Observations on

Libraries,
Information Technology
and Our
Preferred Future

Michael Ridley
Chief Librarian
University of Guelph

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Co
 When simple change
becomes transformational
change, the desire for
continuity becomes a
dysfunctional mirage.

The Mirage of Continuity (1999) Hawkins & Battin

Steve Mann - Cyborg
The always on
Internet
Collaborative,
computer
mediated
reality

The future of the

human is the
cyborg
 stewardship
democracy
service
rationalism
privacy
equity of access

intellectual freedom
literacy and learning
Information rich! Knowledge poor?

Interactive! Reflective?

Empowering! Control?

Way cool! Way cool!

 The library of
the future will
Building
Community
combine a
in the
Virtual
managed place
World with a managed
digital space.

Agora Project Proposal

(University of East Anglia)
 Transformational change
Revolutionary impact
Evolutionary implementation
Understanding
a Key Problem:
The Electronic
Piata
 Paul Saffo
Institute for the Future

The future belongs to neither

the conduit or content players, but to
those who control the filtering,
searching and sense-making tools we
will rely on to navigate through the
expanses of cyberspace.
Towards the Digital Library
 From Omnipresent
(it will be wherever the users are)
Database/Repository
to Seamless
Environment (fully integrated with
digital learning
(Managed Digital Space) and research; beyond?)

Community
(resources, people, interaction, process, activities, services)

Dynamic & Organic

(the users will construct it as much as we will)
 From
Coherence & Sense Making Information Management
(value added outcomes to
and benefits)
Knowledge Management

People Centric
(a focus on understanding not just data)

Explicit & Tacit Knowledge

(beyond recorded information)

Trusted Information Systems

(status, reputation, influence, impact)
 Intelligent Agents
Personal Information Systems
(discovery, assistance, utility) Control
(users not systems)

Managing Peoples Interests

(trusted information systems)

Wireless Communication
(whenever, wherever, right now)
From
People Finding Information
Smart Information
to (telemetry, propagation)
Information Finding People
 Key challenge
to the legal basis
Copyright & of libraries
Intellectual
Property Contract law
vs. copyright law

Private rights
vs. public rights
 International law
WTO Global trade
WIPO
GATS Trans-national
UCITA Corporations
TRIPS
Copyright Act
 Copyright in a Digital
Environment

The Bottom Line:

Digital resources are not covered by

existing Copyright law nor by
institutional CANCOPY agreements.
 Inflation

$ $ $ Currency
devaluation
$
$ $ $
Support for
libraries
dropping
New budget
responsibilities
(esp. IT)
 226% increase
250% in the cost of a
journal

192%
increase
150% in journals
expenditures

7% fewer
journals
purchased
0%
17% fewer
-50% monographs
purchased
$ from print to electronic

$ sustaining legacy & digital

collections & services

$ local & collaborative

spending

$ more, more more

 Words that Cause
Apoplexy in Librarians

Its all on the Internet

. and for free!

 So Now What?

Why am I so unbearably optimistic?

The Innovation Agenda

Resurgence of the Public Good
Scholarly Publishing
Ontario Digital Library
Innovation
Agenda
Links to Library vendor databases

Trend More than political posturing

Real investments in knowledge economy
#1 Libraries as a key component
 Examples
Canada Foundation for Innovation
Industry Canada - Indirect cost of
research $200M ($400M base in
2003?)
Ontario Innovation Trust
Canadian National Site Licensing Project (CNSLP)

Transformational consortial purchasing

64 universities
$50M Project
$20M from Canada Foundation
for Innovation
 What has CNSLP provided?
significant acquisition of information
resources
rigorous & advantageous procurement
process
model license agreement
proof of concept (national consortial
purchasing)
Information Resources Acquired
~700 full text journals (chemistry, physics,
general science & technology, engineering,
health, environment, economics, law & social
sciences)
2 full text reviewing journals (mathematics)
3 citation indexes (covering ~8,500 journals in
arts, humanities, social sciences and
sciences)
 Negotiated Costs
20

15
$M 10
Best Offer
5 Final Cost
0
P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7
Information Resources
 Total Negotiated Cost

100
82.7
80
26%
57.3
60 Value
$M 42.1
Best Offer
40
Final Cost
20

0
All Products
 Issues for CNSLP
growing the project: investing and
buying more
sustainability beyond CFI funding
additional discipline areas: social
sciences, humanities, health care
 Resurgence
of the
Public Good
Links to Library vendor databases
Social change Trend
Gift economy
Libraries as a key component
#2
 Optimistic
about the
Future Realistic
about the
Present
Civic Duty

Global
Perspective

Tenacious
Scholarly
Publishing
Links to Library vendor databases

Trend Reclaiming scholarship

Coordinated political action
#3 Libraries as a key component
 The Copyright Forum
collaboration of associations
representing the user community
preserve concept of copyright by
including digital resources
maintain existing exceptions for
educational institutions
 Ontario
Digital
Library
Links to Library vendor databases
Bridges rather than boundaries Trend
Collaboration and cooperation
Access and equity
#4
Innovation
 .on .ca
w.odl
w w
 l a .c o m
ce s s o
ww.a c
w
 What is the ODL?
A digital network of information services
and resources
A partnership of all libraries in Ontario
(university, college, public and school)
A service for all Ontario citizens
 What are the Benefits?
Province wide consortial licensing of
information resources
Innovative, collaborative services
supporting access and use
Technological support (standards &
interfaces)
Training (technical and information
literacy)
For Libraries?
 What are the Benefits?
One local point of entry to quality,
electronic information resources and
services
Resources and services that are
credible, available and adaptable
Equitable access from anywhere in
Ontario

For Users?
Strengthening

the Local
Library
The Hospital
Library

The School The College The University The Public

Library Library Library Library

The Shared Ontario Digital Library Infrastructure

(resources & services)
 What are the Challenges?
Focus on benefits to the users
Build and sustain library collaboration
Maintain government attention
Increase real investments
 Next Steps for the ODL?
business plan ($200K)
Requested by MTCU
Consultation & commitment
implementation ($50M over 3 years)
fully operational ($50M annually)
 When simple change
becomes transformational
change, the desire for
continuity becomes a
dysfunctional mirage.

The Mirage of Continuity (1999) Hawkins & Battin

To remain what it is,
the library must change
if it does not change,
it will not remain what it is.

W. David Penniman,
Dean, School of Informatics
University at Buffalo, SUNY
 Observations on
Libraries,
Information Technology
and Our
Preferred Future

Michael Ridley
Chief Librarian
University of Guelph
www.uoguelph.ca/~mridley
mridley@uoguelph.ca
(519) 824-4120 x2181
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Con