Innovation in the every day life of libraries

Abstract

A state of the Art trend analysis of the Library and Information science reveals that the Library world is in the midst of the technological restructuring. Every branch of library work changes continuously because of the technological facilities, although the missions and goals remain unaltered. The libraries belong to these professional divisions which involve the innovation and technology transfer in everyday life. In most of the cases innovation either as a product or as a procedure goes into the libraries, it's not a phenomenon produced by them. On the strategic level libraries on average have developed the ability to collect, process and assimilate technological innovation. On the organizational level libraries follow the changes which technology transfer dictates such as close co-operation with computer centers and external commercial information suppliers, software and hardware suppliers, science and technology achievements, etc. It is too common to libraries to develop routines and Best Practices for every task, derived by the technology they use, for the cost decrease, the time save and the increase of the effectiveness and efficiency. The innovative process is the kind which libraries could adopt, as innovation is composed of the systematic retrieve of changes and systematic analysis of the opportunities which these changes could contribute to economic and social improvement. Innovation above all, is a social procedure, as it is interpreted in terms such as creativity, desires, fantasy and the ability to take risks and to change. So innovation and technology transfer differentiates the role of the librarian and extends it beyond the limits of the information intermediary. The librarian in order to involve, anticipate and especially produce innovation has to learn how to learn, as libraries have to learn how to change. The presentation will be a methodological one and will focus on Best Practices, the definition and a short report, how they combine with the library functions and how they produce innovative processes and new Best Practices. An evaluation of Best Practices according the Value Analysis method is included as a prerequisite of the final choice of which practice is characterised as Best and which not.