Listen to this Podcast: Chains? or Change?
Through out this course, I am going to share examples of how the music and movie industries are changing. As large, visible icons of our culture, the movie and music industries are caught in a struggle between what the consumers want and what the businesses want. Pirates Article While not as well reported, the changes libraries are experiencing will have incredible impact in the future. As we explore some of the issues related to the media industry, think about how or what kinds of changes are happening to our industry and how you feel or where you stand in regards to these changes. Change is inevitable, all living things experience it until they die, and then the changes stop (biologically, they continue, I know). Our organization is exactly the same, change will only stop when the county workers come and lock the doors and take down our OCLS signs.
Late last year one event caught my eye and really made me begin to “see” how technology and our culture are changing. The alternative band Radiohead left their record label, EMI, and released their album In Rainbows onto their website. That in itself isn’t too unusual, but Radiohead posted a note to fans instructing them to pay whatever they thought the album was worth. So if you were a fan, you could download the album and if you liked it, you could kick in a couple bucks to the record kitty. If you thought it stunk ~ Nada! This was and is a controversial shift in how musicians sell their work and it is a dramatic demonstration of how information is shifting to open source. Wired-Radiohead
Here is Rolling Stone’s take on it. Rollingstone - Radiohead Check out the stats in the last paragraph on the first page. (Don’t read the whole article unless you are really interested) Whether or not you have heard of the band or not, isn’t really the important part, what is important is that this band went around the “normal” way of doing business because it wasn’t working for them or their customers. For the record, (cheap pun, I know) Radiohead did release the album through normal distribution channels at the start of this year and it immediately went to number 1 on the charts.
In December 2007 the media giant Viacom (owners of Paramont Pictures, Dreamworks Studios, MTV, VH1 etc, etc) also rocked the technology and culture boat when they released the third installment of a major motion picture directly to the Internet for free downloading. Jackass the Movie Now, let’s not get caught up in what the movie is; I realize it isn’t exactly a Star Wars prequel, but Paramont did make money with the first two movies in this series. Again, the import thing is here is that the content is being distributed for free. And that is a BIG change for the motion picture industry. The Library has always done things for free, what are some of the ways you can see us changing?
The Internet is not the only opportunity out there either. Have you seen a USB bracelet yet? A USB bracelet is simply a rubber Lance Armstrong type of bracelet that holds a USB thumb drive. Willie Nelson (Willie Nelson???) started selling his concerts on USB bracelet right after his show every night. So if you were in the audience that night, you could stop by a booth and pick up that night's performance on a USB bracelet for about the same price as a concert T-shirt. Check it out: USB Bracelets (this article focuses on another band but you will see references to Willie and other artists as well)
Here is an article from Newsweek that touches a little closer to us. Google This article points to the fact that even the mighty Google is susceptible to the needs to change, to grow, to improve.
What is change? Organizational change is defined as "new procedures or technologies which are intended to focus an organization on the demands of its customers, or to take advantage of business opportunities". In our examples, Radiohead and Viacom changed their business models to better meet the wants and needs of their customers. They took advantage of an opportunity to use the Internet to give their “fans” or consumers (we call them patrons) better access to their content, and at a very attractive price. Willie Nelson came up with a change that should really stop people from illegally recording his concerts, creates a new source of revenue for himself, and most importantly, gives his fans the opportunity to re-live their experience whenever they want. How important is that from a fan (patron) point of view? That is a change that is a win/win/win!
Organizational change usually includes the introduction of new and unfamiliar processes, procedures, and technologies which can be different from what most people generally view as the established and familiar ways of doing their work. As a result, change can cause emotions and reactions that range from optimism to fear.
Why change? How do we benefit from change? Change is a positive force within OCLS because it enables us to GROW! We grow to better meet our patron’s needs, we grow to reach more people and we grow to become more efficient in the way we do business. Change often makes us feel uncomfortable, maybe a little fearful, maybe a little excited about the new possibilities. If you focus on the possitive outcomes, remain flexible in your attitudes and continue to learn and grow, you are more than prepared to ride the change wave all the way to the beach!
eXplorer: Take a look at our new mission statement. What part of the mission statement do you connect with? Which part speaks or draws you in? How do you see us creating a well-informed, well-connected community, making Orange County a great place to live, learn, work, and play? Tell us in your blog.
Adventures: Lets see how good your crystal ball is. The Da Vinci Institute is group dedicated the the work of the late scientist/inventor/artist. They have published a series of articles relating to the future of libraries. Talk about change! Take a moment and read this DaVinci article and tell us what you think in your blog. What parts are we already doing? What parts would you like to see us do in the future? What could we do better? Do you agree with the author's ideas? Why or why not? If the article interests you, you can go here to explore their other papers related to the future of libraries.
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