Transforming the Libraries

1. Transforming the Libraries To which problems in a knowledge based society are public libraries the answer? http://presentations.aakb.dk/hapel/australia2006 hapel@bib.aarhus.dk Rolf Hapel, director Citizen Services and Public Libraries Aarhus, Denmark, August 2006

2. A few facts about Denmarkand Danish libraries • Small country – 5.3 mill. people • Homogenous - 7% immigrants • Well-educated population - 2/3 upper secondary or further • 713 fixed service points and 51 bookmobiles • Public library spending in average per capita per year 100 AUS $ • Spending varies from 30 AUS $ to 180 US $ per capita • 16.4 loans per capita in average Århus

3. The libraries of the industrial society Democracy • Free and equal access to information + Education • Support to the formal education system + Culture • Access to cultural heritage and experiences = Success • 60 -70 % of population users

4. Year 12 after www Sven Nilsson: ”Inventing the future - playing”

5. Society trendsDemography New fellow citizens The "new elderly"

6. Society trendsThe consumer • Increasing individualization • The political consumer • Self-reliant • Demand for quality • Leisure time is a limited resource

7. Society trendsThe social excluded • Social divide • 40 % of the labour force has no vocational education • 15 – 20 % of population are illiterate = 1 mio people • Larger gap between information strong and information weak citizens?

8. Society trendsThe media development From text to sound and moving pictures From analogue to digital Physical media Printed Music Film and video Computer programmes, databases, playstation games and multimedia products Net based media types Digital TV Internet Mobile devices –portals, subscribed services, e-zines, advisories subject guides, tutorials Convergence

9. Media Market Convergence

10. Society trendsInformation and Communication Technology • High Internet penetration • Bandwith – broadband - wireless • IT everywhere – ”pervasive computing” • Mobility and portable devices • Interactive user interfaces - avatars • Portals and personalization • Web 2.0

11. Tendencies on time • We work more • We spend more time with our children, cooking, shopping, domestic activities and eating • We sleep less and spend less time doing nothing • We need leisure time and particularly unplanned time • Some tries to catch up by spending time on their own in the bathroom! • Calmness, tranquility and absorbtion is next to come! • Jesper Bo Jensen, Danish ’future’ scientist

12. Media culture • People change behavior and standards when media comes between them • Mobile technologies makes people in constant contact with others • Interactive media makes it possible to manipulate contact according to own needs - superficial • Social contact is additional choice – no longer defined by institutional framework (school, museums, libraries) • Slowness indicates importance • Electronic communication index for social connection • Prof. Stig Hjarvad: ”The Sociable Society”

13. ChallengesCompetence development and generation change Prerequisite: No more money – probably less

14. The worst scenario? Better expect the worst: • Only a few will need the library • Google serves digital library users • Libraries becoming museums for information handling in the industrial age • Librarians being custodians “ – only the paranoid will survive” Andy Grove – Intel 1995

15. High demand for • reinventing the institutions: • new ways of professionalism • new products • new alliances • new ways of funding A high demand for changes

16. An impossible change..

17. A self-supporting change… R.I.P ..with a predictable ending..

18. The two options.. Work with a philosophy of change.. - or

19. The Danish Library sector –a few characteristics • The Danish Library Act – 3 important principles: • Core library services free of charge • Extended or hybrid library (many obligatory media) • Library sector seamlees service (public and university libraries) The Danish National Library Authority strategy: The hybrid library model is the frame for library development in Denmark

20. The Hybrid library A place that offers.. ..and where there is guidance. ..access to global information.. ..to collections of various media..

21. Risskov Åby Self service Viby Kolt

22. Holdings in Danish Libraries Search and ordering facilities

23. e-zines and databases

24. The Net libraries are a number of virtual libraries or subject portals produced or co-produced by Danish public and research libraries in cooperation

25. Libraries Netguide • Started 1998 • 29 active libraries and 120 librarians • 5000 evaluated and annotated links

26. Question and answering service • Started 1999 • Jointly operated by 39 public and 13 university research libraries • Chat function with pre-defined communication, software that allows librarian to ”take over” user´s screen • Training programme for library staff

27. Fiction literature portal • Started spring 2000 • Editor based in Aarhus, production distributed • 55 member libraries – all producers • Cooperation with nation wide TV broadcast • Many features including e-Zine with e-mail notification, (3000 subscribers), counselling, articles, database on comtemporary authors, possibilities to place requsitions and holds on more than 90 libraries, web-services, weblog • 1,5 mill. user sessions (2004) 3,4 mill page views

28. Video on demand

29. Aarhus Photos • Århusbilleder, based on the database of the jointly operated ”Danske Billeder” (Danish Photos), co-operation between six libraries, Local history, searchable in jpeg-format