Library notes

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Library notes

1 Leader's Digest
2 Related articles
3 Your turn: Talk about it

Shorter notes on aspects of libraries and librarianship.

Leader's Digest

by Leslie Dillon

Outsell issues forecast report on libraries

Leader's Digest April 2008

Libraries are successfully changing their models to stay abreast of the new information world paradigm”, according to Outsell, Inc., “which forecasts a 3.1% compound annual growth rate for content spending from 2007–2010, from $22.5 billion to $24.7 billion.”

The report includes data from “government, public, academic, school, corporate, and other special libraries.” Trends and findings include the following:

While overall library investments are increasing, the proportion devoted to almost all content segments is shrinking, with the exception of “education/training allocations, which have increased from 4% in 2004 to 11% in 2007.”
“Libraries of all types are creating original content…” Self-publishing and syndication enable increased “user-generated and institutionally generated content that, in many cases, displaces commercially published content.”
“Most content spending (21%) is going toward scientific and technical content … followed by educational information (11%), news (11%), and legal/tax/regulatory (10%).”

Outsell is a research and advisory firm focused on the publishing, information, and education industries. The report is available here for $895.00. (Note from Leslie: The audience for this report is really publishers and information providers that sell to libraries.)

("Outsell issues forecast report on libraries," Information Today Weekly News Digest, Apr. 3, 2008.)

The future of libraries?

Leader's Digest April 2008

As part of a recent feature on the future of the (Raleigh, NC) News & Observer, an interview of distinguished journalism professor Philip Meyer captured my attention. In my second reading of the article, I substituted the word “library” for the word “newspaper” and found that a lot of what he said applies to libraries as well as newspapers. Here are several excerpts from the interview; I’ve substituted the word “library” for you. See what you think—-does this fit?

Libraries “need to move aggressively online, attract younger readers and create niche products to serve segments of the market.” There isn’t any way to do business as you’ve always done it.
Move ”as much content as you can…to the Internet.”
Libraries ”need to find jobs that consumers need done and then they need to to invent a product that will get that job done.” For example, picture two photographs: one of someone sitting on a subway snoozing, with nothing to do; the other of the same person reading a free newspaper [or book/magazine?] he picked up at a subway stop. ”[F]illing that time usefully is a job that he needed to have done.”
“There will always be somebody to supply the reader the information that he or she needs.”
We “can’t have democracy without” libraries. They create a sense of community; if sense of community fails, democracy fails.

(Mark Schultz, "Expert voice, What is the future of the N&O, The News & Observer, Mar. 30, 2008.)

Internet blamed for drop in book circulation

From the article:

In this technologically savvy society, students seem to be relying more on electronic resources and less on books when it comes to research.

According to circulation statistics, from July 2006 to June 2007, University of Rhode Island students and faculty members checked out 53,227 books. Twenty years ago, students alone checked out more than twice that amount. In fact, students were checking out more and more books each decade until the mid-1990s when the use of the Internet became more widespread.

(UWire via ResourceShelf, Apr 14, 2008.)

Editor's note: This report relates to academic libraries, where there's been a corresponding rise in use of digital resources--where academic libraries are focusing substantial resources. The situation with public libraries is quite different.

Researcher's use of academic libraries

Leader's Digest April 2007

The report from a study of how researchers interact with academic libraries in the UK says the majority of researchers think that their institutions’ libraries are doing an effective job in providing the information they need. But the report notes some problems that need to be addressed; they won't be a surprise!

Many researchers believe libraries give greater priority to support for teaching and learning than to research, which many librarians acknowledge.
Researchers' visits to their institution’s library have declined sharply in the last 5 years.
Most researchers use digital finding aids to locate both digital and print-based resources. Print finding aids are used by very few researchers, mainly in the arts and humanities.
Researchers place a very high value on electronic journals, but a much lower value on libraries’ provision of other kinds of digital resources.
Both researchers and librarians believe libraries will have a key role as custodians and managers of digital resources.
Libraries will need to put effort into securing significant use of their expertise and advice by researchers.
Dialogue between librarians and researchers is needed to ensure that library services are developed and deployed in the most effective way.
Many potentially useful information resources remain under-used, mainly because they exist only in hardcopy or are inadequately catalogued.
Significant differences exist between researchers and librarians in attitudes, perceptions and awareness of key issues.
The role of libraries may be diluted as researchers, particularly younger ones, turn to the social networking space to share research-based information.
The successful research library of the future needs to forge a stronger brand identity within the institution.

(Researchers’ Use of Academic Libraries and their Services via ResourceShelf, Apr. 20, 2007.)

The entire Services category may be relevant, including these articles: