1. Dobrich, 26 April 2012

2. The Concept of “Innovation”
Innovation is most commonly defined as a change toward
renovation or adoption of something new and useful in the
practice.
Joseph Schumpeter (1934) identifies 5 main cases of innovation:
 adoption of a new product
 introduction of a new method of production
 discovering a new market
 using a new source of raw material / production resources
 creation of a new organization of work or relations among
companies within an industry

3. Types of Innovations
The technological concept of innovation (Oslo Manual, 1995)
links product and process innovations to research and
technology transfer.
According to the adopted classification principle, different types
of innovations exist:
 product or technical innovations, i.e. new products or new
applications
 technological innovations – a new method for
production, supply and sale
 organizational innovations, i.e. new methods of management
 social innovations, i.e. creation of new values

4. Library Innovations
 Innovation is a complex process of creation,
distribution and usage of novelties in order to enable
library development as a social institute and
enhancement of library performance
 Library innovation is a system of new ideas proposed
by creatively thinking professionals or by a team
 One of the main directions of innovative library
activities is the automation and mechanization of
technological processes
 The use of information and communication
technology (ICT) modifies traditional services

5. What is an innovative service?
 brand new / never done before
 addressed to a new target group
 created in a new partnership
 created by means of new technology

6. Innovative Library Services
Users’ information needs are met through provision of new, modern
information insurance solutions.
Public libraries introduce new and innovative services enabling
communities to access ICT. Speaking of library services, more and
more often we mean their electronic version of existence.
 ICT based services – use of internet, e-mail, ICT training,
information literacy and job application classes; Ask Librarian virtual
reference service
 е-Services – е-government, e-education, e-employment, e-culture / e-
science, e-society, e-business, e-health…

7. Information and Communication
Innovations
 Online resources, accessible 7/24, a different type of
communication: e-mail, Skype, Facebook
 Virtual reference services: Ask a Librarian
 Online reference form
 Online interlibrary borrowing form
 Online electronic document delivery form
 Е-publications
 Electronic catalogues
 Digital resources
 Е-government – integrated public services via the world
wide web addressed at service provision (to citizens and
the business) without reference to time and place

8. Libraries’ Role in e-Government
 Libraries – public centers for access to information for all
 Diverse information service provision to users (including
government related and administrative information)
 ICT training of users
 Electronic service provision – bibliographic reference, document
delivery, access to electronic catalogues (an e-government
service)

9. Virtual Reference and Information
Services
Reference and information services – the most dynamic
activity.
The emerging new audience of users demanding a
continuous access, provision of soft copies of documents
and assistance from professional bibliographers brings
about the creation of virtual reference services.
Distance service provision to users ensures:
 usage regardless of time and place
 user-mediator interaction
 performance efficiency
 mobilization of resources inaccessible for users

10. Virtual Reference Services
Virtual reference service characteristics include all elements of
traditional reference bibliographic and information services. The
implementation methodology is also identical.
What is different is technology!
The essence of library and information activities changes not so
much in terms of nature but rather in terms of modifying the
tools for information distribution and storage. Many typical
library activities will not be limited to the physical availability of
libraries and information centers but will be provided freely in a
cyberspace.

11. Bulgaria’s Practice
 Ask a Librarian Services
 Electronic resource guides – reference, universal,
specialized, thematic – lists of web resources arranged by
topic

12. Types of Virtual Services
 Via e-mail and web forms available on library’s website
http://www.libdobrich.bg/
 Via Skype, chat, web conference software, web center
software
The advantage here is the interactive nature of the service.
 Ready digital collections
Their main distinctive feature is the absence of
bibliographers in the process of service provision. Their
role is prior to this process – in the selection and
organization of resources.

13. The Experience of Dora Gabe
District Library in Dobrich
 The library’s policies comply with public information and
communication needs of the local community, Dobrich district
and the country.
 The library has made a commitment to adopt new technology
and new service provision methods.
 The library provides services to the public with the support of
the ICT equipment delivered under the Glob@l Libraries –
Bulgaria Program.

14. Online Information Services
 Monthly newsletter on new books, a soft version in a .pdf file,
distributed by subscription via a mail-list on the website.
 Information about attractive titles from Bulgarian and foreign
authors (Our Suggestion), interesting titles for children
(Children’s World).
 Homepage news to promote new services, exhibitions, events,
donations.

15. New Titles

16. Newly Received Books

17. Electronic Services and Resources
Distance services:
 Book loan period extension via e-mail
 Subscription to information
 “I Want to Read” – new titles suggestion
 Website browsing
 Ask Librarian virtual reference service
 Written bibliographic reference request, reference archive browsing
and copy request
 Interlibrary borrowing request
 Electronic document delivery request

18. Electronic Services and Resources
 Cooperation and creation of united resources –
Europeana, COBISS
 Search in local electronic bibliographic databases
 Useful links – electronic resources on public information, local
authorities, information about the EU, for children and young
people
 PC skills and information literacy training
Library website usage data show that the number of hits is
constantly growing.

19. e-Services

20. Ask a Librarian

21. Meebo – virtual chat – a new reference and
information service tool

22. Bibliographic Reference Online
Request Form

23. Information Subscription

24. The Interlibrary Borrowing Service
Interlibrary borrowing aims to satisfy users’ right to free and
equal access to documents.
The use of ICT technology – online request form – modifies the
traditional service into an innovative service contributing to the
promptness of request execution.

25. Interlibrary Borrowing Form

26. Electronic Document Delivery
 EDD includes search of information sources provided
to users in soft copies (scanned, e-mailed, etc.)
 A combination of electronic equipment and software used
for service provision between libraries or between a library
and an end user.

27. Electronic Document Delivery

28. The Library as an Intermediary of
e-Government and Local Information
Through its website, our library provides access to central government
agencies, municipal information, administrative acts, regulatory
documents…
Public information
http://www.ableportal.bg/portal/index.html - public information
portal
 http://www.aip-bg.org/ - Access to Information Program
http://www.bgmaps.com/ - map of Bulgaria
Local authorities
 http://www.dobrich.bg/ - Dobrich Municipality
 http://dobrich.government.bg/ - Dobrich District Governor’s Office

29. Information, Reference and
Bibliographic Center
 Provides online public information to all library patrons
 Provides free-of-charge access to the Internet, PCs and
document print options to all library patrons
 Offers a special reading place set up for vision impaired people

30. The Information Center

31. Education Services
 Foreign language training through CDs – trainers and a variety of
training aids, dictionaries, books, hard-copy and soft-copy
resources
 Open lessons – virtual school classes in various subjects with
multimedia presentations and use of ICT
 Information days on specific topics or aiming to enhance
patrons’ library, bibliographic and information knowledge

32. Information Days, Open Lessons…

33. Training Courses
Free-of-charge practical courses take place in the library’s
training center equipped under the Glob@l Libraries – Bulgaria
Program to train people in using the services of the Information,
Reference and Bibliographic Center. The three-day training
courses include: basic computer literacy; text-processing – Word;
online information search; e-mail and Skype.
To date, more than 15о users were trained in 18 courses.
Participants fill in feedback questionnaires at the end of the
training.

34. Computer Literacy Classes

35. Work with Vulnerable Groups
 The building is accessible to disabled people
 A special ramp for vision impaired people
 Services for vision impaired people
The Information, Reference and Bibliographic Center provides a
workstation for vision impaired people – a computer configuration
equipped with special software (JAWS for Windows and Speech Lab
2.0).

36. Digitization of Regional Studies Information
In cooperation with Pencho Slaveykov District Library in
Varna, as a data aggregation library for Europeana, and by
means of new technology, our library took part in the
project with Dobrudzha digital collection of postcards and
photos from the first half of 20th century.
The project initiates the long-term strategy of Dora Gabe
District Library for preservation of our literary heritage, its
specific nature and diversity, and follows the ideas of
ЕUROPEANA on accessibility of local and regional content
through the European digital library by presenting the
culture and historical heritage of Dobrich and Dobrudzha.

37. The COBISS System
A model for connecting libraries in a uniform library and
information system with shared cataloguing, bibliographic
database, i.e. a union catalogue, local bibliographic databases of
participating libraries, cooperative services and many other
functions typical of the virtual library.

38. Ideas
Adoption of new services:
 creation of a reference guide with health related
information (with web resources)
 creation of a “Library Friends” page in Facebook
containing information useful for teenagers: about
schools in the municipality and the
district, university application
campaigns, education abroad
 organization of computer and information literacy
training in partnership with pensioners’ clubs
 online banking and taxpaying training

39. Trends
 Libraries address the groups and communities they serve
 Libraries provide access to diverse collections and services
 Users – participants in the choice of provided services
 Libraries – centers for information literacy, catching up
with technology advancement, a key factor for human
capital development
 Libraries – centers for transfer of expensive digital
information inaccessible to citizens
 Libraries – an economic development factor

40. In the digital information age, we all need to learn how to use
efficiently and effectively the huge diversity of information
and communication technology for information search,
finding, organization, analysis and assessment.
Librarians need to develop innovative services in
partnerships and reach to various target groups.
By creating services that meet readers’ information needs,
they win their trust.
There is no social development without libraries!

41. Thank you for your attention!
Zhivka Nenova
Eng. Ivan Madzharov, CCNA
Dora Gabe District Library, Dobrich