Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

Something is the Future

Wayne Bivens-Tatum, a Princeton librarian and blogger, wrote an excellent post, called “Nothing is the Future.” It attacks a certain sort of insipid library futurism—and is going all over the “Twittersphere”:

The kindest interpretation of statements like “the future is mobile” or “the future of reference is SMS” or “the future is librarians in pods” or whatever is that the librarians are trying to create that future by speaking it. The incantation will somehow make it so…. The less kind interpretation is that the authors of such statements are reductionist promoters, reducing a complex field to whatever marginal utility they’re focused on and claiming that this is the future, while simultaneously promoting themselves as seers.

The obvious and most likely statement is that nothing is the future, as in no thing is the future, period. Anyone who tells you different is just plain wrong. With technology, it should be clear to anyone who bothers to see past their obsessions that formats and tools die hard. Some people like to imply that if librarians don’t take up every new trend they’ll become like buggy whip makers. I should point out that there are still people who make buggy whips. Buggy whips aren’t as popular as they once were, but they’re still around. There are even buggies to accompany them.

I started to reply in comments, but my words added up. So here they are:

Though a purveyor of “Web 2.0” ideas—I founded LibraryThing, what can I say?—I think it’s a great post.

The rhetoric you describe rings true. It starts, I think, from the popularizers and enthusiasts who take up new technologies and communicate them to the great mass of librarians whose life revolves around other things. To get through the clutter—to be one of the things you take back from a weekend of ALA or PLA talks—the message is simplified and the rhetoric ratchets up. “This is useful” loses out to “this will save you.” As it passes through libraryland the cycle repeats in spirals of simplification and amplification. Over and over I see broader intellectual discussions of technology and the future of libraries reduced to trivial and ephemeral exhortations like “every library needs to be on Meebo!” or “the future is SMS!”

It’s depressing, but it’s not unique to library technology. You see it in other trends, like “green libraries” (they’re the future, didn’t you get the memo?). It’s in the dynamics of communication. Your post is a good corrective to it.

At the same time, you’re missing something. I don’t know if you’re missing it for real, or just in this focused expression. But there’s a powerful “yes but” here, and it needs saying—shouting even!—lest people take the wrong thing from your post.

For all the nonsense and hype, librares are subject to an extraordinary and rapid cultural change. They have already changed drastically—especially if “libraries” means what libraries mean to culture generally, and people who don’t work in them.

Libraries are in the “information business” and this business is in one of the most profound transformations in human history. This isn’t buggies vs. Stanley Steamers—different ways of getting to the habberdasher. It’s horse-and-buggy culture vs. everything the car has brought—mass production, suburban living, the Blitzkreig, the global economy, global warming and the sexual revolution. Certainly, as you say, carriges continue to exist as objects that convey people, but their meaning has been utterly transformed. If libraries end up as a way for rich people to indulge children on a visit to a big city—what carriages mean today—well, crap! How did that happen?!

The world is changing, and for all the noise about this or that technology, I don’t think libraries are dealing with it squarely. (Forget Web 2.0; libraries haven’t really ingested Web 1.0 yet.) “The future is X” isn’t the best response to that change, but it’s a response.

I expect your post will get wide circulation. It says something that hasn’t been said before as well. But if it prompts librarians to dismiss technology’s impact on the future of libraries, it will do great harm. Instead, I hope people use your essay as a way to “kick it up a notch” intellectually, get past the small stuff and confront the very real changes ahead.


PS: By the way, LibraryThing is releasing a universal mobile catalog. It’s the future. No, really! 🙂

Labels: library technology, LIS

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Shelf Browse live at High Plains

Shelf Browse—which we announced last week—is now live in High Plains Library District’s catalog. As we mentioned in our brief ALA announcement, Shelf Browse lets you browse your library’s shelves visually, just as you would do in the physical library.

Shelf Browse lets your patrons see where a book sits on your actual shelves, and what’s near it. It includes a “mini-browser” that sits on your detail pages, and a full-screen version, launched from the detail page.

See it in action at High Plains Library District. Some jumping off points:

Scroll back and forth, serendipitously browsing through the shelves. If lists are more your speed, in the full-screen version, you can switch between shelf and list mode.

For ordering information contact Peder Christensen at Bowker—toll-free at 877-340-2400 or email Peder.Christensen@bowker.com.

Labels: librarything for libraries, ltfl, shelf browse

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

Library Anywhere Prices (Public!)

Update 6/22/11: When we first launched Library Anywhere, we were eager to have public pricing. It’s certainly a novelty in the library world, where wiggly pricing and negotiation are the norm. And we’ve used public pricing for the past year, keyed off of how many physical buildings/branches the library has. What we’ve found, unfortunately, is that while it pleased many people, it made just as many people unhappy.  We’ve decided that we’re going to reevaluate our pricing metrics, and to take down this public list. And, of course, we’ll maintain pricing that’s far less then similar products!

Labels: library anywhere, librarything for libraries, mobile, mobile web

Saturday, January 16th, 2010

Library Anywhere, a mobile catalog for everyone

Following on our announcement of Shelf Browse, here’s another new product. We think this one’s a pretty big deal.

Announcing Library Anywhere! Check it out on our ALA handout (available here).

  • A mobile catalog for any library, up and running in minutes.
  • Mobile web and apps for iPhone, Blackberry and Android.
  • Cheaper than you’d guess.
  • Search, place holds, and more.
  • Showcase hours, branches, and events.
  • No installation process.
  • Works with 90% of current OPACs.
  • Comes with an “accessible version” that provides a fully Section 508-compliant version of your existing catalog.

Unlike Shelf Browse, available now, Library Anywhere is “coming soon.” So, we’re looking for beta libraries.

UPDATE Library Anywhere is now available! Read more about Library Anywhere in our launch post, or try it out with one of these libraries. Read all our blog posts about Library Anywhere here.

Labels: library anywhere, mobile, mobile web

Saturday, January 16th, 2010

New stuff: Shelf Browse

If you’re at the American Library Association in Boston, come check us out (booth 1208).

We’re going to be showing a bunch of new products. First up is “Shelf Browse,” another enhancement for LibraryThing for Libraries.

As our ALA handout (available here) puts it:

“Browse your library’s shelves visually, just as you would do in the physical library. Shelf Browse lets your patrons see where a book sits on your actual shelves, and what’s near it. It includes a “mini-browser” that sits on your detail pages, and a full-screen version, launched from the detail page.

Labels: librarything for libraries, shelf browse

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

LibraryThing at ALA Midwinter


We’re at ALA Midwinter in Boston this weekend—come by and talk to us! We’re in booth 1208 (look for the rhinos).

We’ll be showing off LibraryThing for Libraries—reviews, tags, recommendations and some big new features.

New features

  • Shelf Browse for your OPAC. It shows your covers on a virtual “shelf” for browsing—just as you would do in the physical library. Shelf Browse lets you see where a book sits on your actual shelves, and what’s near it.
  • Library Anywhere: A mobile catalog for everyone. Library Anywhere gives you a web version of your OPAC optimized for cell phones, as well as native applications for iPhone, Android and Blackberry. It requires no installation, and will be cheap.
  • Scoping for Consortia. LTFL now has improved consortium support which allows for “scoping”—patrons searching within a scoped location will only see, for example, LTFL recommending books that are held at that location.

This is just a quick overview, we’ll blog each of these in much more depth in a few days, stay tuned for more details and screenshots. Or just stop by the booth and we’ll show everything to you in action.

Party
Saturday after the show, come have some baked brie and talk books and libraries with us.

  • Saturday the 16th, 5:30-8pm at The Green Dragon Tavern.

Appetizers, drinks, and good conversation. Details in this blog post. We’ll also have little cards with directions at the booth.

Free exhibit passes
If you just want to go to the exhibit hall (no sessions), you can get a free pass here.

Labels: ala, ALAmw2010, librarything for libraries, ltfl

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

Crosspost: LibraryThing party in Boston

Crossposted from the LibraryThing blog:

LibraryThing party in Boston:
Gather with librarians and LibraryThing members alike to eat, drink and talk books.

Date: January 16th, 2010
Time: 5:30-8:00 pm
Location: The Green Dragon (see Local event) – 11 Marshall St Boston, MA 02108
Updates: Follow @conferencething on Twitter

We’ll be at the ALA midwinter conference exhibit hall at booth 1208, so stop by to say hi and grab a flier with info and directions.

Labels: ALAmw2010, Boston, event, meet-up

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

ALA Midwinter—free exhibit passes

We’ll be at ALA Midwinter this weekend, and so should you! We have free passes to give out (to the exhibits only) if anyone in the Boston area wants to attend.

You just have to go here and register.

While you’re there, stop by to say hi. We’ll be in booth 1208—just look for the rhinos.

More announcements coming soon, including a few new LibraryThing for Libraries features, and an update on the party we’re hosting Saturday evening. Stay tuned.

Labels: ALA midwinter, librarything for libraries, ltfl, rhinos

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

“What is Social Cataloging?”

I’ve just posted a full video of my talk “What is Social Cataloging?” on YouTube.

Update: I’ve posted the whole thing as a single clip on Vimeo. I’d go there instead of YouTube.

The best way to watch it is to click this playlist link.

I talk about LibraryThing, social cataloging, the “social cataloging ladder,” Library 2.0, how libraries are failing at library 1.0 and I insult OCLC and cheer libraries on a bunch near the end. Fun for the whole family.

Labels: lianza, lianza09, librarything

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

ConferenceThing at ALA Midwinter

Announcing “ConferenceThing,” a free, mini-conference we’re organizing to coincide with ALA Midwinter in Boston.*

When: Friday, January 15, 2010
Where: South Boston, very close to ALA Midwinter
Structure: Mixed conference/unconference
Admission: Free

We’ve wanted to do something like this for ages. Now that ALA is in Boston, home for Abby and Sonya, and a short drive from the main office in Portland, ME, we have the chance to do it—and do it up. We’ve chosen Friday, before the exhibitions open at 5pm.**

What we’re planning:

  • “Higher-level” conversations about the topics we care about—Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the future of libraries and books. Many librarians are ready to move past the basics. A lot of us now spend most of our time thinking about this stuff!
  • Learning, but no instruction. If you want to set up a Facebook page, get a book. If you want to talk about what works and what really doesn’t in library social media, show up.
  • Non-library people. The event will be open to everyone—LibraryThing members, librarians, etc. We’re going to bring some interesting bookstore and publishing people. We think we’re all in the same boat. And we’re drifting. Let’s talk about whom to eat first.
  • Some sort of LibraryThing meetup and ALA party. We’re looking around for something different. It might just be drinks at Bukowski’s, but we’re looking for something cooler. (We’re shooting for the Isabella Stewart Gardner, whose books LibraryThing members cataloged.)

What to do


*ConferenceThing is not affiliated with ALA Midwinter in any way, although we have the same tailor.
**Friday is also when most of the special sessions are planned. We’re bumping up against a couple of events, including some by our friends in LITA. We’re sorry about that, but there weren’t any better options.

Labels: ALA midwinter, ConferenceThing