Are You Feeling The Pressure?
The Ratcheting Up of Academic Library Technology
Steven Bell, Associate University Librarian
Temple University
Tampa Bay Library Consortium
February 1, 2008
Four Parts To This Workshop
• Technology trends, change and the rachet
• Strategies for technology adoption in library
organizations
• Creating better library user experiences
• Keeping up with technology
Part I
• Technology trends
• Technology change
• The technology ratchet
Forces of Change
Librarians
Demographics
InstitutionPolicy
Technology Socio-Econ
Only The Paranoid Survive
Andy Grove, Founder of Intel, wrote this book
about surviving competition and change
Wrote about the “inflection curve”
We have no control over the “forces of
change” but we can control our strategy
Source: BusinessWeek IN Supplement June 11, 2007 http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_24/b4038404.htm
Source: BusinessWeek IN Supplement June 11, 2007 http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_24/b4038405.htm
Source: Sharing, Privacy and Trust in Our Networked World, OCLC, 2007
Source: Sharing, Privacy and Trust in Our Networked World, OCLC, 2007
From: Curran, Murray and Christian. “Taking the information to the public through Library 2.0.” Library Hi-Tech
Vol. 25. No. 2, 2007 pp288-297.
The Ratchet Metaphor
1.What is a ratchet?
2. Think of it as a spiral – pressure
increases on the center
Technology Ratchet
What Technologies Make You Feel
Pressured?
• Web Technologies • blogs, wikis, rss, aggregators, social collaboration
tools, social networks, flickr, tagging, folksonomies,
gaming, podcasts…
• Library Technologies• link resolvers, federated search, institutional
repositories, open worldcat…
• Academic Technologies• courseware, hardware/software, learning objects
screencasting…
Part II
• Strategies for technology adoption
• Bandwagon jumping and shiny toys
• Tips for technology adoption
• A thoughtful approach - design change
Technology Implementation
Wiki Case Study1. Identify problem – possible solutions
2. Wiki identified as technology with potential
3. Learn more about wikis
4. Practice editing a wiki
5. Obtain a wiki account for experimentation
6. Show staff but allow time for acceptance
7. Identify compassionate pioneer
8. Allow pioneer to experiment and discover
9. Develop strategy for implementation
10. Incorporate staff training/learning
11. Implement
12. Evaluation
Reverse The Technology Ratchet
Consider the opportunity costs
Balance experimentation (play) and investment of time
Pick your edge – lead or trail
Identify your compassionate pioneers
Reverse mentoring
Make a plan and let it guide – but there are exceptions
• Creating better library user experiences
• UX Trends
• The experience economy
• The design approach
Part III
The Age of User Experience
What Defines It?
• Make it simple
• Complexity/Confusion are
deal breakers
• If you have to learn it – we
have a problem
• Good design is critical
• Features get used if they
provide a good user experience
Source: EWeek.com - http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1914495,00.asp
• Simple
• Satisfies instant
gratification
• No unnecessary
features
• Millennial seal of
approval
• Complex
• Takes time to learn
• Many features
• Added value
• Better quality
• Personalized help
Google Experience vs. Library Experience
GOOGLE LIBRARY
Simplicity – Complexity Conundrum – how to resolve
the tension between the two yet encourage quality
research and education
What Do Libraries Offer?
Fear of Complexity
Designing A Better Experience
The Experience Economy
• Book about designing user experiences
• Moving from commodities to experiences
• Make it memorable
• It has to work
Word Association
What comes to your mind when you hear the word
DESIGN
Question
Do you think librarians are
designers?
Yes or No
What is Design Anyway?
What They Have in Common
The Design Approach!
empathic thinking
identifying the problem before the solution
brainstorming process
prototyping process
formative/summative evaluation
• Identify the problem before the solution
• Understand the users
•Work creatively to identify and develop the solution
• Bottom Line – it’s how designers approach challenges
Key Points:
Design Thinking
• Approaching library problems the way designers approach design problems.
• “Librarianship by Design” draws mostly from
instructional design for influence
• How is it different?
– Thoughtful process to create new services
– Integrates needs assessment and evaluation
– User-centered not technology-driven
Thinking Like A Designer
Stage 1
Reflect, Analyze,
Diagnose & Describe
Stage 2
Imagine &
Visualize
Stage 3
Model, Plan &
Prototype
Stage 4
Action &
Implementation
DT vs ISD
• In what ways are design thinking and instructional systems design similar
• Compare ADDIE and the IDEO Method
ADDIE IDEO
Analysis Understand/Observe
Design/Develop Visualize/Brainstorm
Implement Implement
Evaluate Evaluate/Refine
Design Thinking
• Empathic Design
• Prototyping process
• Formative and summative evalution
•Design for local audiences
• Design for personal experiences
• Design for outcomes not features
• Design for success stories
• Design for user education
Design a Better Library User Experience
Add Your Voice To The Conversation
Discussion / Questions
How might design thinking impact on you?
Do you have a story about a new product or
service where design thinking could have
helped?
What can Steven do to create “sticky”
messages about design thinking?
NOTE: go to http://stevenbell.info/design.htm for a 5 minute video on DT
• Strategies for keeping up and keeping
found things found
• Professional development
• Going beyond librarianship
• Coping with technology change
Part IV
What Are Keep Up Needs
Three Types
1.Databases/Systems – have to learn
new features, interface changes, upgrades;
formal training may be needed.
example – RefWorks, VR systems, etc.
2. New web technologies – social collaboration
tools; learn by playing/experimenting
example – scholar; jing; facebook apps
3. New developments in peripheral fields -
computing; instructional technology
Challenge And Opportunity
Challenge: Time constraints and cost
Opportunity: Use technology to learn
about technology
Leverage Tech For Training
Resources:
WebJunction – discussion lists / online training
Sirsi Dynix - webinars
OPAL – online training
ACRL E-learning
Blended Librarian – webcasts
College of DuPage – Soaring to Excellence DVDs
TBLC Play Days?
Sponsor an online technology summit
Base it on PLCMC’s 23 Days program
Staff development works bests when
library staff are learning together
Opportunity for reverse mentoring
• Keeping up promotes technology awareness and innovation
• Keeping up keeps you “change ready”
• Journals, newsletters, TOC alerts, RSS and aggregators, webcasts, and more
• Develop a personal strategy for personalprofessional development – visit the Keeping Up Web Site for more ideas
Keeping Up With Technology
1. Read Journals – 174
2. Attend Local/Regional Conferences – 149
3. Attend National Conferences – 147
4. Exchange Information With Colleagues – 147
5. Follow a Discussion List – 136
Then:
Regularly Visit a Discipline Specific Website – 77
Read a Discipline Specific Blog – 27
N=174
How Are We Keeping Up?
Less Than 1 Hour Per Week – 21%
1-3 Hours Per Week – 58%
4-6 Hours Per Week – 15%
7-10 Hours Per Week – 4%
10+ Hours Per Week – 2%
N=174
Time Spent On Keeping Up
•Maintain professional skill level
• Stay abreast of new technology and applications
• Follow emerging trends in profession
• Exchange information with colleagues
• Career growth (seek new opportunities)
Rapid technological change demands
that we invest time in keeping up!
Why Keep Up?
• E-Newsletters
• Web Pages (change detection)
• TOC Alerts
• News Aggregators
• Personalized Alert Services
• Organizing What You Find
Key Keeping Up Technologies
• Pay attention to societal/cultural change
• Question how demographic trends will impactlibraries
• Follow recent technology developments and reports for coming innovation
• See Trendwatching.com and others
• If you haven’t yet, start with OCLC’s environmentalscan and other reports of this type.
Get Better At Spotting the Trends
Change: Learn To Evolve
Example One – Jim Carroll’s squirrel experiment
Example Two – David Bishop, retired University
Librarian at Northwestern U.
We’d Like To See Better Research…
And Help Students Take The Right Path…
Final Thoughts
Be open to new technology but resist
pressure to do it all
Allow opportunities for staff development and
time for play
Before you go too far connect new technology
to your library plan
As always, keep up, talk to colleagues, visit
other libraries, share with co-workers
Questions…
Discussion…
The Intersection of BL & DT
What do Blended Librarianship and Design Thinking have in common?
• Similar approach to identifying problems and developing solutions
• Boundary Crossers:
A boundary crosser is someone who blends multiple skills into one
profession. Pink says “while detailed knowledge of a single area (e.g., traditional librarianship) once guaranteed success, today the top rewards go to those who can operate with equal aplomb in starkly different realms.”
• Work collaboratively with others in peripheral professional areas
Organizing What You Find
Sarah Long’s “The Daily Herald” August 13, 2006
David Bishop
Retired University Director
Northwestern University
Mashable.com – waves of technology
