The Ultra-Relevant

LibraryTHE NINJAS

What is the Future of Libraries?

Libraries Are Struggling to Stay Relevant Because of the Effects of the Digitally Driven Technological World

The Way Libraries Are Being Designed and Used Is Changing

Relevance

Design Directions

Partnerships

Branding

Directions for Discussion

Tefko Saracevic calls relevance "an elusive, human notion [that ... i]n its most fundamental sense, [...] has to do with effectiveness of communication.“

That's with regard to information, and it’s not much of a definition.

Maybe we’ll know it when we see it…

Technology and Relevance

Relevant?

How about now?

For a library, establishing relevance draws on a number of complex factors, among them:

• Creating a unified vision for the community

• Reinvisioning individual roles as librarians, with the help of leaders like you.

• Reinvisioning integrated services within a shared space as well as in the digital realm

• Branding as way to communicate value, utility, and a unique identity

• Integrating technology smartly, with an eye toward being keeping it accessible and user-friendly.

(Re)Establishing Relevance

But, the focus of the library IS the user.

And we have a long history of delivering service in an appropriate, relevant and equitable manner. Plus, we are eager to adapt to changing technologies.

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?

We know we have it. Somehwere.

But, the game has changed….

Recognizing (and manipulating) Value

To serve the user or to get them back into the library to borrow more books we can count and keep track of so we can get enough funding so as to not disappear off the face of the earth?

http://www-i4.informatik.rwth-aachen.de/content/research/projects/sub/bionics/

What really motivates the library to change?

We lure with technology, but (in a lot of cases) it's an ad hoc adoption which lacks a premeditated framework.

Plus, Google is free too.

We need forge partnerships with content providers and leverage our POWER to make sure information is provided in a way that suits the user.

We need to be a hub. We need to meet the information seekers in their domain, not at our desk.

We have knowledge and skills. Anyone can now find information, we need to make it accessible.

What are we going to do on the technological front?

Like this. Not this.

Simple and seamless.

Abrupt Transition.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/imjustwalkin/6837625148/sizes/c/in/photostream/

Design Directions - 1

Libraries Continue To Be Built or Remodeled, but Design Concepts are Changing Because of External Technological Changes

Design Directions – 1 (continued) First, Some Background

◦ Between 1995 and 2002, three hundred and fifty academic library projects in the US

◦ For the years 2003 to 2008, Christopher Stewart studied 85 new, stand-alone libraries in the US

◦ In this time period, new academic library size was approximately 100,000 square feet on average

◦ Community libraries were also being built or remodeled. These were smaller, about 10,000 to 40,000 square feet

Design Directions - 2

Libraries Are Still the Focal Point and Symbol of Academic Life for Most University Campuses

  Not Just Academic Libraries, but Public

Libraries Are Symbols of Value and Quality for Towns and Schools

Design Directions - 3 Library Design and Function Strongly Affected by the Digital

Age The Library is No Longer Just a Repository of Books Architecture is Now Built Around the Learner Libraries Provide Combined Social and Learning Space

◦ Collective learning◦ Flexible learning environment◦ Reading rooms◦ Information commons◦ Exhibition space◦ Meeting rooms and collaborative learning◦ Coffee Bar

Center for Teaching Information Literacy

Academic & Public Library Partnership

The Challenges

Two different cultures, structures, labor groups, and pay scales...

mean different priorities!

Buy-in of Partnering Entities

• Library leaders

• Library staff

• Communities

• Corporate partners

• Government partners

• Other partner libraries

• Schools

• Required for a cultural shift

The Greatest Challenge

• Putting a unified front: integrated reference and circulation desks

Our concept was not original...

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. LibraryA collaboration between the City of San José and San José State University

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library

Other Examples

• Phoenix Public Library + South Mountain Community College = South Mountain Community Library

• Virginia Beach Public Library + Tidewater Community College Library = VBTCC joint library

Murvosh, Marta. "Powerful Partnerships. (Cover story)." Library Journal (May 16, 2012)

Design and SpaceEnvision a space that:

• allows ease of access by community AND campus

• creating spaces to gravitate to for -leisure reading

-study -group activities and noise

(for teens, children, & college students)

-workshops and meetings -around-the-clock access

Design and Space (cont.)Envision use of materials to:

• dampen acoustical noise

• encourage use of library materials

• encourage collaboration (giant screens)

Trust and Confidence

• In the architectural firm (because this is another partnership)

• In the ability to "figure it out as the partnerships develops" (because there are few models--in fact, inspire a new model)

Mobile Services

Insert library services in:

• retail spaces

• parks and leisure areas

• senior centers

• cultural enclaves

• eateries and coffee houses

Our idea was not original...

Self-service technologies -- library services are possible where they are needed.

Enis, Matt. "HELPING USERS HELP THEMSELVES." Library Journal 137, no. 14 (September 2012)

Practical Matters

The Design Must Be Appropriate, for the Capital Cost of a Library is Very High

This is True for a Community Library or an Academic Library

Capital Costs

For an Academic Library the Cost Is About $250 to $300 per square foot (2006)

 ◦ Thus, a 100,000 square foot library would be about $30 million

 • Public Libraries Have Similar Costs, Some Even More On a $

per square foot basis 

◦ Range $200/square foot to $726/square foot (Ballard Library in Seattle)

◦ Therefore a 15,000 square foot branch library would be $4.5 million at $300 per square foot

 • If We Look at Cost per Student for Academic Libraries, it is an

Average of $6,000 per Student (some as high as $32,000 per student!)

We Have to Consider Operation and Project Costs

Operating Costs More Difficult to Determine  2011 Survey by Publisher’s Communication Group Provides

Relative Breakdown of Library Operating Expenses◦ Salary is 46%, or about one-half, more or less what we would expect◦ Operating expenses – 12%, not very high◦ Materials 42%, of which serials or periodicals are the biggest portion, 27%

of the overall operating expense (64% of materials cost).◦ Books are only 9% of overall operating expenses (22% of material cost)

Materials Could Be for Print or for Electronic Information Resources◦ Nearly 60% of material costs are for electronic media (2010) ◦ In comparison, about 30% for Electronic Information Resources in 2004 – a

clear rapid shift◦ Cost per serial is about $162 per year ◦ Nearly every library takes e-journals. More than half of the journals are in

electronic format only.

BRAND YOURSELF

Doucett, Elisabeth.  Creating Your Library Brand.  Chicago: American Library Association, 2008.

What is a brand?

LOGOTAGLINESERVICE OR PRODUCT

MEANINGCONSUMER PERCEPTION

FAMILIAR BRANDS

LIBRARY BRANDS

Database Websites Branding:

JSTOR: ‘The scholarly journal archive’Science Direct ‘Digital Library of the

Future’Emerald ‘information ideas insight’For users:“Emerald is here to make your life easier”For faculty: “Emerald’s aim is simple-to make management research effortless”

Why Brand? Story Community Appeal Competition1985 - 6 domain names registered2007 - over 91 million domain names registered (source: www.domaintools.com)

Library Profit = Community Relevance

Library Relevance

RedefineValue in societyTraditional role“Perhaps we should turn our attention away from the electric library that others have built and focus on the real books and buildings that made us what we were to begin with…. Or perhaps not. Perhaps we have new rules to play in the digital world or old roles to play in a new way. Let’s think about that.” ~Steve Coffman (VP, Library Support Services)

New directions

Relate YourselfParticipantsIdeal BrandBrand AuditEvaluateMaintainWeb 2.0

NON-LIS Other brands did it this way:① Get Personal-Amazon② Sell Happiness-Coca-Cola③ Live up to your promise-FedEx④ Keep it cool (and fun)-Apple⑤ Design an experience-Target⑥ Stay consistent-Ford⑦ Can-do attitude-Nike⑧ Forge connections-Starbucks⑨ Serve up the quirky-Southwest

Airlines⑩ Focus on the customer-Nordstrom

NEWSPAPERS The Wall Street Journal-2,118,315

(1,566,027 print and 552,288 digital) USA Today-1,817,446 (1,701,777 print

and 115,669 digital) The New York Times-1,586,757 (779,731

print and 807,026 digital)“As long as news providers give it to them when they want it, where they want it and how they want it, they not only will survive but also thrive.” ~Al Neuharthhttp://www.livingstondaily.com/article/20120925/OPINION01/209250318/Al-Neuharth-Newspapers-can-stay-relevant

Remember this:

• The ultra-relevant library is NOT a one-size-fits all library.

• "Technology is the future. So what?" Technology is not something that a library can simply 'adopt' and hope to succeed.

• Design inviting spaces considering the needs of the targeted users of the library.

• Recognize and communicate value

Brainstorming Activity

Relevance of Hamilton Library (as an academic & public library)

http://www.kaleo.org/news/hamilton-among-lowest-ranked-college-libraries/article_a3907c50-faee-11e1-b3a1-001a4bcf6878.html

On your puzzle piece..

TECHNOLOGYChoose a technology

that will improve access, appeal,

interactivity, service, etc.

DESIGNAdd a space/feature or improve on one that already exists (e.g. do we need

more study areas?

BRANDINGDo we need to increase social

media presence? More/better programs &

events?

Write or draw an idea for improving Hamilton’s relevance, based on your own experiences and preferences.

Choose to focus on:

Find your group Walk around and find the rest of your puzzle

– this will be your group Hint: Each puzzle is color-coded, so find people with

pieces that match your colors

Now that you’ve got your group, share your piece

Each group will recommend an idea for each topic One Technology

One Design

One branding idea

If there is a topic that no one in your group has approached, discuss why? (e.g. if no one chose a design element, discuss why this was so…is Hamilton’s design good as is? Are other aspects more important than library design?)

Ideas

Reality Check BibliographyNinjas: Meagan Calogeras, Jessica Craft, Shavonn-haevyn Matsuda, Jaclyn Parrott, Jordan Trader

Andruss, Paula. "BRANDING'S big guns." Entrepreneur 40, no. 4 (April 2012), Small Business Reference Center, EBSCOhost (accessed September 30 2012).

This article talks about various brands that have successfully built relationships with their users by appealing to them in emotional ways. It talks about the tactics used by Amazon, Coca-Cola, FedEx, Apple, Target, Ford, Nike, Starbucks, Southwest Airlines, and Nordstrom. The reasons these brands have survived is explored through a survey given to consumers conducted by The Values Institute which identified five values that influence trust in a brand. This article does a good job explaining what keeps brands relevant to the users. (non-LIS source)

Bibliography

Bell, Steven J. “Design Thinking.” American Libraries 39, no. 1⁄2 (January/February 2008),

JSTOR (accessed September 30 2012)

This article suggests a management and project planning approach based on “design thinking.” In

this context in means approaching a management issue through understanding of a problem through

careful observation before attempting to formulate solutions. The author also emphasizes high value

experiences rather than low value, commodity-like experiences, as applied to a library context.

Bosanquet, Lyn. “Building relevance amidst the content revolution.” Library Management 31,

no. 3 (2010), Emerald (accessed September 20 2012).

This article aims to present a way for the library to become “a central player in the digitized

information landscape”. The core competencies of the library profession--skills, knowledge, and

serving user needs--have changed. In the present world, information-seeking tools have become

user-friendly, causing traditional reference services to fall out of favor. Librarians are no longer the

gatekeepers of knowledge. Libraries are eager to regain that lost relevance in their community by

eagerly adopting new technologies, but Bosanquet argues they are doing so in an ad hoc way.

Moreover, the brand of the library continues to be books--books people no longer need or read.

Bosanquet identifies a niche market for libraries in managing the overabundance of information

through forging partnerships with content providers and meeting the user in their own domain.

Informing future change involves learning more about the information-seeking behaviors of the

millennial generation and developing a framework for a structured digital environment. Bosanquet

concludes by calling on libraries to recognize and define their value and communicate it widely.

Doucett, Elisabeth. Creating Your Library Brand. Chicago: American Library Association, 2008.

This book comes from the perspective of a librarian with a background in marketing who took her library

through the branding process. She conveys how marketing and branding relate to each other, and who should

be involved in the process. Of importance is knowing who the target audience is while developing brand that

has a unique message and visual identity that defines library and reaches community. Her approach was to

evaluate the current brand and materials, create a meaningful and memorable tagline, and design an appealing

logo. Then select brand advocates who can train staff on how to implement a business tool in a nonprofit

environment, and identify marketing tools and if outside help is needed. Is the brand working? It is important to

maintain the brand by building relationships with users through blogs, etc. One must clarify false false

assumptions about branding and look to learn from other libraries who have branded themselves. This book

does a good job communicating how a library should go about branding themselves.

Enis, Matt. "HELPING USERS HELP THEMSELVES." Library Journal 137, no. 14 (September 2012),

Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed September 13, 2012).

This article takes a look at self-service technologies--such as ebook download terminals and tablet computer

check-out kiosks, and how they a) raise the visibility of services and library collections, drawing more foot traffic

to new patrons; b) allow library staff more time for reference assistance; c) allow for cost benefits; d) raise the

profile of ebooks; e) allow access to people with no web connectivity; and f) help to dispense knowledge. Since

this is a newer technology, the response and success is still be monitoring, but so far so good. There is an

increase in benefits all around, and such self-service stations look to be a fixture in our future. With examples

galore from actual libraries and existing terminals, this is a good reference for augmenting our resources for

relativizing library services..

Hill, Chrystie. Inside, Outside, and Online: Building Your Library Community. Chicago,

IL: ALA Editions, 2009.

This book provides guidance for library professionals interested in community building. Hill,

who was recently hired as the Community Relations Director at the OCLC, emphasizes the

importance of identifying your community’s needs and working with your community to

address those needs. In a time when people are questioning the relevance of libraries,

engaging with and building community are essential to our success.

James, Roger. “Out of the box - Freescale: How free models scale in the world of

information.” Business Information Review 29, no. 2 (2012).

This article posits certain factors that libraries should consider when drawing up a strategy for

future change. While libraries were early innovators in the field of information technology, that

innovation led to a sort of institutional path dependence. Moreover, the very environment the

library created is threatened by “professionally naive entrepreneurs [who] can set pace and

revolutionize our profession.” James believes the answer to regaining control over the domain

of information lies in learning to manipulate the market economy of the digital realm, where

scarcity and surplus are managed not by the traditional model of supply and demand, but by

arbitrary creations thereof. Thus, while the library offers a traditionally free service, by

mastering the economics of the social internet in offering digital content to public, they can

potentially compete in an industry driven by competition and offering various routes to ‘free’.

Murvosh, Marta. "Powerful Partnerships." Library Journal (May 16, 2012), Academic Search

Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed September 13, 2012).

This article looks at library partnerships with realized examples of: shared buildings, shared

building sites, integrated public and academic library services, and mixed -use developments

(library and condominium). Each scenario breaks down the information of the project to: the

architect and entities involved; associated project, construction, and site costs; population served;

square footage; and so on. Of particular interest are the profiles of integrated libraries, and how

both the community, served by the public library, and college, served by their academic library,

stand to benefit with the merger. The library staff as well as patrons appear to learn, grow, and

thrive in these newly created spaces, though there can be challenges as well in the blending of the

two library cultures, especially for the staff. Since each case is uniquely different, it is useful to

examine them for the opportunities as well as the possible threats to successful services

integration in regards to our situation.

Stewart, C. “The academic library building in the digital age: A study of new library

construction and planning, design, and use of new library space.” University of

Pennsylvania Press, 2009, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (accessed September 21

2012).

Dissertation. Provides analysis of recent academic library building in many different campuses in

US. Gives building sizes, cost per square foot, total cost, and cost per student. Addresses changes

of number of books in comparison with electronic resources.

Templeton, Thomas Clay. “Placing the Library: An Argument for the Phenomenological

and Constructivist Approach to the Human Geography of the Library.” The Library

Quarterly 78, no. 2 (April 2008), JSTOR (accessed September 25 2012).Provides a

theoretical framework for discussing “library as place” in contrast to “library without walls” and

how to think about this conceptual issue. Introduces several thinkers on the subject with a

view to understanding a library’s underlying purpose.

Walton, Graham. “Theory, research, and practice in library management 5: branding.”

Library Management 29 (2008) Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts,

EBSCOhost (accessed September 20, 2012).

This article talks about how libraries can benefit from having an effective brand so library

users can be informed of the services rendered. Looking to other popular brands and libraries

that have created their own unique identity can serve as examples of how to formulate a

brand strategy. He talks about why brands are needed and how libraries have been focused

on this idea for over 30 years. People are not aware of what the library can actually do for

them so branding gives libraries a chance to redefine themselves. Finding the library’s niche

is what will distinguish it from the competition. In essence, all libraries have their own brands,

and should they re-brand?