Marshall BreedingJames Bess The Future of Library Software and What to Do About It

Library software has come a long ways As library collections and services have expanded over the year, so must the technology tools that support libraries  Print, electronic, and digital collections  Traditional and open access publishing  Rising interest in e-books  Dominance of mobile for accessing the Web

Pace of Change Library software trends are moving fast… …but not necessarily fast enough. The world around libraries is changing very rapidly!

Where is it going?  Cloud technologies: vendor hosted systems, multi-tenant SaaS  Emphasis on Discovery  Academic: index-based discovery  Public: integration with e-book platforms  Consolidation of search starting points  More integrated approach to provision of library services through the library’s Web presence or Virtual Branch  Resource management across library materials.  Library management systems need to provide support for print, electronic, and digital

What to do about it  Stay aware of current trends  Why? Need to be able to make well informed decisions about technology  How? Social media, professional and academic articles, conferences  Sites to read? Places to look?  Library Technology Guides (librarytechnology.org)  American Libraries: annual Library Systems Report  Library Journal: especially digital shift (thedigitalshift.com/)  Information Today  Groups?  Code4Lib  Web4Ib  Social Media  Twitter: most current information  LinkedIn: Many groups oriented to libraries and technology  Facebook: a bit less focused

Be quick to try to new things Why Change? - “So often librarians confuse ends and means, become devoted to particular techniques because they have devised them or developed skill in using them, unconsciously glorifying them into ends and convincing themselves that their continuance and the continuance of library service itself are identical” – Dorothy Sinclair, President, Public Library Association (1968)

Adapting Change  Monitor emerging trends  Focus on strategic technology  Discern what is hype or glitz  Seek innovation  Devise ways to learn and experiment with technology  Avoid institutional risk  Identify innovative technologies that can be implemented while they are still innovative  Libraries too often play: “wait and see”  Technology leadership, not always a follower

Setting a path forward  Make software decisions based on current software state, but also future vision of vendor  Libraries use their automation systems for at least a decade. At the time of procurement, any system is but a snapshot in time. Must think about the future development trajectory. Must be sure that the vendor will there to develop and support the system into the distant future.

Develop partnerships  Don’t consider major tech systems as a simple purchase or license, but more as a partnership.  Provide feedback and direction to the vendor to influence future development.  Don’t be passive: be an advocate for progress and innovation  Be aware and informed of future development roadmap.

High-level service Observation: Library customers often perceive those that work in libraries as “book stamper”  Position the library as offering information experts  Fulfilling this role maintains your relevance and the relevance of the library for its community.  Libraries increasingly work higher levels in providing services to their customers. Research support, information literacy, programs that provide impact and benefits to their communities.

Be entrepreneurial  In the same way that successful businesses must operate strategically and respond to their changing environment, so must libraries be able to embrace changes essential to stay in tune with the needs of their communities.

Conclusion “If you don’t like change, you’ll like irrelevance even less.” — General Eric Shinseki. Chief of Staff, U. S. Army.  Find the technologies that best support the mission of the library.  Don’t be so tied to practices and technologies that may have been adequate in the past hinder your library from moving aggressively forward to meet your communities current needs.

Questions and discussion