Library Systems: Synthesize, Specialize, Mobilize

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Library Systems Synthesize, Specialize, Mobilize
Library Systems Synthesise, Specialise, Mobilise

• Robin Murray CEO, Fretwell-Downing Informatics
  OCLC PICA

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Agenda

• Organization Background
• Synthesize, Specialize, Mobilize
• Evolution of service, revolution of systems
• Case study
• Conclusions Opportunities

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Organization Background

• Fretwell-Downing Informatics
• Head office - Sheffield, UK
• Offices Kansas, Melbourne, Amsterdam
• 75 People
• Products LMS, Resource Sharing/fulfillment,
  Portals
• Focus on IT Solutions for Libraries
• 300 direct customers
• 20,000 libraries using FDI solutions
• October 2005
• FDI acquired by OCLC PICA

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Organization Background

• OCLC PICA
• 250 people
• Largest European library systems player
• Netherlands
• UK
• Germany
• France

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Service Evolution
System Revolution
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Library Systems
Workplace applications - points of need
Mobilize - to put into action
Mobilize
Specialize
Specialize - involve specific knowledge in order
to serve a particular purpose to apply or direct
to specific end or use.

• Local service
• Local added value
• Local context
• Local knowledge

Synthesize - to combine often diverse conceptions
into a coherent whole.
Synthesize
Atomic Library Services
Atomic non-Library Services
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Adding Value
Value - Created by broadening scope of
mobilization
Mobilize
Value - Created by generating tight, minimal
Interface definition - KEY SYNTHESIZED SERVICES
Synthesize
Value - Created by broadening scope of
synthesization
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Case Study Health Care
Knowledge is the enemy of disease the
application of existing healthcare knowledge will
have a greater impact on health and disease than
any drug or technology likely to be introduced in
the next decade. -- Dr. Muir Gray

• UK NHS
• 1 Million employees
• 2 million consultations/day
• 10 million clinical decisions/day
• 1000 librarians
• Evidence-based healthcare
• Need a Mobilized, Specialized Synthesized
  Evidence base
• The National Library for Health

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Map of Medicine
Email RSS
MS Word
Mobilize
Specialize

• Select appropriate content
• Analyze present content for local need
• Direct to appropriate services
• Monitor use for continual improvement

Synthesize
Knowledge base
Google Spell-checker
Authentication Authorization
Amazon Book reviews
RSS feeds
Data enrichment services
Internal ILL
Link resolution
Commercial Document suppliers
Personalized profiles
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Conclusions Opportunities

• Service is evolutionary, required system support
  is not.
• ILS will remain critical, but will become a
  peripheral
• New model is about Synthesize, Specialize,
  Mobilize
• Many chicken egg scenarios
• Break by ad-hoc market opportunity, or vertical
  alignment
• Opportunities (threats?)
• Libraries ready to synthesize new services that
  add value to their offering
• Libraries be ready to outsource internal services
  to network service providers who can realize
  economies of scale
• Network service providers have to be looking for
  opportunities to provide new synthesizable
  services.
• Systems providers opportunities for
  revolutionary systems
• have to ensure plug-and-play compatibility with
  network services.

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Conclusions Opportunities

• We must be far more externally focused
• Value creation
• Synthesizing external services
• Mobilizing through external applications

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Library Systems Synthesize, Specialize, Mobilize

• Robin Murray CEO, Fretwell-Downing Informatics
  OCLC PICA