music (L)Cooking & Recipes (P)

Recreational Reading (L)Recreational Reading (P)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Top 12 Hobbies - Patrons (P) & Librarians (L)

0

7171 42 42 25

34

4035

17

3342

19

39

26 915

30 30

48

41

3033

59

37

30

59

30

48

6562

18 18 17 14 1822 14

1718

7

21 16

1010

Top-Level BenchmarksGale-Cengage Browse Survey

August 01, 2010 - August 31, 2010

Stephen Abram, MLS, FSLAVP strategic partnerships and markets

Cengage Learning (Gale)Cel: 416-669-4855

stephen.abram@cengage.comStephen’s Lighthouse Blog

http://stephenslighthouse.comFacebook: Stephen Abram

LinkedIn / Plaxo: Stephen AbramTwitter: sabram

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