Version of Record

On the future of expertise and public conversations.

Revisiting

Includes materials-cost trends, Big Deal trends. Updated over time.

54% of Americans have used a public library in the past year, and 72% live in a “library household.” Most say libraries are very important to their communities.

More people are consuming content than ever, so leave your sad trombone at home.

You can't bring tech-mediated education to people on the wrong side of digital divides. WHOODATHUNKIT.

Public-library specific.

I just finished reading Rick Anderson's Ithaka S+R issue brief "'Can't Buy Us Love:' The Declining Importance of Library Books and the Rising Importance of Special Collections." it is not the most articulate argument for the future of libraries, but it certainly may be the best eulogy.   Anderson's perspective bothered me so much that I jotted down a few thoughts to ponder in response. I wanted to post as a comment but it ran a little longer than Ithaka allows on their site. By all means, read Anderson's piece, and then my comments below. I'd love to hear what our readers think.  Full citation: "'Can't Buy Us Love:' The Declining Importance of Library Books and the Rising Importance of Special Collections." Ithaka S+R Issue Brief. August 1, 2013. Rick Anderson, Interim Dean & University Librarian, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah.  Here are a few thoughts to ponder:   Continue reading →

Keynote for Wikimedia UK GLAM-WIKI conference, British Library, London, April 12, 2013. https://uk.wikimedia.org/wiki/GLAM-WIKI_2013 Also presented at the Nati…

It is time to move from innovation as an ideology to innovation as a process.