Interpretation: The copy of code, being mere bits, is free—and becomes valuable to you only through the support and guidance.
Authenticity: You might be able to grab a key software application for free, but even if you don’t need a manual, you might like to be sure it is bug free, reliable, and warranted.
From Better than Free by Kevin Kelly.
In a December 2008 article, Kevin Kelly lists 8 values companies must offer in a digital marketplace filled with free products. Libraries already have these values in abundance, and so what’s left to do is forge an online presence to carry them into a new era while reinforcing their relevance and value in the physical world. The availability of feature-rich open source publishing and collaboration platforms makes this possible.
Constructing virtual reference desks won’t suffice—commercial firms like Amazon and Google will always execute better on services for finding and referring information. With digital natives spending more time in online community spaces than physical ones, it makes sense for libraries to leverage the qualities that make them better than free, in areas commercial firms overlook or cannot effectively monetize.
Yesterday, I suggested public librarians take the lead in creating online town commons that make the rich, dynamic flow of local information they intermediate available to town residents. Librarians already know what we want and are uniquely qualified to deliver it.
We want info and interaction that meets our immediate needs close at hand, with easy access to more. We want a safe online place that is well-organized and well-marked with serendipitous spaces as zones outside the mundane. We want equal access. We want coaches nearby whose raison d’etre is to help us get the most out of these new spaces and who will continually improve them based upon our feedback.
Trusted interpretive assistance is something commercial firms will never be able to provide to local communities; there’s no money in it. And corporate claims about the public good are dubious in light of reports on seeing corporate fingerprints in wikipedia edits and Facebook’s continued problems with security and privacy. For hundreds of years, reliability and trust have been hallmarks of our public library system and we need these values more than ever in this brave new world.
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* Original graphic by Flatbread Pizza Assn.
