THE IMPERFECT STORM

THE PROSPECTS FOR SYSTEMIC CHANGEACROSS ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

James G. NealVALE/NJ-ACRL/NJLA-CUS

Annual Conference5 January 2011

2

WHAT ARE THE CORE RESPONSIBILITIESOF THE LIBRARY?

• Information Selection

• Information Acquisition

• Information Synthesis

• Information Navigation

• Information Dissemination

• Information Interpretation

• Information Understanding

• Information Use

• Information Application

• Information Archiving

• In Support of Teaching and Learning

• In Support of Research and Scholarship

3

CHANGING LIBRARY ROLES

• Libraries as Consumers

• Libraries as Intermediaries and Aggregators

• Libraries as Publishers

• Libraries as Educators

• Libraries as R&D Organizations

• Libraries as Entrepreneurs

• Libraries as Policy Advocates

4

THE SHIFTING VISION OF THE LIBRARY

• Legacy

• Infrastructure

• Repository

• Portal

• Enterprise

• Public Interest

5

TREND #1

CUSTOMIZATION/PERSONAL WEB

RAPIDLY SHIFTING USER BEHAVIORS AND EXPECTATIONS

SOCIAL NETWORKINGCOLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE

NEW LITERACIES

6

WHO ARE OUR USERS?

• Students (diversity abounds)

• Faculty (expectations galore)

• Researchers (tribal differences)

• Administration (the bottom line)

• Community (local politics)

• Working Professionals (practical applications)

• Alumni and Donors (largely ignored)

• World on the Web (the new majority)

7

WHERE DO WE INTERSECT WITH USERS?

• Physical Spaces

• Web Spaces

• Collections

• Services

• Applications

• Technologies

• Classroom

• Laboratory

• Bedside

• Collaborations

• Anyone

• Anywhere

• Anytime

• Anyhow

8

RESPOND TO USER EXPECTATIONS

• Content

• Access

• Convenience

• New Capabilities

• Cost Reduction

• Participation

• Individual Productivity

• Individual Control

• Organizational Productivity

9

EMBRACE THE “HUMAN” OBJECTIVES

• Success (turn out well, attain desired end)

• Happiness (well-being and contentment)

• Productivity (achieving results or benefits)

• Progress (forward movement or betterment)

• Relationships (personal connections or attachments)

• Experiences (observation or participation)

• Impact (significant effect)

10

TREND #2

• AUTOMATE OLD WORKFLOWS• SHALLOW EXPERTISE• NEW COMBINATIONS• RESISTANCE TO OUTSOURCING

REDUNDANT INEFFICIENT LIBRARY OPERATIONS

11

TREND #3

AGING AND INEFFECTIVESERVICE PARADIGMS

DISCOVERY FAILURES

USER ALTERNATIVES

SAGE AT THE DESK

12

TREND #4

POLYCENTRISM

DISCONNECTED AND UNEVENLIBRARY DEVELOPMENT

WEAK PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATIONSYSTEMS AND FORUMS

13

TREND #5

MUTABILITY

CONSTANT CHANGE

HYBRID STRUCTURES

MAVERICK STRATEGIES

14

PLANNING AND TRANSFORMATION

• Too much planning and too little strategic thinking.

• Existing structures and processes built for slower pace of change.

• Academic program planning not linked to institutional strategic planning.

• Resource allocations not linked to strategies.

• Planning cycles expenditure-based rather than strategic.

15

BUILD NEW ORGANIZATIONAL MODELS

• Conventional Administrative Hierarchyand

Academic Governancy/Bureaucracy

• Centralized Planning and Resource Allocation Systemsand

Loosely Coupled Academic Structuresand

Maverick Units and Entrepreneurial Enterprises

16

TREND #6

NEW ECONOMIC CONTEXT

HOW DO WE RESPOND TO

SMALLER BUDGETS

REDUCED PURCHASING POWER

LESS POLITICAL SUPPORT

COMPETITION FOR RESOURCES

17

THE PROSPECTS FOR CHANGE IN LIBRARIES

• Defensive Diversification• Receivership• Doing Less with Less• Expense Reductions• Doing More with Less• Entrepreneurship• Structural Change• Repositioning

18

DEVELOP NEW RESOURCESFUNDING STRATEGIES

• Operating Budget Reallocation

• New Operational Resources

• External Fundraising

• Research/Service Grants

• Co-Investment

• Public/Private Partnerships

• Technology Transfer

• Entrepreneurial/New Business Development

19

TREND #7

ACCOUNTABILITY/ASSESSMENT

HOW DO WE KNOW?

IF WE ARE ADVANCING INSTITUTIONAL GOALS

SUPPORTING USER OBJECTIVES

SERVING NATIONAL INTERESTS

20

PREPARE FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND ASSESSMENT

• Institutional Expectations

• Government/Funder Mandate

• Measures Of User Satisfaction

• Measures Of Market Penetration

• Measures Of Success

• Measures Of Impact

• Measures Of Cost Effectiveness

• System Design For Usability

21

TREND #8

ACCELERATION OF COLLECTIVEINNOVATION

APPS REVOLUTION

ENTREPENEURIAL IMPERATIVE

22

TREND #9

GEO-EVERYTHING

GEO-LOCATION

GEO-TAGGING

GIS/MOBILE APPLICATIONS

SMART OBJECTS/SPACES

23

TREND #10

SCALE AND NETWORK EFFECTSTHROUGH AGGREGATION

MOVING OPERATIONS AND SERVICESTO THE CLOUD

24

TREND #11

COMMON SHARED RESOURCESFOCUS ON UNIQUE RESOURCES

FUTURE OF COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT

LIE OF COORDINATION

LICENSING OF CONTENT

WEB ROT AND FUTURE OF SCHOLARSHIP

GOLDEN AGE OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

25

BUILD THE DIGITAL LIBRARYQUALITY = CONTENT + FUNCTIONALITY

• Published/Licensed Content

• Primary Content

• Open Web Content

• Institutional Content

• Multimedia Content

• Integrated Services

• Software Tools

26

PRESERVE AND ARCHIVE THE CONTENT

• Archive as Repository HOLD• Archive as Persistence ACCESS• Archive as Curation SECURE• Archive as Steward CARE

• Analog

• Digital Conversion

• Born Digital

• Disaster Preparedness

27

TREND #12

NEW MAJORITY LEARNER

EPISODIC

DISTANT

OTHER-DIRECTED

CAREER-FOCUSED

28

ENHANCE THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE

• Technology Ubiquity

• Point-of-Need Information

• Web-based Services

• Technology Sandbox

• Privacy Space

• Social Success

• Support Services

• Information Fluency

• Post-graduate Access

• Career Assistance

29

TREND #13

OPENNESS

OPEN ARCHITECTURE OPEN DATAOPEN DESIGN OPEN

SOURCEOPEN KNOWLEDGE OPEN

ACCESS

30

TREND #14DEFORMALISM AND DESTRUCTURING

OF SCHOLARSHIP

OPEN ACCESS

FUTURE OF SCHOLARLY MONOGRAPH

WEB COMMUNICATION

RESPOSITORY MOVEMENT

SCHOLARLY REVIEW

31

ADVANCE THE REPOSITORY MOVEMENT

• Discipline Repositories

• Institutional Repositories

• Departmental/School Repositories

• Individual Repositories

• Government Repositories

• National Repositories

• Publisher Repositories

32

TREND #15

ADVANCING FROM KUMBAYATO RADICAL COLLABORATION

33

FORUMS FOR COOPERATION

• Library Systems

• Local and Regional Cooperation

• State Projects

• Multi-State Projects

• National Consortia/Projects

• International Partnerships

• Researcher Collaboration

• Publisher Collaboration

• Collaboration with TechnologyOrganizations

• Corporate Partnerships

• Business Partnerships

REACHING OUT TO CULTURAL COMMUNITY

PROMOTING NEW COMBINATIONS THRU PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS

34

ARENAS FOR COLLABORATION

• Centers for Excellence

• Mass Production

• New Infrastructure

• New Initiatives

Quality/Productivity/Innovation

35

RADICAL COLLABORATIONSOME REQUIREMENTS

• Bi- and Tri-Lateral Combinations• Sustainability/Business Plan• Legal Framework• Governance Structure• Risk Capital• Competitive Spirit

36

SYSTEMIC CHANGE #1

LAST COPY PRINTREPOSITORY NETWORK

HOW MANY?

WHERE?

WHAT REQUIREMENTS?

SPACE IMPACTS

SERVICE IMPACTS

37

CLOUD LIBRARY PROJECT• Print Repository

Research Collection and Preservation Consortium

• Digital RepositoryHathi Trust

• Digital SurrogateGoogle Books Public Domain Content

• Research Library User Services/Collection ManagementNew York University Libraries

38

CLOUD LIBRARY PROJECT• Aggregate Collection Analysis/Overlap Study

• Library Risk Assessment

• Service Requirements/Expectations

• Model Service Agreements

• Business Models/Implementation Plan

39

SYSTEMIC CHANGE #2

NATIONAL PUBLIC DIGITAL LIBRARY

MASS DIGITIZATION

PROJECT DIGITIZATION

BORN DIGITAL

KNOWLEDGE COMMONS

DOT-LIB DOMAIN

40

SYSTEMIC CHANGE #3

NATIONAL CONTENT LICENSING PROGRAM

OPEN ACCESS AGENDA

PRICE

TERMS

STANDARDS

41

SYSTEMIC CHANGE #4

WEB SITE AND WEB DOCUMENTCAPTURE/CURATION/ARCHIVING

WHAT ABOUT INTERNET ARCHIVE?

DOCUMENTING EVERYTHING?

WRITING HISTORY

SCHOLARSHIP UNDERMINED

42

SYSTEMIC CHANGE #5E-RESEARCH CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE

RESEARCH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

RESEARCHER SOLUTIONS

GOVERNMENT FUNDING

VENDOR INITIATIVES

LIBRARY ROLE

43

SUPPORT THE NEEDS OF BIG SCIENCE

• Federal Mandate

• Massive Data

• Unstructured Data/Curation

• Extraction

• Distribution

• Collaboration

• Visualization

• Simulation

44

SYSTEMIC CHANGE #6

GLOBAL RESOURCES NETWORK

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION

FOREIGN ACQUISITIONS

LANGUAGE CATALOGING

GLOBAL EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

GLOBAL WEB

45

SYSTEMIC CHANGE #7

REGIONAL NETWORK OF LIBRARY SERVICE AGENCIES

CATALOGING

PRESERVATION

DIGITIZATION

46

SYSTEMIC CHANGE #8

INFORMATION MANAGEMENTAPPS ENTERPRISE

NATIONAL LIBRARY PROGRAM

WHO DEFINES INFORMATION DISCOVERY USE AND APPLICATION?

47

SYSTEMIC CHANGE #9

LIBRARY RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENTPROGRAM AND CONSORTIUM

INFORMATION POOR INFORMATION PROFESSION

DATA-DRIVEN DECISION MAKING

48

SETTING THE R&D AGENDA

INDIVIDUAL PROFESSIONAL INTEREST IMPORTANCE

R&DAGENDA

ORGANIZATIONAL NATIONAL PRIORITY NEED

49

THE R&D ENTERPRISE IN THE LIBRARY

• New Knowledge Creation• Laboratory for Experimentation• Magnet for New Skills/Capabilities• Venue for Faculty Collaboration• Venue for Corporate Collaboration• Solve Library Problems• Solve Information Problems• Solve Technology Problems

50

THE R&D ENTERPRISE IN THE LIBRARY

• Potential for Capitalization/Technology Transfer

• Foundation and Federal Funding

• Library Credibility and Visibility

• Support for Decision Making

• Organizational Culture

• Digital Library Program Development

• Organizational Risks

51

SYSTEMIC CHANGE #10

COORDINATED MARKETINGAND QUALITY ASSESSMENT

INSANITY OF ROI

DEFINING AND DOCUMENTING VALUE

52

SYSTEMIC CHANGE #11

NEW STANDARDS FORACADEMIC LIBRARY SPACE

THE TROMPE L’OEIL LIBRARY

LEARNING SPACE

SOCIAL SPACE

COLLABORATIVE SPACE

FLEXIBILITY AND ADAPTABILITY

53

SOME QUESTIONS ABOUTCONCEPTION AND APPLICATION OF SPACE

__________________________

1. Why do individuals enter a space?

MOTIVATION/OBJECTIVE

2. How do individuals navigate a space?

TRANSPORTATION/CIRCULATION

3. How do individuals use a space?

EXPERIENCE/PRODUCTIVITY

4. What is balance among FUNCTION, USABILITY

and AESTHETICS?

54

SOME QUESTIONS ABOUTCONCEPTION AND APPLICATION OF SPACE

__________________________

5. How do individuals relate to each other?

PRIVATE/COLLABORATIVE/PUBLIC

6. What is the symbolic role of space?

EMOTIONAL/SPIRITUAL

7. How does a space reflect/advance larger organization?

MISSION/SUCCESS/FEEL

8. How does a space enable FLEXIBILITY

and ADAPTABILITY?

55

SOME NEW GUIDELINESFOR FUTURE PLANNING AND DESIGN

OF LIBRARY SPACE

1. Focus less on statistical and operational formulas.

2. Focus more on diversity of need and personal

adaptability/customization.

3. Design for the agile rather than the static.

4. Start with the user and not the collection.

5. Start with the technology and not with the staff.

56

SOME NEW GUIDELINESFOR FUTURE PLANNING AND DESIGN

OF LIBRARY SPACE

6. Bring the classroom into the library.

7. Bring the academy into the library.

8. Conceive the library five years ahead.

9. Think more about playground and less about sanctuary.

10. Prepare for anxiety, disruption and chaos.

57

SYSTEMIC CHANGE #12

INFORMATION LITERACYSTOP THE MADNESS

ACADEMIC CRUTCH

WHAT DIFFERENCE DO WE MAKE?

CAN INFORMATION LITERACY ACTUALLY BE TAUGHT?

BETTER TO INVEST IN MARKETING AND ACADEMIC INTEGRATION

58

SYSTEMIC CHANGE #13

MULTIPLE PATHS TOACADEMIC LIBRARY WORK

FUTURE OF MLS

MANDATORY CE/CERTIFICATION

59

EXPECTATIONS FOR THE INFORMATIONAL PROFESSIONAL

• Commitment to Rigor• Commitment to Research and Development• Commitment to Assessment and Evaluation• Communication and Marketing Skills• Political Engagement• Project Development and Management Skills• Entrepreneurial Spirit• Commitment to Collaboration• Resource Development Skills• Leadership/Inspirational Capacity• Deep Subject or Technical Expertise• Deep Service Commitment

60

SYSTEMIC CHANGE #14

CREATE LIBRARY PACPOLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE

POLITICAL CANDIDATE SUPPORT

SUPPORT/OPPOSE LEGISLATION

61

ADVOCATE THE INFORMATION POLICY AGENDA

• INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM

• PRIVACY

• CIVIL LIBERTIES

• EDUCATION PROGRAMS

• RESEARCH PROGRAMS

• INTERNET DEVELOPMENT

• TELECOMMUNICATIONS

• GOVERNMENT INFORMATION

• APPROPRIATIONS

• WORKFORCE POLICY

• FIGHTING THE COPYRIGHT WARS

HOPE/POWER/ACTION THROUGH COLLABORATION

62

ACADEMIC LIBRARY DEVELOPMENT

-1950 Period of EXCLUSIVITY1950-1970 Period of POPULARIZATION1970-1990 Period of DISCORD1990-2010 Period of DECADENCE2010-2020 Period of PARABIOSIS2020- Period of PARTICULARISM

63

HOW DO WE FEEL?• Anxious - an abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear

• Disrupted - interruption of normal course or unity, thrown into disorder

• Chaotic - state of utter confusion, unpredictability in the behavior of complex systems

“Our age of anxiety is, in great part, the result of trying to do today’s jobs with yesterday’s tools.”

Marshall McCluhan

“One of the litmus tests is that a disruptive technology enables a larger population of less skilled people to do things that historically only an expert could.”

Clayton ChristensenThe Innovator’s Dilemma

“Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit.”Education of Henry Adams