This are my speaking notes for the keynote presentation I gave at Evergreen International 2012. Here's a link to the Prezi Presentation: http://prezi.com/hdnwdkgqrd-7/evergreen-keynote-2012/
Towards Rubicon: A Tale About Libraries That Crosses The RiverChristian Lauersen
The document discusses the changing role of libraries and how they must adapt to remain relevant by crossing the "river" of transformation in research, education, and information access. It suggests that libraries focus on supporting research and education rather than just saving libraries, and that they act as collaborative hubs providing new types of learning spaces, digital resources, and research infrastructure to remain important partners in the future of higher education. The presentation provides examples of how libraries can make this transition and cross the river towards new opportunities.
Presentation from the Gates Foundation's Global Libraries 2013 Peer Learning Meeting. From our brainstorming meeting, the top ten things in tomorrow's library: play, engagement, books, tools, people, access, outreach, mobile, technology, light.
this poster won the Best Poster Award Bobcatsss 2014
Marine Peotta (PBD 2, 2013-2014), Solenne Billard-Nichele (DCB 22, 2013-2014), Morgane Desard (DCB22, 2013-2014)
I am the virtual librarian (But you don't have to be)LAICDG
Presentation by David Hughes, Systems Librarian at the Dublin Business School, for the Information Skills for the Future event, organised by the Career Development Group of the Library Association of Ireland on April 2nd 2015
The document discusses four techniques for developing points in paragraph writing: using examples and illustrations, anecdotes or stories, defining terms, and comparing and contrasting. Each body paragraph should have three support points for the topic sentence and an example for each point to effectively develop ideas.
Abstract
Only 19% of accredited LIS programs appear to have a course on ERM. Thus, for continued evolution of online resource management, we need to determine how to share our expertise. This presentation explores using TERMS and NASIG’s Core Competencies for staff development as well as teaching a library science course.
As the demand for convenient, accessible, and relevant information access rises while funding remains flat, it is critical that libraries have the skilled workforce necessary for the extreme stewardship required to manage online resources.
In this session, the presenter describes using the Techniques of Electronic Resource Management (TERMS) as a framework for developing an ERM Team and as a blueprint for teaching an online e-resource management course for University of Wisconsin – Madison SLIS.
Then the presenter will invite participants to discuss the future of e-resource management knowledge transfer and skill distribution by establishing partnerships with SLIS programs, establishing paid e-resource management fellowships, or...?
Towards Rubicon: A Tale About Libraries That Crosses The RiverChristian Lauersen
The document discusses the changing role of libraries and how they must adapt to remain relevant by crossing the "river" of transformation in research, education, and information access. It suggests that libraries focus on supporting research and education rather than just saving libraries, and that they act as collaborative hubs providing new types of learning spaces, digital resources, and research infrastructure to remain important partners in the future of higher education. The presentation provides examples of how libraries can make this transition and cross the river towards new opportunities.
Presentation from the Gates Foundation's Global Libraries 2013 Peer Learning Meeting. From our brainstorming meeting, the top ten things in tomorrow's library: play, engagement, books, tools, people, access, outreach, mobile, technology, light.
this poster won the Best Poster Award Bobcatsss 2014
Marine Peotta (PBD 2, 2013-2014), Solenne Billard-Nichele (DCB 22, 2013-2014), Morgane Desard (DCB22, 2013-2014)
I am the virtual librarian (But you don't have to be)LAICDG
Presentation by David Hughes, Systems Librarian at the Dublin Business School, for the Information Skills for the Future event, organised by the Career Development Group of the Library Association of Ireland on April 2nd 2015
The document discusses four techniques for developing points in paragraph writing: using examples and illustrations, anecdotes or stories, defining terms, and comparing and contrasting. Each body paragraph should have three support points for the topic sentence and an example for each point to effectively develop ideas.
Abstract
Only 19% of accredited LIS programs appear to have a course on ERM. Thus, for continued evolution of online resource management, we need to determine how to share our expertise. This presentation explores using TERMS and NASIG’s Core Competencies for staff development as well as teaching a library science course.
As the demand for convenient, accessible, and relevant information access rises while funding remains flat, it is critical that libraries have the skilled workforce necessary for the extreme stewardship required to manage online resources.
In this session, the presenter describes using the Techniques of Electronic Resource Management (TERMS) as a framework for developing an ERM Team and as a blueprint for teaching an online e-resource management course for University of Wisconsin – Madison SLIS.
Then the presenter will invite participants to discuss the future of e-resource management knowledge transfer and skill distribution by establishing partnerships with SLIS programs, establishing paid e-resource management fellowships, or...?
Terence K. Huwe
Institute for Research on Labor and Employment Library
University of California, Berkeley
Long Island Library Resources Council
October 30, 2009
The document discusses the potential for open source software to transform libraries and advance their social mission. It outlines several challenges libraries currently face in adopting open source systems, as well as glimpses of hope, such as skepticism around OCLC's role. The document envisions an ideal future state where open source is widely adopted, new community-owned data infrastructures and support ecosystems have emerged, and libraries are actively contributing to open source development.
This presentation was provided by Dylan Burns of The University of Washington during the NISO event "The Impact of the Interface: Traditional and Non Traditional Content," held on November 20, 2019.
The document summarizes trends in libraries and projects at the UW Tacoma Library. It discusses how libraries have adapted to changes in the information environment like abundance of information online and push technologies. It outlines new roles for librarians like data librarians, digital scholarship librarians, and UX librarians. For UW Tacoma, it envisions the library transitioning from its focus on collections to prioritizing services and becoming integral to the campus community. It highlights faculty and student praise for library support and resources. Upcoming trends and projects may include renovating library space, new technologies, supporting student and faculty scholarship, and enhancing pedagogical support. Key challenges include keeping up with campus growth with limited
Library futures: converging and diverging directions for public and academic ...lisld
The major influence on library futures is the changing character of their user communities. As patterns of research, learning and personal development change in a network environment so library services need to change. At the same time, libraries are focused on engaging with their communities more strongly - getting into their work and learning flows. This means that libraries are becoming more unlike each other, they are diverging as they meet the specific needs of their communities. Research libraries diverge from academic libraries, and each is different from urban public libraries, and so on.
At the same time, at a broader level libraries are experiencing similar pressures. The need to engage more strongly with their communities. The need to assess what they do. The need to configure space around experiences rather than around collections. Libraries are converging around some of these issues.
This presentation will consider the future of libraries from the point of view of convergence and divergence between types of libraries.
This presentation was given at the 23d Annual Conference on Libraries and the Future, sponsored by the Long Island Library Resources Council, October 24, 2014.
Embedded librarians operate in a complex network of relationships: with each other, with vendors of products and services, and most importantly with diverse members of the communities they serve. As their professional lives become centered on these networked relationships, instead of the library, they may find themselves redefining fundamental values and principles of librarianship, including the nature of service, the identity of the library as an institution, and the role of librarians in the community.
Rejoining the Information access landscapeTerry Reese
1. The document discusses the need for libraries to embrace open data and digital platforms.
2. It argues that libraries must have a digital platform that enables non-physical users to interact with information easily and seamlessly, or they will become irrelevant.
3. The author advocates that libraries should open their systems, share data widely in both human and machine-readable formats, and act as a network pipe to build their digital infrastructure as a platform.
Digital libraries store collections in digital formats rather than physical formats, allowing content to be accessed locally or remotely via computers. While some believe digital libraries are the future, others prefer traditional libraries. Digitizing library collections provides benefits like increased access, preservation of rare materials, and reduced costs compared to physical libraries.
Digital libraries store collections in digital formats rather than physical, allowing access from computers locally or remotely. While some see digital libraries as the future, others prefer traditional libraries. Digitization allows widespread access to reduce costs while preserving rare materials, but changing study habits have led to declining library usage as students access information electronically elsewhere.
Embedded Librarians: Diverse Initiatives, Common Challenges. davidshumaker
The document discusses embedded librarianship through an analogy of six blind men describing different parts of an elephant. It then shares perspectives on embedded librarianship from six librarians in different settings - medical, academic community college, academic research university, school, corporate, and public. Embedded librarianship means becoming an integral part of the community or setting by developing relationships, mutual understanding, and providing customized and high-value contributions as part of the team.
This document discusses social librarianship and social libraries. It defines social librarianship as professional and non-professional librarians interacting online to catalog books and media. Social libraries allow users to build online catalogs and connect with others. Reasons for their popularity include collecting books for insurance purposes and finding recommendations. The document suggests ways libraries can get involved through participating in discussions and cataloging their collections on social library sites.
The document provides an overview of a research project studying community libraries. It includes:
1. The project will study 3 community libraries through interviews, observations, and an image sorting exercise to understand how libraries are defining themselves, opportunities for growth, and the relationship between libraries and their communities.
2. The research aims to uncover insights about community libraries' value, areas for improvement, and how they can evolve to meet future needs.
3. The methodology, timeline, deliverables, and interview guides are described to provide context around the research study.
This document discusses the potential for libraries and librarians to take on new roles in curating "Polyfoil ecosystems" - interconnected webs of knowledge that link related concepts and ideas across different texts. It argues that academic libraries are well-positioned to build comprehensive Polyfoil ecosystems due to their large collections. The document envisions librarians becoming "meta-librarians" and "trailblazers" by writing passages that bridge concepts between different works, thereby creating new navigable pathways through the libraries' holdings.
Ranganathan and Reference Service in the Modern LibraryJenna Kammer
S.R. Ranganathan outlined 5 laws of library science that guide modern libraries: 1) Books are for use, 2) Every reader his book, 3) Every book its reader, 4) Save the time of the reader, 5) A library is a growing organism. Modern libraries incorporate these laws by making materials openly accessible physically and online, connecting readers to new materials through recommendations, ensuring materials can be found and are up-to-date, and providing services like reference help and instruction that save patrons' time. Libraries also continually expand collections and services to meet community needs.
The document discusses issues that libraries face when maintaining services and resources with limited budgets and personnel. It describes how libraries try to please all patrons by offering many services, but this spreads resources too thin. The document advocates that libraries should be willing to discontinue some services in order to focus resources on the most valuable offerings. It provides examples of libraries spending money on duplicative formats of materials and retaining outdated collections and practices. The document encourages libraries to let go of the need to serve all needs and to instead focus on core services.
This document discusses takeaways from a conference on scholarly communication models. It notes that libraries need to support the full research lifecycle beyond just publications and provide relevant digital services. Publishers should reflect on the evolving forms communication can take and help authors increase visibility and impact of their work. Both libraries and publishers are encouraged to think about how to bring more of the academic community along in embracing new models and ensure certain disciplines and content types are not left behind. Concerns remain around balancing openness with privacy and aligning investments with a changing landscape.
This document contains the presentation slides for Kathleen Johnson's talk on innovations in school librarianship. The presentation discusses 7 areas of innovation: physical and virtual library spaces, the librarian's role as a learning specialist, transliteracy skills, embedded librarianship models, new opportunities for professional development, R. David Lankes' concept of a new librarianship focused on knowledge and learning, and developing personal learning environments centered on each student. The presentation provides examples and resources to illustrate changes in how libraries and librarians can better support student learning in the digital age.
The document summarizes the author's observations of adult reference services at a small town public library. Some of the key services observed included assisting patrons with book requests, recommendations, technology help, and meeting room reservations. The reference desk saw steady usage throughout the day. While technology has changed some aspects of reference work, the human connection provided by reference librarians remains an essential role in serving the community.
Webrarian: A Librarian on the Web (SoFerence-17) by Niranjan MohapatraNIRANJAN MOHAPATRA
Webrarian is a new concept which means web-librarian or a librarian of a web-library. This concept has been created with the joint venture of Web Science and Library & Information Science. Application of the laws of library science to the web science and adaption of Web Science with the profession of librarianship will be justify the word webrarian to challenge the technological era.
This presentation was provided by Rebecca Benner, Ph.D., of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, for the second session of NISO's 2024 Training Series "DEIA in the Scholarly Landscape." Session Two: 'Expanding Pathways to Publishing Careers,' was held June 13, 2024.
Terence K. Huwe
Institute for Research on Labor and Employment Library
University of California, Berkeley
Long Island Library Resources Council
October 30, 2009
The document discusses the potential for open source software to transform libraries and advance their social mission. It outlines several challenges libraries currently face in adopting open source systems, as well as glimpses of hope, such as skepticism around OCLC's role. The document envisions an ideal future state where open source is widely adopted, new community-owned data infrastructures and support ecosystems have emerged, and libraries are actively contributing to open source development.
This presentation was provided by Dylan Burns of The University of Washington during the NISO event "The Impact of the Interface: Traditional and Non Traditional Content," held on November 20, 2019.
The document summarizes trends in libraries and projects at the UW Tacoma Library. It discusses how libraries have adapted to changes in the information environment like abundance of information online and push technologies. It outlines new roles for librarians like data librarians, digital scholarship librarians, and UX librarians. For UW Tacoma, it envisions the library transitioning from its focus on collections to prioritizing services and becoming integral to the campus community. It highlights faculty and student praise for library support and resources. Upcoming trends and projects may include renovating library space, new technologies, supporting student and faculty scholarship, and enhancing pedagogical support. Key challenges include keeping up with campus growth with limited
Library futures: converging and diverging directions for public and academic ...lisld
The major influence on library futures is the changing character of their user communities. As patterns of research, learning and personal development change in a network environment so library services need to change. At the same time, libraries are focused on engaging with their communities more strongly - getting into their work and learning flows. This means that libraries are becoming more unlike each other, they are diverging as they meet the specific needs of their communities. Research libraries diverge from academic libraries, and each is different from urban public libraries, and so on.
At the same time, at a broader level libraries are experiencing similar pressures. The need to engage more strongly with their communities. The need to assess what they do. The need to configure space around experiences rather than around collections. Libraries are converging around some of these issues.
This presentation will consider the future of libraries from the point of view of convergence and divergence between types of libraries.
This presentation was given at the 23d Annual Conference on Libraries and the Future, sponsored by the Long Island Library Resources Council, October 24, 2014.
Embedded librarians operate in a complex network of relationships: with each other, with vendors of products and services, and most importantly with diverse members of the communities they serve. As their professional lives become centered on these networked relationships, instead of the library, they may find themselves redefining fundamental values and principles of librarianship, including the nature of service, the identity of the library as an institution, and the role of librarians in the community.
Rejoining the Information access landscapeTerry Reese
1. The document discusses the need for libraries to embrace open data and digital platforms.
2. It argues that libraries must have a digital platform that enables non-physical users to interact with information easily and seamlessly, or they will become irrelevant.
3. The author advocates that libraries should open their systems, share data widely in both human and machine-readable formats, and act as a network pipe to build their digital infrastructure as a platform.
Digital libraries store collections in digital formats rather than physical formats, allowing content to be accessed locally or remotely via computers. While some believe digital libraries are the future, others prefer traditional libraries. Digitizing library collections provides benefits like increased access, preservation of rare materials, and reduced costs compared to physical libraries.
Digital libraries store collections in digital formats rather than physical, allowing access from computers locally or remotely. While some see digital libraries as the future, others prefer traditional libraries. Digitization allows widespread access to reduce costs while preserving rare materials, but changing study habits have led to declining library usage as students access information electronically elsewhere.
Embedded Librarians: Diverse Initiatives, Common Challenges. davidshumaker
The document discusses embedded librarianship through an analogy of six blind men describing different parts of an elephant. It then shares perspectives on embedded librarianship from six librarians in different settings - medical, academic community college, academic research university, school, corporate, and public. Embedded librarianship means becoming an integral part of the community or setting by developing relationships, mutual understanding, and providing customized and high-value contributions as part of the team.
This document discusses social librarianship and social libraries. It defines social librarianship as professional and non-professional librarians interacting online to catalog books and media. Social libraries allow users to build online catalogs and connect with others. Reasons for their popularity include collecting books for insurance purposes and finding recommendations. The document suggests ways libraries can get involved through participating in discussions and cataloging their collections on social library sites.
The document provides an overview of a research project studying community libraries. It includes:
1. The project will study 3 community libraries through interviews, observations, and an image sorting exercise to understand how libraries are defining themselves, opportunities for growth, and the relationship between libraries and their communities.
2. The research aims to uncover insights about community libraries' value, areas for improvement, and how they can evolve to meet future needs.
3. The methodology, timeline, deliverables, and interview guides are described to provide context around the research study.
This document discusses the potential for libraries and librarians to take on new roles in curating "Polyfoil ecosystems" - interconnected webs of knowledge that link related concepts and ideas across different texts. It argues that academic libraries are well-positioned to build comprehensive Polyfoil ecosystems due to their large collections. The document envisions librarians becoming "meta-librarians" and "trailblazers" by writing passages that bridge concepts between different works, thereby creating new navigable pathways through the libraries' holdings.
Ranganathan and Reference Service in the Modern LibraryJenna Kammer
S.R. Ranganathan outlined 5 laws of library science that guide modern libraries: 1) Books are for use, 2) Every reader his book, 3) Every book its reader, 4) Save the time of the reader, 5) A library is a growing organism. Modern libraries incorporate these laws by making materials openly accessible physically and online, connecting readers to new materials through recommendations, ensuring materials can be found and are up-to-date, and providing services like reference help and instruction that save patrons' time. Libraries also continually expand collections and services to meet community needs.
The document discusses issues that libraries face when maintaining services and resources with limited budgets and personnel. It describes how libraries try to please all patrons by offering many services, but this spreads resources too thin. The document advocates that libraries should be willing to discontinue some services in order to focus resources on the most valuable offerings. It provides examples of libraries spending money on duplicative formats of materials and retaining outdated collections and practices. The document encourages libraries to let go of the need to serve all needs and to instead focus on core services.
This document discusses takeaways from a conference on scholarly communication models. It notes that libraries need to support the full research lifecycle beyond just publications and provide relevant digital services. Publishers should reflect on the evolving forms communication can take and help authors increase visibility and impact of their work. Both libraries and publishers are encouraged to think about how to bring more of the academic community along in embracing new models and ensure certain disciplines and content types are not left behind. Concerns remain around balancing openness with privacy and aligning investments with a changing landscape.
This document contains the presentation slides for Kathleen Johnson's talk on innovations in school librarianship. The presentation discusses 7 areas of innovation: physical and virtual library spaces, the librarian's role as a learning specialist, transliteracy skills, embedded librarianship models, new opportunities for professional development, R. David Lankes' concept of a new librarianship focused on knowledge and learning, and developing personal learning environments centered on each student. The presentation provides examples and resources to illustrate changes in how libraries and librarians can better support student learning in the digital age.
The document summarizes the author's observations of adult reference services at a small town public library. Some of the key services observed included assisting patrons with book requests, recommendations, technology help, and meeting room reservations. The reference desk saw steady usage throughout the day. While technology has changed some aspects of reference work, the human connection provided by reference librarians remains an essential role in serving the community.
Webrarian: A Librarian on the Web (SoFerence-17) by Niranjan MohapatraNIRANJAN MOHAPATRA
Webrarian is a new concept which means web-librarian or a librarian of a web-library. This concept has been created with the joint venture of Web Science and Library & Information Science. Application of the laws of library science to the web science and adaption of Web Science with the profession of librarianship will be justify the word webrarian to challenge the technological era.
This presentation was provided by Rebecca Benner, Ph.D., of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, for the second session of NISO's 2024 Training Series "DEIA in the Scholarly Landscape." Session Two: 'Expanding Pathways to Publishing Careers,' was held June 13, 2024.
Philippine Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan (EPP) CurriculumMJDuyan
(𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝟏𝟎𝟎) (𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝟏)-𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐬
𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐏𝐏 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐮𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬:
- Understand the goals and objectives of the Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan (EPP) curriculum, recognizing its importance in fostering practical life skills and values among students. Students will also be able to identify the key components and subjects covered, such as agriculture, home economics, industrial arts, and information and communication technology.
𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫:
-Define entrepreneurship, distinguishing it from general business activities by emphasizing its focus on innovation, risk-taking, and value creation. Students will describe the characteristics and traits of successful entrepreneurs, including their roles and responsibilities, and discuss the broader economic and social impacts of entrepreneurial activities on both local and global scales.
THE SACRIFICE HOW PRO-PALESTINE PROTESTS STUDENTS ARE SACRIFICING TO CHANGE T...indexPub
The recent surge in pro-Palestine student activism has prompted significant responses from universities, ranging from negotiations and divestment commitments to increased transparency about investments in companies supporting the war on Gaza. This activism has led to the cessation of student encampments but also highlighted the substantial sacrifices made by students, including academic disruptions and personal risks. The primary drivers of these protests are poor university administration, lack of transparency, and inadequate communication between officials and students. This study examines the profound emotional, psychological, and professional impacts on students engaged in pro-Palestine protests, focusing on Generation Z's (Gen-Z) activism dynamics. This paper explores the significant sacrifices made by these students and even the professors supporting the pro-Palestine movement, with a focus on recent global movements. Through an in-depth analysis of printed and electronic media, the study examines the impacts of these sacrifices on the academic and personal lives of those involved. The paper highlights examples from various universities, demonstrating student activism's long-term and short-term effects, including disciplinary actions, social backlash, and career implications. The researchers also explore the broader implications of student sacrifices. The findings reveal that these sacrifices are driven by a profound commitment to justice and human rights, and are influenced by the increasing availability of information, peer interactions, and personal convictions. The study also discusses the broader implications of this activism, comparing it to historical precedents and assessing its potential to influence policy and public opinion. The emotional and psychological toll on student activists is significant, but their sense of purpose and community support mitigates some of these challenges. However, the researchers call for acknowledging the broader Impact of these sacrifices on the future global movement of FreePalestine.
A Visual Guide to 1 Samuel | A Tale of Two HeartsSteve Thomason
These slides walk through the story of 1 Samuel. Samuel is the last judge of Israel. The people reject God and want a king. Saul is anointed as the first king, but he is not a good king. David, the shepherd boy is anointed and Saul is envious of him. David shows honor while Saul continues to self destruct.
Beyond Degrees - Empowering the Workforce in the Context of Skills-First.pptxEduSkills OECD
Iván Bornacelly, Policy Analyst at the OECD Centre for Skills, OECD, presents at the webinar 'Tackling job market gaps with a skills-first approach' on 12 June 2024
Temple of Asclepius in Thrace. Excavation resultsKrassimira Luka
The temple and the sanctuary around were dedicated to Asklepios Zmidrenus. This name has been known since 1875 when an inscription dedicated to him was discovered in Rome. The inscription is dated in 227 AD and was left by soldiers originating from the city of Philippopolis (modern Plovdiv).
1. Evergreen International 2012, Indianapolis, IN
Keynote, April 27, 2012
Greeting
Good morning!
I'm delighted to be here with you for this
year’s Evergreen International, and I would like
to thank Emily Kruse Schaber, Shauna Borger,
and members of the conference planning
committee for the invitation to join you and for
taking care of all the little and big logistics to
make sure that I am here right now.
Introduction
On this, lovely April morning, I would like to
invite you to join me on a short adventure
where we explore the importance of open
source systems for libraries.
But before we venture too far down the path,
and so that you won't be following a stranger
into these woods...
Who am I? And why am I such a proponent of
open source systems for libraries?
As a technology user, I use open source
systems and software such as Ubuntu, Libre
Office, Open Office, GIMP, and thanks to
Connecticut’s largest library consortium –
Bibliomation – I use Evergreen at my public
library.
But, my work with, and realization of the
importance of, open source tools for libraries
began with ERMes - an accidental open source
e-resource management system that I co-
developed in 2008.
I say accidental, because ERMes began simply
as a home-grown e-resource management
system to help me manage the University of
2. Wisconsin - La Crosse's e-resource collection.
I gave a blue print for a relational database to
Bill Doering, and in a month he had the initial
version of ERMes functional.
Then, at the request of another e-resources
librarian, we put ERMes up on the web, wrote
documentation, and now, two releases leater,
ERMes is used by 60 small-medium sized
libraries around the world.
While ERMes helped other libraries manage
their e-resources, ERMes also built a
community of e-resource libraries that helped
me with my work.
Last August I became the e-resources
management librarian at the University of
Connecticut, and as I pursue options to
streamline my e-resource management work
there, I again focusing on open source e-
resource management systems such as ERMes
and CORAL.
Why? Because e-resource management
workflows change and evolve daily if not
hourly, and I need systems that are flexible and
easily to adapt on the fly.
Plus e-resources are expensive, and it is better
for my library’s users to invest library funds
into information resources instead of
proprietary systems to manage them.
In short, my experience with open source
systems for libraries is analogous to a sapling in
the forest of evergreens.
So why is open source so important for
libraries right now?
Let's begin our adventure and investigation of
this question with a few definitions of our
world...
3. What is a library?
Library as collection of physical items...
Let’s focus on this part of the definition; the
idea of a library that renders information
available to those who need and want it…
Now, let’s grow, mature, evolve this
definition…
Organism = Society
4. ...into a habitat of information representing our
society.
And now, what is a librarian, and by librarian I
refer to those that work in libraries, school
media centers, etc....
A keeper of libraries.
Librarians as a Species
Librarians are a class of individuals having
common attributes and designation of being
specialists, keepers, custodians of libraries.
{Library users too!}
So, we have a library as a habitat and then
librarians *AND* our users as species relying
on this habitat…
Which begets questions:
If a library is a collection of material that must be
maintained as a representation of our
society and such a library is charged with the
care accessibility of such materials,
And if a librarian is the specialist, the custodian
of a library then how do we make sure we are
rendering materials accessible?
And…
What is the state of our habitat?
5. Threatened Habitat
Right now, the library as a habitat for librarians
and pursuers of information -- is threatened
which is a bit of a problem for our species but a
huge problem for the long-term existence of a
suitable environments – libraries – as
representations of the organism that is our
society.
If our means of acquiring materials increasingly
diminishes, and if our means of making materials
accessible is
a. costing an increasing amount and/or
b. not fulfilling the obligation of accessibility,
then the environment is no longer a healthy
environment for the organism that is society’s
information,
…than libraries as a habitat, librarians and users
as species depending on said habitat all suffer.
Thus our society is suffering.
Does this mean that librarians
are endangered?
6. What does this mean?
Some might say we are endangered, and at the
very least we're feeling the effects of
information evolution.
How will libraries survive?
We've all heard Herbert Spencer's adage
"survival of the fittest." that he used to describe
Darwin's natural selection. [image of robust,
strength].
What does strength mean in our economy, our
society? [money]
Well, we know that money is a perpetual
problem for libraries.
But what if survival of the fittest doesn't mean
that the library with the biggest budget wins?
7. Let’s take a side path for a moment and look
at survival of the fittest in the non-human
animal world for a moment….
Marc Bekoff...
Quote
White Pelicans
Three Quotes
Ants
What about human animals?
Quote from His Holiness the Dalai Lama
And Libraries…
Competition or Cooperation
For our species, the importance of cooperation
shouldn’t come as a surprise for cooperation is
intrinsic to libraries….
They have a long record of cooperating when it
comes to the sharing of their collections.
However, with our emerging definition of a
library, survival of the fittest through
cooperation necessitates more than
interlibrary loan and shared collections.
It means that the infrastructure of our library
habitat needs to be built by cooperation,
community need and support, as well as
transparency.
8. It means open source systems to make the
information we steward accessible.
It means coming together to create, share, and
maintain the fundamental systems that are our
libraries because such systems will be less
expensive, have scalability, and reflect the
essence of our habitat so that the library as an
organism – not just a place - will be accessible.
For when I compare my experience in other
industries to that of librarianship, I know those
that work in libraries to be fiercely passionate
about their work; a bunch a talented folks that
are good at sharing, good at cooperating and
have the ability to keep changing the world –
the world of information access.
I believe that having the right tools to do our
jobs will helps us survive, and that if the people
who work in libraries create the systems and
the tools they need, then we’ll end up exactly
what we need to not only survive, but thrive –
This means becoming a big fish made of many
little fish in the sea of information just like
Swimmy suggested.