Idaho Commission for Libraries

Mixing It Up: The Mashed up Library was a symposium sponsored by OCLC at the ALA conference in Anaheim. Michael Schrage, Research Fellow, MIT Sloan School for Digital Business, shared his perspective in his presentation "Managing Challeges of Instituional Innovation." Innovation in an institution is difficult because of its values, traditions, cultures, and bureacracies. His definition of Innovation is "conversion of novelty into value." Innovation is defined not by what we offer, but by what users adopt. For example, less than 10% of cell phone users access less than half of the features of a cell phone. Begin with the customer's perception of innovation, not your terms. Create value for the user. The most important product of a library is the experience for the user. Libraries are "gymns for the mind."

Libraries have previously used a subsidy model to exist; now they must use a competitive business model to survive. Four action takeaways:

1. Learn from your lead users.
2. With who do you collaborate to create value? and Why?
3. Market your best internal arguments and disagreements -- making the community partof the discussion.
4. Establish liberatories which attract talent and inspire hypothesis.