Digital Library Landscape – Roy Tennant
Internet Library, Session D11
Monday, Oct 26 2009

Scribbled notes from a terrific session. Any misquotes are my own mistakes!

• Libraries are in imminent danger – if we do nothing – and even if we do  “something”, it may be the wrong thing.
• OCLC Perceptions Report – the public still sees our ‘brand’ as book, books, books..
• So the public goes to google & amazon for books? Where are libraries then?
• In the card catalog days, we were it! The center of the book finding universe.
• When we first started automating catalogs, they were (and mostly still are)  just cards on a screen.
• But we are no longer operating in an environment of scarcity, rather one of ubiquity – ubiquitous connections and access to information
• Users used to build their workflow around libraries, NOW we need to build our services around their workflow, be where they are, when they want it.
• “if you dislike change, you’re going to disklike irrelevance even more” Gen. Eric Shinseki
• Network level – concentration – big enough to have value and lots of information to attract users
• Webscale – diffusion – ie:  get the info OUT – ie: get library links on google books. Get data out to get users to your collections – worldcat date to put that info out in the path of users
• Eg: blog post w/ link to book – linkedto  record in worldcat, remembers your location, book  on shelf. What’s missing? Deliver it to my door. (ALSO missing  lots of libraries don’t participate in worldcat)
• Publishers send book metadata to booksellers, etc  – onix – standard metadata format used by publishers.
• Their metadata isn’t necessarily as complete as ours – so let’s collaboarate
• OCLC is taking onix data, enriching it and giving it back – “next generation cataloging” project. Helps libraries become “essential”
• “we must look  at we do through the prism of our imminent demise”
• Tools we develop need to solve problems that patrons/customers have. Not the problems we have “scratch their itch”
• Don’t worry too much about crafting perfect portals …. WHY? If you expose your data well, your audience will find your content through other search tools.
• Have to get our data out to google, flickr, etc. eg: LOC put their pics on flickr and stats went off the charts – even though those photos had been on the LOC site for years (photo)
• NYPL Live – lib becomes the center of conversation in that community. Be the place “where stuff happens”
• Not a time to be timid or panic
• Deserve a destiny of our own making.

Glad to be in Monterey for the Internet Librarian conference. The program looks terrific and what can beat the weather in Monterey, especially when it’s already feeling wintery back home.

I’m looking forward to teaching a workshop this afternoon on using WordPress as a content mgmt system. And also can’t wait to meet up with lots of friends old and new.

Follow the live twitter stream. Hash tag for the conference is #il2009

Classes this week are:

• Dreamweaver (2 days)
• Online Outreach & Marketing
• Wordpress as CMS – special session for the Friends of CT libraries – they’ll soon be moving their web site to WordPress
• Screencasting with Camtasia

Next week I’m hoping to get to the SUNYLA Library Software Users Group Conference.  But I’m really sorry to be missing the New York Library Association Annual Meeting – I haven’t missed this in many years.

To top off the month, I’ll be at Internet Librarian in Monterey, CA teaching a preconference workshop on using WordPress as a Content Mgmt System.  The conference program is chock full of great programs and speakers. And you can’t beat the location!

Hope to see YOU somewhere in my travels this month.

This sounds like a great conference AND unconference. Terrific speakers, online, no travel, free and unconference sessions for participants to share and learn from each other.

Thursday, August 13 & Friday, August 14, 2009
Has your travel budget dried up? Still want that conference experience of fresh ideas, lively conversations, and networking with colleagues? Participate in OPALescence, a free online conference for everyone. We’re planning a series of interesting and informative presentations and discussions spread over two days.

Registration is free, easy, and online: tinyurl.com/N4JMV7

This will be a mix of speakers and unconference sessions. Topics include:

• The Future of User Experience in Libraries
• Librarians in Virtual Environments: From Classrooms to Communities
• Best Practices for Web 2.0 in Schools
• Collaboration 2.0
• How American Libraries Are Using Web 2.0 Tools for Marketing
• Listening to the Future of Reading: Readers’ Advisory and Audio Books
• Building a Learning Culture

Now I’m trying to figure out how I can listen in while driving home from Syracuse next Thursday. Laptop plugged in to the car dashboard? Verizon air card? Keeping my eyes on the road!

Not at ALA Annual in Chicago? Want to track what’s happening? Check out this super handy ALA2009 tracker page created by Heather Devine. And check out her blog, flexyourinfo.com, to find out more about the tracker. Great work! Wish I had your mad skilz….

What is Pres4LIb? (from the wiki)

• a presentation camp for library speakers and trainers
• a series of informal gatherings and lightning talks to share ideas, technologies, and discussions around how to deliver effective presentations
• an opportunity for presenters and trainers (and those interested in presenting and training) in the library community to network and share their tips, technologies, best practices, and experiences
• an unconference which will include open space “birds of a feather” breakout discussions groups to foster discussions around how to deliver effective presentations
• a chance to become a better presenter/trainer
• a way to develop your presenting/training toolbox

If you can’t be there, follow along with the virtual coverage of the event via ustream, twitter and coveritlive.

Looking forward to a terrific day with lots of great sharing of ideas and tips. And catching up with lots of friends and colleagues too.

Thanks to Janie Hermann, John LeMasney, Peter Bromberg, Amy Kearns for pulling this event together.

Now, I gotta get on the road and try to get to NJ before the thunderstorms. I hate driving in storms!

The slides from the presentation are available on my wiki. There’s also a link to the class resource page that we use in the full day workshop on this topic.

A big thank you to Zahra Baird of the Chappaqua Library for inviting me to speak. It was great to see you. And an extra bonus, I got to have lunch with Janie Hermann who was also speaking today.  A great day all around!

These lovely quilted hot pads were given to the speakers at the NYLA/ SLMS meeting last week. And lots of chocolate bars.

Thanks to everyone who came to my two sessions at the NYLA/SLMS annual conference. The resources for the sessions are on my wiki.

• Google Tools for Schools
• Become an Information Superhero

There were so many good ideas being shared by people who attended, but we ran out of time to talk and share. I hope you’ll use this page to share the web sites, project ideas and examples of how you’re using the tools we talked about.

The comments box awaits your input!

The speaker is David Lee King, the Digital Branch & Services Manager at Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library in Topeka. He’s written and spoken at conferences about websites, digital experience, working with techies and other technology-library related topics. David is also the author of the recently published book, Designing the Digital Experience.

Library Journal says: “Librarians agree: David Lee King is your go-to guy for simplifying complex technology. King’s real focus, though, is not on the technology itself. “It is,‟ he says, “making sure our focus stays on the user rather than on the great features of new web sites or technology.‟”

The program will be held at Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library on Thursday May 7th and is sponsored by CDLC, MVLS, SALS & UHLS.

Register now before it’s too late!

Hope to see you there!