The document discusses innovation in libraries and discusses the concepts of sustaining and disruptive technologies. It summarizes Clayton Christensen's theory of "The Innovator's Dilemma" which explains why good companies can fail to innovate and describes how focusing too much on sustaining existing customers and services rather than disruptive innovations can lead to a "librarian's dilemma" where libraries fail to meet future needs.

1. Eric Schnell Associate Professor Prior Health Sciences Library The Ohio State University Innovation: The Librarian's Dilemma?

2. Overview What is Innovation? Sustaining and Disruptive Technologies OSU: Pro The Innovator’s Dilemma The Librarian’s Dilemma

3. What is Innovation? Invention vs. innovation “Invention implemented” Many innovations were invented 25 yrs ago A process; a culture Types of innovations: - Product/Service - Processes

4. What are Sustaining and Disruptive Technologies ?

5. Sustaining Technologies Sustaining technologies improve the performance of established products or services that customers have historically valued

6. Disruptive Technologies Disruptive technologies consist of components built around proven technologies and used in new ways

7. Sustaining or Disruptive?

8. Sustaining or Disruptive? E-Reserves Sustaining Disruptive: Course Management Systems Chat Reference Sustaining Disruptive: Google Electronic Document Delivery Sustaining Disruptive: Open Access

9. Thinking About Innovation

10. Clayton Christensen’s Innovator’s Dilemma Q: How can great companies fail? place value on sustaining services allocate resources to support sustaining services Q: Why do good managers fail? listen to customer needs support organizational structures and cultures not conducive to innovation Q: What makes an organization innovative? - reallocate resources - create independent project groups

11. The Librarian’s Dilemma ? Survey current customer needs Place value on sustaining services Have organizations designed to focus on and protect existing practices Allocate resources to support sustaining services Lack organizational structures conducive to innovation

12. The Librarian’s Dilemma ? By listening to our customers and placing value and allocating resources on what they say they need today , will libraries meet a fate similar to hard drive, typewriter, and photography manufacturers?

14. Thank You! http://ericschnell.blogspot.com [email_address]