A Prophecy for Libraries

Back when I was a rare books librarian at the Boston Public Library, my favorite part of each week was the two hour shift I had at the main entrance’s Information Desk. Everyone in the entire library with an MLS took a shift; this was both brilliant and fun because 1) it allowed everyone who worked there to stay in touch with the public pulse; and 2) sometimes people asked for directions, but sometimes they asked for reference, so having a real librarian there was handy.

While caged behind the Info Desk, you were a sitting duck for anyone – and by anyone, I mean crazy people mad at the government, homeless people looking to sign up for Hotmail, and lonely people looking for love from young librarians. This desk wasn’t really where I helped people find serious research; this desk was where I gave people directions to the bathroom or The Da Vinci Code.

When I left in 2006, there were no ereaders. In fact, libraries were just getting into digital audiobooks, and the BPL even had a contract with a company that was incompatible with iPods (I was not on the committee that made that decision!). Patrons would come up to us at the desk, MP3 player in hand, bewildered and overwhelmed. We tried to liken sideloading to file folders, and were met with glazed stares. They pressed buttons on the MP3 players randomly and frantically before going back to CDs.

Fast forward to today, where libraries are in the same situation with ereaders. I can imagine my former coworkers still at the desk, trying to explain to those same patrons how to download Adobe and then sideload books onto their Nook.  Most library patrons do not have the same adoption level as regular consumers – seriously, I spent an infinite amount of time walking people through how to set up email accounts.

That is why, despite the fact that B&N got to the library community first, I doubt they will be the winner, now that  Amazon is in the game.  Based on my experience at that reference desk, I think that Whispersync is going to be the not-so-secret weapon that wins over the late adopters. There is simply no way that the average library user is going to have the wherewithal to learn how to get a library book onto an ereader when it involves installing software and dragging and dropping.

Maybe I’ll do an undercover shift and test this theory for myself…