11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
With the advent of new technologies and digital content, user experiences (UX) from companies such as Netflix and Amazon have diverged from those offered by cultural institutions. The consumer media world has radically changed expectations of the baseline digital UX, and libraries are exploring ways to become consumer media distributors. As media becomes increasingly more mobile, questions about the future of libraries arise: What is at risk if libraries cannot deliver the “Amazon experience”? How do cultural institutions “fit” as publishers and curators? The disjointed environment of the library’s digital experience has made one thing clear: Libraries must adapt to Darwinian principles and evolve. Public and private partnerships are producing stunning digital experiences for library patrons that rival those delivered by the top consumer media companies. Those same collaborative efforts offer cultural institutions the opportunity to control editorial decisions while leveraging software companies to deliver a UX that meets modern consumer expectations and is future-proofed against a quickly changing mobile landscape. The presence of the library implies an inherent trust, a desire to provide information and access without bias—an area in which consumer media often falls short. This session explores the way BiblioBoard has addressed the importance of mobile customer UX, working with leading cultural institutions and libraries worldwide, and the changing nature of the cultural institution as publisher and curator.
