NextGen: The Start-Up Librarian

Paul Buchheit, Joshua Schachter, and Caterina Fake aren't household names, but their innovations certainly are. Buchheit created Gmail; Schachter put his tag on del.icio.us; and Fake brought Flickr to life. Thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit palpable in places like Silicon Valley, their innovations, creativity, and mind-boggling productivity were molded into some of the most successful technology start-ups in the nation.

With the dawn of Library 2.0, a philosophy based on user-centered services and change, new librarians—start-up librarians—are arriving at library directors' doorsteps by the semester with the same kind of fervor and ability that built today's great technology companies. Can librarians let go of some of their old, restrictive ways to give these new librarians the kind of environment and support that will drive the profession successfully in the 21st century? Library leaders would do well to observe some characteristics of successful Silicon Valley start-ups and to invest in new librarians and staff as if they were “start-up” projects of their own.

The most common story of successful start-ups is a couple of would-be innovators sitting in a garage, planning the next big thing. Together they feel free to consider even the most outlandish options. Without being mired in unnecessary organizational structures or having their ideas automatically shunted aside, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak started Apple Computer.

Sadly, the hierarchies and ladders of seniority in librarianship too often silence new librarians (and staff) from ever speaking up about what could be the next big thing in the field. A flattened organization, however, can encourage “start-up” librarians to share their ingenuity and foster a sense of ownership both in their library and in the profession. New librarians may lack an understanding of how the library is internally structured or politically run, but that naïveté can also be an asset and an advantage—their ideas are fresh and perspectives unique.

Google's campus awes visitors with its massive size and sprawling green spaces, but it is what's within the buildings that really sparks everyone's envy: gourmet lunches, a bright and whimsical décor, and an administration that encourages employees to use 20 percent of their time for work on side projects that may or may not be Google-related. Obviously, libraries cannot afford to treat their employees to daily gourmet lunches. But libraries do have the resources to promote an innovative work environment.

Start-up librarians aren't used to cubicles, rows of offices, and bland walls. For years, places like Starbucks and similar locales have provided exactly what these librarians need to do their best thinking: comfortable chairs, an inviting ambience, and ubiquitous Wi-Fi. Why not encourage start-up librarians to leave the library for a few hours a week to continue to do their best work and thinking in the places they have called their “office” for years?

Admittedly, Google's 20 percent philosophy sounds a little ridiculous at first: personal projects on company time—with pay? But when you consider that some of Google's most successful products, Google Reader, Gmail, and more, all evolved out of employees' 20 percent time, the notion starts to seem a little more plausible.

The 20 percent philosophy would be a godsend for start-up librarians eager to innovate and develop their skills. If more library administrators invited start-up librarians to use some of their time to be innovative in personal ways, like Google, it just might lead to the next, best user-centered service or open source OPAC.

Start-ups wouldn't be successful if someone or some group hadn't believed in them. Venture capitalists and angel investors may not be seen as mentors, but their belief in a company or idea to make a monetary investment in it is mentorship. Like these benefactors, as experienced librarians and library administrators bring start-up librarians into established organizations, they should ask themselves, “What am I really investing in?”

In hiring a new employee, directors might say they have “bought” an academic reference librarian, systems librarian, or archivist. But what you ultimately get is dependent on the effort and care you put into your investment. As an investor in a start-up librarian, be willing to provide the resources that will foster creativity and ingenuity. Once a mentoring relationship has developed, you will find that your start-up librarian is both more aligned with the mission and needs of the library and that the initiatives developed further enhance the library's services.

Motivated by their creative fervor, start-up librarians are an exuberant bunch. Nurture that exuberance. They are a pivotal asset to your library. Their ingenuity, resourcefulness, and experimental nature might be the key to unlocking the “next big thing” at your library.