3 Changing Landscape of Information and Transformation of Special Libraries

Prof I V Malhan

  1. Introduction:

The emerging digital information environment has a profound influence on the way we acquire, process, organize, preserve and communicate information. Small powerful computers connected with the Internet have created networked and distributed information resources and paved the way for real time and onsite access to information. The emergence of smart phones and other hand held devices are offering access to information even on the go. The smart handheld telecommunication device (e.g. iPhone) serves as a multi-tasking platform bridging social contexts such as professional and personal worlds, making mobile information exchange possible (shim, etal, 2011). The digital technologies facilitated means for compact storage, quick retrieval and instant communication of information. Access to a wide range of global information resources at any time and their instant updating provided most democratic access to current information. The open access movement further opened up an array of opportunities for free access to information especially for those who don’t have capacity to pay for information. Along with this, there are also movements of scientists and other scholarly communities who are joining hands together to provide free access to their research at a commonly identified platform (e.g. Biomedcentrum, Plos,arXiv.org).

Integration of multimedia with content, aesthetics in document design, better user interfaces, are helping in the development of better learning resources and offering more choices and conveniences to information users. Networked environment also led to opportunities for federated information search where information repositories and databases of several institutions, catalogues of libraries and digitized collections of several libraries can be searched together. The emerging digital environment not only created huge databases e.g. Genome database, but is also leading to digitization of old newspapers, important manuscripts, rare paintings, classic works and other uniquely held collections in libraries. Such digitized collections along with new digital information are available to information users connected to the Internet.

 

The development of the webpage and hyper linkingof documents led to the process of spatial information search along with hierarchical information search. Creation of institutional intranets led to instant communication and collection of information from any person in the institution who is connected with the intranet. Hence the new information environment is also dismantling the hierarchical management structures in organizations. Tracing technologies and tools help to know current status of delivery of documents to distant recipients. Experts and collaborators working at different locations can exchange information and share their knowledge through teleconference, net meetings and electronic brainstorming. The new information environment also led to terse and meaningful presentation of information as people are often tweeting, sending messages and information on list forums, exchanging potential ideas and messages through social media.

Enormous developments are taking place on the information turf. Spiders bring information from global information sources and organize it in in-house databases which are accessible through search engines’ retrieval systems. This vast volume of organized information is not only helping users to get quick access to latest information resources in one’s domain of work but also helping to get access to ideas across frontiers from the cognate areas that may generate interest and even bring breakthroughs in users’ own work domains. Specialized tools are also emerging that collect and organize information in specific domains e.g. headlinegrabbers collect and organize important world news; IMicros collects information from social media sites. Easy and fast ways of collection of information helped to develop comprehensive information resources e.g. LexisNexis.

 

The emergence of wiki tools is helping to develop vast information resources through worldwide collaborative efforts. e.g.Wikipedia. Data mining technologies are enabling organizations to search vast volumes of information of their interest which is evaluated, filtered, tested for veracity, used and warehoused for future use and reference. The application of Unicode is helping in information search in several languageswhich was previously not possible.Presently search technologies are largely concentrating on text search and search for images, audio and videos. The next generation of search technologies will be more complex and search engine optimization will continue to be continuous pursuit to ensure fastest access and deliver more relevance and quality in the process of information search.

 

The voice over internet protocol (VOIP)l opened up opportunities for verbal communication and just in time exchange of ideas among distantly located persons. Further advancement and sophistication of technologies is likely to substantially advance the volume of verbal communications. Growing competition in every sphere and demand to accomplish more tasks in less and still less time may also increase the need for just in time verbal communication. Development of devices that are pocket held and hand operated for multiple functionalities will take place to facilitate more controls and communication and more services will be accessible through such devices. Relevant information and work of a person may be stored in such devices. Such hand held computing devices will receive instructions through word of mouth and will act like human intelligence and may eventually emerge as talking computing devices. Advances in artificial intelligence techniques in general and expert systems in particular will have profound influence on management of information resources and information retrieval.

 

Integration of multiple functions and more convenience is taking place with the existing devices such as television, mobile phones and wrist watch size computing devices through which people maydo routine tasks and execute their work processes. Real time verbal communication and exchange of ideas through video will grow as people start communicating from their smart offices, home television screens and their automobiles and mobile phones. They will also carry most of the digital content of their interest and relevance in their personal devices for consultation, record and reference at any place.

    3. Social Media and Outreach

 

There was no time in the history as to-day that offers so much of technological support and environment to transform tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge. Knowledge and information is not a prerogative of high fliers. Every perceptible human mind synthesize and accumulate knowledge through observation, own analysis, experience and practices. There is numerous numbers of people especially in developing countries who have potential ideas but often do not communicate because of shyness of behavior for being more introverts. Now the social networking tools have created an environment for most democratic information sharing. The social media is increasing outreach beyond their place of living and region as people are extending the tentacles of their social connections to global communities. A new kind of digital ethnography is emerging where people use social media to get connected across national boundaries and instantly communicate and share ideas on issues of common concern. Accordingly to Both & others (2011) generation Y (those born in 1976 and up to 1999) is now using Facebook as an alternative to email. These are not only information and retrieval tools but users also now create and use information through them. Hence incorporating and participation in social media is must to survive in twenty first century workplace.

 

4. Personalization of Devices and Content

 

The social media has almost personalized the process of networking as people can get connected to other persons sharing common value systems, domains of work and areas of interest. This process of growing personalization and increasing outreach is even bringing realignment in social relationships and increasing social cohesion among people having common interests and concerns. The computing power is also increasingly getting personalized with the growth of note pads, smart phones and other hand held devices. The content is also getting highly personalized as instead of writing comprehensive articles, people are instantly reporting their ideas through blogs. The delivery of education is also getting more personalized with the growing emphasis on choice based credit systems and learner centric curricula. Communication of ideas through blogs and other similar media is leading to unbundling of information, posing immense challenges for organization of information but is also offering enormous opportunities for packaging and repackaging of information customizing according to individual needs and situations.

5. Information Rich and Time Constrained Environment

 

Fastest access to the world wide information resources is leading to generation of more information and posing a huge challenge of information explosion. Availability of time with busy information usersis limited and hence such users are operating in a time constrained and information rich environment and facing problems of information overload and info stress.Information accessible for use is in oceanic form with streams of information emanating from various countries, cultures, languages, institutions and individuals, whereas information processing capabilities and time available with every individual information user is very limited. How much information is accessible to us is not an issue? The troubling area is do we get the most appropriate high quality information which may exist somewhere, in the time available with us? We all search information related to our work with the hope of finding pertinent useful information. Sometimes,we spend hours for this work, navigate and wade through thousands of documents and at times don’t get what we are looking for in the available time. “Hundreds of thousands of hours are lost in typical organization-up to 25% of a work day just from workers’ attempts to cope up with flood of information”( J, Shirpa, 2011). Information overload not only leads to mental stress and cognitive disturbance but also cost the economy. Zeides, et al attempted to quantify the cost of what they call infomania,” the mental state of continuous stress and distraction caused by queued messaging overload and incessant interruptions. Through their research at Intel, they concluded infomania costs US $ 1 billion for year for a 50, 000 employees knowledge intensive company and noted that this calculation was conservative. (N. Zeides, et al, 2007). In view of the growing volume of information, we not only require to innovate new modes quality assured information communication but also evolve service models in libraries that timely ensure the supply of pertinent information as per information needs of user communities.

 

6. Information Overload and Quality Filtering

 

The ocean of different shades of quality of information posed new challenges of information evaluation, quality filtering of information, information analysis, reliability and veracity of available data and gave birth to data science. The big data challenge and data analytics is therefore emerging as a fertile field for professional practice. Busy information users are generally not having enough time to read elaborate reports and require everything they require to know in processed form from where they can easily comprehend and learn in the minimum possible time. Separating the nuggets of gold from the information dross, and filtering the actionable information and quick facts for presenting them point wise in order of importance, is becoming an important endeavour in the information work to save users’ time. Knowledge management tools e.g. spicynodes are emerging that present desired information in a way that may ensure saving of users’ time.

In the growing ocean of information, people are picking up prescriptive information that offers solutions to their problems at hand. In the highly competitive and growing globalizedworld, people are by and large not reading for pleasure or self-enlightenment, but reading for a purpose and exploring to look for potential ideas that may ensure advancement in their work pursuits. Quality consciousness and performance based work evaluation systems are further enhancing the need for knowledge intensive work practices. The challenge now is how to manage abundance of information rather than how to deal with problems of scarcity of information.

 

7. Transformation of Special and Research Libraries:

 

7.1 Expansion of Information Base

 

A modern special and research library is not rendering its services merely on the basis of select documents that it holds or buys access but relies on a large number of other external sources of information to comprehensively and promptly meet the information requirements of users. These libraries are networking with other libraries in order to augment their resources and they operate in an online environment using web-based resources and are out reaching their users through social media and mobile based services. These libraries are not only dealing with print but all kinds of media conveying potentially useful information ranging from blogs to webinars. They are therefore transforming into polymedia libraries, capturing, organizing and disseminating relevant information using all kinds of sources of information under the sun. They are functioning as hybrid libraries that acquire print collections as well as buy access to the electronic resources.

 

7.2 Imbedded Librarianship

 

Modern special and research libraries are supposed to function as information refineries where they require to quality filter information and accumulate and organize worthwhile need based content according to requirements of research projects and institutional tasks and activities. Special and research libraries are heading towards imbedded librarianship where library professionals are required to have in-depth knowledge of work processes and activities of information users and have adequate understanding of their domain knowledge. Imbedded libraries are functioning in close collaboration with their customers to intimately understand their work domain problems and challenges and align knowledge resources and provide prescriptive information that may be helpful in the tasks that their customers are handling. To ensures imbedded library practices, special and research libraries are supposed, reskill their staff and develop a set of mechanisms that facilitate greater users’ interface, supportive operations for learning and encourage knowledge intensive work practices.

 

    7.3 Big Data Handling

 

What changes are required in the desired transformation of special and research libraries in view of big data challenges and technological advances? The new avatar of such libraries will act as institutional cloud and develop institutional repositories besides holding other electronic resources. A new data section that holds all data of institutional interest and deals with data analytics operations is need of modern special and research libraries. In view of big data challenges, this section is supposed to capture relevant data, undertake data authentication work and fine tune data keeping in view the parent institution’s needs and priorities. This section may undertake data analysis with the help of data analytics software and predictive analytic tools and scale to customized and personalized data services to individuals associated with the institution at various levels. Besides having a data repository this section can provide data retrieval and use facility for deep learning and leveraging competitive intelligence. From market intelligence to scientific discovery and product development, availability of valid data plays a crucial role. On one hand, we have data deluge and on the other hand we have data users who are hard pressed of time. In a data rich and time constrained environment, data capturing, validation of veracity of data, data integration, data analysis and summation can be an important service where special and research libraries may step into as presently there’s a huge service gap in this area. When users have access to relevant information and reliable processed and analysed data, what is required is articulation of facts and information and logic to solve problems,make most appropriate decisions, and generate new ideas.

 

7.4 Facilitating Content Creation

 

Special and research libraries besides creating and maintaining institutional repositories, are supposed to assist in content creation and co-content creation, and develop a section for content creation and management in all media formats. This section may provide access to wiki tools for sharing knowledge by creating wiki documents. It may also have video recording room to develop videos to demonstrate different processes and things of show how type for facilitating more effective ways of learning. This area of the library may also have facilities for podcasts, webinars, video conferencing and a discussion room for facilitating talks in various areas of institutional interest. Traditionally we have been developing knowledge resource base in special and research libraries that may support parent institution’s programs and activities. Time has come, when we require even generating content, collating and integrating content that enhance not only institutional goals but contribute its bit to national development and social cause.

 

7.5 Collaborative Content Evaluation

 

The objective of a library is to make available a suite of information sources and see that knowledge that originated at one place is made available at another place in the interest of further extension and modification of knowledge and keeping in view the areas of interestof user community. Though environment, ambience,behavioural and organizational factors do interplay, the availability of high quality relevant information, recognition and reward systems play immense role in generation of new knowledge and ideas. Finding what is most relevant information that can trigger innovation or generate more ideas, is not an easy task in the present day incessant flow of information. It requires a lot of evaluation, judgement and study. It cannot be based on mere opinions but on the basis of potential ideas and relevant knowledge delivered in the content. It is a massive collaborative work where both library professionals and information user communities specializing in specific domains require to work together, to develop high level knowledge resource bases in various domains. Collaboration is essential to effectively and collectively deal with problem of too much of information which itself is not only enormous barrier to potential information and useful ideas but also take away a lot of productive time and sap our energies in information search.

 

7.6 Outreach to user communities

 

Special and research libraries are now having information user communities that make use of information resources as and when they get time and as and where they are stationed at the time of information access. Users are using e-readers, smart phones, tablets and other handheld devices to access information even on the go. Libraries therefore largely require to develop systems and adopt technologies that may help to outreach user communities. Mobile access to library catalogue, database and e-journals is now happening and some libraries are outreaching their user communities through social networking sites. Britain’s library report stated that libraries focus less on loaning physical books, and more on widening access via loaning e-books, which the report noted was up by 80 percent in Britain from 2013. (Rosie Spinks, 2015). Libraries outreach and online access to their digital resources have enhanced the usage of such resources. Instead of holding vast stack areas, libraries are transforming to cloud space holding digital archives, e-resources for just in time access. As the storage technologies advance and mature, users will be able to carry their personal digital libraries in their hand held devices.

 

7.7 Expansion of Resources and Services

 

Special and research libraries will create portals and subject gateways provide pathways to worthwhile quality filtered services to help users to collect desired information just in time from other available sources. They will enhance collaboration and sharing of information by facilitating linking of specialists at the parent institution with similar specialists at other institutions for generation of new ideas. They will also facilitate collaborative work with similar other institutions in the interest of speedy generation of new need based knowledge.

 

7.7.1 Information Analysis

 

Such libraries may also develop information analysis and research section where library professionals and specialists from various divisions may work together on finding solutions to problems and achieving institutional goals and objective through the information route Besides providing prescriptive information for problem solving, this section will collect and analyse information from a wide range of sources including social media for various issues of importance for the parent institution and also identify the front line areas for initiating further research and institutional activities. It can also maintain database of indigenous knowledge and global best practices on issues of institutional work activities and concern. It may also constantly keep track of digital information resources to hook ideas and dig value that may be useful for the parent organization. Linking information with information, putting fragments of information through content aggregation technologies and tools, in major thrust areas of the institution may be another work area of special and research libraries.

    7.7.2. Paradigm shift in Library Cooperation

 

Modern networked special and research libraries cannot move very far without co-operation and sincere efforts for dissemination of knowledge by all the participants. Library cooperation and networking is however no more confined to creating a union catalogue for location of documents for ILL requests or constituting consortia for cost effective collection development. Gone are the days when library cooperation and networking was essential to overcome the problems of scarcity of knowledge and information resources and provide more comprehensive content to users with the help and cooperation of participating libraries. We have entered an era where we require cooperation and networking to manage abundance of information and info stress. We require development of networked local, national and global teams of committed professionals who may undertake a variety of collaborative tasks based on agreed terms and norms. These tasks can be evaluation, quality checking and filtering of information to separate worthwhile information from trash. It can be co-creation of virtual libraries in specialized areas of common interest. Emerging new areas of co-operation are collaborative digitization work, creation of databases of indigenous knowledge resources and best practices which may be accessible to all the participating libraries through federal search engines. Libraries professionals across the world have demonstrated that they can successfully collaboratively do and accomplish such tasks e.g. development of Infomine search engine with collaborative efforts of library professionals of California region.

 

7.7.3.New Service Models

 

As information is getting largely unbundled and people are instantaneously recording their ideas in blogs and communicating their views, rants and comments in tweets, the major challenge for librariesand information centres ishow to get value from such largely scattered and unorganized information resources. As we evolve, special libraries will have to adopt tools and develop new models for content aggregation and knowledge organization. They must find ways and develop strategies on how to find new ideas from the unbundled and highly scattered content and bundle these ideas for specific action plans. Aligning knowledge resources to individual and group tasks and passing on pinpointed worthwhile information to user communities and undertaking information search on their behalf to save their time from computer clicktosis, will remain the hallmark of special and research library services. These libraries’ service models will evolve in a way that may enhance work practices, efficiency and quality of work of every individual associated with the organization. Personalization and customization of library services will gain greater attention as the competition grows and pressures build up to perform and show results.

 

The traditional collection based services will metamorphose to just in time and just in place user centric knowledge based services offering more relevance and value in content, and facilitatingsmart work and more convenience for user communities. High quality knowledge resources that are instrumental in building better work capacity and enhancing work practices will be required to be aligned with specialists associated with the organization. In the hyper competitive landscape, individuals are not generally referring to knowledge systems that take days to find content that they are looking for. They prefer to access resources that are available in real time and on site and hence libraries needto remodel their services and adopt technologies that facilitate access to desired content at the time of users’ information needs.

 

7.7.5.Information Literacy

 

A variety of content aggregation services and knowledge management tools are emerging which can facilitate saving of time and ensure smart work. Many of specialists are not aware of existence of such services and tools and hence continue to do what they are doing using the traditional tools and services. Information literacy is therefore an important area where such libraries are required to step in and empower specialists with better ways of accessing knowledge that can make a difference intheir work domains.

 

The mere existence of information somewhere that may bring a breakthrough in one’s work does not guarantee its access. The researcher may be ignorant of its existence or may not have knowledge of ways of locating and accessing it. Besides imparting information literacy, special and research libraries may provide professional expert assisted domain specific information search.

 

7.7.6.Participatory Information Hunt

 

Because of hyper competition and growing globalization, specialists remain busy with work which sometimes leads to information disconnect and neglect for one’s learning requirements. The process of finding worthwhile information and scholarly communication is also becoming complex and time consuming. If information specialists truly and timely map the knowledge resources with roadmap of work activities of researchers and the latter seriously seek such assistance, not only milestones will be achieved on time but new milestones will emerge for greater success.Closer interaction between information specialists and researchers is therefore essential in the interest of advancement of the frontiers of knowledge and the objectives of the parent institution.

 

    7.7.7.Assistance in Scholarly Communication

 

Assistance in publication and scholarly communication work of the institution such as editorial assistance, helping researchers in following accepted ways of recording citations and helping them to check plagiarism through available software tools for checking plagiarism, can be another important role of the library. The scholarly communication environment is getting polluted with dubious fee based journal publications that ask for hefty publication fees and even have fictitious email addresses and editorial teams. They accept the paper and ask for fee. Some researchers in the process of increasing their API scores get entangled in such invited paper requests. Information professionals can offer advice and help researchers to be beware of such publishers and also keep record of such dubious publishing firms. For instance, Jeffrey Beall, a metadata librarian at university of Colorado at Denever has been monitoring and keeping record of such publishers at the website http://scholarlyoacom/2013/04/predatory_publishers. Information professionals must provide help and consultancy in selection of appropriate scholarly media for communication of researches of scientists. Researchers often need help to find out which is the most appropriate journal for communicating research results? How and where to file a patent and how to publish in open access publications? Special and research libraries may maintain a publication and communication assistance cell that may render advise on all research communication affairs.

 

8. Summary

 

On the whole a modern special and research library is supposed to develop a knowledge base for frequent use and reference and facilitate access to all possible existing knowledge that can be of some use to specialists. It should undertake content analysis and strategic knowledge management and channelize to leading edge unique ideas and information to specialists that may help to trigger innovations and generation of new knowledge.

 

It is a time to change the mindset that library is only a physical space holding select collections to provide information. We require acknowledging the new truth that it is a centre that offers knowledge based services to further the goals and objectives of the institution using in house and external knowledge and information resources. Libraries had been mostly doing the work of making accessible the knowledge bundled in organized document collections that can meet users’ information requirements. Now we need to pursue new functionalities of content management, strategic knowledge accumulation, knowledge alignment and its application management. Systematic changes in such libraries are essential for their survival. They must adapt keeping in view the technological advances, changing patterns of information use and with the object of promptly making available the relevant new knowledge generated elsewhere at the parent institution in the best interest of further generation of new need based and application specific knowledge.

  1. References and Reading List References
  • Botha, et al (2011) How sociable? “An exploratory study of university brand visiting in social media”.S Afr.    Business Management, 42(2).
  • J Spira (2011), Overload! How too much information is hazardous to your organization. Hoboken, N, J:Wiley.
  • N.Zeides, et. a.l (2007) Infomania, why we can’t afford to ignore it any longer?, First Monday, vol 12 No 8. August
  • Shim, et.al. (2011), Twitter, Google, I phone/Ipad, and Facebook (TGIF) and smart technology environments. How well do educators communicate with students via TGIF? Vol 39, Article 35, PP 657-672.
  • Spinks,      Rosie      (2015),The        future      of      libraries      has      little      to      do        with        books.
  • http://magazine.good.is/articles/public_libraries_reimagined.