Information 2.0?
I read an interesting opinion piece by Mark Lewis, President of EMC Content Management & Archiving Division in response to the IDC White Paper, The Diverse and Exploding Digital Universe (you may have come across this report via the SMH), suggesting that Information 2.0 will revolutionise the way that companies will view information management in the future.
Lewis proposes 8 rules for Information 2.0. You should definitely read the whole article but I want to highlight a couple of his points I think that have particular relevance to libraries.
1. Information is decoupled from applications.
Information is far more valuable if it isn't stuck in some proprietary application as it can be re-used and combined with other information sources for new purposes.
2. Information is accessible via web services.
An extension of the previous rule. By allowing re-use of information via web services you make the information more valuable.
3. Information metadata is integrated with all data.
When Metadata travels with the information itself rather than being stored in a separate database it becomes more useful and therefore more valuable.
6. Information is personalized.
8. Information is simply always available.
These 2 rules work together I think. The inference being that you can't know what information different people will need or when they might need it, and people's requirements are constantly changing. To be most valuable information must be contextual. It must meet different people's needs whenever and wherever they need it.
Lewis is coming at this topic from the point of view of organisational management of information and the value information can provide to a business. I don't think, however, that it is a big jump to imagine these rules in terms of a library catalogue for instance.
Imagine if your library's holdings data was decoupled from your LMS and could be integrated into any number of discovery environments throughout the web. The books themselves carried their own metadata, their descriptive record, so that wherever that item was encountered the associated data could also be found. And finally, that information was universally available through all types of devices in just the way our users wanted it.
What an improvement a user experience like this would be compared with the current generation of OPACs.
Lewis proposes 8 rules for Information 2.0. You should definitely read the whole article but I want to highlight a couple of his points I think that have particular relevance to libraries.
1. Information is decoupled from applications.
Information is far more valuable if it isn't stuck in some proprietary application as it can be re-used and combined with other information sources for new purposes.
2. Information is accessible via web services.
An extension of the previous rule. By allowing re-use of information via web services you make the information more valuable.
3. Information metadata is integrated with all data.
When Metadata travels with the information itself rather than being stored in a separate database it becomes more useful and therefore more valuable.
6. Information is personalized.
8. Information is simply always available.
These 2 rules work together I think. The inference being that you can't know what information different people will need or when they might need it, and people's requirements are constantly changing. To be most valuable information must be contextual. It must meet different people's needs whenever and wherever they need it.
Lewis is coming at this topic from the point of view of organisational management of information and the value information can provide to a business. I don't think, however, that it is a big jump to imagine these rules in terms of a library catalogue for instance.
Imagine if your library's holdings data was decoupled from your LMS and could be integrated into any number of discovery environments throughout the web. The books themselves carried their own metadata, their descriptive record, so that wherever that item was encountered the associated data could also be found. And finally, that information was universally available through all types of devices in just the way our users wanted it.
What an improvement a user experience like this would be compared with the current generation of OPACs.
Labels: future library, information
posted by Martin at
2:59 PM
2 Comments:
I think this is when libraries will be able to start reclaiming some of the ground lost to other areas. We will be able to leverage on the unique skills and collections - really adding value to the client experience.
By
Ellen, At
April 24, 2008 8:51 AM
The Lithgow Library & branches will be lucky to survive or even grow because of years of neglect..non existence in funding.How can we add value to the client experience, when the collections,superficial catalogue (dead end query when something is incorrectly typed instead offering options)old PCs are forming a barrier for the client.
By
uranicus lectio, At
May 26, 2008 10:40 PM
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