NOWAL meeting, 12 July 05 Libraries in the age of Amazoogle: flattened and turned inside out Lorcan Dempsey OCLC NOWAL meeting. Manchester Metropolitan University 12 July 2005

Some context

NOWAL meting, 12 July 2005 A flat world: coordinates adapted from Friedman A digital platform Computation and communication Reduced friction in workflows ‘Web services’ – communicating applications Streamlined logistics and supply chain Distributed global deep collaboration and sourcing Processes assembled based on cost and efficiency Vertical intra-organizational assembly horizontal interorganizational assembly

NOWAL meting, 12 July 2005  The web is the information space  Amazoogle defines what is ‘on- web’  The texting generation  Network workflows emerging to help manage time spent in network  The library has to be in those workflows  ‘Pool uncertainty’  Libraries do less on their own. A digital platform Reduced friction in workflows Deep collaboration and sourcing

NOWAL meting, 12 July 2005 Overview A digital space: an appropriate repsonse: thinking about Amazoogle Workflow: library services in the flow Flattening: deep collaboration and sourcing Examples of some OCLC responses

NOWAL meting, 12 July 2005 Amazoogle

NOWAL meting, 12 July 2005 Web hub services Library A comprehensive discovery experience Fragmented Predictable, often immediate, fulfilment Intermittent; Silo applications Data works hard Inert; Silos of data Machine interfaces Stitch into user environments Closed Co-created with users Closed

NOWAL meting, 12 July 2005 Some lessons..  Data: the advantages of mass  Applications: the advantages of light-weight openness  Experience: rich experiences provided as close to the user as possible

NOWAL meting, 12 July 2005 … flow and flattening …

NOWAL meting, 12 July 2005 lab books exhibitions PDAs learning management systems campus portal course material text book personal collections reading lists Institutional repository Digital collections E-reserve Catalog Licensed collections Aggregations Virtual reference Cataloging ILL library user environments resource environment lab books exhibitions PDAs learning management systems campus portal course material text book personal collections reading lists

NOWAL meting, 12 July 2005 Gather -- create -- share Flecker and McLean. CNI/IMS paper Think about libraries and the environment of learning ….

Elgg :: Personal Learning Landscape

NOWAL meting, 12 July 2005 I suggest that the key strategic challenge for information professionals is that many involved in shaping the future of e-learning do not see the relevance of our content and services to their endeavours. Rebranding is needed to transform “library” and “published” content into “learning tools”. Alicia Wise, CEO, Publishers Licensing Society

NOWAL meting, 12 July 2005 Imperative is to release value in the user environment: reduce friction In the user workflow Integration: resource integration supports integration into user environment Liquid linkable content  Workflow as ‘intermediate’ consumer  Search engine, CMS, RSS, toolbar, extensions, …  No service is the sole focus of user attention  Plug into multiple channels for discovery, location, fulfillment, … web services  Gather, create, share  Search, link, reuse, analyse, chunk, create,

NOWAL meting, 12 July 2005 In the user *-flow  Workflow  Learnflow  Commuteflow  Lifeflow  Research flow e.g.  Personal collections and citation chaining  Integration of data and literature

NOWAL meting, 12 July 2005 Sourcing services  History of cooperative and third party sourcing:  Cataloging  ILL  A&I  What about:  Ratings and recommendation  Digital preservation  Exposing to search engines  Knowledge base for e-resource management  Digitization/storage of print collections  Metadata and content aggregation  Data analysis  Repository ……

NOWAL meting, 12 July 2005 Sourcing options  Deep resource sharing  Develop ‘horizontal’ shared services – remove redundancies and build capacity  Institutional  Enterprise systems  Research and learning infrastructure  Cultural institutions  Jurisdictional  California Digital Library  DEFF  JISC, SURF?  Third party  Consortial  Vendor  Issues  New processes not well enough defined  Third party services underdeveloped  Project mentality  ‘Vertical’ structures entrenched – within and between institutions  Lack of architecture/business model

NOWAL meting, 12 July 2005 lab books exhibitions PDAs learning management systems campus portal course material text book personal collections reading lists Institutional repository Digital collections E-reserve Catalog Licensed collections Aggregations Virtual reference Cataloging ILL library user environments resource environment Flow and flattening: the library in the user environment, Not the user in the library environment. Flattening and flow: Flexible assembly of services from multiple sources.

NOWAL meting, 12 July 2005 A developing responsibility: Institutional intellectual asset management

NOWAL meting, 12 July 2005 Convergence and dissolving of boundaries  It is not enough just making resources and services available on the network  Have to be integrated into workflows  User workflow  Library workflow  A library will source services within multiple deep collaborative and third-party arrangements  Need to standardize processes  Shared services – institution, interinstitution  More hosted services?  Organizational structures lacking.

NOWAL meting, 12 July 2005 An example: Open WorldCat  Help libraries mobilize their collective resources  Expose data to search engines  Act as a discovery engine and service router

NOWAL meting, 12 July 2005

Zero sum game  Libraries need to create value in an environment where:  Requirements are multiplying, but  Funding is not growing. Examples ….

NOWAL meting, 12 July 2005  A developing research and learning infrastructure  Enterprise computing  E-learning  E-research  Money follows use?  Institutional collections?  Licensed collections?  Then … ILS  Now …. Repository, Metasearch, E-resource management, resolver, …. Within institution Collections Systems environment

NOWAL meting, 12 July 2005

OCLC  Help libraries mobilize their collective resources  Some current initiatives:  Open WorldCat  Service discovery and routing on the web  Group catalogue  A service destination  E-Resource management  E-serials holdings service

NOWAL meting, 12 July 2005 Web hub services LibraryOCLC response A comprehensive discovery experience FragmentedOpenWorldCat, Group catalog Predictable, often immediate, fulfilment IntermittentExpose services in OWC Data works hard PassiveFRBR, exploit data, Collection analysis Open to other applications MonolithicKey objective to introduce web services Co-created with users MonolithicWorldCat WIKI

NOWAL meting, 12 July 2005

The end …

NOWAL meting, 12 July 2005  The web is the information space  Amazoogle defines what is ‘on- web’  The texting generation  Network workflows emerging to help manage time spent in network  The library has to be in those workflows  ‘Pool uncertainty’  Libraries do less on their own. A digital platform Reduced friction in workflows Deep collaboration and sourcing

NOWAL meting, 12 July 2005 Thank you! Lorcan OCLC Research: