Frank Blair is the Director of Technology and Operations at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, where he oversees IT, facilities, and projects across their 20 branches. The library provides a variety of resources including over 1 million physical items, 12,000 digital items, and 1,200 public computers. Their technology includes an online catalog, ebook platform, websites, and strong social media presence. Blair discussed trends like the blending of physical and virtual library spaces and resources, the rise of mobile access, and ensuring both print and digital content meet community needs. The future will see the library balancing its role in providing spaces, content, and services both physically and virtually.

1. 630: ASSIGNMENT 1
INTERVIEW: TECHNOLOGYAT CHARLOTTE
MECKLENBURG LIBRARY
Ciara Meeks

2. Frank Blair
• Director of Technology and Operations
at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
• Manages information technology, real
estate, and capital projects
• Oversees long-range planning and
strategic research
• Has over a decade of experience with
library services and technology at the
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
• Gets his tech news from ALA, PLA
resources, tech blogs, and
mainstream newsmedia

3. Charlotte Mecklenburg Library (CML)
• 20 library branches in
Mecklenburg County provide
checkouts, meeting spaces,
classes, computer access, and
programming
• Maintains a physical collection
of 1,070,164 items and a
digital collection of 12,000
items (audio, video and E-
books)
• About 1,200 public access
computers system-wide

4. Technology at CML
• Main website
http://www.cmlibrary.org/
• Other library sites include:
• Bizlink Online Business
Resources
http://www.cmlibrary.org/bizlink/
• Library Loft
http://www.ibraryLoft.org
• And others, plus a mobile catalog
• Aquabrowser discovery layer for
OPAC
• Online resources and digital
content by third-party sources
• Heavy social media presence

5. Trends in library technology
• The changing nature and mission of public
libraries
• Virtual vs. physical spaces
• Print and digital borrowing
• Remote and mobile access

6. The public library of the future
What user activities will define the ongoing
mission of public libraries?
• Low-cost meeting space
• Internet access
• Print books
• Physical media formats
• Digital downloads
• Reference

7. “Bricks vs. Clicks”
• Physical spaces vs. virtual spaces
• The library inhabits both worlds:
• Physical
• Meeting spaces
• Face-to-face reference help
• Programs, classes, job help
• Print resources
• Virtual
• Downloadable and streaming media
• Online reference help
• Databases
Didn’t work out too great
for these guys

8. Remote and mobile access
• Increased use of library
resources from outside
the building
• Online resources
• Library website
• Downloadable content
• All available from
home and on mobile
devices

9. Print and digital borrowing
• Print circulation is bolstered by media checkouts
(CDs, DVDs)
• EBook and audiobook downloads counted
separately from traditional checkouts
• Appropriateness of print or digital depends on
feasibility
• Pricing models for digital content need to catch
up with demand

10. Future developments
• Mobile devices: How can libraries take advantage of
users’ access to smartphones?
• High-end devices vs. lower-end devices: How will
socioeconomic status affect how users experience
information technology?
• Marketing the library’s tech resources