swrls lms " blue sky thinking" keith shell keith.shell@ptfs-europe.com mobile 07595 727357

SWRLSLMS " blue sky thinking"

Keith Shellkeith.shell@ptfs-europe.com

Mobile 07595 727357

“Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.” - Niels Bohr Danish physicist (1885 - 1962)

The only thing limiting what Computer Technology can achieve in the future is “our imagination” - Anon

In just over 40 years

From this To this

Challenges for Libraries• Budget cuts• Competition from other web based services (e.g.

Google, flickr etc.)• Diminishing resources• Storage space• To stay relevant libraries must reach out• There is a changing face of library automation– More and more web technologies– Move towards consortia & shared services

What do users want?• They have increasing expectations• Borrowing books is becoming a smaller part of

what users want from the library its a–Place to hang out–Use a computer–Look up family history & Research

• They want it in “e” format – Tremendous growth in E Book Readers

• They may want it day or night wherever they are• They want access to/from the latest gizmos and

gadgets

Can Libraries afford new and evolving technologies?

Are existing software vendors prepared to make the investment in new software and technology in a

shrinking market?

Open Source funding Open Source Community Development enables• Libraries to achieve goals they would never have the time, financial or staff

resource to achieve on their own.• To achieve goals in a much faster timeframe than the library may be able

to achieve if it worked on its own.• To build new virtual library communities and user groups.• To actively involve and engage the community with the library and its

other users and collections.• To utilising the knowledge, expertise and interest of the community.• To make data discoverable in different ways for a more diverse audience

(e.g. by tagging).• To gain first-hand insight on user desires and the answers to difficult

questions by asking and then listening to the crowd.

The future is Open

Libraries and Open Source Share the same ideals?

– Giving things away– Collaborating– Free access to all – Communities– Benefiting from the generosity of others

It’s not just UK though

PTFS Europe

• Company currently growing at 25% p.a.• Over 60 customers in 12 countries• Plan to recruit further staff before end of 2013• Business is profitable• Focus on matching functionality provided by others

Open Source for Libraries

• Koha LMS• VuFind Resource Discovery• Rebus: list• Cufts ERM• Content Management Solution (WP, Drupal, Jumla)• Evergreen• Kuali Foundation• Dspace

The Future

Quote

• “If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.”― George Bernard Shaw

Evolution of Library Software• Fragmented digital data needs bringing together• Improved Search technology– Books are easy, but what about video, photos or

even touch and smell in the future?• More Graphical Geospatial information, deep linking,

location based services• Mobile devices delivering full range of services• Payment for services via – tablets & phones• Augmented Reality, Gamification

RFID

– RFID tags in everything (including the Fridge)

–When you enter library, library knows about you and your likes and dislikes

– Tailors the experience to suit you

All systems to have mobile capability

• A native app• A mobile theme• Location Based Services

Evolution of Library Software

• Move towards the “cloud” • Increasing need for digital storage– Information still needs storing and there’s even more of it!

• Integration and openness will be key with systems talking to each other

• Finance, LLPG, Student Records, Archives… • Web service API’s will be the key to much of this integration• Cooperation across sectors and with developers

Links

• http://librarygame.co.uk/• http://www.kuali.org/• https://

research.cc.gatech.edu/kharma/content/kharma-framework

• http://demo.koha-ptfs.eu/• http://portal.ptfs-europe.com/

VuFind – Geospatial searching

VuFind – Geospatial searching

VuFind – Geospatial searching

ArchivalWare Geospatial Capabilities

ArchivalWare Geospatial Capabilities

• To some extent it’s all about “Fashion”, "State of the art“

• It might be great developing a Library Facebook app now but in 5 years time will we still be using it?

• Facebook?

The Future

The future of software development is open source whether we like it or not