How do we serve invisible users

1
How do we serve invisible users?

• Future of Libraries 2007
• Anthony Costa

2
Invisible (Remote) Users

• Telephone Reference
• Website Users
• Database Users
• WebPAC Users
• Virtual Reference (Email, Chat, IM)
• Web 2.0 (Blog, Wiki, RSS, Second Life) users

3
Who are these invisible people?

• The same ones who come to the library?
• A subset?
• A totally different population?
• Geographically isolated
• Too busy
• Limited Mobility
• Fans of specific technologies - techies

4
How do we know theyre there?

• Statistics
• Sarah Says six times per year
• ALA says physical visits are between 6 and 11.
• Beth Jefferson says library Websites have more
  impact than Flickr, NY Times, Craigslist,

5
Beth Jefferson. Netspeed 2006 Plenary Address.
http//thealbertalibrary.ab.ca/viewPosting.asp?pos
tingID217
6
ALA National Survey Results 2006

• http//ala.org/ala/ors/reports/KRC_Detailed_Slides
  .pdf

7
So if they are already coming

• How do we serve them?
• How do we embrace them?

8
Services for the Invisible User

• The challenge
• To adapt library services to keep up with the
  changing world.
• To learn from the outside world, beyond
  libraries, while maintaining the core of library
  service

9
Learn from others without losing our core

• We are not a search engine but we cant ignore
  the search engines
• We are not a bookstore but we cant ignore the
  bookstores
• We are not a café but we cant ignore the cafés
• We are not a software company but we cant ignore
  the software companies

10
Social Software

• Denver Public Library MySpace page
• Undeniably clever
• http//www.myspace.com/denver_evolver
• Is this how we should be spending our time?

11
Services Without Sites

• The Invisible Library
• How do they know were here?
• Outreach and promotion.
• Look at successes from outside the library world

12
Collection Development

• Targeting the e-branch community
• What do we know about them?
• Back to Who are these invisible people?

13
Who are these invisible people?

• The same ones who come to the library?
• A subset?
• A totally different population?
• Geographically isolated
• Too busy
• Limited Mobility
• Fans of specific technologies - techies

14
Luddites vs. Technophiles

• Have no fear!
• Nor infatuation.
• Technology provides tools.
• Make optimum use of the appropriate tools.