Envisioning digital scholarship in the academic library

2016Michael Zarro, Ph.D.

Outline

• Who, what, and why of digital scholarship

• Challenges & Opportunities

• Libraries: Adapting and Leading

Who: People

What: Information

How: Technology

Faculty

Students

Librarians

Public

Digitization

Born-Digital

Research Data

Metadata

Databases & APIs

Search Tools

Visualization

Challenges

• Privacy

• Access

– Not everyone has access to all resources

• Copyright

– Rights must be respected

• Cost

• Usability

Image: DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University

Opportunities

• Thousands of years of goodwill…

• Maturing technology for storage and connectivity

• Social and log data provide insights

• Usability and patron expectations

Library Evolution

Buildings (preservation)

Collections (information)

Services (user-centered)

Libraries: Adapting and Leading

User-Centered Libraries

• User-Centered Design

– Aligns user needs and organizational goals, while taking into account technical limitations

– Requires interdisciplinary teams

• Librarians

• Technology professionals

– Well-established process in industry

ISO 9421-210

“Human-System Interaction”

• Design is based upon an explicit understanding of users, tasks, and environments

• Users are involved throughout design and development

• Design is driven by user-centered evaluation

• Design team includes multidisciplinary skills and perspectives

Usability Methods

• Participatory Design

• Usability Testing

• Card Sorting

• Personas

Patron (User) Needs

“Make it work like Google”

• Mobile devices

• Multi-channel

• experiences

• Responsive design

• Social

• Personalization

• Static• Desktop only • Wall of text

• Dynamic • Responsive• Visually appealing

Design Influence

Design of a website has the primary influence on perceived credibility - B.J. Fogg, 2003

“The DPLA's application programming interface (API) and open data can be used by software developers, researchers, and others to create novel environments for learning, tools for discovery, and engaging apps.”

Library as a Platform

People

Information Technology

Public Library of Science (PLOS)

Flickr Commons

“HELP!! Please let us know if you recognize any of these images.”

Photochrom Travel Views, Library of Congress Flickr Commons https://www.flickr.com/photos/8623220@N02/sets/72157612249760312/

User Contributions to LOC

• (25%) Contributed historical facts or personal recollection.

• (16%) Links Out – links to other resources

• (13%) Corrections to existing descriptions and translations

• (13%) Links In- user comment that they added the Library image to another collection .

- Zarro & Allen, 2010 - http://mikezarro.com/docs/Zarro-Allen-2010-User-ContributedDescriptiveMetadata.pdf

Academic LibrariesAccess and (Re) Use

• Plan – Digital Collection development policy– Collaboration with patrons – Rethink the control zone and catalog[ing/ers]

• Social / reach / outside the “walls”

• Contribution – Fit with other digital library initiatives?

• Access– Make broadly available – Ensure accessibility

• Measure Use– Web Analytics, Social media

Summary

• Digital libraries are made up of people, information, and technology

• Opportunities outweigh the challenges

• Libraries are evolving

– The “user-centered” library

• Libraries as a platform

• Expand access, (re)use, and reach

Thank You

Michael Zarro, Ph.D.

www.mikezarro.com

• Forthcoming book, Information Architecture, The Design and Integration of Information Spaces, 2nd Edition. (Morgan & Claypool)

Image credits: The Flickr Commons, Designerpics.com, Author’s collection