The Network Reshapes the Library is an interesting experiment in library literature, containing some excellent insights into librarianship in the twenty-first century.
Lorcan Dempsey is often quoted and referred to throughout the sector for the level of thought he puts toward how contemporary libraries operate and who they serve. Dempsey has been witness and record of the vast change in technology and information over the past decade, and he has documented many of his ideas in a blog: Lorcan Dempsey’s Weblog on Libraries, Services and Networks http://orweblog.oclc.org/
The book, an edited collation of these blog posts, is divided into nine sections. The first two, “Networked Resources” and “Networked Organization”, focus on what a library is and does. The idea of connecting people with information to create new knowledge – and start the cycle again – is not new, but with the approach in the book (and on the blog), the subject is divided into easily understandable pieces.
“In the Flow” explores how libraries can better position themselves to be a (if not “the”) relevant link in the information chain by placing themselves within a researcher’s workflow. This section should require reading for those interested in moving beyond the old library service paradigm. “Resource Discovery” and “Library Systems” delve into the aspects of recent front-of-house and back-of-house advances. At a time when many libraries are investigating changing one or both of these services, these provide much to consider and discuss.
The “Data and Metadata” section looks into the role that both play within libraries, although the focus here is mostly on metadata. Because data – especially research data – has seen exponential growth over the past decade, its absence here is noticeable. “Publishing and Communication” goes into various aspects of both, including blogging, digital books and distant reading. It is an interesting view of how the concept of publishing has changed overtime.
The “Libraries” section is a bit of a misnomer – ideas here relate to the wider gallery, library, archive and museum (GLAM) sector. In most of these pieces, one could replace the word “library” with one of the other GLAM descriptors, and the sentiment would be dead on.
The final section, entitled Lorcan’s Picks, includes picks that “did not fit neatly into one of the other topical categories”. This mix is a good way to round out the book, going from his first post (23 October 2003) through reflections on the curatorial role. It shows Dempsey’s wide range of interests, highlighting his accessible style.
While the content is largely excellent, the context and presentation is troubling. A book of blog posts can seem just that – disconnected and random. This is amplified by its lack of connection to the medium of the Web linking. “Links” are provided through underlined text and footnotes of the links themselves, but this lacks the dynamism of the Web, and seems a dated approach. It would be good if the book offered a single persistent link for the book that provided readers a way to actually click on the resources referenced. Yes, one could visit the original blog and follow the links, but then why have the book?
The addition of “comments” to the work is also odd. These do not necessarily relate to content on the page, and seem largely to be better suited as back-of-book blurbs. In situ, they only needlessly boost the page count.
Overall, if you enjoy Dempsey’s thinking, or are in search of a concise (and non-networked) reference to the innovative topics, challenges and ideas in librarianship, this book is a solid investment.
