Time for library 'imagineering' on creating new catalogs, engaging users, and navigating technology If the resort city of Anaheim, CA, home of Disneyland and its “imagineers,” marked a departure from the urban reality of the typical American Library Association (ALA) annual conference, it was impossible, at this 2008 meeting, to avoid urgent library issues. How do libraries maintain their value and cultural presence as users turn to the Internet? How do library products and library catalogs change? Are we ready? The emergence of such products as EBSCO's simplified interface and the social discovery service BiblioCommons signal change, as does ALA's $1 million grant from the Verizon Foundation, which also sponsored the conference's first-ever gaming pavilion, to study the impact of gaming on literacy. The buzz about digital downloads of books, audiobooks, and DVDs was louder than ever, even as books on paper dominated publishers' booths and programs. ALA faces institutional changes. Given expected cutbacks in travel budgets and increasing travel costs, coupled with rising expectations for transparency, ALA took steps both to shorten future conferences and usher in e-participation. It also moved toward the long-awaited establishment of core competencies for librarians seeking degrees from ALA-accredited programs.

Anaheim a mixed bag

The total attendance was 22,047, a drop from 28,288 in Washington, DC, in 2007, but a hike up from the 16,784 in 2006 in a recovering New Orleans. The downturn might be blamed on economic belt-tightening, the competition of a Public Library Association conference in the same year, or fewer walk-ins. The weather was pleasant and the hotels reasonably priced, with many but not all close to the convention center. (By contrast, the backlash in response to distant hotels and hot, humid weather in Orlando in 2004 prompted ALA to relocate the 2010 conference from that city to Washington, DC.) Not everyone loved Anaheim, however, citing the lack of urban amenities like cultural facilities, alternative bookstores, and nearby neighborhood restaurants, plus the presence of Disneyland. Then again, those who brought their families on vacation liked the theme park, and West Coast librarians found the location accessible. Deidre Ross, ALA director of conference services, told LJ that most feedback was positive, with people willing to trade some cultural amenities “for the closeness and having a good conference experience. We definitely will be coming back in 2012.”

On the floor

Members of the Exhibits Round Table (ERT), at their annual wrap-up session, had no complaints about the spacious show floor or the number of booth visitors. They would like to see an effort to help attendees navigate the exhibit floor. One dissenting voice was automation veteran Carl Grant, then of CARE Affiliates (and now at Ex Libris North America), who suggested that the resort destination deterred booth visitors and that booth space pricing should reflect attendance. Exhibitors cheered the planned—though not yet ratified—elimination of the Tuesday exhibits (always slow traffic) as of the 2010 annual conference in Washington, DC, in favor of a Friday evening opening event followed by three full days of exhibits.

Looking to the future

Google, briefly a draw at library conferences, was conspicuous in its absence—has Google achieved its Book Search goals?—but was present in rhetoric. In a daylong program preceding the conference, the Urban Libraries Council brought together some 200 library directors, managers, and young librarians to consider transformational trends in learning and social networking that demand faster library innovation. (See also Francine Fialkoff's Editorial.) John Seely Brown (The Social Life of Information) discussed the shift from “I think, therefore I am” to “We participate, therefore we are” and “I am what I produce and other people build on.” University of Washington Information School professor Joe Janes summed up by saying “digital neighborhoods are bereft of the services and resources we represent.” To provide that service, he proposed that the profession value “collaboration, participation, interaction, creativity, connectivity and connectedness, openness, vision, reflection, and play.” Later, speaking at the President's Program of the Library Information and Technology Association (LITA), Janes pointed to the “incredible tradition...we can draw on” but suggested that “there are parts of it we have to get over.” He suggested that librarians consider being in the digital space akin to building new branches or bookmobile routes. A respondent, OCLC's George Needham, suggested that libraries will not be about the ubiquitous “stuff” but rather “about the experience we can create around it.”

Library innovation needed

At a panel sponsored by the Office of Information Technology Policy (OITP) of ALA's Washington Office (WO), similar issues recurred. Libraries should be about relationships rather than transactions, suggested consultant Joan Frye Williams. (Hence her preferred term for a library user: “member.” See Blatant Berry, p. 10; Front Desk, p. 13.) Libraries should be “more and more a place to do stuff, not just to find stuff,” she said, suggesting a transition from “grocery store” to “kitchen.” She added one “wild card,” suggesting that, as baby boomers age, “there's an underoptimized play on the library as a way to keep your brain alive. We're a massive Alzheimer's prevention program.” Stephen Abram, SirsiDynix VP of innovation and an LJ Mover & Shaker, proposed that libraries collaborate on a massive database to answer questions and that they build a wiki to archive their program ideas. He warned that it might become cheaper for users to rent books from Google for 99¢ than to drive to the library. “I want to see our whole profession where everybody's Nancy Pearl on steroids,” Abram said. (At another panel, asked what one step he'd like to see, Janes quipped, “Everybody gets their own personal Nancy Pearl.”)

The conversation business

“We've treated the MLS like a firewall,” Williams observed. “Have you ever taken a recommendation for a book from a friend without a degree? If we're going to collaborate, we have to assume there are assets on both sides.” Indeed, such collaboration is coming; Abram cited the blooming of social discovery services like LibraryThing in the public library sector and BiblioCommons in both public and academic libraries. At another panel, Syracuse University Information School professor David Lankes drew applause when he suggested varied approaches to library education, from a bachelor's degree in LIS to a doctorate, with “regular, required continuing education through the profession.” Lankes, who's working on Participatory Librarianship for OITP, offered this syllogism: Knowledge is created through conversation. Libraries are in the knowledge business. Therefore, libraries are in the conversation business.

Catalog be gone?

A huge audience attended an “ultimate debate,” sponsored by LITA on the future of the library catalog. When the catalog was invented, observed librarian and consultant Karen Coyle, the library was the only place to search for information, so the catalog was crucial. Now even the evolved catalog is “the last place where people go” for information. If end users are on Google, Yahoo, and Wikipedia, she added, “why shouldn't they be discovering library resources there?” The library catalog is a “dead end.” SirsiDynix's Abram questioned whether attendees were preparing for full-text OPACs. Free Range Librarian blogger (and now community librarian for open source support company Equinox) Karen Schneider suggested that when a catalog works well, and stretches across a huge region, there are “some interesting network effects.” Could one big catalog be a solution? Coyle said no, but “I think we need all our data exposed on the web and a million catalogs that provide every point of view.” Schneider suggested that library marketers should recognize that “we're not just the choice of bad times” but that sharing books is “the way we as humans should live.”

Technology sessions deliver strategies

At LITA's BIGWIG Social Software Showcase, librarians were offered concrete strategies and software suggestions to take home. The loose thread connecting the presentations came in a question posed by LJ Mover & Shaker David Lee King: “What do people do on our web sites besides find information and content—what gets people involved?” The responses all recognized that collaboration between libraries and patrons is a win-win. The Top Tech Trends panel was more conceptual, looking not only at specific technologies like open source software and application programming interfaces (APIs) but also examining issues that affect the quality and bandwidth of data transfer in libraries. Highlights included Marshall Breeding's (author of LJ's annual Automation Marketplace) take on the need for openness beyond open source and Schneider's concerns over national telecommunications policy and its effects on library infrastructure. Regarding broadband, she said, “there isn't enough of it, and we seem to be on a perpetual hamster cycle of catch-up.” Clifford Lynch (CNI) foresaw an eventual backlash against open source. Karen Coombs, contributing remotely via a massive screen, urged reflection on the “disparate levels of innovation within libraries, particularly in larger libraries.” LJ Mover John Blyberg (Darien Library, CT; blyberg.net) spoke about libraries “not just as content providers but as content creators.” Roy Tennant (LJ Digital Libraries blogger) suggested a conceptual framework involving three ages: the age of experimentation, the age of game-changing surprises, and the age of constant change. (Tennant hinted at game-changing surprises from his employer, OCLC. At another panel, SirsiDynix's Abram intimated further consolidation in the ILS industry.) Finally, consultant Coyle discussed the need for increased access to library data and information across all devices and platforms, saying, “I want to be able to walk in the stacks...and do catalog searches while I'm in there.”

Looking at reference

At Reinvented Reference 4, an all-day event sponsored by Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), OCLC VP Cathy De Rosa said a recent OCLC survey showed decline in the use of library web sites, from 30 percent of respondents in 2005 to 20 percent in 2007; one reason young adults and teenagers don't use the library is because they “don't feel good at it.” When people think of libraries, they still think of books, not social networking web spaces, “so let's not worry about what they know we are about [since that's a given],” said De Rosa, suggesting it's time to move beyond books and focus on simplicity and ease of use. At “A View from the Top,” moderated by No Shelf Required blogger Sue Polanka of Wright State University, Dayton, four publishing executives gave insights into the future of databases and database publishing, one that in a decade will have all content born digital. “The transformation is already happening,” said John Barnes of Gale Cengage (interviewed with Gale president Patrick Sommers, p. 42–43). “The first step is to get our collections online, which we are already doing. This might help to ease the 'if it isn't online it doesn't exist' philosophy of researchers.” “We have come a long way,” added Rolf Janke (SAGE). “We are now looking at sources like Google and Wikipedia as partners rather than a threat.” Michael Ross (Encyclopaedia Britannica) asked the audience, “What do you want from us?” Among the responses: more creative pricing models and fewer duplicative products. Marie Radford, associate professor, Rutgers, undoubtedly made some academic librarians uncomfortable as she skewered her colleagues' resistance to change. Asked to “shake things up” at the RUSA President's Program, Radford gave a spirited performance as a burned-out librarian. She also recommended that librarians refer hard questions to subject specialists, pair up staffers from different generations to learn from each other, and institute regular reference sabbaticals. She added, “If you're nice about answering a stupid question, they'll come back with a serious one.”

Future privacy

Some library thinkers believe that the profession's well-grounded concern with patron privacy and confidentiality has hindered the provision of personalized services users have come to expect—and accede to—from companies like Amazon.com. In the larger scheme of things, however, librarians and libraries may play a crucial role in preserving societal privacy. That was the theme of “Privacy: Is It Time for a Revolution?” a program sponsored by ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), which has launched a new privacy rights initiative. Panelists made a compelling case that too many people don't care about privacy and that governments in the United States do too little to set a baseline. Beth Givens, a librarian and director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, said that Americans lack a term for what the Germans call “information self-determination.” She added, “Without an omnibus privacy protection policy, most privacy policies are not really privacy polices, they're disclosure policies.” Blogger, activist, and author Cory Doctorow (Little Brother, Tor Teen) said the issue should be decided by policy, not technology: “The systems we build will determine the societies we build.” Doctorow suggested that vendors can negotiate the tension between protecting privacy and providing personalized service. [For a full video, see OIFPrivacyPanel.notlong.com.]

LSTA revamp

Other discussions addressed immediate issues. The Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), the major federal program supporting libraries, goes through reauthorization beginning in 2009. Librarians would like more flexibility using the funds, given that LSTA focuses on technology spending but not broader challenges like training and marketing. At a hearing sponsored by the ALA WO, chair Pat Tumulty, executive director of the New Jersey Library Association, traced the development of federal support, beginning in 1956. In 1964, the new Library Services and Construction Act supported buildings, literacy, and other initiatives. Its first major revision, in 1996, created LSTA, overseen by the new Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). But LSTA has never been fully funded, despite reauthorization in 2003 that raised the level of state base grants from $340,000 to $680,000. Pending in Congress is a $171.5 million figure for grants to state library agencies, which represents the “magic number” to fund LSTA fully. Attendees asked about federal support for library remodeling and construction. Emily Sheketoff, executive director of ALA's WO, said, “We have been talking to various members of Congress about library construction, but it would be a completely separate bill, not in the education and labor area but in infrastructure.”

Black male recruitment

Many libraries may have little trouble recruiting staffers, but diversity remains a major challenge. Those who attended “An Endangered Species: The Black Male Librarian” might have been shocked to learn that only .5 percent of all 110,000 librarians in the United States, or 572 people, are African American males. A panel of seasoned African American library professionals suggested solutions. Alma Dawson, faculty member, School of Library Science, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, stressed early literacy engagement: “We need to promote the library as a safe haven in urban areas.” Damon Austin, agricultural science librarian, University of Maryland, College Park, suggested connecting with young men who may be unfocused but show an interest in something—e.g., sports statistics—that can be applied to the LIS field. Irene Owens, dean, School of Library and Information Sciences, North Carolina Central University, Durham, spoke from the audience about scholarships as a core issue at her HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) school. Several audience members brought up the importance of mentoring promising students and nurturing fellow employees.

Copyright stalemate

Librarians may think they represent the public interest, but content providers respond that they supply jobs and support the economy. That stalemated the Section 108 Study Group, chartered in 2005 to inform legislative changes to update the Copyright Act's exception for libraries and archives, which delivered its long-awaited report (see News, LJ 5/1/08, p. 16). “We all know how we behave in our resource-sharing environment,” group member Jim Neal, VP for information services and university librarian at Columbia University, said at a conference session, citing the need to update copyright to allow the use of digital technologies for interlibrary loan. “To get that reflected in [Section] 108 seems to make a lot of sense. But there was not agreement from the content community.” Nor was there agreement regarding adding graphics and audio content to the exceptions.

Learning from irrationality

Libraries have a lot of resources that get too little use, but some attendees at the President's Program of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) may have emerged with solutions. Economist Dan Ariely (Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions) keynoted the program, and his address, while not specifically geared to libraries, got people thinking, notably about streamlining the list of databases so users don't feel overwhelmed. (Similarly, at a session aimed at small and rural libraries, Walt Crawford, director and managing editor, PALINET learning network, talked about success stories in human terms instead of resources. “We helped 16 people who were out of work to start their own businesses; not, we have a collection of 150 key volumes and 16 databases.”) Mario Ascencio, visual arts librarian at George Mason University, Fairfax, VA; REFORMA president; and an LJ 2008 Mover & Shaker, asked Ariely whether telling students how much libraries spend might spur more use of databases. Maybe, Ariely said, “but even better is how to get people to think if they don't use it, they're wasting this money.” Frame the issue as an “allowance” to search for things that evaporates if not used, he said. Then again, students may not balk at not using their parents' money, he acknowledged. Ellie Collier, reference librarian, Austin Community College, South Austin Campus, TX, asked how best to convince funders of a library's worth. Come up with “other measures of value,” Ariely suggested, including ones that show how worthwhile the library is to a campus even if some students don't use it much.

ALA doings

In ALA business, treasurer Rod Hersberger described an organization coping with “a very challenging financial environment.” Two revenue sources—conferences and membership/dues—are “very mature.” Publishing “may or may not be mature,” he said, noting however that “there may be an untapped market for the ALA brand in continuing education,” especially internationally. Picking up from Hersberger on the effect of tight budgets on travel to future conferences, Councilor Peter McDonald pointed out that the push toward e-participation, coupled with increased travel costs and airline consolidation, means “our ability to rely on conference revenues, especially from vendors, is short-term.” Chair Janet Swan Hill presented a progress report on the work of ALA's Task Force on Electronic Member Participation, which captured much eagerness for change. However, ALA must harmonize open meeting policies with changing technologies. A full report will be circulated ahead of Council discussion at Midwinter 2009. Council quickly approved the restructuring of corporate membership in ALA. The present four-tiered categories will be replaced by a choice of either $500 or $2000, with different benefits offered to corporate members. The Constitution and Bylaws Committee recommended and Council voted that ALA approve the request for affiliate status of the Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL) and the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services (ABOS).

Library education

The ALA Presidential Task Force on Library Education met without chairperson Carla D. Hayden, 2003–04 ALA president; in her absence, the chair was 2005–06 ALA president Michael Gorman, who made reform of library education the theme of his presidency. Members approved a final draft of “ALA's Core Competencies of Librarianship,” to be submitted, following further comments, for Council approval at Midwinter 2009. The document builds on a decade of work that began just before the First Congress on Professional Education in 1999. Together with the Core Values in ALA Policy 40.1, the Core Competencies of Librarianship form the foundation for ALA's role in the accreditation of LIS programs and ALA leadership in the library profession. They are grouped in eight areas (Foundations of the Profession, Information Resources, Organization of Recorded Knowledge and Information, Technological Knowledge and Skills, Reference and User Services, Research, Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning, and Administration and Management). The task force believes the core competencies “cover the outcomes of graduate education for a beginning, generalist librarian and provide a solid foundation for any socialization within and without libraries that a graduating librarian might pursue.”

Resolutions passed

In other ALA business, resolutions passed included support for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which addressed discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression, and a policy opposing ALA purchasing products made by sweatshop labor. Council also supported funding for cataloging and bibliographic control at the Library of Congress, where it is feared such work might diminish. A resolution on improving the Federal Depository Library Program and public access to government information was referred to the ALA Committee on Legislation. Also, Council passed a resolution on sound recordings made prior to February 1972, emphasizing the need for their preservation and accessibility. Another resolution urged Congress to reemphasize its commitment to support libraries in delivering e-government services. Another supported full funding for the National Agricultural Library (NAL). A resolution on expanding Council transparency directed ALA executive director Keith Fiels to report back at Midwinter 2009 on the potential use of streaming audio and video at future meetings. The Council of the ALA-APA (Allied Professional Association) passed a resolution supporting an increase in minimum salary for librarians to $41,680 per year and library workers to $13 an hour. One tempest involved an effort, later withdrawn, by two new councilors to introduce a resolution on behalf of the independent librarians in Cuba. Outgoing resolutions chair Peter McDonald criticized the “anti-Cuba lobby,” charging they had doctored posts to ALA electronic mailing lists to appear as if they had come from or were forwarded by Council. Fiels later reported that the postings were sent to individual councilors, but the appearance of the phrase “[alacoun]” in the subject heading may have been confusing. Fiels also said, in a July 23 message to Council, that “some of the new councilors indicated that they received communications from certain individuals that they felt were either misleading, that misrepresented their position on the issue, or were threatening in nature.” ALA, he said, was “working on a letter communicating our concerns regarding these types of tactics to the individuals involved.” Lois Ann Gregory-Wood, ALA Office of Governance, was given a tribute for her 40th anniversary as an ALA staff member. Outgoing ALA president Loriene Roy drew cheers before handing over leadership to Jim Rettig.

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Lynn Blumenstein is Senior Editor, Library Hotline. John Berry is Editor-at-Large; Francine Fialkoff is Editor-in-Chief; Bette-Lee Fox is Managing Editor; Josh Hadro is Associate Editor, Technology; Norman Horrocks is Contributing Editor; Norman Oder is News Editor; and Mirela Roncevic is Senior Editor, Reference and Arts & Humanities, LJ