Failing Forward in the 21 st Century Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Ph.D. Senior Research Scientist OCLC Research Kathy Ray Dean of Libraries University of Nevada, Reno Rick Anderson Associate Dean, Marriott Library University of Utah

“Perhaps the most convenient method of studying the consequences of this law will be to follow the reader from the moment he enters the library to the moment he leaves it…” (Ranganathan 1931, 337)

"The librarian was able to address my specific needs with practical, useful information. She was friendly and appeared genuinely glad to be helping me. I think the face-to-face format did help, since it was a relaxed meeting. I was comfortable with the librarian, so I was comfortable asking questions." (Seeking Synchronicity, NOS-81566, Female, Age 19-28)

“I personally, I like the one on one, in person interaction. I feel like I get better results when I’m like with the person. So, for me, like I physically, not matter what it is, I will physically go to the library and ask for help. Otherwise you’re like, sometimes you may not get as many results online or over the phone.” (Seeking Synchronicity, Focus Group, Female, Age 15-18) ​

“The librarian I asked seemed too occupied with other matters to pay any attention to my question, and she made me feel stupid and intrusive for even asking her such a thing.” (Seeking Synchronicity, NOS-61783, Female, Age 15-18)

“I’d rather go to two feet to my computer than a couple of miles to the library.” (Seeking Synchronicity, Focus Group, Male, Age 19-28) “I despise the library. I will avoid it at any cost.” (Seeking Synchronicity, Focus Group, Female, Age 19-28) “There is usually a collective groan when the teacher says you have to use at least one book source, you can smell the human despair.” (Seeking Synchronicity, NTI-137, Male, Age (Seeking Synchronicity, NTI-137, Male, Age 15-18)

“The librarian was extremely nice, as well as helpful. She walked me towards the exact section I would be needing, and told me to let her know if I needed any further help.” (Seeking Synchronicity, NOS-38269, Female, Age 19-28) "I asked the librarian where the murder mystery books were located, she was kind of busy checking in books, but still took the time to answer my question. She put down what she was doing and she walked me to the correct section, instead of just pointing me that way." (Seeking Synchronicity, NOS-65333, Female, Age 15-18)

“I work right next to the library, and even though I am constantly doing literature reviews, I rarely go there. Most things I need are online, and located fairly easily (thanks to Google). I'd have to have some pretty specific questions I wouldn't trust to online searching.” (Seeking Synchronicity, NOS-85046, Female, Public Library, Age 19-28)

Libraries Now: Library assessment linked to satisfaction & performance Focus on sustainability Evaluate how we’re doing right now Teaching information literacy Information focused Culture of tradition Library’s role as providing access to information & space to study Libraries as Startup: Library assessment tries to anticipate unarticulated needs Focus on revolutionary new services Evaluate direction we’re headed Build instructional support to address information literacy User-focused Culture of innovation Expand library’s role Startup Solutions: New Models

“Fail faster, fail smarter” Failure is part of process “Good enough is good enough to start” Have a raw form of concept & go with it, then build upon success “Feed the feedback loop” Let the users nurture the concept to build it up Go beyond traditional library boundaries Startup Solutions

“…change is a constant, and we need to learn to deal with it. No matter what type of library you’re in or what you do in it, it’s important to remember that you are in a service industry.” (Glassmeyer 2010, 24)

Plant many seeds Try lots of decent ideas instead of one good one See what works Seize the white space “Don’t limit your innovation” New Models

“ By focusing on relationship building instead of service excellence, organizations can uncover new needs and be in position to make a stronger impact.” (Mathews 2012)

References Connaway, Lynn Silipigni, and Ixchel M. Faniel Reordering Ranganathan: Shifting user behaviors, shifting priorities. Dublin, OH: OCLC Research. Connaway, L. S., Radford, M. L., & OCLC Research. (2011). Seeking synchronicity: Revelations and recommendations for virtual reference. Dublin, OH: OCLC Research. Dervin, B., Connaway, L. S., & Prabha, C. ( ). Sense-making the information confluence: The hows and the whys of college and university user satisficing of information needs. Funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Project Website URL: Glassmeyer, Sarah Ranganathan 2.0. ALL Spectrum 14, no. 3: Mathews, B. (2012). Think like a startup: A white paper to inspire library entrepreneurialism [White paper]. Retrieved from Radford, M. L., & L.S. Connaway. 2005–2008a. Seeking synchronicity: Evaluating virtual reference services from user, non-user, and librarian perspectives. Funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Ranganathan, Shiyali Ramamrita The five laws of library science. London: Edward Goldston, Ltd. White, D., & Connaway, L. S. (2011). Visitors and residents: What motivates engagement with the digital information environment. Funded by JISC, OCLC, and Oxford University.

Questions and Discussion

“I personally think Wikipedia is fantastic….Umm, teachers don't like us using it because they're always saying, "Well, anyone can edit it, anyone can do that", but no one does.” (Digital Visitors and Residents, 2UKS1, Male, High School, Physics and Computing, Age 17)

“I use it a lot. If there's some concept that you are not very familiarized with, often what you first search is the Wikipedia and see if anythings available there. Why? Basically it's information is pretty much correct nowadays, and secondly there's often good references to, to more. [Wikipedia] is quite a good source of information. Now source topics about the original information as well.”

“It’s easy to fudge with Wikipedia because the way Wikipedia works. When they say, “Don’t go to Wikipedia,” what everybody really hears is, “Don’t quote Wikipedia.” (Digital Visitors and Residents, USU6, Male, Age 28, Electrical Engineering) ​

“I find Google a lot easier…so many journals come up and when you look at the first ten and they just don’t make any sense. I, kind of, give up.” (Digital Visitors and Residents, USU7, Female, Political Science, Age 19)

“…I would have used Google if I had had internet connection, because if you spell something incorrectly, there is a notice saying “did you mean to spell ____?” with the correct spelling of the word. So that would have been my first choice of thing to do in this situation…” (Digital Visitors and Residents, USS3, Female, High School, Spanish, Age 17)

"…i asked for a specific book and the librarian told me that it should be in a specific section. the librarian pointed in a direction and i went to look for the book. when it wasn't there i returned to the desk and asked if she could help me find the book. she repeated that it should be in that section and continued with her paper work behind the desk. i didn't find the book and I felt that she did not have the time to help me" (Seeking Synchronicity, NOS-86553, Female, Age 19-28)

"I needed to find books on the Rolling Stones for a term paper in my junior year of high school, and I had no idea where to find them. I asked a librarian where I could find books on the Rolling Stones and she brought me directly to the music section of the non-fiction books. I was able to find two perfect books that day which provided me information for the vast majority of my paper." (Seeking Synchronicity, NOS-94938, Female, Age 15-18) (Seeking Synchronicity, NOS-94938, Female, Age 15-18)

"I asked the librarian where the murder mystery books were located, she was kind of busy checking in books, but still took the time to answer my question. She put down what she was doing and she walked me to the correct section, instead of just pointing me that way." (Seeking Synchronicity, NOS-65333, Female, Age 15-18)

Time is of the Essence 24 “A new type of thinking is essential if mankind is to survive and move toward higher levels.” (Einstein 1946)

Focus on Revolutionary New Services and Models