The library without walls
Terry Reese
terry.reese@oregonstate.edu
Readex Digital Institute
Libraries today are suffering
from an identity crisis –
trapped between the
traditional roles of a library
and the current
expectations of its users.
Users want….
So long as it fits on….
Or work with this…
Or this…
Or this…
Libraries evolving role
User Community
• Library as its communities
primary information provider.
• Research collections housed
within the library
Libraries evolving role
User Community
• Library as its communities
primary information provider.
• Library facilitates borrowing
from other institutions (ILL)
Libraries evolving role
Ejournals
User Community
• Library as an information facilitator
– points users to ejournals
• Splintering of library services
– ILL, Virtual Reference, Ejournals, Digital
Collections, ILS, IR, etc.
Libraries evolving role
Google
MS
Live
User Community
• Library one of many information
provides available to their users
Libraries evolving roles
• Not new
– Libraries have traditionally
evolved with technology
• But…
– Libraries are no longer the
central repositories for
trusted information.
Libraries evolving role
• Evolution isn’t necessarily a
bad thing
– Underlines libraries past
successes
– Demonstrates a vibrant
information ecosystem which
libraries have traditionally
cultivated.
• Library is now just a part of
this ecosystem
Evolving means learning a
new language and new
rules without losing some of
the core library values.
Library 2.0
Instant Messaging and Virtual Reference
Library 2.0
RSS – really simple syndication
Wikis
Library 2.0
Blogs and blogging
Commentary and comments
Reviews and User-driven Ratings
Library 2.0
Podcasting and MP3 files
Library 2.0
Recommender software
Library 2.0
Socially Driven Content
Social Networking
Social Bookmarking
Personalization
Library 2.0
Folksonomies, Tagging and Tag Clouds
Library 2.0
New Programming Tools: AJAX,
API, ruby on rails, Python, LAMP
Library 2.0
Open access, Open Source, Open Content
Library 2.0
Web Services
Library’s place
• Digital library development
needs to start with an
understanding that:
– the library needs to be more
transparent
Library’s place
• Digital library development
needs to start with an
understanding that:
– the library needs to look
outside the library
community for usable
technologies
– the library isn’t their user
community’s primary
research tool of choice
Library’s place
• Digital library development
needs to start with an
understanding that:
– the library isn’t their user
community’s primary
research tool of choice
How the user sees the library in the
digital world
Looking to the past
How the user sees the library in the
digital world
Looking to the present
How the user sees the library in the
digital world
Looking to the present
How the user sees the library in the
digital world
“Unlibrary”
• Digitization is not enough
• Accessiblity only through
the library isn’t sufficent.
In 5 years, in my library….
• simple aggregation of
resources will not be
enough. Databases and
websites will be replaced
by mechanisms that fetch
information into our users
workflows
In 5 years, in my library…
• ‘intermediate
environments’ will be as
important consumers of
library services as
traditional end users.
• What are “intermediate
environments”?
– Think mashups
– Think aggregations
– Think workflow
Examples?
• Flickr API
– Spell with flickr:
http://metaatem.net/words/
Examples?
• Flickr API
– Hamster sudoku:
http://www.beckysweb.co.u
k/sudoku/flickrsudoku.asp
Examples?
• Google maps, GPS
– Where’s Tim Hibbard?
http://timhibbard.com/wher
estim/
Examples?
• Google maps
– Contributions to the Massachusetts
gubernatorial candidates
http://www.boston.com/news/special
/bigarticles/campaign_finance/page2
.html
Examples?
• Google maps
– Baseball parks information
http://www.netscape.com/viewstory/2006/07/25/agoogle-maps-view-of-all-baseball-parks-including-japanand-minorleagues/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nearlygod.com%2Fball
parks%2Findex.php&frame=true
Examples?
• MSN Live Maps, Blogger
– FeedMap
http://www.feedmap.net/Bl
ogMap/
Examples?
• Google Spell API
– Dspace IR: http://irdev.library.oregonstate.edu/
Examples?
• XISBN, Google Search API,
etc
– Umlaut: (ross singer)
http://umlaut.library.gatech.
edu/
Examples?
• SRU/xml gateways, OAI,
Z39.50, OpenURL, Google
Search API
– LibraryFind: http://libfinddev.library.oregonstate.edu/
record/search/
What can we do?
1. Work with partners

No library is large enough
to solve these problems
themselves. Libraries have
traditionally been able to
talk a good game
regarding collaboration,
but tend to be short on
results
What can we do?
2. Continue to innovate

Libraries need to do more
development. Libraries
should spend less time
looking at their vendors to
solve solutions that should
be developed within the
libraries Open Source
Community.
What can we do?
3. Open our current systems
to outside users

The library community
expects groups like
publishers, Google, etc. to
provide stand access
points or harvested
metadata, yet we don’t
build this facility into our
own systems.
What can we do?
4. Insist on metadata from
your vendors.



As part of your RFP process
Licensing
etc.
IHP
• Interoperability
– Supporting the request and
response for many different
protocols
• SRU
• SRW
• OpenSearch
• etc.
IHP
• Harvestablity
– Libraries should be building
systems that allow users to
harvest their metadata
content
– Libraries need to be willing to
give up some control over
their metadata and be
willing to see their metadata
repurposed in other ways
IHP
• Pluggability
– Libraries should look to build
and use system that allow for
the use of microformats and
outside API
• COINS
• UNAPI
• SOAP
Thank you