Serving Our Customers Tomorrow: Technology Implications in Government Libraries

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Serving Our Customers TomorrowTechnology
Implications in Government Libraries

• Richard Huffine, Chair, SLA Government
  Information Division

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• Ambient findability is less about the computer
  than the complex interactions between humans and
  information.
• Libraries exist at the very intersection of
  physical and semantic space.
• Peter Morville, Ambient Findability, OReilly
  Press, 2005.

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Wired vs. Wireless

• Government Libraries ARE bringing wireless
  connectivity into the library
• Issues of security will always be a factor in
  implementation but those are being addressed
• Wireless is coming to conference rooms, hallways,
  and cafeterias as well as libraries
• The more important aspect of going wireless is
  taking the librarys resources to the user where
  they are

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Intranets and Library Resources

• Content is being shared via government Intranets
• Licensing and acquisition of electronic resources
  is overtaking traditional methods of acquisitions
• Libraries continue to warn their organizations
  about the difference between leasing and buying
  online content
• Integration is also beginning to occur between
  internal and external content using Portal
  technologies, data warehousing and collaborative
  work environments
• Online reference support via the Intranet is also
  common in some large, distributed organizations
• Blogs are also popping up internally as well

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Distribution Channels

• Libraries are leading the effort to make
  alternative distribution channels effective
• RSS feeds and materials formatted for mobile
  devices are now common for notifications and news
  releases
• Web interfaces for handheld devices are also
  popping up among major information resources of
  the government
• These methods are all complimentary to
  traditional approaches
• Currently we are formatting the same information
  multiple times to accommodate different channels
• New approaches to Web content management are
  allowing some organizations to write once and
  distribute in many different formats

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Going Virtual

• Virtual work environments are becoming critical
  to government organizations all over the globe
• Collaboration, interaction, and shared knowledge
  are all critical to achieving our goals today
• Workgroups, teams, and other structures require
  support for off-site or virtual staff
• The library can now contribute to projects
  off-site
• Librarians can contribute to project Wikis,
  collaborative work environments or Web sites
• Librarians can embed in a project and still
  have access to the resources of the library

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Changing Formats

• The multimedia revolution is harder for
  traditional libraries to tackle
• Capturing and providing access to audio, video,
  photos, etc. requires a commitment from the
  organization as a whole
• However, the capabilities to manage this content
  are available
• Institutional Repositories and Content Management
  Systems handle a wide variety of formats
• Search engines are getting much better at
  searching for and finding these formats
• The issues continue to come up with how these
  objects are created and how/when metadata should
  be applied

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The Tech Influence Is Growing

• Increasingly, the planned use of content is a
  heavy factor in purchase decisions
• Librarians no longer buy content to meet a
  perceived future need, they buy content to
  address the immediate needs of their clientele
• Government libraries facilitate access to content
  for their Agencies
• They continue to act as the intermediaries for
  extremely busy people with very little interest
  in learning new tools and resources
• They are responsive to the demands of staff that
  come from advanced corporate and academic
  environments
• The are managing with fewer resources and
  expanding domains of knowledge

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Conclusion

• The users of library resources are changing
• More and more, they arent even aware that they
  have used the library
• They need what they need, and only what they
  need and they need it immediately
• Increasingly, they want to manipulate content,
  share it with others, and present their own views
  on its meaning
• The technology, the interface, and the formats
  are all only important if they get what they want
  quickly and can use it
• Government libraries may take longer for these
  changes to show, but the implementations are more
  deliberate and directly reflect the mission of
  the institutions they serve

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• Richard Huffine
• Web Analytics Manager
• FirstGov, U.S. GSA
• 202-219-2354
• Richard.huffine_at_gsa.gov
• Chair, Government Information Division
• Special Libraries Association
• richardhuffine_at_yahoo.com

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References and Resources

• FirstGov RSS Library
• http//www.firstgov.gov/Topics/Reference_Shelf/Lib
  raries/RSS_Library.shtml
• Data Reference Model Wiki
• http//colab.cim3.net/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?DataReferenc
  eModel
• Department of Energy - Live! Ask a Librarian
• http//www.administration.doe.gov/ofcadm/library/
• Maine State Library Walkin Wireless Wi-Fi
  Hotspots in Maine
• http//www.maine.gov/msl/infotech/wireless/wireles
  s_libs.htm
• WISER - Wireless Information System for Emergency
  Responders
• http//wiser.nlm.nih.gov
• NLM Mobile
• www.nlm.nih.gov/mobile/