Information Commons - Providing Information Services Through 2020 - FINAL DOCUMENT - Feb 17 2009

Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 Information Commons Department J Murrey Atkins Library University of North Carolina at Charlotte 2009 Page Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 Page Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Mike Olson CHAPTER The Future of Information Commons, as a Professional Concept Alison Bradley, Lynn Cauble, Angel Cox, Reese Manceaux, Frada Mozenter (chair), Barbara Tierney CHAPTER Signs and Materials at Information Commons Service Desks Donna Gunter (chair), Dawn Hubbs, Helen Kilgore, Debbie Myers, Suzanne Penninger, Bridgette Sanders CHAPTER The Web Presence of Information Commons Mary Metzger, Beth Scarborough, Lois Stickell, Judith Van Noate (chair), Judy Walker, Jeanie Welch CHAPTER Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 Mike Olson Page Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 Page Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 INTRODUCTION Last October, I requested my staff – the Information Commons department in the J Murrey Atkins Library at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte – to analyze a set of questions involving information services.1 The queries were designed to ask whether we would continue the status quo or choose alternative information services meant to be superior today and in the future The first three chapters feature microreplies to microquestions I’d like to thank my colleagues, who spent considerable time away from their regular duties to address our future as thoughtfully as they did Each person is named in the respective chapter The final chapter is a macroresponse to how Information Commons may succeed from today through 2020 We will take action, where action is necessary, and account for our results in sixmonth intervals I’d like us all in Information Commons to answer “Why am I doing this?” so compellingly that it is obvious to ourselves and to others that what we is unquestionably valuable I’d like us to garner support; to be resilient; to adapt; to be energetic; to worry about short-term details and the long view; and to publicize what we do, where and when we it I know we all can this, and I look forward to providing additional details soon Mike Olson February 2009 Throughout, Atkins refers to J Murrey Atkins Library at UNC Charlotte; Information Commons refers to the department in Atkins; information services to what the department provides Page Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 Page Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 CHAPTER The Future of Information Commons, as a Professional Concept2 Questions How relevant is the professional concept of Information Commons to Atkins’ future? Given its historical prominence at UNC Charlotte, how much of this concept’s operational legacy should we retain? If we choose to minimize the concept as we move forward, which alternative service models should we embrace? Factor in, in the background, two other service desks: Circulation Desk and 2nd Floor Desk How will proposals affect these two desks? Consider the patron as she/he uses current Information Commons areas and services: Does she/he really care if we are an Information Commons (using the professional term)? Using the current Information Commons personnel, suggest an organizational model for the future Assumptions Desks may not be moved Changes, if proposed, must be inexpensive Goal Ensure that all patrons find efficiently and successfully what they need and whom they need within our Information Commons service areas ***** Our task force worked within the following parameters: Organizationally, there is the Information Commons department, the Associate University Librarian for Information Commons who started last September, and patrons who are satisfied with the service and physical arrangement of Information Commons (as documented in the Atkins Library Services and Space Survey, which ran from February 20 to March 10, 2007, hereafter called the Survey.) It may be unrealistic to think that much can be changed in Information Commons, considering the given limitations (“desks may not be moved” and “changes, if proposed, must be inexpensive”) Currently defined, Information Commons comprises space and resources (both physical and virtual) The intent is to enhance teaching, learning, and research by By Alison Bradley, Lynn Cauble, Angel Cox, Reese Manceaux, Frada Mozenter (chair), Barbara Tierney Page Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 coordinating and integrating space, information resources, technology and production resources, and personnel Information Commons is a term used internally and for publication purposes, and is not well-known to our patrons For the most part, the operational legacy of three Information Commons units (Information Desk, Presentation Support, Reference Services), actually working in unison as a cooperative, unified entity, has not been as extensive or constant or desirable as some Information Commons personnel would have preferred From August 2005 to August 2008, when there was no Associate University Librarian for Information Commons in place, the Presentation Support Coordinator reported to the Assistant University Librarian for Library Systems; the Instructional Services Coordinator reported to the Associate University Librarian for Collections Access and Outreach Services; and the Head of Reference Services and the Information Desk Coordinator both reported to the University Librarian – a situation which did not promote unified Information Commons activities Despite this, patrons are satisfied with the services and physical arrangement of Information Commons, as documented in the Survey The Survey Part of the charge given to our task force was to “consider the patron as she/he uses current Information Commons areas and services.” Based on this charge and on the general agreement of the task force that the primary concern is to meet our patrons’ needs, the task force has based the report on the results of the Survey and not on our own personal thoughts Given the patron population of library use, the sample size and survey results are reasonable Dr Kim Buch noted that “a sample size of 1,400 should provide you with very useful information, even if it represents a small response rate.”3 Dr Ted Arrington stated that “the response rate is reasonable for such surveys, but a little on the low side… I see no reason to dismiss the results out of hand.” Relevant survey questions and answers include:  Satisfaction with assistance provided at the Information Desk Data below reflects patrons using only the public service desks Figures were recalculated from the larger survey universe Of 1,360 total responses to the question “How satisfied are you with the Information Desk’s assistance?”, 455 indicated not applicable So, the percentages were recalculated based on the remaining 905 responses, broken down into extremely satisfied (315), very satisfied (437), somewhat satisfied (125), and not very satisfied (28) Eighty3 Dr Kim Buch is an Associate Professor of Psychology at UNC Charlotte Her areas of research include work redesign and industrial/organizational psychology She has led a number of workshops for Atkins Dr Buch has done extensive research using surveys Dr Ted Arrington is a Professor of Political Science at UNC Charlotte and former Chair of the Department His area of research includes voting behavior and voting systems Dr Arrington has done extensive research using surveys Page Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 two percent of respondents were either extremely satisfied or very satisfied (See figures immediately below.) 34% 48% 14% 3% extremely satisfied very satisfied somewhat satisfied not very satisfied  Satisfaction with assistance provided at the Presentation Support Desk Again, data below reflects patrons using only the public service desks Figures were recalculated from the larger survey universe Of 1,326 total responses to the question “How satisfied were you with the Presentation Support Desk’s assistance?”, 918 indicated not applicable So, the percentages were recalculated based on remaining 408 responses, broken down into extremely satisfied (156), very satisfied (145), somewhat satisfied (72), not very satisfied (24), and not at all satisfied (11) Seventy-four percent of respondents were either extremely satisfied or very satisfied (See figures immediately below.) 39% 35% 17% 6% 3% extremely satisfied very satisfied somewhat satisfied not very satisfied not at all satisfied  Satisfaction with assistance provided at the Reference Services Desk Once again, data below reflects patrons using only the public service desks Figures were recalculated from the larger survey universe Of 1,362 total responses to the question “How satisfied were you with the Reference Services Desk’s assistance?”, 602 indicated not applicable So, the percentages were recalculated based on the remaining 760 responses of extremely satisfied (307), very satisfied (321), somewhat satisfied (97), and not very satisfied (35) Eighty-two percent of respondents were either extremely satisfied or very satisfied (See figures immediately below.) 40% 42% 13% 5% extremely satisfied very satisfied somewhat satisfied not very satisfied Page Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020  The welcoming atmosphere of the library From the complete survey universe, 69% of respondents indicated that the atmosphere of the library was either extremely welcoming or very welcoming (See figures immediately below.) 1,381 responses 21% 48% 25% 4% 1% 1% extremely welcoming very welcoming somewhat welcoming not very welcoming not at all welcoming never been in the library  Satisfaction with the current arrangement of public service desks, computers, study areas and collections on the library’s first floor Based on the figures immediately below, taken from the complete survey universe, it is problematic that despite 51% of respondents wanting the status quo, a previous Information Commons task force’s final report recommended “creating one large desk with service points for each service.” Only 4% of respondents indicated that they would like the services of the three Information Commons service desks combined Patrons’ responses in favor of merging desks were negligible (8%) The 31% of respondents who had no opinion cannot be factored in as either positive or negative 1,355 responses 51% 4% 4% 4% 4% 31% 2% Leave things as they are; no changes Keep the number of desks the same but relocate them throughout the first floor Merge the existing four desks into three desks Merge the existing four desks into two desks Eliminate three service desks and combine all services at one desk No opinion Other The Information Commons task force’s final report further stated that the “’one desk’ solution would also lessen the confusion encountered by some patrons when Page 10 Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 Page 34 Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 CHAPTER Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 20208 Abstract In the next decade, information services at academic libraries, such as those provided by the Information Commons department at UNC Charlotte’s J Murrey Atkins Library, will become significantly more Web-driven To succeed, Information Commons at Atkins will require a vast amount of virtual, precise discourse between patrons and librarians The most profound skill Information Commons can transmit to patrons is search: assisting patrons to increase both their know-how of search and their recognition of what is truly relevant to their interests within the universe of knowledge In addition, we must earn the trust and the good will of other agencies on campus and in Charlotte so that we can most effectively fulfill UNC Charlotte’s and Atkins’ missions ***** Job titles are funny things sometimes President of the United States of America is clear enough So is University Librarian, as in “So-and-so is the University Librarian at the University of .” Less clear, however, is a statement such as “So-and-so is the Associate University Librarian for Information Commons.” Someone may erroneously think of the House of Commons, the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, or, if the person knows Boston, Boston Common, the central public park Since last September, I’ve been the Associate University Librarian for Information Commons at the J Murrey Atkins Library at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Information Commons is a department of five units: Information Desk, Instructional Services, Presentation Support, Reference Services, and Research Data Services These units total approximately 40 people, or 23 FTE We provide information services to patrons who may benefit from them The department reports to the University By Mike Olson Page 35 Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 Librarian, who reports to the Provost/Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, who reports to the Chancellor This chapter is neither concerned with a professional definition of Information Commons,9 nor is it a point-by-point response to the first three chapters Rather, it explains the purpose of reexamining central aspects of our department’s information services It asks “What will Information Commons need to to excel from today through 2020?” The environmental scan situates our first steps of action in the first quarter of 2009 These steps will serve as the catalyst for our decade-long manifesto, a manifesto of musts, wills, and cans: providing information services at UNC Charlotte with excellence and commitment Having 20/20 hindsight – the perfect understanding of an event after it happened, predicated on information that was not available when the event occurred – is easy Possessing 20/20 foresight is certainly more difficult, as predicting the future with even normal acuity involves great skill Ted Williams, for one, had remarkable eyesight Perhaps baseball’s greatest hitter of all time, Williams played for the Boston Red Sox from 1939 to 1960 and served as a United States Marine Corps pilot during World War II and the Korean War What people with normal eyesight could see at ten feet, Williams could see at twenty Doctors reckoned that his exceptional eyesight was found only once in 100,000 cases We strive for nothing less than the institutional equivalent of Ted Williams’ remarkable predictive ability – in his case, reacting to a hurled baseball within a fraction of a second; in our case, presaging trends and circumstances that will confront Information Commons and our patrons in the next decade UNC Charlotte is projected to grow to 35,000 students by 2020 (2008-2009 enrollments are 23,000) As we provide information services from day to day and from evening to evening, through 2020, we will so always with the goal of having first attained exceptional foresight “What is our future?” is a complex question, not least because of the as-yet unknowable, follow-on variables created by each successive technological breakthrough If academic librarians actually knew what the future entailed, they could spend their budgets and energies with amazing precision Alas, answering the question with absolute certainty is frustrating The degree of accuracy often depends on when in the future Are we talking about one year from today? Five years from now? Ten? It’s far easier to project to next summer than to the summer of 2020 Eleven years ago, in 1998, Such a description falls beyond the scope of this chapter, but see D Russell Bailey and Barbara Gunter Tierney, Transforming Library Service Through Information Commons Case Studies for the Digital Age (Chicago: American Library Association, 2008); Donald Robert Beagle, Donald Bailey, and Barbara Tierney, The information Commons Handbook (New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2006); and Barbara Schader, ed., Learning Commons: Evolution and Collaborative Essentials (Oxford: Chandos Publishing, 2008) A short definition of Information Commons shares many components associated with Academic Commons, Research Commons, and Learning Commons: several types of social spaces to foster individual and collaborative work, equipped with integrated informational and learning services, powered by a mix of communication networks I am personally indebted to Don Beagle and Russ Bailey, both of whom preceded my current position and have offered welcome encouragement since my arrival; and to Barbara Tierney, my valued colleague in Information Commons Page 36 Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 Google was founded and iTunes had not yet been created Who knew then how powerful these two tools would be in 2009? Can we really know today what will prevail eleven years hence, in 2020? Here’s how we will get from here today to there in 2020 There will be not one but four focuses – search, publishing, time management, and communication – which we will need to acknowledge and have greater command of, if we are to excel Let’s examine them one by one Search The most profound skill we can transmit to patrons is search – that is, the ability to contextualize, discern, and discriminate information We must ensure that patrons can search with excellence – or at least, by extension, that we can search with excellence for them A fact of online research at the end of the first decade of this century is that a person’s skill of search is commensurate with the opportunity to locate and exploit information Academic libraries in North America, collectively, have access to the content, either independently/locally or consortially/remotely They also have the means with which to access the content The sticking point lies in whether someone can find the right stuff or not If patrons of Atkins, like patrons whom I assisted at Harvard and UCLA for eleven years each, can search skillfully, so much opportunity is possible; if they cannot, so much is wasted Put simply, Information Commons must work with patrons in a two-step exercise: tease out information from the bibliographic universe, and (much more importantly) contextualize the most relevant information in accordance with patrons’ highly differentiated objectives Information Commons is aware of two phenomena as we reposition our information services to best enable patrons to succeed in search First, search is the increasingly significant tool used by Internet users The Pew Internet & American Life Project indicates that almost half of all Internet users now use search engines on a typical day, increasing from one-third in 2002 to 49% in mid 2008; 60% of Internet users use e-mail on a typical day While the percentage of Internet users who search on a typical day grew 69% from January 2002 to May 2008, the use of e-mail on a typical day for the same six-year period increased from 52% to 60%, a growth rate of 15%.10 Second, UNC Charlotte itself acknowledges the urgent need for students to contextualize, discern, and discriminate In its “Phase I Response” to UNC Tomorrow, dated May 1, 2008, UNC Charlotte stated: “[S]tudents at UNC Charlotte have limited engagement with formal programs designed to develop digital literacy However, most of our students arrive with a broad knowledge of information technology What they lack is discernment” [my emphasis].11 If UNC Charlotte identifies an institutional need, a curriculum program addressing information and digital literacy would be in place to serve 50% of all new freshmen by the fall of 2011 If this dedicated curriculum is 10 Heather Havenstein, “Search Closing in on E-Mail as Most Popular Online Activity,” Computerworld (August 7, 2008), 11 University of North Carolina at Charlotte, “Phase I Response,” UNC Tomorrow (May 1, 2008), p 13 Page 37 Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 implemented, UNC Charlotte would develop assessment tools and accountability measures One of the responsible officers would be the University Librarian 12 Patrons want to find everything that they want, with a minimum of effort (Who can blame them?) However, searching all the database offerings among academic libraries is not simple, but takes time and expertise So, in this respect, academic libraries fail to keep pace with patrons’ demands As patrons increase their know-how of search and their recognition of the bibliographic universe, their expectations rise incommensurately with the ability of Information Commons to grow apace Information Commons offers an incredibly valuable service to patrons: efficiently and effectively boiling down the wealth of somewhat related information to the essence of what patrons need At UNC Charlotte, this service will only increase in importance in the next ten years, as a proposed remote storage facility will become the primary location for library collections This ASRS (automated storage and retrieval system) will almost certainly be physically unbrowseable by patrons More than ever, therefore, Information Commons will be required to serve as both locators of information and arbiters of its content, sifting what is “relevant” and what is “extraneous” for patrons Information Commons will need to increase instruction to patrons in topics such as evaluating the authority of resources, academic integrity, and intellectual property In particular, we would well to embed resources and expertise into the systems and tools students and faculty use regularly Integrating library tools into course management systems is a great idea – for example, linking Atkins-originated content to Blackboard Vista, Moodle, or the next CMS that turns up on campus Publishing Academic libraries will need to provide the requisite materials, services and places (“places” meaning both in-house seating as well as a Web presence) to ensure an excellent experience for each patron, no matter what subject or publishing format a patron is interested in Job #1 is addressing patrons’ needs as well as possible, within given means Job #2 is divining what patrons want, even if certain patrons may not know which materials, services, and spaces they need Finally, job #3 is reaching out to the dormant, known patron population Reaching unintended audiences is icing on the cake At academic libraries, at least for the next ten years, each job will still largely be determined by the subject nature of the information Patrons seeking scientific, technical and medical publishing will increase their “need it now” demand Consequently, because most of this information is first published online (if not solely online), we will need to be able to provide such information immediately, when it’s available and when patrons want it Materials in the humanities will continue to be made available in hard copy format (books and articles in print) However, an ever increasing percentage of items will either also be made available online or be made 12 “Phase I Response,” p 14 Page 38 Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 available only online Patrons of special collections will continue to refer to the original documents However, an increased share of these documents will also be made available in digitized form, thereby allowing superb access from remote locations The social sciences may well see the greatest push to “online only” in the next ten years Many materials – data sets, for example – are already available in online format only Patrons from professional schools, such as the Belk College of Business and the College of Arts + Architecture, will require materials shaped to their respective interests and publishing formats Assuredly, at the latter college, more online content – both 2D and 3D – will become available Time Management How can we offer more than what we’re already offering, when we’re already pressed for time? For better or for worse these days, no matter what the occupation, employees hear the refrain “doing more with less” again and again What are the advantages of “doing more with less?” The short answer – the optimist’s and perhaps the pragmatist’s – is that “doing more with less” necessitates concision, imagination, and cross-training, thereby providing the intellectual equivalent of oxygen with which to fuel greater success Whenever possible, we want to save time by replacing inefficiencies with targeted intent There are several ways to say the same thing in a professional context, via either face-to-face encounters or e-mail, via either listservs or social networking websites such as Facebook, or via either a group setting or person to person The professional goal is to communicate in a thoughtful, measured, and yet duly brief way Now is as good a time as any to ask the following of our meetings Might we reduce their number and their length? Might we encourage straightforward, pertinent statements and discourage needless digressions? Might we all be on time for meetings and start them on time? Might both a meeting’s complete agenda and its minutes be distributed in due time? Frankly, it may not be realistic for Information Commons to both reduce current FTE and improve our already excellent information services, given the projected growth in enrollments Both Atkins and UNC Charlotte, as public, state institutions, are funded largely by allocations from the State’s General Assembly Additionally, private monies are received by way of grants, fundraising, and gifts This funding model is more or less the same for other libraries and universities in the UNC system By February of 2009, amid an especially problematic economic climate in North Carolina, Information Commons will have three fewer FTE faculty reference librarians than it had last February Worth noting, though, is that UNC Charlotte is projected to grow to 35,000 students by 2020, an increase of 12,000 students from the 2008-2009 enrollments Page 39 Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 We live on Planet Google today Will we in 2020? Page 40 Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 We must reach intended audiences Reaching unintended audiences is icing on the cake _ What we already can is change our ways of thinking and working Information Commons can respond to patrons by evolving quickly and embracing economies of scale Patrons expect instant information gratification To that end, we should create convenient, one-stop learning opportunities Information Commons will favor openness and flexibility in the virtual world We recognize that today’s digital scholarship is still rife with proprietary systems and non-common standards, and consequently we favor whenever possible open systems and common standards Our physical settings, too, will offer more open and flexible workspaces, per our patrons’ preferences Can Information Commons learn from banking or retail? Our being not-for-profit doesn’t mean that we can’t embrace best practices from elsewhere Perhaps we could provide information services within glass-walled consultation spaces la commercial banks Last October, I wondered on YouTube whether Information Commons could learn from, and appropriate, the best practices of one of my favorite customer service websites, the Genius Bar in Apple Stores 13 The American animated sitcom The Simpsons parodied the “Brainiac Bar” in the “Mapple Store” in its December 1, 2008, episode.14 Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery 13 14 Re the merits of the Genius Bar, see , , , , and Re the Brainiac Bar in the Mapple Store, see Page 41 Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 Information Commons must not only consider new models It must also juggle real issues such as UNC Charlotte’s teaching and research programs – currently 90 undergraduate programs and 80 graduate degree programs; Atkins’ own intradepartmental concerns, such as those described in its Strategic Plan 15; distributing equitable shares of traditional library services vs Information Commons services; and serving both UNC Charlotte and residents of the State as well as communities unaffiliated with the University and the State Each issue will compete with the others especially fiercely in Information Commons, in light of the current recession in North Carolina, the significant increase of students at UNC Charlotte through 2020, and the inevitable increase of internal and external demands on Atkins The repositioning of tools, resources, and expertise may require skills that are not currently possessed by Information Commons personnel We are comprised of both socalled digital immigrants and digital natives Information Commons needs to ensure due amounts of job-specific training and empathy so that the immigrants gain, gracefully, all the digital “street cred” that the natives possess It’s not clear if Information Commons will need to retrain existing personnel, hire MLS-holding librarians who have ever-more specialized skills, or hire non-MLS-holding technologists and instructional designers Staffing and retraining will require sensitivity _ Lisa Simpson at the “Mapple Store.” Is the “Brainiac Bar” the best locale for providing information services? 15 J Murrey Atkins Library, Strategic Plan 2007-2008, June 16, 2008, Page 42 Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 If cross-training involves EPA/SPA considerations, then we must ensure that each category of employee remains distinct from the other (EPA, or Exempt from the Personnel Act, employees are exempt from North Carolina’s State Personnel Act, while SPA employees are subject to the Act’s rules and regulations, defined under NC General Statute Chapter 126.) If we choose to blend certain information services – the imperative is obvious, but less clear is how to this and the degree to which we will integrate – then it is with the intention that such blending would improve existing information services or create superior ones In each case of operational change, my pledge to Information Commons personnel would be to:     ensure proper training; when change is implemented, demonstrate its benefits; encourage creativity; communicate clearly and promptly team and individual goals, expectations, and criteria for accountability;  be empathetic to their professional development I am confident that Information Commons can rise to whatever challenges we face through 2020, due to my colleagues’ already deep commitment to the quality of information services they provide, as well as due to any single individual’s support of another’s achievements _ Our being not-for-profit doesn’t mean we can’t embrace retail’s best practices Page 43 Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 We will offer unique information services in our local librarian-to-patron transactions If patrons can learn about our information services online, from a remote setting, we will spend our time in-house more valuably by working with patrons in ways that they cannot readily access elsewhere Making correct, timely decisions is imperative Information Commons must dodge fads and embrace killer apps Due to the quickness of technology that confronts us constantly, “innovating when it makes sense” is our primary guide We appreciate every opportunity cost – that is, each sacrifice incurred by exercising one option over an alternative one For example, if were to decide to set up and maintain an Information Commons presence on social networking websites, we would already have determined that the benefits of doing so would outweigh the costs We would already have determined that our patrons – the intended audience and, possibly, our collaborators – would value these pursuits We, in turn, once the pursuits are activated, would quantify the results meaningfully, in due time “Doing more with less,” in sum, requires us to strike the perfect cost-benefit balance We will conflate and combine where we can, while asking: Do we aspire to always achieve best results (Is this always realistic?), or can we (and our patrons) accept that “doing just good enough” is, indeed, acceptable Communication Information services at academic libraries, such as those provided at Atkins, will need to become significantly more Web-driven and require a vast amount of virtual, precise discourse between patrons and librarians This may seem paradoxical at first – “If patrons can already everything online, why they need librarians?” – but it actually makes sense In fact, the more that patrons attempt to exploit all the resources available at Atkins, the greater will be their need for assistance from Information Commons We will serve, in a greater role than we already do, as locators and arbiters of the right stuff, allowing patrons to save huge amounts of time Patrons, thanks to the contextualizing skills of librarians, will be able to get right to the point of a project, saving time and without needing to hack through a glut of information Whether today’s librarians will be called librarians or something else in the future, they will be more valuable to patrons than they already are I’m really optimistic and confident about this point The best of tomorrow’s providers of information services will be one third “info hunter/gatherer,” one third “diviner of patrons’ intent,” and one third “great communicator” (responding to patrons after reading their verbal responses and body language in person, or responding to them after reading their cues during online dialogue) Page 44 Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 UNC Charlotte students desire speed, mobility, and convenience _ Information Commons must tune in to what UNC Charlotte students want Specifically, students expect simplicity and immediate reward; one system to cover a wide information universe; enriched metadata (table of contents, cover art); full text; the ability to move easily from a citation about an item to the item itself; systems to correct obvious errors; being able to sort results in order of relevance to their queries; to navigate large retrievals through logical subsetting; customization and personalization services; authenticated single sign-on; security/privacy; the availability of multiple formats (e-book, MPEG, JPEG, RSS, push technology); direct linking to IM and e-mail The graphical user interfaces of smartphones, Amazon, Google, and iTunes are the standards against which students judge Information Commons Our students desire speed, mobility, and convenience Mobile devices – today’s smartphones – will be the primary connection tool to the Internet for students in 2020.16 One very recent example of Atkins simplifying search for patrons is the creation of a federated search mechanism for its electronic resources 17 Patrons may now search in a variety of ways, with tremendous convenience, to achieve an array of results that otherwise would surely have taken considerably more time and would likely have yielded fewer relevant results The cross-departmental cooperation in evidence to establish this sophisticated type of search was outstanding 16 Janna Anderson and Lee Rainie, “The Future of the Internet III,” Pew Internet & American Life Project, December 14, 2008, 17 Page 45 Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 Information Commons can explore other avenues of information provision, including iTunes, social networking websites, blogs, and listservs Mashups – digital media files containing combinations of text, graphics, audio, video, and animation – are the acme of online expression among digerati, many of whom, not coincidentally, are our students We should not only embrace this new art form but also ask whether we ourselves should regularly use this and other facets of Web 2.0 in the workplace We must aspire to stay ahead of students’ Information Commons-related knowhow Alas, staying ahead and aspiring to stay ahead are often two different things The professional and personal skills that Information Commons must possess to work confidently with Web 2.0, scholarly communication, and today’s born-digital undergraduates (“Millennials”) are much more highly technical than pre-Web 2.0 skills A digital literacy gap exists in two ways: the learning and social networking tools that librarians valued in the past and, in the case of some librarians, still value today vs the learning and social networking skills that students certainly value today; and the qualities of applicable expertise of librarians in the pre-digital age (that expertise was deep, linear, focused, largely single-format) vs those in the digital age (multidimensional and hyper-responsive) Recognizing emerging technologies is our professional duty Only then are we able to guide students to recognize for themselves the implications of their learning The next generation of students that will enter UNC Charlotte in 2020 is already being called “NeoMillennials,” characterized both by their tech-savviness and, interestingly, by their need for a real person to address their concerns They will view technology alone as having limitations.18 As we provide information services during the next decade, we will always attempt to embrace the many worthwhile opportunities afforded by technological advances While championing technology, our outreach efforts to students and faculty will continue to focus on the quickest and most efficient ways to locate and absorb relevant information We embrace the fact that each student is unique by providing diverse information services that reflect students’ broad learning habits and Web 2.0 preferences Working together with our students, we in Information Commons shall strive to be quick studies, friendly, curious, energetic, resourceful, environmentally conscious, flexible, organized, and highly motivated In the next few years, given the inherent connection between Information Commons and technology, we will attempt to improve our students’ information literacy and digital literacy by staying alert to the best applications among evolving hardware, software and networking Furthermore, we will develop information services as more UNC Charlotte teachers incorporate technology into the curriculum and encourage students to use more technology in their academic work 18 Maria Yon (UNC Charlotte, Center for Teaching & Learning), handout “Engaging the Millennial Student in Learning,” p Page 46 Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 We will work to recalibrate certain students’ perceptions of Information Commons, from “fusty” to “must see,” or at least “must use.” Students will very quickly perceive Atkins’ information services as obligatory experiences when (not if) we in Information Commons the following:      fulfill the mission and the vision of UNC Charlotte and Atkins19; ensure that our information services and spaces are used; embrace innovation – when it makes sense; be accountable to our supervisors and to each other; sustain excellence by asking “We’re doing great How can we better?” By recognizing the available gamut of electronic resources and e-services, Information Commons has done an excellent job of exploiting many possibilities of information retrieval and information provision Information Commons has not only kept up with, but exceeded most students’ expectations Many students not realize the vast number of opportunities provided in Atkins Our happy challenge is to publicize these opportunities and ensure that students exploit them ***** Ultimately, Information Commons is pleased to acknowledge that the UNC Charlotte-wide optimum trumps our departmental and individual optimums; we serve at the pleasure of the University, not vice versa We will emphasize peripheral vision over tunnel vision To that end, we will continue to participate fully in institutional agendas such as PACE Initiatives and UNC Tomorrow 20 Within UNC Charlotte, Information Commons can most effectively fulfill the University’s vision and Atkins’ by fostering mutually beneficial collaboration with the Center for Teaching and Learning, Information and Technology Services, Auxiliary 19 UNC Charlotte’s vision: “UNC Charlotte aspires to be North Carolina's most energetic and responsive university, offering unparalleled educational opportunities for nearly 25,000 students seeking the highest quality undergraduate, graduate, and continuing personal or professional enrichment in the liberal arts and sciences and selected professions” Atkins’ mission: “Atkins Library is a vital academic center facilitating intellectual discovery and the exchange of ideas for the University community and surrounding region The Library collects and disseminates relevant scholarly materials, provides a stimulating environment for learning and collaboration, embraces emerging technologies, and promotes lifelong learning.” Atkins’ vision: “Atkins Library, as a key contributor to teaching, learning and research across all disciplines, will serve as a strategic partner of the University in building the intellectual capital of the Charlotte Region” 20 UNC President Erskine Bowles commissioned a President's Advisory Committee on Efficiency & Effectiveness (PACE) of state and business leaders to review the university's activities and to provide findings and possible recommendations to him (PACE Final Report, dated November 1, 2006, ) The goal of University of North Carolina Tomorrow: Leading, Connecting, Transforming is to efficiently and effectively fulfill the UNC system’s three-pronged mission of education, research and scholarship, and public service in the 21 st century (Executive Summary, dated December of 2007, ) Page 47 Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 Services, colleagues among all colleges and departments, and of course the Chancellor, the Provost and their offices Externally, we can benefit superbly from the best practices employed by our friends at the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, which in 2006 received the nation’s highest honor for extraordinary public service provided by libraries and museums Indeed, “becoming more directly engaged with and connected to the people of North Carolina, its regions, and our state as a whole,” 21 is our mandate In the political arena, the expectations game is usually played by situating a politician’s performance as low as possible going into an event If the politician “exceeds” the artificial expectations, as his or her handlers invariably maintain after the event, then the candidate will appear to have “succeeded” that much more Information Commons has no interest in playing the usual expectations game It’s disingenuous to set conveniently low objectives and then “succeed” at having merely achieved mediocrity Instead, we will expect to sustain excellence and account for it meaningfully Information Commons must continue to exceed patrons’ expectations We will track and publicize our results genuinely and in due time, with major internal assessments distributed externally at least every six months For now, the work continues 21 “Phase I Response,” p 74 Page 48 ... Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 Page 20 Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 CHAPTER The Web Presence of Information Commons7 ... Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 CHAPTER Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 20208 Abstract In the next decade, information services. .. Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 Page Contextualization, Discernment, Discrimination: Providing Information Services Through 2020 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Mike