Libraries in the Digital Age

1. Librariesin the Digital Age
Ellyssa Valenti (Kroski)

2. Agenda
• Current State of Libraries
• New Challenges & Competition
• Digital Age Libraries
– Respond to New Expectations
– Meet dwindling budgets with new revenue sources
– Embrace new and emerging technologies
– Watch trends
– Re-invent themselves and their library spaces
– Create with their communities
– Their Librarians are agents of change
– Can Prove the ROI of the library

3. Is Library Use Decreasing?

4. • According to a report from Center for an Urban
Future, In Fiscal Year 2011, 40.5 million people
visited NYC’s public libraries, more than all of the
city’s professional sports teams and major cultural
institutions combined.
• According to IMLS report released January 2013
based on survey data collected in 2010
– Public libraries served 297.6 million people out of a total
U.S. population of more than 308.7 million in that year
– Circulation increased to 2.46 billion materials, the highest
ever reported.
• According to a 2011 Harris Poll Quorum, 62% of
Americans hold library cards and 65% had visited a
library in the last year

5. Are Libraries Disappearing?

6. There are more public libraries (about 17,000) in
America than McDonalds (about 14,000) or
Starbucks (about 11,000 coffee shops nationally)
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2013/06/every-
library-and-museum-america-mapped/5826

7. TheQuestion is for how long?

8. Libraries are Closing, Hours Reduced

9. Library Budgets Decreasing
• Revenue for US public libraries went down 3.5
percent from FY 2009. Adjusting for inflation,
the loss amounts to $407.79 million.

10. Changes in Information Consumption
• Online
• On-Demand
• Digital Media– eBooks, streaming video
• DIY (Do-It-Yourself)
• BYOD (Bring-Your-Own-Device)
• Ubiquitous Access - Mobile
• Information is Social

11. New Competition
Traditional Library Roles 
• Information Organization 
• Resource Recommendations 
• Preservation 
• The Library Collection 
New Competition
Google Search
Amazon Reviews, GoodReads
Amazon and the “long tail”
Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Hulu

12. Cost Comparison
Digital Content Providers
• Amazon Prime 
• Netflix 
• Hulu 
• US taxes for public libraries 
Annual Costs
$79 per household
$95.88 per household
$100 per household
$101.03 per household

13. High Stakes
Failure to Accept That Content
Going Digital & On-Demand
Failure to Accept That Content Going
Online, Social, Democratized

14. HOW DO WE FUTURE-PROOF OUR
LIBRARIES?

15. RESPOND TO NEW EXPECTATIONS
Future-Proof Libraries…

16. They don’t “wait and see”…
they “learn and do”.

17. MEET DWINDLING BUDGETS WITH
NEW REVENUE SOURCES
Future-Proof Libraries…

18. New Revenue Sources
• Buy-it-Now Option
• Selling Air Rights
• Selling underperforming
branches
• Leasing library space to
coffee shops, etc.
• Kickstarter

19. Cost-Saving New Models for Libraries
• Access vs. Ownership
• Shared Ownership
• Patron-Driven Acquisitions

20. EMBRACE NEW AND EMERGING
TECHNOLOGIES
Future-Proof Libraries…

21. Mobile Social Applications

22. Cloud Computing

23. On-Demand Digital Content

24. On-Demand Digital Content

25. Amazon now sells more Kindle titles than
print books
33% of Americans own a digital reading
device of some kind (eReader or tablet)
According to IDC, 52.5 million tablets were
sold in the final quarter of 2012
Over 22.9 million iPads sold in Q4 of 2012
By 2015, Americans are predicted to spend $3
billion on eBooks
e-Books

26. …are offering e-Books
of academic libraries
of public libraries
of school libraries

27. Responsive Web Design

28. Mobile Wallets
and the library card?

29. Mobile Wallets
Square Wallet Google Wallet

30. Augmented Reality
Ludwig IINearest WikiLondon Tube

31. Wearable Technology

33. Data

34. Data

35. WATCH TRENDS
Future-Proof Libraries…

36. Gartner’s Hype Cycle of Emerging Technologies

37. Horizon Report on Emerging Tech in
Higher Education

38. Pew Internet & American Life Project

39. Library Journal’s Patron Profiles

40. RE-INVENT THEMSELVES AND THEIR
LIBRARY SPACES
Future-Proof Libraries…

41. Makerspaces

42. 3D Printers

43. Community Spaces

44. The Information Commons

45. Green & Sustainable

46. Bookless Libraries

47. THEIR LIBRARIANS ARE AGENTS OF
CHANGE
Future-Proof Libraries…

48. • Information Filter
• Information Organizer
• Information Aggregator
• Information Evaluator &
Recommender
• Information Instructor
Source: LibraryScienceList.com
The Future Librarian

49. New Roles
• Project Management
• Information Technology
• Knowledge Management
• Emerging Technologies
• GIS
• Website Management
• Digital Repositories
• Electronic Resources Management
• Online Community Management
• Building/Space Management

50. CAN PROVE THE ROI OF THE
LIBRARY
Future-Proof Libraries…

51. Provide Metrics/Data

52. Communicate Value

53. Get Press

54. Market Your Services onSocial Media

55. Make Yourself Visible/Build Relationships

56. Write Articles & Blog Posts

57. Speak at Conferences

58. Slideshare Spreads the Word

59. Reduce the Budget Line

60. Offer Added Value

61. Questions?
Ellyssa Valenti (Kroski)
http://ellyssakroski.com
https://twitter.com/ellyssa
http://www.amazon.com/author/ellyssa
ellyssakroski@yahoo.com