ALA 2010: Tech Trends: Ereaders, Mobile Devices, and Cloud Computing
By David Rapp, LJ Jun 29, 2010Six experts held forth on the most interesting library-tech trends at the Top Technology Trends panel, hosted June 27 by the American Library Association's (ALA) Library & Information Technology Association (LITA) division at the 2010 ALA Annual Conference.
Some of the topics were expected, such as cloud computing, the impact of the iPad, and the ereader price war. Some more unusual and intriguing topics included 3-D printers and handheld book scanners. The experts also made predictions that could shake up libraries in the near future—$50 ereaders by next year, or the potential mining of patron data.
Each speaker was asked to pick trends for three different timeframes: the present, the near future (within six months to a year), and long-term (three years from now and beyond).
The panel has been a favorite of ALA conference attendees over the last few years. This year's also proved a big draw, and the audience comfortably filled a massive ballroom at the Washington Convention Center on Sunday.
Unfortunately, the boomy acoustics of the venue exacerbated some audio problems, and there was no chance to ask any questions, but there was still a lot to reflect on. (The entire discussion is viewable online on Ustream, and audience reaction can be seen using the Twitter hashtag #ttt10.)
Convergence, open-source, and the death of DVDs
John Blyberg, assistant director for innovation and user experience at the Darien Library, CT (and a 2006 LJ Mover & Shaker), cited convergence as a current trend-the way that content is now being delivered in ways that are not "one-dimensional."
People, he says, are exploiting their devices, and tools such as Twitter, for professional as well as social or artistic activities. "We'll use the same tool that we are using right now to communicate professionally, to figure out which bar we're going to tonight," Blyberg said.
New devices, such as Apple's iPad and iPhone, are making it easier to use tools in multiple areas, he said.
Regarding a near-term trend, Blyberg addressed the topic of open-source library systems in general, and sounded a cautionary note for libraries that might be considering them. He said that such systems could falter due to lack of support, lack of features compared to similar proprietary products, or lack of money, as grant funding potentially dries up. "There's no guarantee that money's going to be there in the future," he said.
In the more distant future, Blyberg said that libraries need to take a hard look at their expenditures on tech services, processing and other services to make them more efficient in a contracting economy. He also pointed out that as technology marches on, it may well affect libraries' all-important circulation numbers-such as when DVDs stop being manufactured (a fact also mentioned by commentator and Gale Cengage VP Stephen Abram at an ALA session on Sunday).
Mobile devices, instant availablity, and managing demand
Lorcan Dempsey, vice president of OCLC Research and chief strategist at OCLC, said the shift to mobile devices was the key current trend. (It's a favorite topic of past trend panels.) Dempsey mentioned QR codes as a way that mobile devices can help users connect the physical and digital worlds, and suggested that it could be used more in libraries.
He also brought up WolfWalk, North Carolina State University's mobile app (also mentioned at the ALA 2010 Midwinter Meeting) that combines GPS information with photos and content from the NCSU Libraries Special Collections Research Center, as an example of a current trend in location-based technology. Meet-ups are also increasingly easier with mobile-device apps.
All this, he said, signals a general move toward cloud computing-another perennial trend topic-as users will want these kinds of apps available on every device wherever they go.
Regarding a near-term trend, Dempsey suggested that, as search platforms like Cambridge, MA-based Pubget's search engine for life-science PDFs make an increasing amount of library's collection instantly available electronically, they will come to be seen as the primary way to access a library's materials. That could, in turn, spur patron-driven collection purchases.
Thinking long-term, libraries will have to shift from managing supply to managing demand. "I think what the library is about is not so much managing information as making sure that their constituency uses resources effectively," he said. For example, he thought that user data could be better used to help rank and recommend new materials, the way that Amazon and other consumer sites do.
Touch-based tech, ereaders, and handheld book scanners
Jason Griffey, head of library information technology at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga (and a 2009 LJ Mover & Shaker), sees a trend away from "containers" (like books) for content.
Today, he said, most information is not tied to a specific container but rather can be accessed from a wide array of devices. "It is information sans interface," Griffey said. The current trend, he said, is touch-based devices, such as the iPad and iPhone.
He offered the example of his two-and-a-half year old daughter, who, having learned how to use an iPad, expects all digital displays, even televisions, to work the same way. In the future, Griffey suggested, this will be how most people expect to interact with information.
Ereaders are the key near-term trend, Griffey said, citing the ongoing price war between Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and others as a harbinger of very low prices. Next year, e-readers could cost as little as $50, he said, and in the future ereaders could come preloaded with a huge amount of free content.
He also spoke of how the the iPhone currently has a screen that can produce sharper, clearer images than those in a print magazine, and such screens could become a viable, and highly readable, alternative to print.
Long-term, Griffey talked about fourth-generation (4G) mobile devices (also discussed at the "Future is Mobile" symposium), which will provide much greater speed and bandwidth than current devices.
He also brought up the prototype technology of University of Tokyo professor Masatoshi Ishikawa (covered a few months ago on IEEE Spectrum's Automaton blog), which could, in just a few years, allow a handheld device, such as a phone, to scan an entire 200-page book in one minute or less. "I'm not really sure how we deal with this," Griffey said, "but it's not avoidable."
Apps, the cloud, and the death of anonymity
Monique Sendze, associate director of IT and virtual services at Douglas County Libraries, Castle Rock, CO, also cited new devices, such as the iPad, as a current trend, but stressed that the quality of the apps going forward will govern the trend's future.
Sendze also said that it's critical for librarians to become familiar with mobile devices, as patrons will expect the library to offer a platform with which they can use them.
As a near-term trend, she cited cloud computing as a "very disruptive technology." It could well mean libraries where all of a library's electronic information will be stored in the cloud instead of locally, she said, thus making IT staff even more important to libraries.
Sendze predicted the "death of Internet anonymity" as a long-term trend. Many consumer sites already record personal data and retain it—and use it to recommend items. As with others who've raised questions about traditional library practices, she said she thinks libraries should consider asking patrons' permission to collect personal data to enrich their experiences.
Patron-driven collections, Facebook, and the role of librarians
Cindi Trainor, coordinator for library technology and data service for Eastern Kentucky University Libraries, Richmond, KY, discussed the current trend of libraries finding new, electronic-based ways to deal with limited collections.
She mentioned how some libraries were using MARC records from an ebook company in their catalogs, so that if a patron can't find a particular book in the library's collection—but it is available in ebook form—they can use the MARC records to order an ebook version immediately.
It's part of a general trend, she said, for libraries to use technology to tell patrons: "You ask for it, we get it."
Discussing near-term trends, Trainor brought up issues surrounding social-networking sites such as Facebook. In particular, she asked whether Facebook status updates, for example, will be archived, and whether libraries will have a role in preserving this information, since Facebook owns all of the content on its site.
In the long term, Trainor said, as more and more information is available free online, librarians should continue to ask themselves what their role will be when there is less face-to-face interaction between librarians and patrons.
The creative economy, 3-D printing, and an energy analogy
Sacramento, CA-based information technology consultant Joan Frye Williams took a somewhat different tack: she talked about the current economic trend of the growth of the creative economy—such as freelance writers, designers, and other entrepreneurial content-makers-and how libraries should strive to create a collaborative, technology-supported environment to help them do their work.
Libraries should work toward being the place that creation happens; libraries need to "stop being the grocery store, and start being the kitchen," she said.
Williams also thought outside the box regarding what she saw as an imminent trend--3-D printers, a technology which can create three-dimensional replicas of objects, and is currently used to make prototypes.
As the technology becomes cheaper and more ubiquitous, it could be used by the average person to instantly create or copy items at the touch of a button. "The line is blurring between information about a thing, and the thing," Williams said. Libraries, she said, will need to manage and retrieve the "e-versions" of real things.
As for long-term trends, Williams made an analogy between the information industry and the energy industry, likening independent, locally-based library-tech efforts with small, green-energy initiatives.
"They do well when grants are available, and they don't do well when grants aren't available," she said. "It's important and altruistic work, but they're not yielding breakthrough products at the rate we'd like to see."
Visit ALA Annual Conference News for ongoing coverage of the conference by the editors of Library Journal and School Library Journal. Find shots of various ALA 2010 conference happenings on LJ's Flickr page.
