A Critique of the Proposed National Education Policy Reform
Wisconsin la2011
1. FrankenLibraries or Librarytopia:
Our Choice
Stephen Abram, MLS
Wisconsin Library Association
Milwaukee, WI
These slides are available at Stephen’s Lighthouse blog Nov. 2, 2011
2. Change: Are libraries
Future Ready?
Reducing Suspense:
And the answer is . . . . MAYBE
4. se·duc·tion (s-dkshn) n.
1. a. The act of seducing.
b. The condition of being seduced.
2. Something that seduces or has the
qualities to seduce; an enticement.
[Latin sducti, sductin-, from sductus, past
participle of sdcere, to lead astray : s-, apart;
see s(w)e- in Indo-European roots + dcere, to
lead; see deuk- in Indo-European roots.]
10. 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
30. 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
46. The nasty facts
about Google &
Bing and
consumer search:
SEO / SMO
Content Farms
Advertiser-driven
Geotagging
Whack-a-Mole:
Farmer
Panda
Panda Silver
55. 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?
56. What Are Libraries Really For?
• Community
• Learning
• Discovery
• Progress
• Research (Applied and Theoretical)
• Cultural & Knowledge Custody / Conservation
• Economic Impact
• Sooooooo . . . . Focus on Programs
57. 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?
71. 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
72. 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.
73. Chefs, counsellors, teachers, magicians
Librarians, Publishers and Booksellers play a
vital role in building the critical connections
between information , knowledge & learning.
78. 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