audio interview with Peter Brantley about library service collaboration

a 19 minute [audio] interview with Peter Brantley, new Executive Director of the Digital Library Federation

via EDUCAUSE Connect - gbayne's blog - An Interview with Peter Brantley at CNI's 2007 Spring Task Force Meeting

via ResourceShelf

The main topics as I heard them:

• the challenge of getting libraries to collaborate deeply and meaningfully on technology
• determining what kinds of technology services (network-level services) that libraries can usefully contribute to an already-rich discovery environment
• how to put those kinds of the library collaborations together in a way that includes the ability to sustain and support the new technology services
• the challenge of shifting staff to support new areas of activity

I wonder if I've been using the wrong terminology all this time.  I've been talking and talking about library Service-Oriented Architecture with (as far as I can tell), very little uptake.  And I will be talking about it more in an upcoming presentation and an article in Library Journal, as well one of my colleagues has an article upcoming in a different journal.  It is hard to sustain one's enthusiasm indefinitely however, in the absence of much response.

We already have framework upon framework, but I can't seem to get anyone to talk about how they might inter-relate.  Are there communication barriers?  Terminology barriers?  Resource barriers?  Culture barriers?

I wonder whether we shouldn't really be using language more like "library technology service collaboration" or "library network-level enhancement collaboration".  I think maybe when we say "digital library" or SOA, people say, "oh, that's not me".  But it is.  We're all digital libraries now.  What the whole collaborative library SOA idea is about is more libraries producing and consuming more network services, so that we can all better participate in the online experience.

Previously:
January 30, 2007  report on Library Future Roles webcast
September 26, 2005  Info Grid 2005 - Monday 26th - Deploying Services, Not Libraries