> In a recession, sure.
> There are many factors, including that the libraries are the only
> place where certain electronic materials are accessible
Exactly. People likes free stuff. And students, in particular, aren't going to go out and pay for books and articles to write their research papers.
So, let's agree on this: Technology issues are not the overriding factor in the future success of libraries, academic or public. My local public library, for example, is always packed and the items I want are almost always checked out. They have a crappy catalog system. They are successful in spite of it.
> Let me ask a counter example: what sort of resources follows the
> upswing of the library generic use?
Sorry, I don't understand the question.
>> Our problems (and achievements) do not begin and end
>> with the catalog and MARC data.
>
> Prove me wrong. :)
Okay.
One of the most successful systems in academic libraries over the past decade has been the OpenURL link resolver. It has greatly expanded access to journal articles. It has very little, if anything, to do with the catalog and MARC data.
An opposite example: We have a metasearch system that uses MARC as it's internal, normalized data format. One of the projects I work on is aimed at creating an improved interface to that system, using the metasearch system's API.
We've had tremendous success in that, increasing usage of the system 800% and driving a near *doubling* of overall electronic resource usage at a couple of our campuses [1]. It's still ugly MARC data underneath, but the interface changes have made all the difference. I'm an interface guy, so I tend to think that the problems (and solutions) we face in libraries are largely about the systems and interfaces, not the underlying data.
There are lots of other things happening in the 'library world' that are, I think, quite innovative. We're getting ready to launch an article recommender service developed by Ex Libris (the library technology vendor) this month. Could be quite revolutionary.
You were probably just joking in that question, but I can go on. ;-)
> I think any communication here on this mailing-list will be
> exaggerated
No worries.
--Dave
[1] http://blip.tv/file/1461395/
==================
David Walker
Library Web Services Manager
California State University
http://xerxes.calstate.edu
________________________________________
From: Next generation catalogs for libraries [NGC4LIB_at_LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Alexander Johannesen [alexander.johannesen_at_GMAIL.COM]
Sent: Tuesday, May 05, 2009 4:07 PM
To: NGC4LIB_at_LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: Re: [NGC4LIB] Another nail in the coffin
On Wed, May 6, 2009 at 01:55, Walker, David <dwalker_at_calstate.edu> wrote:
> So let's point out some other realities:
> 1. As Karen and others have mentioned, usage of libraries is *increasing*.
In a recession, sure.
> And not just at public libraries. I'm looking at our stats right now, and for the umpteenth year in a row our usage numbers have gone up. If library systems -- and by implication libraries themselves -- are "becoming more or less irellevant," then how do you explain this?
There are many factors, including that the libraries are the only
place where certain electronic materials are accessible. I remember a
few years ago, the biggest problem with electronic resources wasn't
the technology, it was availability, and the subscription owners were
*very* jumpy about stats proving the uniqueness of where the resource
was accessed, how, when, and so on.
Let me ask a counter example: what sort of resources follows the
upswing of the library generic use?
> 2. For the past decade, usage in academic libraries has shifted from print resources and the system that support the discovery of such (i.e., library catalogs) to online subscription resources and the systems that support their discovery (i.e., databases). There have been a *lot* of new systems and improvements to the latter over the past decade, with many more improvements coming down the pipe. Things are by no means standing still.
But these are the systems I'm pointing to. Wolfram|Alpha is just such
a resource. Some of these will be free, some subscription, some will
switch to other models. *Most* of these systems do not origin from
within the library world; the expertize and the technology lives and
breathes elsewhere, and *that* is the danger, *that* is a threat to
keeping the library culture and spirit alive.
> I think the reason why your posts come off as rather "doom and gloom," Alex, is because your characterization of the current state of libraries and library systems is -- from where I sit anyway -- rather exaggerated.
I think any communication here on this mailing-list will be
exaggerated by the very nature of sparse info of the context, and the
nature of electronic mail. There's so many little things that cannot
be said, unless these mails gets incredibly long, complex and boring.
> Don't get me wrong, we absolutely need to make improvements to library catalog systems. But, for academic libraries anyway, this is just one small part of the overall technology picture. Our problems (and achievements) do not begin and end with the catalog and MARC data.
Prove me wrong. :)
> If you think of academic libraries as places focused on books with librarians sitting around the reference desk ignoring technological innovation; well, I think it's actually that outmoded image of the library, rather than libraries themselves, that should be put in a coffin and laid to rest.
I've worked in an academic / research / national library as a
technologist, making quite a few such technologically "innovative"
systems, so I should know. I *do* know, however, that the library
culture does not approve easily the push of technology (it prefers
slow digestion), nor does it move fast enough to keep up with what's
going on in the commercial sector (both price and the speed of the
organisation is at play here). These are two of my largest concerns,
and often what I'd like to see addressed.
Or, put in a nutshell; The future is coming just a tad bit faster than
the library is able to adjust.
Regards,
Alex
--
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Project Wrangler, SOA, Information Alchemist, UX, RESTafarian, Topic Maps
------------------------------------------ http://shelter.nu/blog/ --------
Received on Tue May 05 2009 - 20:26:02 EDT