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The U.S. Library Community – Public Policy & Future Directions

Perspectives from the American Library Association, Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP)

Alan S. Inouye, Ph.D.February 18, 2009

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Outline for Today’s Session• A Few Facts About Libraryland• Why Does the Library Community Care About Information

(Technology) Public Policy?• Selected Public Policy Priorities and

Current Activities (Excluding “Future of Libraries”)• Directions for the Future of Libraries – OITP Program and

Approach• Future of Libraries – Selected Trends and Preliminary

Thoughts• Discussion

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A Few Facts About Libraryland

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Great Diversity in Library Organizations

• Research• College (4-year and community)• Public• School• Federal (including military)• State• Special• Virtual (e.g., http://www.ipl.org)

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How Many Libraries Are There?

• 296• 99,783• 9,066• 16,592• 1,159

http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/hqops/library/libraryfactsheet/alalibraryfactsheet1.cfm

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What is the American Library Association (ALA)?

• Member-based: The who and what of members• Services to members, representation of community• Organization

– Divisions

– Offices

– Other entities

• How members participate in the association– Committees and other collective entities

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ALA (Library) Values

• All forms of literacy

• First Amendment rights, intellectual freedom, & privacy

• Equity of access and fair use

• Preservation of our [American] cultural heritage

• Free, permanent public access to government information

ALA Washington Office

• Mission: Research, education, advocacy, and lobbying– Office of Government Relations (OGR)– Office for Information Technology Policy

(OITP)

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What is OITP? Products, Services, and Advocacy (1)

• Products (Classes and Examples)– Books: The Complete Copyright– Reports and policy briefs. Digital Rights Mgmt– Physical artifacts: Public Domain Slider– Articles: Library broadband in Public Libraries– Official submissions: FCC comments

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What is OITP? Products, Services, and Advocacy (2)

• Services– Copyright Advisory Network (CAN)– “Reference desk” work– Presentations at conferences, organizations, etc.– Consulting to state libraries– Education and consulting to state E-rate

coordinators

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What is OITP? Products, Services, and Advocacy (3)

• Advocacy– Visits to the Hill, Federal Communications

Commission (FCC), etc.– Participation in coalitions – formal and

informal– Participation at meetings of the World

Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)– CopyNight (next slide)

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CopyNight

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Why Does the Library Community Care About Information

(Technology) Public Policy?

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Once Upon a Time… The Beaver!

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In a Simpler Time (1)

• Physical stuff

• Physical building

• Very few alternatives for users

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In a Simpler Time (2)

• Enabled by the First Sale Doctrine– Codified in Section 109 of copyright law

• Enabled by fair use– Codified in Section 107 of copyright law

• Generally constrained by technology – copies, especially good copies, were hard to make

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Not Simple Anymore: What’s Changed?

• Digital information

• Networks

• World Wide Web

Key: Diffusion in the general population, for everyday information products & services

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Implications for Libraries: Information

• What is lending?– World with perfect and nearly costless copies

• What is fair use?– Huge change in mixing and matching info– Expectations of the general public

• How does preservation change?

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Implications for Libraries: Networks

• Beyond the library: Who are the users?– Still have the previous users, but add a whole

new set

• Greatly increased interest in broadband

• Therefore, much increased complexity– Users may be anywhere– Information resources may be anywhere– Expectations of the general public

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Implications for Libraries: World Wide Web

• Producers of content are everywhere– Formal publishers as in the past– New, informal publishers (e.g., blogs)– Information that has existed previously, but

there wasn’t a practical way to “publish” it

• Access info everywhere; what is a “collection”?

• Expectations of the general public

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Selected Public Policy Priorities and Current Activities

(Excluding “Future of Libraries”)

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Networks: Broadband Infrastructure (1)

• Need for improved broadband infrastructure to libraries– More than 50% of library buildings have

connection speed of 1.5 mbps or less– Availability, affordability– Technical support, administrative capability

• Stimulus package: NTIA, RUS

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Networks:Broadband Infrastructure (2)

• Fiber to the library– Long term solution– Community information hub to support other

local entities

• Stimulus package– Short paper, shopped around

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Networks: Library Connectivity

• New Initiative: Broadband Grants Program – Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation– 7 pilot states– Advisors to state librarians– Focus on long-term: sustainability

• Regional library cooperatives – report

• Capacity planning– Especially smaller / rural libraries

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Networks: Federal E-rate Program

• What is it: Universal Service Fund, discounts on telecommunications bills for schools and libraries

• Issue: cumbersome program – Training of state E-rate coordinators– Consulting – Improve data collection– Advocacy

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Networks: Other

• Network neutrality– Filtering

• Broadband data mapping / availability

• Universal Service Fund, general reform

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Copyright: Domestic Activities and Public Policy

• Copyright Advisory Network (CAN)– www.librarycopyright.net

• L. Ray Patterson Award

• Copyright education and advice– School Library Journal column– Questions from members

• Orphan works

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Copyright: International Advocacy and Related Issues

• International Copyright Advocates Initiative– World Intellectual Property Organization

(WIPO) meetings: Participation, treaties, developing countries

– “Education” of U.S. delegation– Advocacy with the Obama Administration

• Traditional cultural expression

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Public Access to Information

• Google Book Search proposed settlement– Workshop last week– Amicus brief in progress

• New project: Portable devices, libraries, and public policy

• In progress: Policy brief on diversity of information sources

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Public Access to Information

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Directions for theFuture of Libraries –

OITP Program and Approach

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New Programmatic Initiative

• OITP’s Program on America’s Libraries for the 21st Century– Need emerged from my review of OITP in fall

2007 and subsequent discussion at our Retreat• Increase emphasis on strategic directions

• Many scattered, narrow, mostly short-term efforts occurring within the library community – need synthesis and focused efforts for the future

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Rationale

• In midst of major revolution in libraries, perhaps biggest since Andrew Carnegie

• Forces for the next revolution in libraries are occurring external to the community – Technological, Societal, and Institutional

• The community is practitioner-oriented – focus is on providing good service today

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Approach – Assumptions• ALA / OITP is not a think tank, so bottom

line must be action

• Proper action cannot be articulated without extensive information collection & analysis

• Information collection process also provides foundation for later action

• Working with relevant parties outside of the library community is critical for success

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Approach – Near-term

• Develop policy brief on the powerful forces of change and implications for libraries

• Develop policy brief on cutting-edge services in libraries

• Develop policy brief on current thinking on the future of libraries– Synthesis, written in English, based on the

literature review we generated in fall 2008

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Approach – Longer-term

• Develop policy brief on visions for tomorrow

• Develop action agenda

• Develop Web portal for the future of libraries

• Obtain additional (foundation) funding

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Future of Libraries – Selected Trends and

Preliminary Thoughts

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Work in Progress

• Following comments are based on work in progress

• Accordingly, these views may change and will certainly become more refined in the coming months

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A: Tomorrow’s Users Will Be Different From Today’s Users (1)

• Baby boomers retiring – 77 million– View retirement differently – 2nd career, give

to community; highly educated cohort– Familiar with Internet and online services

• Expect to use these services to keep in touch, health info/services, and e-government

– Expected to live longer – avg. life expectancy of 82 years; more years in “retirement”

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A: Tomorrow’s Users Will Be Different From Today’s Users (2)

• Echo boomers rising – 70 million– Children of baby boomers– Includes “digital natives”

• Nomadic communication style

• Multi-tasking

• Preference for concise info in small bites

• Preference for experiential learning, customization

• Think and process info differently??

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A: Tomorrow’s Users Will Be Different From Today’s Users (3)

• Ethnic diversity– Majority minority in year 2042

• For children, by the year 2023

– Latinos – biggest subgroup• High school performance lags whites

• Need support to move into higher wage jobs

• Geographic diversity– Continued shift to the West and South

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B: Continued Growth/Acceleration of Deployment of Portable Devices

• “Mobile phone” as primary connection tool for most of the world by 2020

– Much more powerful: blend of today’s laptop and cell phone

– Increasing expectation that desired information can be obtained on the mobile phone

– Within and outside of the library building

– Beyond “made-for-mobile” info and services

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C: Many Other Aspects of Technological Advances

• Widespread broadband, wireline & wireless

• Augmented reality and virtual reality– From niche to primary user interface?

• Voice interface– From niche applications to primary interface?

• Massive data stores, sensors– Bring library resources to life with real and real-time

data?

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D: Library as Place While Repository Role Continues to Diminish

• Libraries continue to be about people, not stuff

– Use continues to increase, Internet notwithstanding

• Need for physical coming together?

• Librarians as credible, trusted advisors– Role in online spaces

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E: Education

• Changes in education delivery? A prediction that 50% of high school courses delivered online by 2019 (Christiansen)

– Implications for library services– Need for physical learning/gathering spaces?– And what of higher education?

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F: Institutional and Market Considerations (1)

• “Competition”: Leave It to Beaver vs. Now

– Bookstores and their cafes; Starbucks– Online access (e.g., newspapers)– Online capabilities not available 10 or 20

years ago (e.g., Google)• Search

• Increasingly content

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F: Institutional and Market Considerations (2)

– Place for accessing information (from libraries to everywhere)

– Boundaries are become fuzzier: archives, museums, community colleges, education sector, information services companies, community center, social service agency (help with job searching, applying for government services), etc.

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F: Institutional and Market Considerations (3)

• The library community has strategic advantages

– Fundamental values / core principles– Physical infrastructure of communities– Social infrastructure of communities– Credible advisor on information resources

• What should we do??

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Discussion

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Discussion

• For further information…• Check out our Web site – http://www.ala.org/oitp

(work in progress – conversion to new ALA-wide Web reorganization)

• Or contact me – Alan Inouye, ainouye@alawash.org, 202-628-8410