Today’s discussion, might be a bit disappointing. It is not about me presenting some very exciting ideas about the future – like this one with robot librarians. It is about us – reviewing our course and plotting some course corrections as necessary.
Reviewing our course means reviewing our destination, looking at the Roadmap Vision Mission 4 year priorities Annual Initiatives Considering any new information / changes in the lay of the land weather / and finally deciding if we have to make any course corrections
Before we review our vision, mission, etc. Lets take a moment to consider what went into their development. Most of you participated in their development – a few have not. One year ago, we worked with Jim Morgenstern in order to develop our vision and priorities. He let us through an exercise in which we did a situational audit – a review of our current operations, what services our clients were using, what they told us they wanted, etc. We surveyed our clients (last June) who told us that the collection continued to be the core service for them and that they wanted materials in more formats. For many of our clients the library is the supplier of choice and would hope that the library would continue to respond to newer formats. Public internet use continues to be a major draw among the majority of our users as does the concept of weekend service and quiet study space. Our user profile fit the age profile of the community. We did not do a non-user survey.
He let us through an exercise in which we did a situational audit – a review of our current operations, what services our clients were using, what they told us they wanted, etc. We surveyed our clients (last June) who told us that the collection continued to be the core service for them and that they wanted materials in more formats. For many of our clients the library is the supplier of choice and would hope that the library would continue to respond to newer formats. Public internet use continues to be a major draw among the majority of our users as does the concept of weekend service and quiet study space. Our user profile fit the age profile of the community. Our statistical survey showed that our clients, while not growing in numbers, were using our collections at a steady rate. The collection preferences have moved to leisure orientated materials and DVDs. Information requests of staff have continued to decline, program attendance, library visits and use of workstations has increased precipitously as has the use of wireless. Both FOPL and OCLC provided community surveys in 2010 that we can now use in our situational audit. According to the Federation, while the community continues to value the role of public libraries, there has been a slight erosion in the public’s perception of the future of public libraries value. Non-users are almost impossible to bring into the library – they have strong opinions that the library has nothing of value to them. It is best to focus the library’s energies on retention of existing key target groups - families, youth, newcomers are seen as key target groups. the US – OCLC Perceptions study speaks very strongly to the high use of libraries by economically impacted americans. This higher use has created a stronger perception of the value of the library among users. But this doesn’t stop the libraries from closing. Overall, the survey speaks to the brand of the library being about books, and increasingly in the states about free internet. The situational audit indicates that we are keeping our clients happy for now. Effectively keeping up with the changing needs in formats will become very important in keeping them.
When predicting the future of libraries, you must always consider these areas: Macrotrends Economy (taxes) (people affording entertainment , etc.) Politics (priorities) Energy (internet payments, travelling to the library, etc) Demographics (declining enrolment in schools) ageing population / newcomers Lifestyle and Societal Trends Communiting Big families What we do with our time Consumer Trends What we spend money on Technology Trends Best Practices
What if climate change turns out to be much worse than expected. Resource shortages and the high cost of energy may mean the physical products and people are seriously restricted. The world relies heavily on the internet to deliver information and entertainment – The Internet accounts for more electricity consumption than all of Russia, according to Greenpeace," I wrote last week . "If it 'was a country, it would rank 5th for the amount of electricity usage, just below Japan,' the report finds. 'But unlike geographical states, the Internet's data centres can be found all over the world, clustering in locations that offer strong tax incentives and cheap, but often dirty, electricity.'" Economy – always has an impact on libraries. Historically, a bad economy results in more use, less dollars for libraries. Political climate – Differing political agendas can have a significant impact on libraries. Political ideology – socially liberal policies are more in alignment with the goals of the public library. Demographics – Tsunami of seniors is coming. This will result in changes to our society. Most notably is the ratio of taxpayers to those who need support. The ratio at the moment is 5:1 within 20 years this will change to 2:1. One of the solutions to this is to allow increased immigration from countries with younger populations. This wave of newcomers will have an impact on our society
Rather than focusing on serving up content, libraries need to focus on being the foundation for a creative process. It is akin to moving from a grocery store to a kitchen mentality.
As the world’s population ages and the Baby Boom generation approaches retirement, many of them will begin to shed their belongings to create a more free and mobile lifestyle. Each item that a person owns demands their attention, and the accumulation of physical goods to demonstrate a person’s wealth is rapidly declining in importance. Experience becomes the key. Gone are the days of the solemn book-reading experience in the neighborhood library. Activities will be diverse and varied as a way of presenting and interacting with information in new and unusual formats. Let me show you Cerritos.
Borrowing liberally from other disciplines, the "Experience Library" offers "themed" spaces to define its different collections. The Old World Reading Room sports rare first editions, unique collectible books, new and popular titles, wood paneling and a Gothic fireplace, complete with holographic flames. A World Traditions area recognizes the contributions of nonwestern cultures to society with a special collection of print and multimedia resources in languages other than English and in non-Roman alphabets.
These contemporary designs served to inspire us and inform our vision.
This is a library that is focused on providing a wonderful experience for the client. Physical space is exceptional, virtual space is pretty bad.
Cerritos was the first to call itself an experience library. Other library’s recently built incorprate many experience elements into their design. This is southfield public library in michigan. Note their drive up window and imagination garden
Happiness Lifelong Learning
I have been in libraries for over 23 years. Throughout that time, there has been a ongoing discussion of the future of libraries. Change has been a constant throughout my career and most of your time in libraries. What has been a result of that change? In 23 years, we have moved from simple catalogues, we have made some changes.. I believe that the pace is going to get faster and more urgent. Why? Because the predictions of the end of libraries are not a rare occasion. They are become entrenched in the public consciousness the end of libraries is being seen as possibility. Look at this extinction timeline for If we feel that ideal of a free public library is something worth preserving, we must maintain an awareness of the changing environment and adapt the public library – its uses, its needs and its advocacy to remain relevant in this new environment. So lets look at that changing environment and consider our role in it…
When predicting the future of libraries, you must always consider these areas: Macrotrends Economy (taxes) (people affording entertainment , etc.) Politics (priorities) Energy (internet payments, travelling to the library, etc) Demographics (declining enrolment in schools) ageing population / newcomers Lifestyle and Societal Trends Communiting Big families What we do with our time Consumer Trends What we spend money on Technology Trends Best Practices
Happiness Lifelong Learning
What is missing? What is the value of this vision to the community? Why is it important to be engaged and creative? Engaged – social capital and innovation and happiness Creativity – innovation , self actualization, and happiness Why is it important to enrich and inspire Why is it important to include lives of all residents providing technology for all Democracy, individual aspiration Destination – engaged WHY? Mission It is the role of the Pickering Public Library to provide a facility, programs, staff, and resources to support all members of the community in their efforts towards lifelong learning. We will fulfill this role in a cost effective context Can we use this vision if our circulation declines by 50%
Is there a strategic priority that is missing?
Vision is contrary to what you want in libraries – respect that, but you will most likely need to find a different place to work because you are getting paid to make this vision happen. If you don’t have the skills – lets work on this If you simply don’t want to…. There will be consequences
Every customer transaction is an opportunity to but this vision into action Be aware that we are fighting to retain customer loyalty – this will be done by giving them a good experience every time they visit the library and wherever possible exceeding their expectations Promote the library’s services and collections wherever and whenever you can Help to retain customer engagement by asking for feedback and relaying this to management Telling supervisor what you need (training, resources, support) Help supervisor set meaningful initiatives which align with the vision and move it forward Eliminating priorities that don’t align or are lower priority Knowing what your colleagues are doing and actively supporting their initiatives Be alert to examples of positive impact on the community and relay these examples to management Strive to maintain a flexible attitude towards change / try to balance personal discomfort with the big picture of what your coworkers are trying to achieve for the community
