Deborah Shorley: Power to the People: the People’s Network in U.K. Public Libraries

The People’s Network (TPN) – http://www.peoplesnetwork.gov.uk/
an initiative backed by the government to provide internet access in every public library in the U.K.
– knows we’re at 90–whatever-percent in the U.S., but they are at 100%

TPN was delivered by the end of 2002
cost approximately $217 million from National Lottery revenue
provided 30,000 PCs (number given to a library was determined by population)
provided training for all public library staff; had a standard that had to be met (sort of the European Driving License for IT)
– for every person under age 25, there were probably 5 over the age of 45; ambitious learning curve, but they did it
came in on time and under budget

in 2003 in England:
– 44 million internet hours were made available via TPN
– 11.7 million user sessions were recorded
– 26% of people using TPN opted to join their library

“and it’s worked”

social impact:
learning
– 23,600 people have started a formal education course
– 62,400 people reported gaining a new skill
IT training
– 105,600 IT training sessions were run in public libraries in 2004
finding work:
– 8,000 users have found new jobs thanks to TPN (an impressive figure for the U.K.)
personal identity
– 20,000 people have been able to keep in touch with their families
– 20,500 have made new friends
community enrichment
– 52,500 people have used TPN for activities supporting their local community
culture an dcreativity
– 13,500 have started a new hobby

what next?
– sustainability: to charge or not to charge?
– electronic licenses: access to electronic resources, in the library and from home
  – want to blow apart the whole licensing scheme; looking at new ways to do this

Barbara Scheilhagen: Germany’s Library 2007: Innovation and Networking

showed a measuring stick that won a reading award in Germany; actually measures the reading level of a child

innovation and networking in libraries (noticing these shifts in Germany):
– open to new developments in IT, media culture, education, management methods
– creative combination with existing services
– from isolation to networking
– from cultural institution to education institution
– from media provider to educational partner
– learning place

service to new demographic trends; personalized service

so priorities are:
access to digital services
reading promotion
social inclusion

Multimedia Learning Studio – City Library Wurzburg
coordinates closely with external trainers and local adult learning centers
courses are held IN the library
now part of PLOS (model for an open learning center)

are targeting services for new groups; customer-oriented services

started asking what do we need to do this across Germany?
these questions became the foundation of “Library 2007” – a national strategy for libraries in Germany

project components:
– qualitative interviews
– SWOT analysis of German library system
– international best practice research

did a study in 5 countries and found international success factors:
– consensus among all stakeholders on common goals and mandates of libraries
– anchoring of libraries in the educational system
– legal framework (library law and library strategy); including government commitment
– cooperation and networking (also with other partners)
– central coordinating institution

in Germany, libraries are not mentioned in the educational debate; no national body; 4 members in the national library association

Library 2007: BEA (the strategy they developed)
– identifying and spreading innovative ideas through advice and support programs
– coordinating collection of best practices
– drafting of national strategy and library development plan
– defining of quality standards and benchmarking
– lobbying politicans
– networking institution

Medien@age Dresden
a branch library that they turned into a “profile” library targeted at young adults
uses SMS to alert patrons of new media acquisitions

Rob Bruijnzeels: Libraries 2040: The Netherlands Public Library Association

the extrapolated past = the probable future
their project is about what they themselves want in a chosen future

basic principles & components:
– books will not cease to exist
– the traditional library will disappear
– design and realization of new concepts of libraries
– developed the first 7 libraries of the future

1. alphabet hotel – “the memory;” books everywhere; the library is the memory, so it now becomes a hotel lodge; actually combined a hotel and a library; was the first 24/7 library in the Netherlands; was staffless - just books; books weren’t stolen, but the bookmarks were
2. bibliotheque d’amis
3. hormone library – a library designed by young adults; asked them about the future; the kids said they are changing second by second because of their hormones; so created several spaces in the public library that express those feelings; no books in these “emotional interfaces;” it’s where you “love to go”
4. partisan library – library designed by even younger kids at a special event; libraries would replace the attraction of prohibition with the excitement of discovering hidden treasures; had wonderful librarians; they designed the library as a landscape
5. survival library – the idea of a hidden library; largest library in the Netherlands – 45 square acres, all outdoors; only has 30 books; could only find them by solving puzzles; book was related to the place where you found it; goal was to find all 30 books (which takes 3–4 days);
6. virtual library of the future - collective memory of all of the people, organized
7. the brabant library – MVRDV; like Seattle Public Library; will it still make sense to hold on to the existing concept? or is this the right moment for something new?

sell all of their branches to make something new – a new library landscape
- envision libraries in supermarkets, the gas station, etc. network of hundreds of libraries to make one huge public library
wanted to create a library that would compete with DisneyLand and IKEA

came up with a spiral tour of shelves, sort of like what SPL did

what did they learn:
- libraries do have a future, but it will change dramatically
– in the future, the library is part of a network; can assume all kinds of appearances, in digital or physical forms
– no longer bound by geographical limitations
– have to involve the users in designing the future public library

“the library of the 100 talents”

“youth is ‘programmed differently’ ”
– adults and children no longer share the same culture
– the library of today no longer matches children’s perceptions of the world; as a rep of a past generation, the librarian has suddenly lost her way
– best way to remodel the library is to work with these kids

use:
– multiple intelligence: word, number/reasoning, picture, body, music, people, self, and nature “smart”

have to create new interfaces for these kids
– a place in the library where children can work in a “multiple intelligent” manner, reflecting about and facilitating access to books, other media, and the library
– a place where children can get involved in new forms of physical and digital media

starting to build libraries that incorporate all of this

http://www.2040.bibliotheek.nl/
book about the project, but is only Dutch and German

anything is imaginable and everything is feasible

government is paying for the project now

it was difficult to tell what was real and what was imagined in this presentation, but it was fascinating