1. CULTURE & LIBRARIES:
ENGINES OF THEIR
COMMUNITIES
Stephen Abram, MLS
November 2021
AICONICS Indonesia

2. 2
Experienced global library and
information industry leader
• Culture, Museums, Archives and
Libraries
• Advocacy and Influence
• Strategic planning & marketing
• Facilities and Master Plans
• Product development
• Technology & training and marketing
Stephen Abram

3. WHAT IS OUR MAGIC?

13. WHAT IS AN
EXPERIENCE?
What is a library, learning, or cultural experience?
HINT: At its core it must be transformational and emotional

14. Fiction
Non-Fiction
Reading
Research

17. WHY DO PEOPLE
ASK QUESTIONS?

20. The Virtual Handout
❖The Value of Public Libraries
http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/06/the-value-of-public-libraries/
❖The Value of School Libraries
http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/06/the-value-of-school-libraries/
❖The Value of Academic and College Libraries
http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/07/value-of-academic-and-college-libraries/
❖The Value of Special Libraries
http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/07/value-of-special-libraries/
❖Library Advocacy: Save the Library Campaigns
http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/01/save-the-library-campaigns/

21. Libraries,
Archives,
Museums,
& Galleries
Are Social
Institutions
Including our digital presence

23. Reimagine a New Beginning:
My Basic Philosophy
◦ Staff and User safety is the first priority
◦ Understand that you are NOT returning to the old NORMAL. That is
nostalgia
◦ You are creating a New Normal and this is a great opportunity.
◦ Reframe exactly what User behaviours are changing
◦ Know what value you deliver and the strategic impacts of your
efforts
◦ Know your personal and organizational values

24. Crisis = Chaos and Opportunity

25. That said . . . Think Strategically!
Have a
positive
mindset
There is not
one goal in this
environment
You need to
consider at least
three scenarios
You need to
bake in
nimbleness and
flexibility
You need to
build comfort
with ambiguity
Build a better
NEW NORMAL

26. A BIG QUESTION
WHAT IS IT THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DO
TODAY, THAT IF WE COULD, WOULD
FUNDAMENTALLY IMPROVE YOUR
SUCCESS?

27. AND MORE
IMPORTANTLY YOUR
COMMUNITY
Users, students, seniors, businesses, researchers, …

28. THE BIG QUESTIONS FOR THIS EVENT
It’s embraced in the theme
Redefining Islamic Civilization: Perspectives across Disciplines and Societies
Who needs this? What do they need? why? How do we achieve this?

30. Every Day in every way libraries are
throwing pebbles

31. What business are you in?

33. The nasty facts
about Google &
Bing and
consumer search:
SEO / SMO
Content Farms
Advertiser-driven
Geotagging

34. The Library as Sandbox

35. Focus and
Understand the
Whole Experience

36. CHANGE IS….

37. Global

38. Constant

39. Inevitable

40. Stressful

41. Breathe

42. Find Your
Rhythm

43. DO YOU LIKE
CHANGE?
Does it matter?

44. WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF NOT
CHANGING?

45. Accept that
change is an
attitude

46. BEING MORE OPEN
TO CHANGE
BEING MORE OPEN TO
CHANGE

47. Support Your Team

48. BE INSPIRATIONAL

49. A
Clean
Slate

50. Tell Your Story:
Until lions learn to write their own story,
the story will always be from the perspective
of the hunter not the hunted.

52. Mindsets

56. Libraries core skill is not
delivering information
Libraries improve the
quality of the question
and the user experience
Learning Libraries are about
building life competencies

57. Library Magic
What are your magic tricks?

59. Do not
Fail to
Reward Risk

60. Digital risk has raised the bar

61. Smelly
Yellow
Liquid
Or
Attraction
Information has a Complex Value Proposition

62. Are you locked into an old library
mindset?

63. A Verb . . . an Experience, enlivened for an audience

64. A Noun . . . A foundation but not sufficient with professional animation

65. Grocery Stores

66. Cookbooks

67. Chefs . . .

68. Meals
Meals

69. Books, eBooks
Magazines
Websites
Buildings
Rooms
Desks
Stations
Programs
Nouns can be warehoused
and ‘cut’
Serve
Answer
Engage
Link
Entertain
Tell a story
Teach
Create
Do
Action verbs imply dynamism and
impact
OR

72. YOU

74. Black & White

83. Now over to you . . .
Throw Your Pebble!

89. lucidea.com 89
Heads up!
Free eBook
Lucidea Press
©2018 Press
Download as Kindle or Print
https://www.amazon.com/Succeeding-
World-Special-Librarianship-
Stephen/dp/1718600682/ref=sr_1_1?ie=
UTF8&qid=1528125070&sr=8-
1&keywords=Succeeding+in+the+World
+of+Special+Librarianship

91. Contacts
Stephen Abram, MLS
CEO, Lighthouse Consulting, Inc.
CEO, Federation of Ontario Public
Libraries
Blogs:
Stephen’s Lighthouse
http://www.stephenslighouse.com
FOPL: http://www.fopl.ca
Email: stephen.abram@gmail.com
Twitter: @sabram
Facebook
LinkedIn

92. Keeping Up
◦ Stephen’s Lighthouse
◦ http://www.stephenslighouse.com
◦ I filter the most important news and
research that affects libraries of all
types. All posts are also posted
through Twitter and LinkedIn via
@sabram
◦ Recommendation: Set up a Feedly
RSS feed of your favourite blogs.