Competency: Podcast

Podcast: Longshots #230: Is the Netflix Model the New Library Model?

Search Engine used: Google

April 28, 2010

Sarah talks with Sean Reinhart, director of the Hayward (CA) Public Library, about the launch of Hayward's Fines-Free Library Loan program. Based on the Netflix model, for a low monthly fee, library users have the benefit of unlimited loan periods and no fines. Reinhart believes that like the private sector, libraries must be responsive to changing expectations to ensure continued use and customer satisfaction. With the danger of layoffs and budget cuts we must look into a new model of procuring budget funds for libraries. In this podcast, it gives valuable insight how we can change our current practices to evolve with our communities expectations.

Details:

The Hayward Public Library does a study where they realize 20% of their users accrue late fines high enough to limit their library usage (about an estimated 20,000 persons). The subscription method they implemented saves money on overall work costs. The subscription fee they implement is similar to Netflix's in where they charge a set fee for a set amount of items. The fees are 2.99 for three items out at any given time, 5 items for 4.99, 10 items for 8.99 a month. The Hayward Public Library is trying to gravitate to a more customer service friendly system that major retail sectors have already implemented. Sean Reinhart wants the library to take on a more competitive model and encourage library usage by lessening the impact of fines on their patrons. The system is still in testing at this library.

This podcast was found through Google because of its broad search capabilities. Other search engines provided lesser results and made this type of topic difficult to search for. This particular podcast was chosen for insight into different models of library service that have yet to be tested thoroughly but could potentially change the way we use our public libraries.

Competency: Related Blog

Kindle does poorly on college campuses


Blog : Resource Shelf
Search engine used : Technorati

A daily newsletter with resources of interest to information professionals, educators and journalists.




It appears unlikely that the Amazon Kindle DX will be making a comeback in most college and graduate school classrooms this fall. Over the past few months, results from the pilot programs have trickled in, with most schools reporting that students were dissatisfied with the device as a classroom tool, and that many students had abandoned the Kindle just a few weeks into the experiment. At some schools, more than half the students surveyed said they wouldn’t recommend the e-reader to friends for use in the classroom, citing the device’s lack of flexibility, slow navigation within readings, and an inadequate file management system.


Thoughts:
One major concern in a library setting is if technology will make books obsolete. This is a good example of the potential limitations of e-books. We often feel the pressure in our libraries to upgrade and push the latest technology without careful consideration of what our main goals currently are. If anything is to replace books, it would have to be made with careful forethought on the user base along with pricing. Most of the drawbacks of the Kindle mentioned here were things that could be fixed in the future versions of Kindle. It may have not been successful in this instance because of usability. I am not making conclusions yet on what format will win in the end. For now, it seems, that books are easier for college students to use.

I included this post as an example of what can happen in an academic or public library that tries to include the latest technology. There are still drawbacks to digital books. Where as you can keep a copy of a book for years on the shelf, some books that are downloaded on an e-reader can be deleted without your consent by the owning company. These initial pilot programs test usability of e-books, but they do not test the long term costs, or effects of using these devices.

Introduction to my Blog

The purpose of this blog is to record and display my collection of competencies in Information Organization through a series of exercises that will cover many different types of databases, social networking sites, podcasts, and RSS feeds. This blog will be turned in at the end of Summer term for final grading.

Although, this isn't my first attempt at blogging, I still have this idea in my head that blogs are like diaries. It is no surprise to me that more women are bloggers than men. Some of the blogs out there border on news reports, but the main difference between a blog and a diary is that you can't put a little padlock on it, admire your own handwriting, or decorate it with crazy stickers. The bonuses include not having to lug your blog around with you like a diary, or worry about losing it in a freak fire accident.
This brings me to this blogs topic. The future of Public Libraries and information storage.
Is a blog merely an over-hyped electronic version of a diary or memoir?
What does this conversion from paper to computer data hold for the future of Public libraries? I will attempt to identify major trends on this issue, and in the process I will theorize on the direction our public libraries are going based on technological, societal, and cultural factors.