You are viewing an old version of this page. View the current version.

Compare with Current View Page History

« Previous Version 6 Next »

Visioning ideas, group 1
Jan. 16, 2009

A group of MIT Libraries staff met on Jan. 16 to contribute more thoughts to the process.

Who came:
Nicole Hennig, facilitator
Sands Fish
Rachel Grubb
Lisa Sweeney
Kris Brewer
Stephen Skuce
Allison Benedetti
Ann Marie Willer

Here's what we did during the meeting:
1. readings, read these silently while people were arriving, discussed briefly:
- People don't go to libraries for information.... they go there because.... (from Designing Better Libraries blog)
- Innovation: How the Creative Stay Creative

2. watched this 5-minute video to clarify what a vision statement is and how it's different from a mission statement:
http://mystrategicplan.com/resources/whiteboard-video-how-to-write-a-vision-statement/

3. Nicole read an excerpt from Subject to Change: Creating Great Products and Services for an Uncertain World
(the section about Google Calendar and how it was created to meet real user needs)

4.  core values:
Example of core values from Zappos.com

Ideas for core values that would make sense for MIT Libraries:

5.  Exercise:
Reversals: The Worst Library Ever
We brainstormed qualities of the worst possible library. Then we reversed these qualities to help us think about what an excellent library could be.
Worst:

  • no one knows we exist
  • can't find a live person
  • no resources
  • disorganized
  • closed all the time
  • no money
  • leaking
  • poor quality / outdated materials
  • uncomfortable space (not conducive to study)
  • hoop jumping to get what you want/ need
  • no technology resources (computers, photocopiers)
  • not inspiring
  • inconsistent policies
  • red tape
  • long waiting times
  • restrictions/ censorship
  • no privacy
  • crabby, rude staff
  • poor layout
  • no clear way to figure out what is available
  • no circulation of materials

Reversal ideas:

  • everyone at MIT knows about the libraries and what we do
  • we have the personal touch by assigning a "personal librarian" to each student when they come to MIT, that person stays with them throughout their career and serves an almost "therapist/advisor" role, putting them in touch with people/resources/experts and being available to them, developing a personal relationship over time. doesn't matter which discipline area because this person can put them in touch with the experts they need via collaboration with peers in other subject areas.
  • 25/7 global virtual access (by collaborating with partners in other countries/time zones where MIT programs and people are)
  • materials available on demand via ebook/multimedia reader such as future Amazon Kindle/ipod like device issued to each member of the MIT community, library acts like the "amazon kindle store" and supplies books/journals/multimedia to users for instant download/on demand to these devices. could provide items that expire at end of each semester (like iTunes movie rentals, but longer duration), option for student to purchase the item if they want to keep it on their device, library also stores backup copies on servers (or in cloud from a vendor), just like Amazon does for Kindle books.
  •  virutal library available on e-reader promotes quality items based on reader interests/preferences, recommended by librarian experts and other MIT experts or by peers
  • circulation is an outdated concept, due to "on demand" availability of items from worldwide collections

6. Exercise:
What if libraries were like.....

Each person chose one of the following:
- Netflix
- Ebay or Elance
- Zipcar
- Amazon
- Facebook

We then imagined library services that borrow from the qualities we like from those services.

A. Netflix: what if libraries were like Netflix?

1.  Netflix has a very large inventory of not only mainstream titles, but lots of independent films.
Libraries could have available a huge inventory of worldwide items, including obscure "long tail" items that are available "on demand."

2. Netflix has a very good recommendation system, suggesting other titles you might want to rent.
Libraries could have recommendation systems (people who borrowed this also borrowed, + expert recommendations, etc.)
Users could have default preferences based on their department or course of study, but the ability to tweak these or indicate other interests and we would automatically show more recommendations based on those preferences.

3. Netflix allows you to set up a queue of items you want to watch someday. They send the next item automatically when you return an item. You can also see the queue of movies your friends want to watch. (via agreement with friends in your networ)

Libraries could have a queue where users create a list of what they want to read/borrow someday and we send them automatically when an item is returned. We could also have opt-in feature in a social network for seeing what you friends are reading or want to read.

4. Netflix has a very low, affordable cost and different price points for different plans. They delight users by not charging for lost or broken DVDs. ("it happens")
Libraries could delight users by not charging for lost items (cost rolled into our budget, "it happens").

5. Netflix has no due dates, making it super convenient.
Libraries could have no due dates. People could keep things until someone else asks for them or recalls them.

6.  When someone adds a title to their queue that Netflix doesn't have, they get it.
Libraries could get requested titles that we don't have access to already when someone adds it to their library queue.

Other thoughts:
The role of librarians would move from building collections, to becoming expert filters and recommenders. The collections would exist out in the world, and be brought to the users "on demand", but librarians would play a key role in recommending titles that users may not know about. Other users/peers/anyone could also play this role together with librarians.

Exercises were inspired by the book: Thinkertoys

  • No labels