[Web4lib] The Ultimate Debate: Do Libraries Innovate?

[Bill Drew]

One of the best courses I took in getting my MLS was a course/seminar on
managing innovation.  Innovation had NOTHING to do directly with invention
as most people think of it.  I wish I had saved my materials from that
course since it was 24 years ago.  The biggest thing was that innovation
involves being willing to make mistakes and to learn from those mistakes.

-- 
Wilfred (Bill) Drew
Associate Librarian, Systems and Reference
Morrisville State College Library
E-mail: bill.drew at gmail.com
AOL Instant Messenger:BillDrew4
My Wiki: http://billdrew.pbwiki.com
Wireless Librarian: http://people.morrisville.edu/~drewwe/wireless/
Library: http://library.morrisville.edu/
SUNYConnect: http://www.sunyconnect.suny.edu/
My Blog:http://babyboomerlibrarian.blogspot.com
Al Gore quoting an African proverb: "If you want to go quickly, go alone.
But if you want to go far, go together."

On 6/27/07, Clinton Lowery <clintonhlowery at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Hi all-
>
> At the discussion - to which I arrived a little late so I missed the bit
> about Maricopa - it seemed that Stephen was arguing more that librarians -
> and the profession as a whole - are afraid of innovation, instead relying on
> outside sources for innovation, whether it is a fellow librarian who creates
> something which then slowly disseminates, or something a vendor pushes on a
> customer which slowly disseminates, etc.
>
> I don't know if this example came up, but as far as non-MARC goes, the
> increased use of self-checkout in emulation of big-box stores, the
> outsourcing of cataloging in order to streamline the vendor-to-shelf time,
> the increased use of RFID and other devices to get away from the typical
> barcode, the increased use of online digital content in such different areas
> as audio/video and photographic archives all speak of some innovation.
>
> It may not be a matter of a librarian himself/herself creating the latest
> and greatest, and is usually brought on by perceived market, generational
> and user-orientation shifts, but something is definitely going on.
>
> Is there a distinction between innovation and invention that should be
> taken into account?  Adaptation, growth, expansion, adoption are all some
> form of innovation.
>
> Clinton
>
> ----
>
> My opinions are mine own.  They grow best in damp basements using black
> lights.
>
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