Libraries and Communities

John CreightonSt. Vrain Media Kick-off Meeting

August 9, 2011

It Can Be Hard to Imagine New

Things

Preserve the Institution

Consensus in 1995: “Roll the Presses”

“With few exceptions, virtually everyone agrees that new media is merely a supplement to the traditional print paper.”

Maybe Not

Pew Research Center 2010

Buried in the ReportPeople want more choice and control in

how they receive their news.

People want greater interaction with journalists and each other.

Les Chatfield Wikimedia

• Respectful, fair and trustworthy

• Cares about me and my community; solves problems that matter to me and my community

• Place where I can get together with friends and other people in the community

• I can do work for the organization (as opposed to doing the organization’s work) with my friends

• I have some influence over the organization

• Good memories; part of the community’s social fabric – part of my identity

• Meet a demonstrated need in the community

• Provide good service at a low/fair price – get the job done with minimal taxes

• Produce measurable results – “run like a business”

• Eliminate waste, fraud and abuse – show us how you spend the money

• Has an economic impact on the community – creates jobs

Rational Loyalty

versus

Emotional Attachment

20th Century = Centralized Institutions

Smallbones Wikimedia

20th Century = Centralized Institutions

People willingly conformed their lives to the time, place and rules of institutions.

We gave awards to those who best conformed.

Institutional Language

20th Century Problems

Scarce Resources

High Costs

Cumbersome Logistics

Limited Communications

20th Century Centralized Institutions

Jason McHuff (Flickr)

battlecreekcvb (Flickr)

Bill Ward Brickpile (Flickr)

20th Century Solutions

Large scale production and mass markets

Centralized management

Place based work at specific times

Take it, leave it, or lobby like hell

20th Century Centralized Institutions

1952

160 million people

>67,000 school districts

2002

290 million people

<14,000 school districts

20th Century Problems slowly going

awayScarce to Abundant resources

High to Low costs

Cumbersome to Invisible logistics

Limited to Ubiquitous communications

Choice“You can have it any color you want as long as it’s black.”Henry Ford

11.7 Billion songs sold on iTunes in 2010Forbes July, 2011

Customization

Participation

Collaboration

Culture Follows Structure

sjh foto (Flickr)

Creating Tensions between Old and New

What’s Different?

Given the opportunity, people will choose to design and manage their own experiences.

People value expertise but reject authority.

People will gravitate toward institutions that help them design and manage their own experiences — with advice not prescriptions.

People will give up quality for a greater sense of control.

What Is the Same?

Community

• Meet a demonstrated need in the community

• Provide good service at a low/fair price – get the job done with minimal taxes

• Produce measurable results – “run like a business”

• Eliminate waste, fraud and abuse – show us how you spend the money

• Has an economic impact on the community – creates jobs

• Respectful, fair and trustworthy

• Cares about me and my community; solves problems that matter to me and my community

• Place where I can “get together” with friends and other people in the community

• I can do work for the organization (as opposed to doing the organization’s work) with my friends

• I have some influence over the organization

• Good memories; part of the community’s social fabric – part of my identity