Unless you have been living under a stone for the last few months, the turmoil in the world financial markets can not have escaped your notice, but how will this, and the inevitable recession that we are heading in towards, influence libraries and their suppliers?

Is the library world insulated from it?  Does it mean that open source become more popular because it is perceived to be cheaper, or less because there will be less funding for those involved?  Does it mean that pressure to purchase add-on components as against full systems will increase?  What pressures will there be on the vendors both traditional and open source?  Does this mean that libraries will become more or less significant in their communities?  Is this an opportunity or a crisis or both?

Joining gang members Marshall Breeding and Carl Grant to discuss this, our guest this month is Talis CEO and avid Bloomberg watcher, Dave Errington.

The conclusion seems to be that it is definitely a crisis for the world economies, but this first recession in an online world could be an opportunity for libraries if they are willing to grasp it.  Take a listen and see if you agree.

During the conversation Carl references a Chronicle of Higher Education, Tech Therapy, podcast about the culture clash between librarians and IT in the academic environment.  You can listen to that podcast by following this link.

Bookmark It