What should a modern library’s website be?
January 20th, 2009 by Geoff 16 Comments
Last week, I posted some thoughts on what a modern library should be, and promised to follow it up with a post on how a website could support that mission. In case you didn’t read the previous post, it can be summed up as: learning needs a clubhouse, so why not the library? Of course, libraries have always been a place that supports learning with it resources, but I envision a place where the library community facilitates that pursuit further.
This is where the website comes into play. I envision a library website that has an Ebay reputation system, a Digg voting component, a room reservation system, a Google Books repository, a WorldCat list and notes feature, Amazon reviews and Facebook profiles. (I realize that it can be annoying to read a sentence like that if you do not have intimate knowledge of the way the sites work. However, it is good short-hand for me as I explain what I mean.)
Let me start with the obvious. Everyone assumes that a library website should have digitized information. I do not disagree, and in many ways that part it is a forgone conclusion that sites like Google books will replace the need for extensive physical repositories. Recently, Steven Johnson wrote an inspiring story about how he used Google Books to research his recent book, The Invention of Air:
An amazing number of Priestley’s original writings (along with other texts from that period) are available from Google as downloadable PDFs, with scans of the original page design and typography, along with full-text searching. Many of these are texts that would be very hard to find even in a major research library, and of course, even if you could find them, you wouldn’t be able to search them. (You’d barely be able to turn the pages, given how old the books are.
Online repositories are better in lots of ways. They allow for searching, hyperlinking, multiple displays of the same information, aggregation and calculation to be done on them, and they are more accessible. Libraries should be glad that they can get out of the boring business of maintaining acid-filled pieces of paper and cardboard as a means to preserve human knowledge. If we, as a collective society, can move our stored knowledge to a more searchable and accessible medium, I am all for it. I don’t think it is valuable to be sentimental about the codex book format. At one point, it was the most convenient portal medium for spreading human information, but its day has come.
I think it is fair to say that information that you would formerly access at a library is already online, and that it is only going to get better. With this in mind, I ask once again, what should a modern library’s website be?
Before I answer that, I am going to take another step back to talk about how professors earn their rank and reputation. The basis of the promotion and tenure system for universities is peer review. This process of having other peers read or review your work has a long history, but it is not without fault. At its root the process is intended to provide a mechanism for checking the accuracy of work before it is published. It has been accused of slowing things down and bringing up petty disagreements, but when it is working well it embodies the possibility for mentoring and sharing.
There is no reason why this type of peer-based reputation system could be not be brought over into the library environment. In last week’s post, I brought up the idea of peer learning, mentoring and apprenticing happening at the library in a Barcamp-like style. One way to facilitate that process would be to have an Ebay like reputation system built into the library website. It would provide a publicly accountable way to track the quality and integrity of one’s contributions to this learning community. I see it as a way to bring out the best in people since they know that if they lead a session without doing a little research and preparation in advance, they might get rated poorly. Everyone has the potential to lead a discussion session, so there is less incentive to be malicious. (What comes around goes around in this system.) Pragmatically, these reputation ratings help people make decisions on what sessions to attend or who to approach for information in this community in the same way that people use Ebay reputation ratings to decide to buy an iPod from this seller verses that seller.
Reputation can also be increased by making thoughtful commentary to the online collection. I find the story of marginalia to be romantic and often talk about it. In short, it is the notes that scholars would write in the margins of manuscripts. Other scholars would often travel to certain libraries to read the marginalia of a respected scholar. (In my mind, I envision a scholar making an arduous journey to read the notes of someone that passed away 100 years ago for the sake of sharing in human knowledge pursuit.) A book could exist in multiple places, but the marginalia was only in a specific library. Digital marginalia is much more accessible. (In many ways, the reviews that people write on Amazon products are a commercial cousin to this scholarly practice.) Digital marginalia also has the potential to be voted on. In a Digg-like way, commentary can be rated or voted up so that the well regarded posts rise to the top. If you make a lot of respected comments, your rating would increase (and vice-versa.)
Another component of the system would be a way to track your own progress. WorldCat lets you create public or private lists of books, cds, dvds or articles you recommend, have read/viewed, or any other custom list you determine. It also lets you review it, share it and tag it. Features like this should be folded into your personal profile on the library website. It will allow you to track your progress and also allow people to see what type of interests and expertise that you possess. So for instance, someone may connect with you because they have read the same book. In the course of their interactions they may realize that you have a lot of knowledge to share in the area and then encourage you to lead a session at the library so that people can gather to talk and learn.
You agree and you go over to the room reservation section of the website and reserve a small informal space since it is a more focussed topic. This reservation triggers an announcement to the community of people that have opted in to get notified about this subject. It also goes on the library calendar and shows up on your profile as an upcoming way to connect up with you. If someone signs up in advance to attend, their profile page would also note that they are attending.
I think you get the point.
If you think about it, this proposed website would allow for an alternative university or educational environment to exist. (I discuss this in more detail in my previous post on modern libraries.) The system replaces the functions that the administration at most schools provide. This is not to say that this will replace all formal schools or universities. They certainly have their roles in our society. Much in the same way that vinyl still has a role in the digital music age. (It has a unique sound quality, but it is not a necessary medium for most people that want to listen to music.)
As an aside, I would see this as a positive in terms of quality of experience for those that are part of a traditional university or school environment since only those that want that experience would attend. I could imagine a decrease in the size and number of these institutions, but on the positive side they would be freed from the mission of trying to be everything (job training, scholarly training, coming of age facilitation) for everyone and have the opportunity to focus and refine.
The library would also evolve in new and rich ways. It would provide the physical local gathering hub, the clubhouse, for all of this activity. The website would provide access to information, track reputation and progress, augment the exchange of information and ultimately encourage people to get together in real space.
A couple of things should be noted. These kinds of online interactions can already happen if you have Facebook and WorldCat or other combinations of social media accounts. I know that people are already connecting over shared interests and engaging in peer learning and mentoring. If you are not, I would certainly encourage you do so. Also, there is a good chance that libraries will be able to tap into existing web infrastructures through the use of APIs and plug-in architecture as they build out these modern websites. This will reduce the investment and time necessary to get these websites up and running.
The real value add that the library provides is that physical space that already has a long history with encouraging and supporting self-learning.
There are lots of nuances to the role that the website could provide that I want to delve further into, but I will stop now because I want to hear from you. What do you think? Can we make this happen? What would you add?
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I wanted to add a quick addendum. We are going to be holding a Junto on rethinking the library on February 5th at 6pm. Hope you can make it to continue the conversation.
January 20th, 2009 at 9:19 am
I think, if I understand you correctly, that yahoo answers has a similar “peer review” model that you speak of. I think it might also be neat to give people an incentive to be ranked higher (not sure if you were driving at that) though I’m not sure what that incentive would be.
Also, and perhaps it’s a minor point, but I’d like to see the library be heavily involved in the community around it – archiving local happenings and holding the history of neighborhoods…keeping people up to date on the local politics and getting more people involved in the activities that surround them and affect them. I feel that it’s easy to lose sight of some of these things now that we have global information at our fingertips, and that as much as we constantly look up toward bigger issues, we should also look down to the local issues as well.
January 20th, 2009 at 9:39 am
It seems to me for this to really work, its not a web site for the Phila Free Library but a proposal for every Library’s web site.
January 20th, 2009 at 9:46 am
Goose, I completely agree that a library should embrace place… in particular its physical place. One of the points I am trying to make is that the library is a physical place that should be the local connecting point. It is my hope that these online interactions will encourage people to get together locally at the library.
In the founding of Independents Hall, we were acknowledging the same issue. Sure it is possible to do internet-based jobs from anywhere, but there is still a need to have a local clubhouse.
Involvement in the local community should be core to any modern libraries approach. I don’t think that is a minor point, at all.
January 20th, 2009 at 10:00 am
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January 20th, 2009 at 10:16 am
love the idea of the clubhouse! also hate the idea of the clubhouse cos i was always the excluded skate rat punk kid. with the central library being the central repository and subsites built for each individual library focusing on specific needs would be intense.
January 20th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Nice photo of marginalia!
January 21st, 2009 at 10:25 am
A specific example of what I see a library offering – especially on its website would be personal local information. Say I went to the website, typed in my zip code and then got a rundown of all the local ordinances, petitions, zoning questions, etc, that would directly affect me. That would allow me to educate myself and then encourage me to go to local meetings and give my say and hear what others were saying.
January 22nd, 2009 at 1:40 pm
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January 24th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Burrowing from the masters of the digital age (Ebay, facebook, google, et al) is a master stroke. This takes the peer review process and hands it to the public at large. (could be incendiary)
In the late 80’s the Guttenberg project began making books available on line, but they were entered type with hyperlinks.
I am surprised that there are not more images of source material with marginalia digitally available.
This would be an invaluable resource. Have you ever seen Joyce’s handwritten manuscript of Ulysses at the Rosenbach. His marginalia is a look into his thought process as he assembled his work.
This combined with a facebook account for James Joyce would make the man, his work and his impact on his time and ours much more substantive.
Library’s used to be housed in fortresses and protected by armies. A repsoitory for crucial information available to the privileged few. In the scenario you propose your privilege is your desire/need to know.
A sort of ask and you shall receive.
I love the clubhouse idea, it is a wonderful way to imagine the new library in a way that will promote access by all.
January 25th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Libraries are definitely going to have to evolve with the times if they want to survive. The more that they can create the library experience in cyberspace, the more they can expand their user base. In addition, I agree that the physical building should still remain so that those who do not have access to the technology can benefit also. I like the idea of the lecture hall inside the library. Great way to get people together to talk about the info.
January 29th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
Hello,
If you put the idea of the public library in Darwins laws the Public Library has not really evolved with the progression of technology and peer to peer education. I have mixed feeling about creating a extensive website for a library. I support the idea for organized groups that can reserve space in a library is an excellent idea because there are groups they don’t have the space or money for their organization. Look at Facebook and the announcements on the home page. There are groups, such as the Neighborhood bike works that invites me to events that their hosting. Neighborhood bike works hosts a fixed gear 101 session that shows people how to convert their bikes to fixed gear. They host this event every month and to go to the event is 100 donation for the parts and service.
The only problem with making a extensive website is that people may be intimidated by it. Also people might rather go to the website rather than going to the Library. There has to be a balance that people can you the website and be attracted to go the library.
January 30th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Random thought…integrating the visuals of a library into a website could make it feel more like a usable tool for those who have trouble adapting. For the users that like to meander in a library and look at the assortment of books on the shelves, visually posting this way of looking at a shelve on a website may make it desirable to grab books (a cyber-library).
February 3rd, 2009 at 10:55 pm
I agree that libraries should have a more significant web presence. I would also agree that teachers and students need to encourage the use of physical libraries. I rarely find all the information I need from the web even with all the online resources provided through school. Also, books and magazines are still a better interface overall. The downside, of course, is that you can’t search complete text. Something to consider….as the internet has grown and available knowledge online has become easier to use and more accessible there has also been a pretty significant increase in the amount of print media being produced. It would be interesting to find out how much has been physically printed about the web and/or how to use it and technology. (maybe I can find that online?
I do understand what you mean about being self-taught however at this point in our society doing this on a larger scale seems unrealistic. A lot of this ultimately has to do with economics. If anything I think it’s a negative thing for people to not go to college due to money…a problem I am all too familiar with. The structure of college learning could definitely change and be more flexible but perhaps a greater problem is how large financial institutions, insurance companies and lawyers have compromised much of the public services in this country including libraries and schools.
February 3rd, 2009 at 11:35 pm
I have yo disagree with what John said earlier. I think that we have to think about the younger generations that are growing up with more and more technology. I think that a lot more people would use resources that are only available at the library. I am not putting down the value of books, but they could have more value if made more accessible like on a library’s website.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
I like Geoff’s list of features in the original post: “an Ebay reputation system, a Digg voting component, a room reservation system, a Google Books repository, a WorldCat list and notes feature….”
I would like to see library websites, and mine in particular, share those features in common with the rest of the web whenever possible. Libraries have long developed their own ways of doing things that work well for Librarians but when exposed to the larger culture are quite limited. The Web has only accelerated that process. I would like Library web tools (catalogs, digitized media, possible reputation systems) to use existing tools and existing standards for information so that it can interoperate and integrate with the rest of the Internet. I think that is how we will remain relevant and survive.
February 7th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
[...] the Library’. In an open forum provided by P’unk Avenue, whose blog posts (1) and (2) were the impetus for this Junto, everyone got to speak their mind about what they believe the [...]