The Digital Challenge for Libraries

I have discontinued blogging about this subject BUT my book--The Digital Challenge for Libraries-- continues to sell at a steady pace, mostly through on-line bookstores like BN and Amazon. It is also gratifying to receive an occasional e-mail from someone who has read the book and has a comment or question.

If you are interested in obtaining a copy of this book, go to any bookstore (physical or on-line) and search under author name--Ralph Blanchard. It is also now available in e-book format.

Check out my new book (coming in late 2008) at smallbizwealth.blogspot.com. It is an in-depth look at how to start and then sell a small business.

Thanks.

1. Introduction

I Love Libraries

College Daze

The Digital Challenge Ahead

The Future of Libraries

It's Not a Problem, At Least Not Here

There is No Money in the Budget

Success Strategies

2. The Development of Information Services

The Digital Economy

The Inner Dynamics of a Service Business

A Sense of Urgency

How to Lose Business by Laughing at Customers When They Need Your Help

A Willingness to Take Risks

A Case of Unintended Consequences

Understanding What Kind of Services Satisfy Customer Need

Standardized Service: No Information Content

Differentiating Standardized Service with Information Content

Why Are There So Darn Many Starbucks Coffee Shops and How Do They

Get People to Pay That Much for a Cup of Coffee?

Information Service: Selectively Variable Content, Random Customer Access

Information Providers and Information Consumers

3. Internet Search Engines

Academic Search the Google Way

Auctioning Answers

Battle of the Giants: Libraries vs. Google

Planning a Rematch: Can Libraries Win?

Yahoo as a Research Tool

The Tendency of Keyword Search to Deliver Commercial Information

Not Knowing Where to Start

Googlewhacking

Book Search with Amazon’s A9

Update: Google Bytes Back

4. Search Engine Problems

Offline Content: Inaccessible Analog Information

Offline Content: Inaccessible Information in Local Systems

Offline Content: Inaccessible Digital Information

Online Content: Reliance on Keywords

Online Content: Identifying Useful Information

Blinx

Snap

Clusty

Online Content: The Impermanence of Information

Online Content: The Accuracy of Information

Online Content: The Issue of Searcher Privacy

Online Content: Satisfied, Overconfident, Uninformed Searchers

5. The Role of Advertising in the Search Engine Business Model

Money for Nothing and the Clicks Are Free

The Influence of Unidentified Advertising on Search Results

The Search for Students

Information vs. Knowledge

Information About Information

6. Ambient Information

Wi-Fi

The “Broadband Gap”

The Information Politics of Telcos

Local Area Private Wireless Broadband Networks

Music Technology

It’s Only Rock and Roll But We Like It

No Such Thing as a Copy

Heard in the Dorm

Peer-to-Peer Networks

How does P2P work?

Should This Technology Be Controlled?

Suing John Doe

A Vision of Things to Come

“Legalizing” P2P

7. Digital Students

Understanding Millennials

A Digital Career

Testing for Digital Literacy

8. The Library as a Service Business

The Non-Profit Budget Crunch

Profit vs. Value

Students as “Customers”

Shopping for Courses at the Academic Mall

Losing Student-Customers

Developing Digital Personnel

Better Accuracy - Greater Productivity

Wal-Mart as a Productivity Model

Strategy

Tactics

Service-Oriented Employees

Single-Touch Productivity

9. Training

The Multiplier Effect

Changing Spaces

Changing Spaces at Binghamton University

Peer-to-Peer Training

A “Gooey” Interface

Training the Apple Way

1984: Orwell Was Wrong

Learning How to Use a Mac

The Graphical User Interface (GUI)

A Future Without Words?

Accelerating Change Through Turnover

Employee Turnover in Academic Institutions

Service Company Hiring Profile

Attitude

Aptitude

Hiring Profile Summary

10. Promoting Service

Buzz and Viral Marketing

Make It Free

Make It Memorable

Be Sure It Is Networked

Interviewing Tactics: A Picture Worth Thousands of Words

Push Marketing

The Joy of Email

Above the Horizon

Keep It Small

Did It Get There?

Avoiding Spam Filters

RSS as an Email Substitute

11. Conclusion