Libraries

[Hess, M. Ryan]

A good read! Can't wait to see the full e-book.

As for the possibility of this distopian future coming to pass in 7 years:
why not? 7 years is a long time when it comes to technology and the social
changes that spring from them. Just in the past couple years, we suddenly
have voice recognition on our phones, AI game show contestants and
driverless carsŠall just getting started.

That said, we do have a lot of inertia on our side and I see several
libraries doing a pretty good job staying up to date. But most have only
social inertia keeping them going.

The generational issue Peter brings up has been and will continue to be a
difficult schism for libraries over the next 7 years. The reference points
for older librarians and younger librarians are so different, one oriented
around stacks and slips, the other around scripts and clicks. I think we
all see this issue, even the older folks in our organizations (and I'm no
spring chicken mind you!)

That said, I've been fortunate to work with some younger administrators
over the last few years and it's been nice to see a new vision put into
practice. But the obstacles are steep, especially since the generational
divide (and sometimes its just a perceptual divide) can extend beyond the
library.

Also along Peter's line of thinking, I worked for a large software company
in Silicon Valley for a time and worked with project managers, many just a
few years out of graduate school. Most of these people would come to the
market research librarians frustrated by their inability to find the info
they needed. Largely, they were trying to get it on Google. I always
wondered, what was their library experience at University? Did they never
get that info-literacy-like session with a librarian?

So, if this is a problem with these folks, then we're definitely well on
the way to Peter's vision.

Thanks for the insights, Peter!


M Ryan Hess
Web Services Coordinator
DePaul University
JTR 120, DePaul University, Lincoln Park Campus, 2350 N Kenmore Ave.,
Chicago IL 60614
office: 773-325-7829 | cell:  650-224-7279 |  fax: 773-325-2297  |
mhess8 at depaul.edu <https://outlook.depaul.edu/owa/UrlBlockedError.aspx>




On 3/1/13 7:58 AM, "Michael" <drweb2 at GMAIL.COM> wrote:

>It would be hard to miss your points, Peter.. thought-provoking,
>thanks for posting that...
>
>Best,
>Michael
>
>Michael aka DrWeb | E-mail: DrWeb2 at gmail.com | Twitter: @DrWeb2
>
>
>
>On Fri, Mar 1, 2013 at 5:23 AM, Peter Morville
><morville at semanticstudios.com> wrote:
>> I'm very pleased that my article/chapter about the future of libraries
>>has provoked thought and discussion. Just so the quote "nobody uses the
>>library anymore" isn't taken out of context, I'm including (below) the
>>first three paragraphs. I find it hard to imagine how one could read
>>that and not realize it's about the future (and that I'm using humor and
>>hyperbole to draw attention to serious concerns). Finally, if you read
>>the whole article, I hope you'll see how much the author cares about
>>libraries. Cheers!
>>
>> Peter Morville
>> President, Semantic Studios
>> http://semanticstudios.com/
>> http://findability.org/
>>
>> ---
>>
>> Inspiration Architecture: The Future of Libraries
>>
>> http://semanticstudios.com/publications/semantics/000664.php
>>
>> Adapted from a chapter that I wrote for Library 2020, a book edited by
>>Joseph Janes and published by Rowman & Littlefield (in press).
>>
>> The library in 2020 is the last bastion of truth. Sure, you can search
>>yottabytes of free data by simply batting an eyelash. But it's dangerous
>>to believe what you see through the iGlass lens. As you learned the hard
>>way back in the Facebook era, if you're not paying for it, you are the
>>product. That research study about the safety and efficacy of Lipitor
>>Lollipops was sponsored by a subsidiary of a subsidiary of Pfizer. That
>>consultant you almost hired wrote his own customer reviews. And while
>>you can't tell for sure because the algorithms are opaque, it sure seems
>>like the first page of web search is pay-to-play. You routinely skip
>>past the top ten results.
>>
>> Unfortunately, this state of corruption isn't limited to the Web.
>>Politicians are in the pocket of lobbyists. Doctors push pills for
>>profit. Teachers and bank clerks work on commission. And journalists?
>>Well, they don't really exist. And neither does evolution, climate
>>change, or Newton's Law of Gravity.
>>
>> Polarization was solved by personalization. Now, people learn their own
>>truths. We should have known back in 2015, when the ratio of adults who
>>believe "God created humans in their present form within the last 10,000
>>years" hit 51 percent, that we had passed a tipping point. At least
>>we're not burning witches at the stake, except in Texas, which doesn't
>>really count...
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Feb 28, 2013, at 8:08 PM, Michael wrote:
>>
>>> Thanks, Joseph.. In the book, I don't know if anyone would confuse the
>>> message with current times, or a future projection idea.. for any
>>> standalone postings (blogs, Web sites, etc.) of such materials for the
>>> 2020 book, I'd think a disclaimer or clarifying remark would be nice,
>>> and justifiable. I think particularly that those contemporary library
>>> world figures (your authors) would not want any reader to think they
>>> believe "nobody uses the library anymore"...
>>>
>>> My $.02
>>>
>>> *speaking only for himself*
>>> Michael aka DrWeb | E-mail: DrWeb2 at gmail.com | Twitter: @DrWeb2
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Thu, Feb 28, 2013 at 4:01 PM, Joseph Janes <jwj at uw.edu> wrote:
>>>> I feel as though I ought to jump in here; Peter wrote that for a book
>>>>I'm
>>>> editing which asked a pretty wide group of people to write similar
>>>>short
>>>> pieces finishing the sentence "The library in 2020 will..."  So it's
>>>> partially my fault.
>>>>
>>>> It's being published by Rowman & Littlefield this summer, and it's
>>>>got quite
>>>> a cast of characters, from all walks of the library world, new and
>>>>seasoned
>>>> professionals, names you know and some you don't (I won't name drop
>>>>here,
>>>> 'cause I'll leave important people out--rest assured it's a great
>>>>group).
>>>> These are provocative, and fascinating, and uncomfortable, and
>>>> inspirational, and depressing, and hopeful, and more.  Peter asked if
>>>>he
>>>> could post his in advance on his web site, which I was happy to
>>>>accommodate.
>>>>
>>>> Think of Peter's piece as something to whet your appetites.  :-)  Joe
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Joseph Janes
>>>> Chair, MLIS Program
>>>> University of Washington Information School
>>>> jwj at uw.edu
>>>>
>>>> [remainder snipped]
>>>
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>>> 2013-02-28
>>>
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