First post-lunch session at Internet Librarian International, starts with Esben Fjord from Gladsaxe Public Library in Denmark.

Esben going to talk about how to disseminate electronic resources in the physical library. At Gladsaxe they are experimenting with new forms of digital platforms in the physical space. Not a proper project in the traditional way – no goals, no success criteria – this is deliberate! Want to explore potentials rather than achieve a particular result.

But they do have reasons why they are doing this:

• Increase in electronic resources available in the library
• Want to take the electronic resources to where the users are
• Want to take advantage of librarians skills
• Want to expose electronic resources in context
• Want to work in cooperation in partnership with the users
• FUN!

Created 4 ‘platforms’:

• Digital signage (big screens)
• Music chair (called Sonic)
• A drawing machine
• An ‘interactive floor’

Digital Signage:

• 10 big screens all over the main libraries and branches
• Controlled by a digital signage systems – like a CMS
• Factual information, reviews and recommendations
• Events
• 10 editors – each responsible for 1 or more screens

This is OK, but want to do more – create a more interactive experience. In the future plan to:

• Cooperate with wider community and other libraries
• Interactive presentations, data from users, competitions, surveys, etc.
• Exposing electronic resources

Drawing machine:

• Children can draw on the interactive drawing machine
• Figures from the national web portal for children ‘Palles Gavebod’ – exposing children’s library service
• Can add their own pictures – but very limited facility at the moment
• Machine eyecatching – attracts children – they love it! – but this leads to support needed

Want to:

• Use the machine to support events and shows – this will need new version of the software and better organisation and ownership

Music Chair:

A circular chair with built in speakers and a touchscreen display. Currently:

• Librarians create playlists to make recommendations
• The chairs are eyecatching – users think they are cool
• Content from YouTube and Grooveshark (nobody has told them not to…)

Wanted to promote BibZoom – a national streaming service – but found this wasn’t well designed for this type of activity – more based around a traditional library model of ‘find’ and then ‘borrow’.

Example of older man who discovered electronica recommended by librarian – he found it breathtaking and borrowed a lot of recommended albums.

Need:

• User created playlists and recommendations
• Special events playlists
• Content from BibZoom mentioned above
• Better user interfaces
• Other kinds of media – films, computer games

Again – they have access to film streaming, but hedged around with DRM etc, make it difficult for them to use in this context 🙁

Finally – the Interactive Floor:

Projection of an image from the ceiling onto the floor – has a ‘water effect’ – ripples when people walk across it, or touch it. So created set of quotes about water from books to project – and surrounded it with the books from which the quotes were taken. See video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln12B_McULw

Currently using it for:

• Play and gaming
• Exhibiting text – like the water example above – other examples as well – e.g. project cartoons, and you can interact with the figures
• Supporting special events
• Users think its funny
• Good branding

Want:

• Better user interfaces
• Develop library specific flash presentations
• Expose electronic resources – especially newspapers – but again copyright/IP a problem

Challenges now:

• Technical infrastructure and data models (e.g. APIs)
• Copyright and DRM
• Electronic resources are made for searching – not for communication and dissemination
• Backend interfaces
• Competences and knowledge
• Organisation and ownership