The Network, Library Boundaries, and
Systemwide Organization
Lorcan Dempsey
OCLC
Keynote at Seek, Explore, Discover. The Midwest Chapter MLA Conference 2009Columbus, OH, 5 October
overview
what I know about medical libraries
prelude
our libraries are a product of an
earlier network era
Institution scale
speculations about the future
speculations about the future
The network has reconfiguredwhole industries …
TravelNewsBook retail
We have yet to work throughwhat systemwide reconfigurationmeans for libraries …
transaction costs: why are things changing?
scalar emphasis and sourcing: who does what?
boundaries: where will libraries focus?
transaction costs
Ronald CoaseFirms exist because of ….
Transaction costs help determine the boundaries of the firm:• Delineation between activities that are conducted internally and those that are transacted for externally• Higher the transaction costs, more likely an activity will be internalized within the firm
Firm: Manufacturing R&D Human Resources Finance
Call center
Supply chain
Plants/grounds
a Coasian view of the academic library
Universities find it useful andeconomical to internalize a bundle of library-related activities
As the pattern of transaction costs change, so too will the boundaries of the library.
Bangor University, Wales“searching has been deskilled”
Boundaries
University: Library Teaching Research Administration Laboratories Sports facilities
Bangor
Instititutional support for research and learning
Cataloging
A&I/E-journals
JSTOR/Portico
Resource sharing
boundaries and focus
Unbundling the corporation
Harvard Business Review (1999)
Core components of a firm
CustomerRelationshipManagement
Product Innovation
Infrastructure
Back office capacities thatsupport day-to-day operations“Routinized” workflowsEconomies of scale important
Develop new products andservices and bring them tomarketSpeed/flexibility important
Attracting and building relationships with customers“Service-oriented”, customizationEconomies of scope important
Libraries
CustomerRelationshipManagement
Product Innovation
InfrastructurePhysical space,Physical inventory, RepositorySystems infrastructure
Online services, etc.
Acquire/develop new information resources and services to supportevolving research and learningworkflows
Provision of study & social spacesInterpret learning and research needs Personalized research assistanceMarketing and assessmentCustomization/personalization
infrastructure
Space: Infrastructure Customer relationship
Print collections:Print shared infrastructure?Licensed
Systems:Local cloudThe library network?
space a flashpoint
Valuable
Opportunity costs
Social lives and learning
Micro-coordination and ad hoc rendezvous
Colocation with cognate units
Added value activity
customer relationship management
… what are the appropriate intersection points between library staff and systems, and the research and learning behaviors of students, faculty, and clinicians and how do those need to change …
some environmental issues
discovery happens elsewhere
community is the new content …
library must build around workflow: can’t expect workflows to be built around library
Information abundant; attention scarce
‘people are entry points’ d chudnov
customer relationship management
1. Demonstrating Value2. Perception and Aesthetics3. Collaboration4. Innovation
Bangor. John Wright. http://www.library.nuigalway.ie/assets/inuls2007/johnwright-fri0945.ppt
a multiscalar library
repository
social networking
digitization
mobilization copyright
data curation
unified discoveryescholarship
SEO
“We librarians are so willing to stretch ourselves thin trying to do more with less that eventually, the less really does become too little.” Quote from unattrib comment on blog
Anne Kenneyhttp://www.oclc.org/programsandresearch/dss/ppt/dss_kenney.pdf
Anne Kenneyhttp://www.oclc.org/programsandresearch/dss/ppt/dss_kenney.pdf
Anne Kenneyhttp://www.oclc.org/programsandresearch/dss/ppt/dss_kenney.pdf
IndividualDepartmental
Collaboratively sourcedHathi trustOrbis Cascade Alliance
Public support …OhioLinkJISC
Commercial
Web-scaleGoogleAmazon
Disciplinary ..
multiscalar confusion?
Institutional intellectual assets …
Institutional repository?Supra-Institutional repository?
Webscale repository?Disciplinary repository?
Distinctive scope of the institutional?
Rescaling the uniform?Developing the unique?
So …
From institution to multiscalar
Institutional no longer the appropriate scale for many things
Supra-institutional institutions:legacy and immature
But …
Understand what should be done locally
Don’t spread too thinly
Be more strongly instrumental with affiliations
Innovate around institutional configurations
Pool uncertainty!
Thank you
Lorcan DempseyOCLC
http://orweblog.oclc.orghttp://www.twitter.com/lorcanD