When another library is the competition (2002)

Recently, one of my library users asked to be dropped from our current awareness e-mail lists, because that individual now has an adjunct position at a local university. There was no need for anyone to mention that the position provides access to a world class university's library collection, electronic and otherwise.

How the heck can a zoo library compete? Or any small library? Our intranet site offers 75 online journals and a handful of databases: Wildlife Worldwide, the Dialog@Carl collection, and the Wildpro Multimedia collection. Many of our resources are limited to individuals working on computers located on our network. We haven't yet solved the remote access problem with a remote authentication solution. (Remote authentication is not a difficult problem, but the problem is not mine to solve.)

Julia Innes, librarian of Brookfield Zoo, recently posted a similar comment on the AZA-LSIG discussion list. Her message suggested that there really is no way to compete with the big time libraries.

As long as I have worked in libraries, I have taken the position that no library ever has a monopoly position with respect to its users. Even before the internet, the users of special libraries have also obtained information from a variety of other sources, ranging from bookstores and professional organizations to public, college and other libraries to which different users have access.

One competes in this environment by providing customized product and customized services. What the heck can one do when the competition is Columbia University, or your local equivalent, be it a land grant university or a member of the Research Libraries Group? What do you do when increasing numbers of your users become adjunct faculty through cooperative arrangement with local universities?

Some special libraries can't stand the heat, or at least their parent institutions take that approach. Several years ago, after moving to a location close to New York University, the National Audubon organization closed its corporate library and fired the librarian. In place of that collection National Aububon provided paid memberships in the new neighborhood library, which was set up to provide paid services to local organizations and individuals.

Perhaps no library can stand up to that sort of competiton.

Under the circumstances, I look for ideas. So far I am back to the core idea: the library I manage is totally focused on the institution of which it is a apart. Staff members from the organization have no competition from another, core constituency when it comes time to getting books or articles or mediated database searches, when "do it yourself" won't work. I have to think that, when times are tight, the adjunct faculty will be second class citizens at that world class institution with the unparalled selection of online journals and databases. That at least is the theory. I frazzle my hair wondering how well we reach that goal.

A calming thought reminds me: of perhaps three hundred library users, only half a dozen seem to have adjunct status at that world class university. Others staff members continue to use the library even though based at a world class university on the other side of the Atlantic.

Your suggestions and comments would be appreciated!

Postscript, 20 March 2002. Yesterday, one of the our field researchers stopped at the library during an annual visit to North America. After thanking me for document delivery and current awareness services, he mentioned that he would be soon getting access to ejournals via a natural history museum which has implemented remote authentication. My thought is: how many of our international program staff are going to other institutions for ejournal access? Is there any way I can redirect this demand for ejournals from our international division?

The last word. Early in 2003, my library implemented a remote authentication solution, Ezproxy. This single step vastly increased the usefulness of my library to its users, who are increasingly reliant on ejournals. Ezproxy was neither expensive nor technically difficult to implement. In fact, the low cost and simplicity of the solution made it uninteresting to information technical professionals whose cooperation Ineeded to install the system. The intervention of a high ranking angel made remote authentication happen. I still worry about competition, but less than in the past.

Steve Johnson
sjohnson@westnet.com
Written, December 2001

Revised and posted, 27 January 2002

Postscript, 20 March 2002. Links fixed, 7 February 2003. Last word, 1 October 2007.