leading the library of the future: w(h)ither technical services?
TRANSCRIPT
Leading the library of the future:W(h)ither technical services?
8 January 2016
Keith WebsterDean of University LibrariesDirector of Emerging and Integrative Media Initiatives
@cmkeithw
www.libraryofthefuture.org
@cmkeithw
Wedonotdoeverything,butatwhatwedoweaimtobethebestintheworld.
Technical Services: an obsolete term used to describe the largest component of most library staffs in the twentieth century. That component of the staff was entirely devoted to arcane and mysterious processes involved in selecting, acquiring, cataloging, processing, and otherwise making available to library users physical material containing information content pieces (incops). The processes were complicated, expensive, and time-consuming, and generally served to severely limit direct service to users both by producing records that were difficult to understand and interpret, even by other library staff, and by consuming from 75–80 percent of the library’s financial and personnel resources.
Norman D. Stevens, “Selections from a Dictionary of Libinfosci Terms,” in “Beyond ‘1984’: The Future of Technical Services,” special issue, Technical Services Quarterly 1, no. 1–2 (Fall/Winter 1983): 260.
In the twenty-first century, the advent of new forms of publication and new techniques for providing universal records and universal access to information content made the organizational structure obsolete. That change in organizational structure, more than any other single factor, is generally credited as being responsible for the dramatic improvement in the quality of library service that has occurred in the first decade of the twenty-first century.
Norman D. Stevens, “Selections from a Dictionary of Libinfosci Terms,” in “Beyond ‘1984’: The Future of Technical Services,” special issue, Technical Services Quarterly 1, no. 1–2 (Fall/Winter 1983): 260.
TODAY’s WORLD
What is happening in the world is bypassing university libraries
Peter Murray-Rust The scientist’s view JISC Libraries of the future debate, April 2009
Students crowd libraries - without using libraries
The success of e-journals has driven the researcher from the library
Open Science
Growth of web-based knowledge and research tools - often outside the institution
Open access has shaped policy agenda
Library budgets under pressure
Shareholders and VCs expect ROI
Customer pressure
Investor pressure
“…contact with librarians and information professionals is rare”
“…researchers are generally confident in their [self-taught] abilities.., librarians see them as..relatively unsophisticated”
“…librarians see it as a problem that they are not reaching all researchers with formal training, whereas most researchers don’t think they need it”
Where do library clients go?
Specific e-resource
General search engine
Library catalogue
Library building1
18
38
47
13
28
21
37
2003 2012
Search engine
Wikipedia
SNS
Online database
Virtual reference
Library website 0
0
1
1
2
7
83
Where do student start a search? Where do academics begin research?
Perceptions of libraries 2010, OCLC
Faculty study 2012: key insights for libraries and publishers, Ithaka
Faculty study 2012: key insights for libraries and publishers, Ithaka
WHERE HAVE WE COME FROM?
1 - The Library
Collection-centric - 1st generation
Client-focused - 2nd generation
Experience-centered - 3rd generation
Connected Learning Experiences - 4th generation
Collaborative knowledge, media and fabrication facilities - 5th generation
Generational modelPrint collections
CD-ROM Electronic journals
Online databases/indexes Cloud-based digital archives
E-books
Generation 1
Generation 5
• Each generation is additive, not a substitute
• As libraries have added new formats, these have often not led to disposal of old materials
• Libraries have introduced valuable new services without necessarily discontinuing other activity
• Libraries are increasingly pursuing important - but niche - technology projects
2. The scholarly journal
The growth of global scientific output in the last 30 years
Thomson Reuters, Journal Citation Reports
The big deal• Access to vast quantities of content for researchers
• Bundles bought on basis of package rather than titles
• Difficult to select/remove individual titles
• Pricing structures change
• Incentives to launch new titles? Incentives to use M&A?
• Majority of bundle use is by top 10% of titles - a lifeline for lesser-used titles
• Citations were currency of print world - usage is today’s measure
3. Media consumption
W(h)ither the Library?
Local distribution 1990s
Global digital 2000s
Cloud-based models 2010s
Convergent media services
Adapted from Redefining the academic library, ABC, 2011
Created with Haiku Deck
CURRENT TRENDS
1. Researcher workflows
Grant-wri9ng
Compliance
Datamanagement
Dataanalysis
Resourcemanagement
Networking
IPprotec9on
Publica9on
Compe99veintelligence
IDEATION EXPERIMENTATION
PLANNING
DISSEMINATION
Protocols
RESEARCHWORKFLOW
ResearchplanningLiteratureinterac9on
Insightanddecisionsupport
Grant-wri9ng
Compliance
Datamanagement
Dataanalysis
Resourcemanagement
Networking
IPprotec9on
Publica9on
Compe99veintelligence
IDEATION EXPERIMENTATION
PLANNING
DISSEMINATION
Protocols
ResearchplanningLiteratureinterac9on
Insightanddecisionsupport
Grant-wri9ng
Compliance
Datamanagement
Dataanalysis
Resourcemanagement
Networking
IPprotec9on
Publica9on
Compe99veintelligence
IDEATION EXPERIMENTATION
PLANNING
DISSEMINATION
Protocols
ResearchplanningLiteratureinterac9on
Insightanddecisionsupport
Grant-wri9ng
Compliance
Datamanagement
Dataanalysis
Resourcemanagement
Networking
IPprotec9on
Publica9on
Compe99veintelligence
IDEATION EXPERIMENTATION
PLANNING
DISSEMINATION
Protocols
ResearchplanningLiteratureinterac9on
Insightanddecisionsupport
http://figshare.com/articles/101_Innovations_in_Scholarly_Communication_the_Changing_Research_Workflow/1286826
Traditional workflow
All of these tools licensed by institution
Open Science
All of these tools accessible by researcher
2. Researchers & communication
Ever talk with citizens about science, research
Ever talk with reporters about research findings
Ever use social media to discuss or follow science
Ever blog about science and research
0 25 50 75 100
% of AAAS scientists who ever do each of the activities
How scientists engage the public http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2015/02/PI_PublicEngagementbyScientists_021515.pdf
http://archive.sciencewatch.com/newsletter/2012/201207/multiauthor_papers/
3. Open access
AnImpactsFramework
http://www.humanities.org.au/Events/NSCF/NSCF2007/PowerPoints/NSCF2007-Houghton.ppt
RESEARCH Most/Manyserved, butnotall
CONSUMERS/SOCIETY Fewserved
INDUSTRY/GOVERNMENTPartserved,butnotall
SUBSCRIPTION PUBLISHINGCurrent reach
OPEN ACCESSPotentially serves all
RESEARCH Accessforall,researchparticipationbasedonmerit,notmeans.Potential benefits:Speedingupdiscovery. Reductionofduplicativeresearch. Fewerblindalleys. Newresearchpossibilities.Bettereducationaloutcomes&enhancedresearchcapabilities.
SOCIETY Accessasneeded,informedconsumers(e.g.healthandeducation).Potential benefits:Contributiontothe'informedcitizen'and'informedconsumer',withimplicationsforbetteruseofhealthandeducationservices,betterconsumptionchoices,etc.leadingtogreaterwelfarebenefits,whichinturnmayleadtoproductivityimprovements.
INDUSTRY(1)Accessasneeded,
moreinformedproducers&policy.
(2)Newbusinessesaddvaluetocontent(e.g.WeatherDerivatives).
Potential benefits:Accelerateandwiden
opportunitiesforcollaboration,
commercialisation&adoption.
ThepotentialformuchwideraccessforGPs/
nurses,teachers/students,andsmallfirms
inconsulting,engineering,ICT,nanotechnology,
biotechnology,etc.
Thepotentialfortheemergenceofnew
industriesbasedupontheopenaccesscontent.
“The Holdren Memo”
To achieve the Administration’s commitment to increase access to federally funded published research and digital scientific data, Federal agencies investing in research and development must have clear and coordinated policies for increasing such access.
Memo on Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
February 22, 2013
4. Open science
Usefulknowledge
Sharableknowledge
5. Funding
http://scimaps.org/mapdetail/chemical_rd_powers_t_89
http://scimaps.org/mapdetail/chemical_rd_powers_t_89
Science funding
• Ever-increasing expenditure on healthcare in most nations will support continued expansion of the medical subsegment of the STM market
• Publishers will look to offset the decline in print revenues through new solutions - eg workflow, performance measurement and cool ‘toys’
• R&D growth in Asia and the US will continue to underpin the STM market
WHERE ARE WE GOING?
Current directions in academic libraries
1. Continue the migration from print to electronic and realign service operations
2. Review location of lesser-used collections3. Continue to repurpose library as primary
learning space4. Reposition library expertise and resources
to be more closely embedded in research and teaching enterprise outside library
5. Extend focus of collection development from external purchase to local curation
After Lewis, 2010; Webster 2010; Webster 2012
http://ark.digitalcommonwealth.org/ark:/50959/sq87fc091
WHITHER TECHNICAL SERVICES?
Thinking about technical services
“Those services involved in the acquisition, recording, and preserving of materials”
Tauber, Technical services in libraries, 1954
1. Library collections
The‘owned’collection
The‘facilitated’collection
The‘licensed’collection
The‘borrowed’collection
• PointingpeopleatGoogleScholar• Includingfreelyavailablee-booksin
thecatalog• Creatingresourceguidesforweb
resources
• Purchasedandphysicallystored
Acollectionsspectrum
The‘demand-driven’collection
The‘sharedprint’collection
OCLCResearch,2015.Figure:Acollectionsspectrum.
LowStewardship
Infewcollections
Inmanycollections
Research&LearningMaterials
OpenWebResources ‘Published’materials
SpecialCollectionsLocalDigitization
Licensed
PurchasedHigh
Stewardship
https://www.oclc.org/content/dam/research/publications/library/2014/oclcresearch-collection-directions-preprint-2014.pdf
2. The scholarly record
http://www.oclc.org/research/publications/library/2014/oclcresearch-evolving-scholarly-record-2014-overview.html
http://www.slideshare.net/oclcr/the-evolving-scholarly-record-framing-the-landscape-46625755
3. Researcher analytics
ERA uses a number of bibliometric tools for the citation analysis indicators. Two broad types of citation analysis are used in ERA: Relative Citation Impact (RCI) and the distribution of publications based on comparisons with field-specific benchmarks.
REF will assess universities on the basis of the quality of research outputs, the vitality of the research environment and the wider impact of research.
4. Data analysis
5. Partnerships
Technical services opportunities
• Consortia
• Liaison librarians
• Research community
6. Service initiatives
Technical Services Librarians
• Have adapted to:
• Next Gen catalogs
• Electronic journals and books
• Powerful online indexes
• Locally digitized collections
• Locally created digital objects
Some thoughts• E-book approval plans
• Mobile platforms
• Metadata/image description
• Solve discovery
• Solve e-books!
• Respond to shifting patterns of demand
PUTTING IT INTO PLACE
Today’s environment• We operate in a networked world - local collections in
themselves make learning and research incomplete
• We should no longer focus on acquiring the products of scholarship; we must be embedded within scholarship
• New methods of research - open science, digital humanities, etc. - reshape researchers’ needs and demands
• How do we get there?
http://www.oclc.org/content/dam/research/events/dss/ppt/dss_kenney.pdfAnne R. Kenney, OCLC 2009
• We’ve seen from various studies that the catalog is rarely the first - and often the last - point for information discovery. How sustainable are the costs of local cataloging?
• Budgets - and especially staffing levels - are under pressure across most libraries. Which roles have the biggest impact on the university?
• How can we demonstrate the efficiency gains (and financial gains) from the shift from print to digital?
How do our clients (students, teachers, researchers) see your work?
How does your department impact on the university's biggest goals - student recruitment, progress and achievement; attracting research funding; improving research outcomes? Do you have evidence to share?
Where do you want to go? Who do you benchmark against?
What are the biggest problems our clients face and how can you solve them?
Some reflections for us all
How can you add value?
How can you maintain and extend excellence - consistency, reliability - and how can you perfect execution?
How do you balance near-term pressures (today’s workload and fixes) and long-term needs (opportunity to innovate and improve)?
Some reflections for us all
Old metrics in a new environment?
• Number of books in collection
• Number of items loaned
• Number of questions answered
• Number of serial subscriptions
• Anything that moves and can be counted
• Anything that doesn’t move - just in case
Desired position• Create an organizational culture that supports and drives
strategic innovation
• Establish critical capabilities tuned to the evolving academic and scholarly communications landscapes
• Evaluate innovation efforts to ensure both sensible investment and gains in organizational learning and improvement
• Demonstrate impact on institutional mission and priorities
• Inform resource allocation
Driving innovation• Return on investment
- Uptake of services; contingent valuation; share of revenues attributable to library investment
• Organizational capability
- Employees trained in innovation; creation time and space for innovation; links to strategic plan and assessment of innovative developments
• Leadership
- Sponsorship of innovative programs and projects; % time spent on strategy and innovation compared to routine management
Possible new metrics• Impact on student recruitment and retention
• Impact on student learning outcomes
• Contribution to research excellence
• Impact on broader economic, social and health outcomes
• Return on investment
http://www.rin.ac.uk/our-work/using-and-accessing-information-resources/value-libraries-research-and-researchers
The need to understand
• Dubious about some studies which make claims about the value of libraries
• Commissioned a study to assess the value library-provided information resources deliver to their research communities
Summary finding
• The final scenario would result in total costs to the institution of $81.4m compared to actual spend of $34.5m - a financial return of 136 percent
In a world where digital is becoming the default format for information, the library will remain a vital presence on campus, sustaining serious scholarship and providing opportunities for interactive research and study environments. To support this important work for students, faculty, and staff, and to create 21st-century library spaces for 21st-century learners, the library will:
• Develop information specialists as partners in research, teaching and learning. • Collaborate with peer institutions to provide coordinated access to a global collection of information resources. • Steward the evolving scholarly record and champion new forms of scholarly communication. • Be recognized globally as a leader in the development of the scholarly information ecosystem.
The role of librariansCurrent state
Many libraries retain large numbers of librarians to catalogue and count
Even more librarians wait at service desks ‘just in case’
Few librarians leave the library building
Future state
Librarians embedded in research and teaching activities
Librarians become campus specialists in areas such as e-science, academic technology and research evaluation
Librarians have meaningful impact
Current barriersMany librarians lack skills and useful qualificationsMany librarians are resistant to changeAcademics do not believe librarians are useful or credible partners
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Keith Webster
cmkeithw
Keith Webster
cmkeithw