Environment and people

1. Environment and people Lorcan Dempsey The academic library: dinosaur or phoenix Chinese University of Hong Kong April 12 2007

4. environment • Workflow: getting things done • The network is inside • Attention is scarce • The long tail: aggregating supply and demand to drive deeper use

5. Workflow: getting things done

6. ~18 months old No FaceBook, MySpace Library?

7. Facebook 20% traffic by hits 85% of students ‘Shared space’ to ‘organize their social lives’ Email ‘formal’ Streaming radio, joost, skype, world of warcraft Traffic by volume Dailymotion Veoh YouTube Rapidshare Uploading.com University of Bristol:Student use of the network Martin Poulter, Ancient geeks

8. ... students say they want video podcasts, or failing that audio, of their lecturers. They don’t want less personal contact with teaching staff, but they want to be able to catch up with lectures on a video iPod on the train.

9. University of Minnesota http://www.lib.umn.edu/about/mellon/KM%20JStor%20Presentation.pps

10. Self assembled digital identity Prefabricated (e.g. CMS) Database > website > workflow Getting things done

11. Workflow • Then • Users built workflow around the library • Now • The library must build its services around user workflow Get into the flow Disclose into other environments

16. This is important because … … the network is inside what we do

17. scholarly information flow? Discovery, harvesting Discovery,linking,embedding aggregators Harvesting data analysis, transformation, mining,modeling learning object creation, re-use Learning & teaching Research & e-science Deposit,self archiving Deposit,self archiving Repositories Validation Publish, discovery Discovery,linking,embedding Data creation, capture and gathering:lab experiments, fieldwork, surveys, grids, media, … peer-reviewed journals,conferences, … Courses, modules, Learning management systems, learning portals, … Adapted with permission from Liz LyonseBank UK: Building the links between research data, scholarly communication and learning. Ariadne 36, 2003. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue36/lyon/ A&I services

18. scholarly information flow? Discovery, harvesting Discovery,linking,embedding aggregators Harvesting data analysis, transformation, mining,modeling learning object creation, re-use Learning & teaching Research & e-science Deposit,self archiving Deposit,self archiving Repositories Validation Publish, discovery Discovery,linking,embedding Data creation, capture and gathering:lab experiments, fieldwork, surveys, grids, media, … peer-reviewed journals,conferences, … Courses, modules, Learning management systems, learning portals, … Adapted with permission from Liz LyonseBank UK: Building the links between research data, scholarly communication and learning. Ariadne 36, 2003. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue36/lyon/ A&I services

19. scholarly information flow? Discovery, harvesting Discovery,linking,embedding aggregators Harvesting data analysis, transformation, mining,modeling learning object creation, re-use Learning & teaching Research & e-science Deposit,self archiving Deposit,self archiving Repositories Validation Publish, discovery Discovery,linking,embedding Data creation, capture and gathering:lab experiments, fieldwork, surveys, grids, media, … peer-reviewed journals,conferences, … Courses, modules, Learning management systems, learning portals, … Adapted with permission from Liz LyonseBank UK: Building the links between research data, scholarly communication and learning. Ariadne 36, 2003. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue36/lyon/ A&I services

20. Redundant "At one extreme the need for a library becomes superfluous - at its simplest this might be categorized as 'I've got Google, what do I need a library for?'" [p. 67] Necessary materials are loaded into the VLE, and it points to other resources out on the open web. Central The library mediates access to content within the VLE, providing value in selection, purposing to particular tasks, metasearch and so on. Course management:a reductive comparison “The relationship between VLEs and library systems reflects the changes in practice and internal politics wrought by the advent of e-learning perhaps more than any of the other systems. There is a sense in which the very identity of libraries and their function in the educational process is at stake.” [p. 67] Virtual learning environments : using, choosing and developing your VLE by Martin Weller

21. Workflow support Network inside The network concentrates and disperses

22. Network environment • Small: everybody is a publisher • Big: Gravitational hubs are characteristic of the network environment

23. Impact? The long tail Systemwide efficiences • Aggregation of supply • Unified discovery • Low transaction costs • Aggregation of demand • Mobilize users • Brand

24. But the global library resource is diffused across thousands of locations … • Limited aggregation of supply at network level: • Fragmented discovery • Management data not used • High transaction costs – find it/get it • Fragmented inventory/shipping • Limited aggregation of demand at network level: • Difficult to mobilize a large number of users • Not projected into user environments • Weak brand Leads to weak gravitational pull and low network visibility for libraries and library collections

25. Chris Beckett http://www.scholinfo.com/presentations/2006/8/10/the-new-world-order-in-collection-development-the-commercial-perspective.html

26. Concentration? Discovery to delivery Offsite storage? Preservation? Repository? Virtual reference?

29. Workflow support Network inside The network concentrates and disperses Attention is scarce

30. What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it. Herbert Simon

31. Attention • Then • Resources scarce, attention abundant • Now • Attention scarce, resources abundant Competition for attention

32. So …

33. Then: Vertically integrated around collection Now: Create value in different ways Manage assets to improve the quality of research and learning Position in relation to a networked environment Space Expertise Collections Systems and services Responses

34. Place Space infused with value How has the value changed with changing research and learning practices? Space Opportunity costs Valuable real estate Growing pressure in many environments Place and space • High value use of place • Create new spaces in network environment

35. Collections stewardship high low • Books • Journals • Newspapers • Gov. docs • CD, DVD • Maps • Scores • Freely-accessible web resources • Open source software • Newsgroup archives low uniqueness • Research and learning materials • ePrints/tech reports • Learning objects • Courseware • E-portfolios • Research data • Special collections • Rare books • Local/Historical newspapers • Local history materials • Archives & Manuscripts, theses & dissertations high

36. Ingest into local collections? • Print collections • Storage, digitization, … • ERM • Knowledge bases New behaviors and support for research and learning Digital ‘record’ more important(prospectus, course catalog, student records) Make unique materials available on the web.

37. Systems and services User environment Metasearch Resolver Catalog Repositories … Digitized Research&learning outputs Licensed Print ERM Knowledgebase … Repositories … ILS Management environment

38. User environment … Management environment

39. Network level workflow Google, … Integrated local user environment? Library web presence Resource sharing, … Personal Workflow RSS, toolbars, .. Institutional Workflow Portals, CMS, IR, … … library User environments Management environment Bought Licensed Faculty& students Digitized Aggregations Resource sharing

40. Focus more clearly moving from collection to supporting research, learning and personal development in a network environment? Developing network presence Visible and invisible Developing high value social spaces Supporting research and learning behaviors (see Minnesota study) Educational role in relation to scholarly communication, assessment of sources, … Separation of information role from local collection? Expertise

41. For many years, Chinese people cited a proverb: if the wine smells really wonderful, customers will come in spite of the length of the lane.