1. The Future:
Frankenbooks, Social Libraries & Learning
Stephen Abram, MLS
California Library Association
SJSU SLIS Lecture
These slides are available at Stephen’s Lighthouse blog
Pasadena, CA
Nov. 12, 2011
13. What Are Libraries Really For?
• Community
• Learning
• Discovery
• Progress
• Research (Applied and Theoretical)
• Cultural & Knowledge Custody / Conservation
• Economic Impact
17. 7 Gifts to Libraries, Publishers & Booksellers
1. The book isn’t dead or dying. It is evolving.
2. Our users/customers are improving.
3. Technology is going social and can support social
acts.
4. The PC isn’t dead, but, again, it’s evolving and more
mobile.
5. We know more about our customers than ever
before.
6. Talent, Insight, Community, have social value.
7. Opportunities always exist more in times of change
28. What does all this mean?
The Article level universe
The Chapter and Paragraph Universe
Integrated with Visuals – graphics and charts
Integrated with ‘video’
Integrated with Sound and Speech
Integrated with social web
Integrated with interaction and not just interactivity
How would you enhance a book?
How do Libraries play the game?
40. Why do people read?
1. To learn
2. To engage in hearing other’s opinions (to agree or disagree or understand)
3. To develop more knowledge about myself and develop as a whole person
4. To be entertained and laugh, to engage and interact
5. To address boredom and the inexorable progress of time
6. To research and keep up-to-date
7. To participate well in civil society (everything from news to voting)
8. To be informed (and maybe smarter)
9. To understand others (individually and culturally)
10. To escape our day-to-day lives
11. To stimulate the imagination and be inspired or spiritual
12. To write and communicate better through reading others
13. To teach
14. To have something to talk about
15. To connect with like-minded people
41.
42.
43. Borders Kobo, B&N Nook, Amazon Kindle/Fire, Apple iPad, Sony Reader, etc. . . .
54. The nasty facts
about Google &
Bing and
consumer search:
SEO / SMO
Content Farms
Advertiser-driven
Geotagging
Whack-a-Mole:
Farmer
Panda
Panda Silver
59. What are your top 10-20 questions?
What is the service portfolio model
that goes with those?
60. The Baker’s Dozen: LVA Top 13
1. Health and Wellness / Community Health / Nutrition / Diet /
Recovery
2. DIY Do It Yourself Activities and Car Repair
3. Genealogy
4. Test prep (SAT, ACT, occupational tests, etc. etc.)
5. Legal Questions (including family law, divorce, adoption, etc)
6. Hobbies, Games and Gardening
7. Local History
8. Consumer reviews (Choosing a car, appliance, etc.)
9. Homework Help (grade school)
10. Technology Skills (software, hardware, web)
11. Government Programs, Services and Taxation
12. Self-help/personal development
13. Careers (jobs, counselling, etc.)
14. Readers Advisory was 14th
61. Top 12 Patron Hobbies
Recreational Reading
Cooking & Recipes
Computers
Movies & Film
Exercise, Cycling & Walking
Traveling, Tourism & Vacations
Music
Pets
Gardening
Television Shows
Arts & Crafts
Knitting & Needlecrafts
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
70. How would this look?
Top Reference and Research Questions
Do you know them? Or do you know retail
sales numbers or circulation numbers better?
Health . . .
Career Advice and Job Finding
Genealogy
Homework
Etc.
71.
72. Questions for Libraries & Publishers Today:
1. Are our priorities right?
2. Are learning, research, discovery changing
materially and what is actually changing?
3. Books. Meh.
4. What is the role of information and
recreational reading in the real future (that is
not an extension of the past)?
5. Are we for the 21st Century world that will be
or the 20th Century one that was?
79. Fun Program Ideas
Act Like a User Day (signs, sign up, ADD, kids)
Librarian for a Day – Homework Peer Coaching
Fraud and ID Theft Prevention
Facebook for Teens – Study, Sharing and Social Safety
Facebook for Adults – Work, Reputation, Jobs
Top 20 Questions Portals Focus Groups
eBay (Cameras, How to, Books, etc.)
Perennial Trade / Garden Days
Collections Slap Down
Research Success for Adult Learners
Download Faire / Digital Days
23 Things TNG
80.
81.
82.
83. The Virtual Handout
The Value of Public Libraries
http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/06/the-value-of-
public-libraries/
The Value of School Libraries
http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/06/the-value-of-
school-libraries/
The Value of Academic and College Libraries
http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/07/value-of-
academic-and-college-libraries/
The Value of Special Libraries
http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/07/value-of-
special-libraries/
Library Advocacy: Save the Library Campaigns
http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/01/save-the-
library-campaigns/
95. The New Social Skills
Credulity (tricks, SEO, SMO, spam, phish, farms)
Transparent distrust and radical intellect
The Filter Bubble
Finding black hole data (like non-digital)
Networking with a Closed Circle
Beyond search to find/discover, choose/use,
understand/internalize and FORGET.
Tagging and organizing – offline remembering
Information ethics and creation
Curation
96. Chefs, counsellors, teachers, magicians
Librarians, Publishers and Booksellers play a
vital role in building the critical connections
between information , knowledge & learning.
100. Summary
End User Psychographic Centricity
Focus on the Questions (Needs, CRM)
Build or Buy Knowledge Portals (Meals)
Emphasize Content Quality (not books)
Expand Social Media Programs on Information
Literacy
Advocate and Align with the Listener
Tell Stories, Have users tell stories
Invest in Strategic Analytics – Measurements of
Impact, ROI and Value
Collaborate vs. socialize
