The Screen is Flat

The book The World is Flat  expounds on Friedman’s “idea that the world has gone from round to flat.  I’ll admit, Friedman’s work is probably one of the first business/economics related books I have read through with much interest.  I just don’t have much interest in the world of business.  However, I was immediately intrigued by this book since the book is not really about business.  Friedman’s focus is on people and technology.  Two themes which we deal with all the time.  So while the context is corporate and geopolitical, there are a lot of applications that relate to the Academic Library world.  (In fact the word “Library” is mentioned in the proper context a few times.  Regrettably, the context is generally, “how you don’t need to go to one anymore.”  Quite depressing, I know.  But that topic is for another blog.)

Three overarching themes from the World is Flat  are Collaboration, Competition, and Challenges.  Some of my favorite quotes from the book that best illustrate the connections with the Library world are:

1. Collaboration 

“In-forming is about self-collaboration - becoming your own self-directed  and self-empowered researcher, editor, and selector of entertainment without having to go to the Library or movie theater or through network television. In-forming is searching for knowledge. It is about seeking like minded people and communities.”  

2. Competition

“The [Library] profession is currently in transformation. Those who get caught in the past and resist change will be forced deeper into commoditization. Those who can create value through leadership, relationships, and creativity will transform the industry as well as strengthen relationships with existing clients.” OK, OK, Friedman was actually talking about accountants in this example. But I still think you could insert any profession into this sentence for it to make sense. (Quick definition from Merriam Webster: commodify; specifically : to render (a good or service) widely available and interchangeable with one provided by another company.)

3. Challenges

“Old hierarchies are being flattened and the playing field is being leveled….The flattening of the world has happened faster and changed rules, roles, and relationships more quickly than we could have imagined.” (page 44)

“To put it another way, the experiences of the high-tech companies in the last few decades who failed to navigate the rapid changes brought about in their marketplace by these types of forces may be a warning to all the businesses, institutions, and nation states that are now facing the inevitable, even predictable changes but lack leadership, flexibility, and imagination to adapt - not because they are not smart or aware, but because the speed of change is simply overwhelming them.”

So, in a nutshell, technology has greatly impacted the way we live, play, and work.  That much we know.  The upside of technology is that it has enabled us to potentially be more connected and to work and play more collaboratively than ever before. 

The question for the Librarian is, are we up to the challenge of recognizing who we should collaborate with and who might be our competition in this new world where anyone, from anywhere, can access a lot of information on anything?  Are we willing to be flexible, imaginative, and creative in order to rethink what we do and what services/role the Library can play in the larger academic community ?