the time for libraries is

NOWthewikiman

First

Some info about the world.

first, some info about

THE WORLD

We already know Shift Happenswe already know that

shifthappens

What does this mean for the information profession?

What does this mean for the information profession?

People of the world you need us now more

than ever.

consider this

THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE ALIVE

THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE ALIVETHERE ARE MORE PEOPLE ALIVE THAN DEAD

WTF?

WTF?

More people are alive now, than have lived and died in the entirety of human history put together

More than 150 million people will be born this year...

More than 150 million people

will be born this year…

More than 150 million people will be born this year...

More than 150 million people

will be born this year…

…they will be born intoan information economy

Never has information been so important.

Never has technology been so focused on the access of information.

The world has never changed so quickly

The top 10 jobs of 2010 didn’t exist in 2004.

Who can provideup to date info onthese roles for which none of us are educated

because the jobs didn’t exist when we were educated?

Correct!

Librariescan.

Over 2 billion people use the Internet now

Libraries can help people use it safely

Libraries can help people use it safelyand use it well

Libraries can provide access to it

Libraries can provide access to itacross the digitial divide

Take a look at http://www.worldometers.info

Take a look at http://www.worldometers.info

(It’s okay, I’ll wait.)

How many

have there been today?searches

How many

have there been today?searches 1 billion?2 billion?

By the end of the day

it’ll be over

3 billion

Want to know a secret?

Librarians used to be a bit scared

Librarians used to be a bit scared

of

But now we areevolving

The evolution of library manBefore: Threatened by / dismissive of Google >>>>>

the three ages of library man

Before: threatened by / dismissive of Google

The evolution of library manBefore: Threatened by / dismissive of Google >>>>>

the three ages of library man

Now: yes Google is useful, but you need libraries too

The evolution of library manBefore: Threatened by / dismissive of Google >>>>>

the three ages of library man

Next: you know what, just let us help you use Google better...

Because we live in a world of

INFORMATION OVERLOAD

If a week’s worth of the New York Times

Contains more information than a person was likely to come across in a

lifetime in the 18th century...

Then now more than EVER the world needs information

professionals to sort, assess,

collate and present information

If a we’re to generate more unique information this year

we

If a we’re to generate more unique information this year

we

Than in the previous 5000 YEARS put together

000

Then now more than EVER the world needs information

professionals to sort, assess,

collate and present information

If things move so fast that the stuff students learn in their first year of University

If things move so fast that the stuff students learn in their first year of University

is outdated by the time they graduate…

Then now more than EVER the world needs

information professionals to sort, assess,

collate and present information

Then now more than EVER the world needs

information professionals to sort, assess,

collate and present information

EDUCATION IS ONGOING

It has never been easier to access information without libraries

Yet information professionals have never been so vital

TOO MUCH INFORMATION

is as bad as too little

We’ll help you with either.

We can help you navigate through the tyranny of choice.

We can help you navigate through the tyranny of choice. Information overload is your enemy.

Librarians are yourfriend…

Librarians are no longer

the gatekeepers of information

The gates are wide open. We’ll show you the path once you’re through them.

We used to be the information vault

NOW WE’VE BECOME THE LAUNCHPAD

We will subscribe to e-journals, purchase e-books and audio-books, and pay for access to databases

on your behalf

We will subscribe to e-journals, purchase e-books and audio-books, and pay for access to databases

on your behalf

We will give your communitysomewhere safe and comfortable to go

(We’ll even let you drink coffee in the library now…)

We’ll entertain your kids

We can teach you about all kinds of stuff

We will help you finda job

And we still have, you know, books, too.

Sometimes, people knock libraries

“The demise of libraries is well overdue” - Frank Skinner, The Times, September 2010

Then they actually go to one…

“Why I’m on a new page with local libraries – it was my ideas that were dog-eared, not the places themselves.” - Frank Skinner, The Times, October 2010

H a ve you be en to you rs re ce ntly ?

Have you been to yours recently?

I bet it is way cooler than you imagine.

Vancouver public library

Have you been to yours recently?

I bet it is way cooler than you imagine.

Humbolt University Library, Berlin

Have you been to yours recently?

I bet it is way cooler than you imagine.

Seattle Public Library

Have you been to yours recently?

I bet it is way cooler than you imagine.

Stockholm Library

Have you been to yours recently?

I bet it is way cooler than you imagine.

National Library of Spain

Have you been to yours recently?

I bet it is way cooler than you imagine.

Vancouver Public Library (interior)

Maybe it has changed its name. But don’t get too caught up in that.

Libraries are

changing to suit you.

We’ve always been about providing information.

That information used to be mainly in books.

We’ve always been about providing information.

That information used to be mainly in books.

Now it’s in all kinds of things.

We’ve always been about providing information.

That information used to be mainly in books.

Now it’s in all kinds of things.

We try and give you access to all of ‘em.

So.

Come on in.

NOWThe time for libraries is

Ned Potter

NOWThe time for libraries is

For ideas about information, go to thewikiman.org/blog

Ned Potter

Clock: http://www.flickr.com/photos/96029652@N00/3788686103 Globe: http://www.flickr.com/photos/97177054@N00/5051447015 Robot: http://www.flickr.com/photos/83346641@N00/4091338317 I: http://www.flickr.com/photos/21450297@N06/3887131006 world: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98411817@N00/1573881106 Tree: http://www.flickr.com/photos/27958543@N05/3092524101 Wtf: http://www.flickr.com/photos/9910344@N05/3990318649 Crowd: http://www.flickr.com/photos/14228046@N03/4986559809Baby foot: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24794616@N05/3983693696Computer: http://www.flickr.com/photos/61444548@N00/118999076 Highway: http://www.flickr.com/photos/91351004@N00/452412873 Tick: http://www.flickr.com/photos/17731548@N00/3190757194 Seatle Library: http://www.flickr.com/photos/75905404@N00/371038175Computer hands: http://www.flickr.com/photos/43698630@N00/839984821Latop: http://www.flickr.com/photos/37182073@N06/4441387125 Google: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31991771@N00/2856173673 Secret: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pricklebush/224674200/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Google in a box: http://www.flickr.com/photos/16429872@N04/4670747540/sizes/m/in/photostream/Web 2 icons: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zipckr/3925513417/sizes/l/in/photostream/ NY times building: http://www.flickr.com/photos/scallop_holden/2330962137/sizes/z/in/photostream/ 18th century pic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30432726@N05/2860104097/sizes/z/in/photostream/ 5: http://www.flickr.com/photos/simax/3390895249/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Iphone: http://www.flickr.com/photos/xraijs/3474643866/sizes/o/in/photostream/ Broken shelves: http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_mistress/1248479255/sizes/o/in/photostream/ Empty shelves: http://www.flickr.com/photos/create_up/1478123817/sizes/o/in/photostream/ Help: http://www.flickr.com/photos/81398303@N00/1878956841 Compass: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7542997@N03/2473782602/sizes/z/in/photostream/ Present: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7542997@N03/2544359467/sizes/z/in/photostream/ Lock: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mamchenkov/300476203/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Path: http://www.flickr.com/photos/schmollmolch/4242099982/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Vault: http://www.flickr.com/photos/anonymouscollective/2291896028/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Rocket: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonathancohen/3997542246/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Laptop: http://www.flickr.com/photos/79031953@N00/1185371542 NYPL: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/76170826/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Coffee: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30928442@N08/3668169284 Job poster: http://www.flickr.com/photos/topekalibrary/3348784725/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Kids: http://www.flickr.com/photos/usag-yongsan/3655186371/sizes/l/in/photostream/Ask Us: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shiplibrary/3873257790/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Books: http://www.flickr.com/photos/87603889@N00/87885327 Vancouver: http://www.flickr.com/photos/selva/90046278/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Spain: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30982194@N05/4147356245 Berlin: http://www.flickr.com/photos/67499195@N00/4119691598 Seattle: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vs/29582361/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Stockholm: http://www.flickr.com/photos/94852245@N00/530293086 Vancouver interior: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ecstaticist/3458914518/sizes/o/in/photostream/Leafy hand : http://www.flickr.com/photos/45818813@N05/4820372712/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Hand on book: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nakrnsm/3493038584/sizes/z/in/photostream/ Readers: http://www.flickr.com/photos/36813960@N00/4505413539 Old clock: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3399/4647649703_0f23f82eee_b.jpg Old camera: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4090/4995727284_648d77fd29_b.jpg

All photographss are from flickr creative com

mons