What kind of better than free is your library?

Kathryn Greenhill http://librariansmatter.com

What kind of better than free is your library? Kathryn Greenhill Murdoch University April 2009 Kathryn Greenhill http://librariansmatter.com

Today’s menu

Telling stories about ourselves

Free?

Free and libraries

Free as a business model

Taxonomy of Free – Chris Anderson

Generatives – Kevin Kelly

5 ways to use Free

1.What libraries do is changing

We want to show value in the changes

2.New media has changed “free”

Can libraries use new ideas about “free”

to tell stories about our value ?

Free?

No cost ever

gratis

Unencumbered.

With liberty.

libre

No INITIAL cost

Free as a social trend

Open Source Software

What do these have in common?

Passion

Compassion

Collaboration

Community building

Motivation that is not $$

Today

Free=

No financial cost

No financial cost always costs someone something

Libraries?

Library

libre ?

Liber (Lat.)

“ to peel”

Definition

changing

The funding triad

(generalisation)

Money

Money

Services Kathryn Greenhill http://librariansmatter.com

Money

ROI

What do funders get out of this?

Is dividing countable things by dollars the best way to show this?

What is valuable here, even though it appears “free” to the library user ?

Money

Just imagine...

Money

What would you not need to be concerned about?

Paying for content

Paying staff wages

Paying to maintain buildings

Budgeting

What would you still need to be concerned about?

Finding the right content

Finding the right staff

Creating the right space

Meeting user needs

Providing excellent service

Finding the right balance

These are the things where the library adds value.

Free and libraries

Brand was...

Building,

Books,

Free.

Once upon a time...

Now...

Cage Matches

Free accurate, timely facts

Free accurate, timely facts vs. Kathryn Greenhill http://librariansmatter.com

vs. Free accurate, timely facts Kathryn Greenhill http://librariansmatter.com

Free local

phone numbers,

maps and climate information

Free local phone numbers, maps and climate information vs. Kathryn Greenhill http://librariansmatter.com

Free

self-education

Free self-education vs. Kathryn Greenhill http://librariansmatter.com

Free latest

bestselling novel

Free latest bestselling novel vs. ? Kathryn Greenhill http://librariansmatter.com

Free latest bestselling novel vs. Kathryn Greenhill http://librariansmatter.com

Bittorrenting

BT

Torrenting

Peer to Peer

P2P

Usage

3 451 215 registered users of Pirate Bay (7 March 2009)

50-70 million bittorrent users (29 Feb 2009)

SOURCE: http://www.webtechgeek.com/NEWS/12-25-2008/uTorrent-Grows-to-28-Million-Monthly-Users.htm

Legal?

Torrenting – yes

Stealing Intellectual Property - no

Policeable ?

Not really

Facebook nervous

Swedish courts

VPN

Free as a business model

Example one: In Rainbows

Radiohead. In Rainbows Kathryn Greenhill http://librariansmatter.com

10 October 2007 – downloadable from inrainbows.com Kathryn Greenhill http://librariansmatter.com

3 December 2007 - Boxed set Kathryn Greenhill http://librariansmatter.com

10 December 2007 – download no longer available. Kathryn Greenhill http://librariansmatter.com

26 December 2007 – 3 January 2008 : CD Released Kathryn Greenhill http://librariansmatter.com

Visits to the site in download period

1.2 million

Source: Page, Will and Garland, Eric (2008) In Rainbows, On Torrents . Economic Insight Issue 10. 29.07.08 Kathryn Greenhill http://librariansmatter.com

Legal free vs illegal free

Familiar venue vs unfamiliar venue

Example two: Monty Python

Sales increase of videos at Amazon?

23 000 %

Source: http://www.amazon.com/gp/movers-and-shakers/dvd/ref=pd_ms_d_nav 21 Jan 2009 Kathryn Greenhill http://librariansmatter.com

What’s it got to do with libraries?

Access to content

Access to

FREE

content

Anderson and Kelly’s ideas about free

Scarcity removed

Chris Anderson

http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/magazine/16-03/ff_free Kathryn Greenhill http://librariansmatter.com

From marketing trick to new economic model

Taxonomy of Free

6 Types

1. Freemium

Advertising

2. Advertising

3. Cross Subsidies

4. Zero marginal cost

5. Labour Exchange

Image: reviews in SOPAC

6. Gift economy

Kevin

Kelly

http://changethis.com/53.01.BeyondFree Kathryn Greenhill http://librariansmatter.com

When copies are super abundant, they become worthless.

When copies are super abundant, stuff that can’t be copied becomes scarce and valuable.

When copies are free, you need to sell things that can not be copied.

Well, what can’t be copied?

Generatives

A generative value is a quality or attribute that must be generated, grown, cultivated, nurtured.

A generative thing can not be copied, cloned, faked, replicated, counterfeited, or reproduced.

It is generated uniquely, in place, over time. In the digital arena, generative qualities add value to free copies, and therefore are something that can be sold.

9 Generatives

1. Trust

2. Immediacy

3. Personalization

4. Interpretation

Marking chalk "X" on side of generator: $1.

2. Knowing where to mark chalk "X": $999.

SOURCE: Leadership in a Technological Age, President Charles M. Vest's Charge to the Graduates presented at the 133rd Commencement Ceremonies of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Friday, June 4, 1999. http://web.mit.edu/president/communications/com99.html GE Kathryn Greenhill http://librariansmatter.com

5. Authenticity

6. Accessibility

7. Embodiment

8. Patronage

9. Findability

What is scarce?

Attention

Reputation

5 ways to make “free” work in our libraries

Look at the current free competition.

Revise services accordingly

2. Give users an easy path to the funding body

3. Add generatives to your vocabulary when discussing

ROI

4. Scan the horizon for the next metamorphosis of costly into free.

5.

Remember Free as in libre

Media credits

Screenshots where the source is obvious are not credited

All photographs are by Kathryn Greenhill unless credited below.

Slide 5: Tell the library your story http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelsphotos/147908751/ Uploaded to Flickr on May 17, 2006 by mstephens7

Slide 12: Beer Girt http://www.flickr.com/photos/vermininc/3224518385/ Uploaded to Flickr on January 25, 2009 by Vermin Inc

Slide 15: EFF_icon_spch http://www.flickr.com/photos/hughelectronic/2246983607/ Uploaded to Flickr on February 7, 2008 by hughelectronic

Slide 18: Perhaps the cutest kitten in the world. http://www.flickr.com/photos/clevergrrl/218312595/ Uploaded to Flickr on August 18, 2006 by Clevergrrl

Slide 21: Gift and Book: http://flickr.com/photos/tojosan/3270427657/ Uploaded to Flickr on February 11, 2009 by Tojosan

Slide 32: Beulah Faith, 20, used to be sales clerk in department store, reaming tools for transport on lathe machine, Consolidated Aircraft Corp., Fort Worth, Texas (LOC) http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2178442231/ Uploaded to Flickr on January 9, 2008 by The Library of Congress

Media credits

Slide 33: 5 to 8 http://www.flickr.com/photos/enidanc/2173419208/ Uploaded to Flickr on January 7, 2008 by Enidanc

Slide 37: Peeling Bark Suede http://www.flickr.com/photos/cobalt/14694188/ Uploaded to Flickr on May 20, 2005 by cobalt123

Slide 41: DOK Gaming at Bibliotheekplaza http://www.flickr.com/photos/39841872@N00/440850456/ Uploaded to Flickr on April 1, 2007 by DOK Delft

Slide 46: Mosman Voices http://www.flickr.com/photos/mosmanlibrary/443248720/ Uploaded to Flickr on April 2, 2007 by Mosman Library

Slide 49: IMG_5728 http://www.flickr.com/photos/gycib/3332841592/ Uploaded on March 6, 2009 by Gytis

Slide 53: Look at all the characters at the library! http://www.flickr.com/photos/lplconnects/2981513526/ Uploaded to Flickr on October 28, 2008 by lplconnects

Slide 58: Money, it's a crime http://www.flickr.com/photos/kiki99/1062744637/ Uploaded to Flickr on August 10, 2007 by kiki99

SLIDE 75: City, public library http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_virginia/2899334394/ Uploaded to Flickr on September 30, 2008 by The Library of Virginia

Slide 80: Webb's General Store http://www.flickr.com/photos/auvet/175838693/ Uploaded to Flickr on June 27, 2006 by jimmywayne22

Slide 82: The Columned Mall http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/1159874533/ Uploaded to Flickr on August 18, 2007 by Stuck in Customs

Slide 84: IMG_5619 http://www.flickr.com/photos/10542402@N06/2602105440/ Uploaded to Flickr on June 23, 2008 by daysofthundr46

Slide 125: Medieval Scriptorium : Harry Ransom Centre The University of Texas at Austin http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/permanent/gutenberg/html/2.html

Slide 126: copy culture http://www.flickr.com/photos/will-lion/2619922812/ Uploaded to Flickr on June 29, 2008 by Will Lion

Slide 156: Burrow Library Front Desk http://www.flickr.com/photos/euthman/1846032493/ Uploaded to Flickr on November 4, 2007 by euthman

Slide 163: Young Reader, Do You Have a Question for Reference? http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanchan/486053789/ Uploaded on May 6, 2007 by Taekwonweirdo