1	DIGITAL CONVERGENCE REVISITED Keynote Address at the 2005 Teaching, Learning & Technology Fair Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Presented by Tom Peters March 3, 2005
2	The Question How should the university library promote the use of information and learning technologies throughout the university?
3	Why This Question? (What is the Problem?) Lippincott (2005) notes an apparent disconnect between library culture and the culture of Net Gen students Traits of Net Gen Students: Accustomed to multimedia environments Learn as you go; don’t consult manuals Work in small groups Multitasking is common
4	Top-Down, Device-Driven Answers U. of S. Dakota (http://www.usd.edu/pda/) requires Palm OS PDAs. Duke U. (http://www.duke.edu/ipod/) requires students to purchase an iPod. If you put devices in the hands of users, the technology will become institutionalized. Does this ignore the personal and personalization strengths of these devices? Does this solve the problem of the plethora of devices and competing designs on the market?
5	Four Immediate Hurdles Libraries should not promote anything. The “Life of the Mind” and technology do not mix well. IT is a distraction. Not the library’s problem. Some other campus unit should tackle this problem. National and international initiatives will solve this problem. Local efforts are basically a waste of time and resources.
6	Convergence Revisited Convergence of modes of learning (classroom, lab, library, residence hall, etc.) Using the library can occur anywhere, anytime Convergence of virtual reality and “real” reality Convergence of campus-wide information systems Divergence of texts and text-bearing devices “Power shift” from the author to the reader
7	Persistent Pedagogical Problems Info seeking is a natural behavior Many members of the teaching faculty are reluctant to devote time to Info Literacy Student motivation to hone Info Literacy skills is very time sensitive Usage of personal, portable information/communication appliances will increase on campus No convergence in the appliance market
8	Potential Library Roles Focus on “last mile” issues Continue to provide in-library labs, commons, collaboratories, etc. Continue to explore and assert the value of high quality metadata. Point-of-need (point-of-use) instruction
9	Potential Roles (cont.) Develop a more collaborative, collegial relationship with digital content suppliers Know thy users Gather, organize, deliver, and archive compelling content Users seek information in order to create information. Help them to both seek and create information.
10	Tentative Conclusions and Recommendations Deliver content and info services to the device level. Collaborate closely with other campus units (and other universities). Know (and differentiate among) the needs of various campus groups. Integrate library collections and services into the core university activities.
11	Tentative Conclusions and Recommendations (cont.) Technology eventually becomes old hat and recedes from consciousness, while content and services abide. Lean and mean information literacy efforts. Diversify and modularize. Increasing demand for assessments of the quality of information resources?
12	Conclusion: Back to the Question How should the university library promote the use of information and learning technologies throughout the university?
13	Background Reading Flecker, Dale and Neil McLean. 2004. "Digital Library Content and Course Management Systems: Issues of Interoperation" Report of a Study Group. Digital Library Federation (July 2004), http://www.diglib.org/pubs/cmsdl0407/cmsdl0407.htm. Lippincott, Joan. 2005. “Net Generation Students and Libraries.” In Educating the Net Generation, edited by Diana G. Oblinger and James L. Oblinger. EDUCAUSE. http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/pub7101m.pdf Reeb, Brenda, and Susan Gibbons. 2004. “Students, Librarians, and Subject Guides: Improving a Poor Rate of Return.” Portal: Librarians and the Academy 4 (1). Available online in HTML and PDF formats at http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/portal_libraries_and_the_academy/toc/pla4.1.html (requires a subscription to Project Muse). Sakai Project http://www.sakaiproject.org/ See also Suzanne Thorin’s brief update in the Feb. 2005 issue of D-Lib Magazine (http://www.dlib.org/dlib/february05/02inbrief.html#THORIN)
14	Questions and Discussion Tom Peters TAP Information Services Email: tpeters@tapinformation.com Phone: 816.228.6406 Website: www.tapinformation.com