This document summarizes Stephen Abram's presentation on sharing and social institutions. The key points are: 1) Sharing forms the foundation of social institutions like libraries. 2) Libraries need to focus on experiences rather than just transactions to differentiate themselves from other information sources. 3) Libraries should organize themselves conceptually around answering questions and developing programs, not just collections and technology. 4) Top questions from patrons can help libraries develop service portfolios to meet user needs.

2. Sharing: The Foundation of
Social Institutions
Stephen Abram, MLS
UKSG 2012, Glasgow
March 26, 2012
These slides will beavailable at Stephen’s Lighthouse blog

4. Change happens very fast

6. 1
2.0 Fill That Gap
3

10. What Are Libraries Really For?
• Community
• Learning
• Discovery
• Progress
• Research & Knowledge (Applied/Theoretical)
• Cultural Custody & Conservation
• Economic Impact

11. SHARING
What’s the next level?

12. Smelly Or
Yellow Sex
Liquid Appeal?

14. It’s the Whole Experience

15. News Flash
“The Internet and
technology have
now progressed to
their infancy

16. 7 Gifts to Libraries
1. The book isn’t dead or dying. Reading is evolving.
2. Our users/customers are improving and everyone
knows more about our customers than ever before.
3. The question economy is very different.
4. Technology is going social and can support social
acts for social institutions.
5. The PC isn’t dead, the last information explosion
was microscopic and mobile changes the whole
dynamic.
6. Talent, Insight, Community, have social value.
7. Opportunities always exist more in times of change

20. There are no knights on
horses in technology.

21. The VAST majority of library use is virtual and is dwarfed by all information use

22. ‘Reading’ trumps print books . . .

23. 7 Learning Styles

24. What is an EXPERIENCE?
What is a library experience?
What differentiates a library experience from a
transaction?
What differentiates public libraries from Google/Bing?

25. The Evolution
of Answers

26. Sensemaking: Too much choice

27. Why do people ask questions?
Is your library experience conceptually organized
around answers and programs?
Or collections, technology and buildings?

28. Why do people ask questions?
 Who, What, When, Where
 How & Why
 Data – Information – Knowledge - Behavior
 To Learn or to Know
 To Acquire Information, Clarify, Tune
 To Decide, to Solve, to Choose, to Delay
 To Interview, Delve, Interact, Progress
 To Entertain or Socialize
 To Reduce Fear
 To Help, Aid, Cure, Be a Friend
 To Win A Bet

29. What are your top 10-20
questions?
What is the service portfolio
model that goes with those?

30. One public library’s Top Questions
1. Health and Wellness / Community Health / Nutrition / Diet / Recovery
2. DIY Do It Yourself Activities and Car Repair
3. Genealogy
4. Test prep (SAT, ACT, occupational tests, etc. etc.)
5. Legal Questions (including family law, divorce, adoption, etc)
6. Hobbies, Games and Gardening
7. Local History
8. Consumer reviews (Choosing a car, appliance, etc.)
9. Homework Help (grade school)
10. Technology Skills (software, hardware, web)
11. Government Programs, Services and Taxation
12. Self-help/personal development
13. Careers (jobs, counselling, etc.)
14. Readers Advisory was 14th

31. Top 12 Patron Hobbies
Recreational Reading
Cooking & Recipes
Computers
Movies & Film
Exercise, Cycling & Walking
Traveling, Tourism & Vacations
Music
Pets
Gardening
Television Shows
Top Hobbies?
Top Homework Questions?
Arts & Crafts
Top Travel Destinations?
Knitting & Needlecrafts What do you know?
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

32. Grocery Stores

35. Cookbooks, Chefs . . .

36. Cookbooks, Chefs . . .

37. Meals

38. Tie everything to programs on a
priority basis

39. The new
bibliography and
collection
development
KNOWLEDGE
PORTALS
KNOWLEDGE,
LEARNING,
INFORMATION &
RESEARCH
COMMONS

40. RELEVANCE

41. PROGRAMS

42. Confusing
the
Customer

44. What is the Sun?
 Aggregated databases (InfoTrac,
GVRL, GDL)
 Federated Discovery (PowerSearch)
 Persistent URLs
 Training Support
 Apps, Webpages & Mobile
 Marketing Support
 Etc.

47. HOW MANY MOONS ARE
THERE IN OUR SOLAR
SYSTEM?

48. 146 Moons plus 23
provisional moons

52. Driving the Knowledge Portal
alignment with User Behaviour:
Build Experiences

53. Be Technology Agnostic:
Adapt and Evolve

54. Mobility: Where
the Patron Is

56. Libraries
Are Social
Institutions

58. • Sharing without Context is meaningless and low value
• Transactions without context generate less
Transformation
• Warehouses are not programs
• Collections are not portfolios
• Experience not Retrieval

60. Stephen Abram, MLS
VP Strategic Relationships and Markets
Gale Cengage Learning
Cel: 416-669-4855
stephen.abram@cengage.com
http://www.cengage.com
Stephen’s Lighthouse Blog
http://stephenslighthouse.com