Environmental Scanningand Library 2.0

Computers in Libraries 2006

Marianne E. Giltrud

May 8, 2006

Environmental Scanning

Background 2003

“Librarianship had little awareness of the process and few applications of scanning as a tool to drive strategic planning”• Not a body of literature on this topic and how

to begin

Key areas to review in order to effectively plan for the future• Demographic information, political, economic,

sociocultural, legal, technological trends.

• Synthesis of this information provides a futuristic view of what the possible outcomes might be--grounded in statistical analysis and strategic planning

What is an environmental scan?

• “Environmental scanning is the internal communication of external information about issues that may potentially influence an organization's decision making process”

Kendra S. Albright, ‘Environmental Scanning:Radar for Success”, Information Management Journal 38 (3),May/June 2004: p.38)

Environmental Scanning Is…

• “Sensing compass” for the organization.• “Outside-In” view--broad view of the

environment in terms of mega trends implications on the library world.

• Google’s philosophy “Focus on the user and all else will follow.”

What are key components of an effective scan--

• Top-level support• Why do it?• How it will be done and by whom?• How will results be communicated?• Action Plan

Characteristics of the team

• See beyond the status quo• “Big Picture” Ability• Synthesize disparate information• Librarian research and bibliographic ability.

What Next?

• Environmental scan part of an actionable document to advance the ability of the organization to offer services.

• Drive to move information about the collections and libraries onto the open web.

• Library land needs to be out there where users/searcher/finders are.

Web 2.0 and Library 2.0

What is it?• The Next Generation of Web and Library

Services.• Techniques to create more interactive and

easy to use web sites• Blogs, wikis, social networking,tagging

Tails and Clouds

• For Online Retailers--• Tails represent the infrequently requested

items and reflect the larger volume of sales

• Clouds represent the most popular items on a site

• Tagging is indexing without controlled vocabulary

Information Revolution

• Fast changing environment within libraries.• Reaching out beyond traditional boundaries.• Engages an increasingly literate body of

information consumers.• Opportunities to engage with an

empowered, interested and skilled set of audiences.

Concept of Library Services

• Geared toward the needs and expectations of today’s and tomorrow’s library users.

• Makes information available whenever and wherever the user requires it.

• Seeks to ensure that barriers to use and reuse are removed.

Features of Library 2.0

• External Trends• Services offered within a broad landscape of

free and charged information services

• Related to the way people communicate, interact, acquire and share knowledge, search investigate and participate in creation of and remixing content.

Connnectedness

• Broad band connection over dial up.• “Increasingly available” and “always on”• Combines the best of the retail world with

services provided by traditional libraries.• Facilitates “Discovery”.• “Smart Mobs” interconnectedness, rapid

communcation, mobilizing.

Provides Options for Users

• May offer user the option to “buy” book on Amazon versus waiting to retrieve from elsewhere.

• Levels the landscape to allow access and retrieval at the “Choice/Decision” of the users.

• Increases options and extends collections

Examples and Links

• Red Light Green-Research Libraries Group• Leverages RLG’s Union Catalog allows users

to find books relevant to search

http://www.redlightgreen.com/ucwprod/web/workspace.jsp

North Carolina State University

• Blends --Browse by Library of Congress Subject Headings

• Views of Brief Record and Full Record• Narrowing Search Terms via Thesaurus • http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/

Project Whisper

• “Talis Whisper is a research prototype application that demonstrates the power of using Web 2.0 technologies to deliver innovative solutions in the Library domain.”

• http://www.talis.com/tdn/whisper

Michigan E-Library

• Gateway to accurate, current, free information 24/7.

• Public Libraries of Michigan• http://michiganelibrary.org/

For Further Information

Environmental ScanningSession D201 — Scanning for Planninghttp://www.infotoday.com/cil2006/presentations/#thursday

Session D302 — Catalogs/OPACs for the Future

Web 2.0 and Library 2.0

http://www.infotoday.com/cil2006/presentations/#thursday

Session D304 — The Web 2.0 Challenge to Libraries

Session B205 — The Michigan eLibrary (MeL): Growing Painsand Gains

More….

Session D304 — The Web 2.0 Challenge to Libraries

http://www.infotoday.com/cil2006/presentations/#friday