Get Started On The Transformed Library: E-Books, Expertise, And Evolution Conceived By Jeannette Woodward Offered As Leaflet

found this to be a very handy little book that I will refer to in the,future for ideas for addressing new problems in different ways and for confirmation that I am on the right track.
I wish there had been more here that I could actually apply, but at least it acknowledges that the current ebook situation is about publishers', not libraries', decisions.
According to the author, veteran librarian, Jeanette Woodward, public, academic and school libraries need to find ways of transforming themselves in order to cope successfully with digital books, epublishers, dwindling budgets, the social impact of web and information technologies and changing demographics.
This is hardly earthshaking news, but Woodward manages to package her views into a very readable, balanced, sensible and, at first glance, surprisingly inspiring book.


Chapter one Gutenberg meets Kindle: The Arrival of Digital Books provides a very brief, very simplistic, breezy history of digital books: perhaps the most interesting part is when she glances at the difference between how we read physical and electronic books.
She reminds us that:

Throughout history, loud objections have been raised with the arrival of each new media format.
William Wordsworths sister insisted he was damaging his mind reading the newspapers of the day, She was reacting to the new format of a large page on which multiple columns of text were placed side by side, thus creating a very disorienting experience for the reader.
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The flicker of computer screens, the layout of web pages, the constant lure and distraction of links elsewhere may weigh heavily against reading on the webconnected computer but the ease of web searching, the arrival of more ergonomic ebooks and the sheer convenience of having a wealth of material at ones fingertips weigh heavily on the plus side of the ledger.
Unsurprisingly, the author concludes her first chapter with:

If libraries are to flourish in the twentyfirst century, ebook circulation will need to become a high priority.

This leads very naturally to a chapter on epublishers Libraries vs epublishers: The librarys point of view, which can be summed up as:

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. . librarians are feeling hurt and angry at ebook publishers and distributors that appear to be making ebook lending as difficult as possible.

The oulook was pretty bleak for libraries in: the UK Publisher Association had announced a policy which forced users to download ebooks only when they were in library premises, while in the USA, Penguin had recently opted out of its agreement with library eprovider Overdrive, HarperCollins had announced its infamous and widely cited library licencing restriction that allowed a book to be lent at mosttimes, Random House had tripled its ebook prices for library ebook distributors and there were a number of legal actions threatening first sale doctrine.
Woodward also reminds us that other library loan services had been almost wiped out by innovative, out of the box thinking by YouTube, Netflix and, to a lesser extent, Hulu.


Chapter, The Age of High Anxiety: Threats that fuel library nightmares focuses on the threats associated with library outsourcing and its effects on the job market for librarians and libraries quality of service, wit library automation and the concept of socalled “staffless” libraries, and with economic recession and a tendency to consider closing down library branches in order to save costs.
Woodward overviews the development of US largest library outsourcing company, Library Systems and Services LLC LSSI, and proposes that some costcutting outsourcing strategies which were effective in the short term and especially at federallevel libraries may well prove ineffective in the medium to long term and especially so at the municipal library level.
Woodward warns that:

When we speak of dangers to the library like outsourcing and staffless libraries, we are certainly dealing with very real issues that could negatively impact the librarys future.
however, I cant help but wonder if any such threat from the outside could be as dangerous as the poor decisions we ourselves sometimes make.

and, in this respect urges librarians to pay particular heed to customer service:

We sometimes imagine that if we cut public services, there will be a corresponding public outcry that will somehow result in budget increases.
Although this strategy has occasionally worked, the opposite has more often been true, Customers are more likely to abandon the library because it no longer meets their needs,

For me this turned out to be one of the most interesting and thoughtprovoking chapters,

The next chapter, The Library is Cyberspace is another wellwritten and thoughtprovoking subject focusing on the need for libraries to make savvy use of social networking.
There a number of excellent and simple suggestions to get started on this important topic,

If books, journals, articles and newspapers can increasingly be plucked out of he web from ones pet mobile device at the office, at home or in transit between the two, of what use is the physical library once it no longer stores such items ChapterWill the coffee shop save us: The library as place argues in favor of devoting more attention to the library as a key public and civic place, a place which strengthens community bonds.
This chapter devotes very little space no pun intended to libraries as learning commons or makerspaces perhaps this is because these topics mainstreamed slightly after the book was published

In the following chapter rather wistfully or perhaps hopefully titled Library careers that wont go away, Woodward looks at the currentdemand for jobs for library and information specialists and, as many other authors before her, urges librarians to acquire new IT or customeroriented skills, to “retool”, “rebrand”, “remarket” or “reorient” themselves.


The last three chapters deal with “survival strategies” for public, academic and school libraries, Unfortunately the copy I read was missing the first seven of the seventeen pages on what interested me most, Survival Strategies for Academic Libraries Judging from the last ten pages, the key survival strategies are:

Develop highquality and relevant information literacy programmes

Redesign library websites so they “pull together” the information, marketing and technological aspects

Develop individualized guides that connect library resources to specific research needs

Update the librarys technology hub

Update and provide more depth to ongoing library staff training.

As a final wrapup, in her conclusions, Woodward urges us to focus on the changing needs and nature of our customers and communities and think hard about our libraries upcoming priorities.


All in all, a nice short book to start worrying about how to transform your library before it dwindles away and is closed down.
It is a sobering read about the future of libraries,

especially the section on academic libraries, Jeannette made some insightful comments about various initiatives started by libraries and how they fell short, It is a book that I will return to, Quite happy that the NTU Libraries has it, : This wideranging survey takes stock of our institutions' strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, analyzing how libraries and the very concept of librarianship have been comprehensively transformed over the past few decades.
A respected veteran of libraries who has witnessed firsthand the many changes in the library world, Woodward provides a balanced, realistic assessment of the situation that confronts both libraries and information professionals.
In an assessment that proves both provocative and stimulating, she

Examines the key technological and economic developments that have already had an impact on librarianship, and offers a frank evaluation of the roles libraries must fill today and in the future
Sums up the trends in library management of ebooks and other electronic media, in the process showing how libraries can enlarge their function as community hubs through digital innovation
Analyzes the skills and versatility todays library professionals need to survive and thrive, presenting career advice for staying current in the fields changed professional environment
Offers survival strategies tailored to librarians particular context, including academic, public, and school libraries

The Transformed Library is an institution that can be more vibrant and relevant than ever, and Woodwards book demonstrates how.
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