Library as "Technology Center"

I have been preoccupied with ebooks of late as I look back over the postings here.  But that isn't all that we are working on here at HPL.  As a child of the Cold War era, a regular theme for me when thinking about modern library service is "proliferation".  Proliferation of formats, proliferation of technology, and proliferation of confusion and need for training in both areas.  Not only do the library staff need constant updates to skills and knowledge, but patrons come in with a huge variety of questions about technology.  How are we going to deal with the enormous variety of new "things"?  How will we as a public library remain relevant and not only relevant, but maybe even become indispensable?

Right now we do a ... fair job.  Our problem is that since the situation arose incrementally, it was addressed incrementally.  'Incremental" in this case means "haphazard".  So now we have one department checking out laptops, another dealing with public computers, another dealing with faxes and copies, and everyone dealing in their own fashion with tech gadget questions.  The result is that from the patron's side, one gets hit-or-miss service.  This is no one's fault, it is just how it has evolved.

I think one way that we can overcome this is that we could become not just an information place, but a technology center.  If you Google "library technology center" you get results from library websites talking mostly about public-use computers.  The computers you use at the library to check your email, your Facebook, or to play games or even sometimes do some research.  But that's not the only function needed.  In fact, it's probably not even the most important function needed any more, though it remains essential.

This is what "Technology Center" is to most libraries.

What is needed, I think, is a one-stop place where a patron can come and get any library-oriented tech-related issue addressed.  The whole gamut from faxing a document to downloading an ebook; from searching and applying for a job to whiling away an hour or two on a flash game.

The concept is much broader than just a "computer lab".  It would be a place in the library where the services and "things" the library offers could be matched with the  patron needs or with the "things" owned by the patrons who come here seeking whatever it is they seek.

It would be a place staffed with people expert in the use of electronic library services.  Not quite a public "help desk", but close.  Not a place to have your equipment repaired, rather a place to get answers for technical questions regarding your favorite technology tools as they relate to what the library offers, be it as simple as WiFi or as in-depth as a specialized research database.

Can it be done?  I see no reason why not.  Now is the time to plan.  We have the tools scattered all about.  We have the people and we have the need. 

Inscrutable Amazon

OK, maybe they aren't impossible to understand, but they do seem to be sending out a number of contradictory messages these days about Kindle and ebooks.  We all know that Amazon has a proprietary format for ebooks, making a Kindle or Kindle reader the only way to access material sold by them.  We know that they only allow a very limited sharing of Kindle books between readers.

Then, they struck a deal with OverDrive, a library ematerials lending service to allow Kindle users to download and borrow books through the service.  There seems to be, to put it delicately, "a number" of steps to actually get the book loaded on to your Kindle using OverDrive.  This article shows the process as seen at the Seattle Public Library which is currently testing the service.

We had been kicking around an idea here that was similar to this way back at the start of the year.  We were thinking about simply buying a number of Kindles and building collections of high demand titles on them (as those titles were "demanded") and checking the Kindles out to people.  I know this is not what Amazon intended, but maybe they will eventually come up with something similar.

On a final note, the State Library of Kansas has a set up a news page for disseminating information about state-wide initiatives they are working on.  It is worth a look and an occasional check-in to see how they are progressing.  Ultimately, this may be a service the Hutchinson Public Library participates in assuming it gets going in the near future.

What did you do this summer?

Here's what we did.  Our amazing staff here at the Hutchinson Public Library did the following June through August:

• 550+ - the number of children hosted at our Summer Celebration party.
• 109,569 - the number of items checked out (and back in again).
• 1,333 - the number of children attending summer story times
• 3,826 - the number of questions answered in our Reference Department
• 458 - the number of children who turned in their completed reading logs
• 4,580 - the MINIMUM number of books read by those 458 children!
• 1 - the number of new reading spaces we opened (come see the new Quiet Reading Room!)
• 1 - the number of new coffee bar proprietors in the library (visit Rita's Roast!)

What will we do next?  I don't know for sure, but we have some plans... (cue ominous music)

Sony and the Public Library

An interesting article came through one of our library mailing lists this morning.  It appears that Sony has stepped up their commitment to public library service and ebook borrowing.  Sony and OverDrive struck a deal about two years ago that paved the for this new Sony device, the PRS-T1.

The new Sony reader has a dedicated icon for accessing public library ebook services wirelessly.  The article here explains in more detail.  There's also information here in this article.  The idea is to support OverDrive's initiative with public libraries called the "Public Library Service".  It's a pretty plain-jane-looking site, but you put in your ZIP code, find the library near you for which you have a valid library card, and check out a book.

What an interesting time for libraries!  We may be hurting for money, but the opportunities are there to make some great leaps in service.

An insider's view of ebooks

The other day, information about a series of interviews conducted on the BBC came out across a library email list I belong to. The bits that caught my attention were from Victoria Barnsley who is the Chief Executive of HarperCollins UK.  Here are a few of the things she said:

• 50% of their fiction to be digital within 2 years,
  
• eBooks will replace paperbacks,
• hardbacks will improve in quality to be the books people keep.

 Hardbacks will improve in quality!  Wait...what?  You mean you think there will still be a market for ...(GASP)...paper books?  OK, while I might mean to sound a little sarcastic here, I would like to think that the opinion that I and many others have held for a while now, might also be a consideration in the publishing world.  Paper will not be going away any time soon. The ebook format lends itself well to replacement of paperbacks and fiction titles.  Paper copies will also be wanted and even preferred in some cases, and ebooks for lending will help libraries expand their collections, patrons discover new authors, and ultimately purchase more e- and regular books.

Of course, HarperCollins has also made the controversial decision to make their loanable ebooks to libraries "wear out" after 26 checkouts thereby requiring the library to purchase a "new" copy.  While I don't think it is unreasonable for publishers to make these sorts of requirements of libraries, I think 26 circulations is a pretty low number.  Apparently HarperCollins needs to improve their hardback quality now if all they think we can expect from their products is essentially a year's worth of checkouts!

Librarian / tech nerd nirvana

A colleague of mine (who also happens to be something of a tech nerd AND a great guy) sent me a link to this product  - Boopsie - today.  It's an app for libraries and library users that does a whole bunch of cool things in all-in-one fashion.  Feature description from their site:

• BookLook - Scan the barcode of that new best seller at the bookstore and instantly know whether your library has the book available.
• Publisher Reviews - Integration with book review providers such as Syndetics, Goodreads etc.
• Overdrive Access - search, view, download and read Overdrive titles right from mobile device.
• BookCheck - Mobile checkout from the palm of your hand!  Simply scan, click (check) and go!

They seem to have a reasonable subscription rate for us here in Small Town America!  We've talked about having a mobile app developed for us locally, but why reinvent the wheel?  These folks seem to have thought about how it might be used by patrons, so we'll give it a serious look to see how it would integrate with our systems and network.

Save the Libraries

chirp! chirp!

There is a tremendous lack of understanding these day of, well...of many things actually; but within the scope of this blog, the value of libraries.  I think the true value of public libraries is that they provide common ground.  This is reflected to me in two related ways.   I have a quote that I've collected recently from a UK article on libraries that articulates it one way:

"The libraries' most powerful asset is the conversation they provide – between books and readers, between children and parents, between individuals and the collective world. Take them away and those voices turn inwards or vanish. Turns out that libraries have nothing at all to do with silence." - Bella Bathurst, writer for The Observer [newspaper]

Libraries facilitate an intellectual conversation, no matter the format of the conversation or the materials on the shelves, readers, or digital devices.  This largely has to do with the training, skill, and actual practice of the job known as "librarianship".  The people that work in a library make sure by their very work that the conversations listed in the quote above can flourish.

A second way that this thing called a "library" acts as a societal leveler, is as a place where people from all walks of life can experience a certain level of equality and equitable treatment.  The physical space makes it unique in the modern world in that anyone can use it for meeting and exchange of ideas, largely free of any out-of-pocket expense.

Public libraries continue to provide free access to information in the form of books, digital files, Internet access, and government publications, all the while being dismantled bit-by-bit in the name of "lowering taxes" and "trimming the fat".  I contend that libraries, especially public and school libraries, give the most bang for the tax dollar that you can get.  HPL will be here for a while, I think.  We have benefited from the gifts of many fine residents in our town.  But Kansas libraries as a whole are being picked apart.  From elimination of funding for cheap high-speed Internet connectivity (this has already happened - funding was slashed), to statewide accessible databases of information (this funding has also been eliminated), to school libraries at every level, our State Legislature and Governor seem to be doing their best to demolish educational support of any sort.

Lastly, I am not advocating support of this project - you can make your own decisions about it, but I think it is a great idea.  Photographer Robert Dawson is touring 22 states, photographing public libraries as a commons, one of "...the things that we share as a nation - our environment, our infrastructure, our culture - the things that keep our society civil and working."

Here's the link from the comments section below:  Karin Slaughter Writes Story to Help Save Libraries

Rita's Roast starts up!

HPL is excited to have a new coffee vendor open and ready for business!  Meredith Hulsey opened Rita's Roast about a week ago with a variety of refreshing beverages and some unbelievably good treats.  You may have purchased some of her awesome baked goods at the Reno County Farmers Market and now you can get them at the Library as well (at least some of the time).  Rita's Roast also features a great hand-made lunch deal that includes a sandwich and other tasty treats.

The Hutchinson News had a nice write-up about Rita's Roast last Friday or Saturday as well - thank you Hutchinson News!

Be sure to stop in on Monday, August 1st and help celebrate Rita's Roast at their Grand Opening!

eBook update for mid-July

The ebook landscape continues to change as HPL moves closer to deadlines for decisions regarding what tools to use to provide our patrons with the best reading / usability experience we can.  A recent article from Market Watch discussing 3M's new library ebook system shows just how rapidly things can change.  For what little it is worth, I can say with confidence that this is a system to watch.  OverDrive, the market leader in library-lending ebook systems should take heed.  Having seen a demonstration of the 3M system, OverDrive's way of doing things pales in comparison.

It remains to be seen if 3M can add the content, but I have no real doubt that they will.

Mid-summer update

As we sit here baking in the hot July sun, I am thankful that I am able to sit here in the relative cool of the library.  It has been a somewhat tumultuous summer so far and I thought I'd write down all that has been going on.  In late May, we found out that the Bru Crue Coffee Bar was going to have to abruptly shut down.  I, and many others, were sad to hear about this.  However, we will soon have another coffee vendor up and running - Rita's Roast Coffee Co. will be open very soon.

Our new roof has been finished and at least in some parts of the building, the reflective quality of the white vinyl may actually be helping to lower the temperature!  I'm not sure that there's any helping the Computer Lab temperature, but other parts of the second floor seem cooler.

On the subject of the public computer lab, we are exploring the cost involved in redoing the HVAC for that part of the building.  As we have discussed what to do about the computer lab, we have revisited the arrangement of the whole area north of the mezzanine.  Who knows?  By the time all is said and done, we may have a whole new look on the 2nd floor!

Trekking through the wilderness

From time to time we all take journeys through the wilderness.  Sometimes these journeys are figurative, sometimes they are literal and sometimes they are both.  This past week I took a little time off and with parts of my family, I took a literal journey through the wilderness:

This is, of course, the Grand Canyon.  A place so massive it defies description; in places so remote you could walk off the trail and never be found again.  The trail shown in this picture is one of the most popular trails in the canyon, the Bright Angel.  Thousands of people use it every year to travel to or from the south rim and the Colorado river.  While we were hiking along through 30+ miles of this place, I did some thinking, not really about libraries but about choosing paths.  I found out that our trip - south rim to north rim and back again - is a rare occurrence, comparatively speaking.  Most people (90% of all visitors) descend and return at the south rim.  So, where will the library go on its journey?

What is my point with this entry?  The picture above is the sort of place that libraries and library services are negotiating in a figurative way.  As media have changed and services shift from the own-and-share to the buy- or pay-as-you-go, relevance for libraries has come into question.  The Hutchinson Public Library is on a hike through the wilderness right now and we need all the information we can get.  Soon we will begin purchasing ebook content in earnest.  The State Library is doing a pilot project with 3M, our contract is up for renewal with OverDrive.  The bottom line is that things WILL change here and ahead of that we will ask for your input.  Please help us by participating in any upcoming surveys.  Your input will influence our decisions.  You have the opportunity to hike with us through the wilderness and help keep the Hutchinson Public Library a relevant and USEFUL service in our community for years to come!

eBook News

EBook? eBook? Should one capitalize the "e" to start a sentence using "ebook"?  Maybe I'll just avoid that from now on and start ebook posts with something like, "Yes, yes, ANOTHER post about ebooks."

It seems the competition is finally heating up for OverDrive (thank goodness).  Honestly, healthy competition in the marketplace can be a very good thing.  Since there has been essentially no competition in ebook lending, OverDrive has felt no pressure to improve their interface or lower their access fees.

However, an unlikely company has jumped whole-hog into the fray - 3M.  Yes, good ol' Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing has launched an ebook lending service.  I say, "Bravo!"

The product/service was unveiled at the American Library Association annual meeting just a few days ago.  It appears to be mostly ready for use with a fairly good variety of publishers and titles.  Notably, it does not currently work with Amazon's Kindle as of yet, but does work with popular devices such as Apple's iPad.  If, like Recorded Books', they are negotiating with Amazon, however, this could prove to be a great alternative to or addition to an OverDrive account.

Now that I've thought about it, I am going to always use a lower case "e" even if it is at the start of a sentence when writing "ebook".  Then I can say I was influenced by Steve Jobs and the ubiquitous "i" used to start the names of all their popular electronic items.