Did you know 4.0 and library policies (initial thoughts)

After having a look at the following video a couple of times a few things stood out to me




1. Print circulation is down by 7 million users in the last 25 years but unique readers of online newspapers are up 30 million.

As libraries move forward, do we have collection development policies in place to account for this? Are we spending our limited funds on newspapers that no one is reading? Libraries might need to include something in the collection development policy that states that as newspapers come up for renewal, rather than just renew blindly, look at how the paper is being used and see if an online alternative can be sourced.


2. Text messages sent by the average American teen per month: 2,272

How does this fact impact on a library's teen services? Can we find ways to communicate with teens on their mobile? Can we send them overdue reminders by text? Let them know about upcoming events? Give homework help or reader advisory services? How might this impact on privacy policies or impact on library budgets? (as the cost of a text message is higher than a phone call)


3. Among larger companies 17% have disciplined an employee for violating blog or message board policies

Companies may have written up formal social networking policies, but have libraries? There are LOTS of really great blogs run by librarians out there, how would a policy like this affect them? Could it stem the flow of information if a blogger has to worry about how their employer will react to their personal blog, especially if a g blog post doesn't fit in with the organization's philosophy. (I'm thinking how my employer might react if I ranted about how the LOC banned Wikileaks) Personally, I use library blogs for professional development and would hate to see them muzzled.

4. The mobile device will be the world's primary connection tool to the internet in 2020

Do libraries have policies to check how mobile their web site is? How about the catalogue? Blog posts? Media releases? Do we need to think about this now before everyone has a computer in their pocket?

5. 'The computer in your cell phone today is a million times cheaper and a thousand times more powerful and about a hundred times smaller (than the one computer at MIT in 1965) . So what used to fit in a building now fits in your pocket, what fits in your pocket now will fit inside a blood cell in 25 years.' Ray Kurzweil

This one blew my mind. I must have read it 4 or 5 times in a row. How will this affect the library infrastructure? How will this change the way we check in and out books? Deliver services? Communicate with our clients? Do we have the people and policies in place to watch as these technologies become more available (and affordable) to make our jobs easier? How do we implement them?


-AB