Supporting interaction at the British Library

If it ain't broken, don't fix it. That was the unspoken rule when The British Library came to us with a challenge: how to stimulate interaction and sharing between its users? Renowned as the steward of every book published in the UK -- as well as countless other resources, from oral history recordings to stamps -- the Library has never been more popular. Every day, more than a thousand Readers fill its vast silent Reading Rooms to be inspired by the vast storehouse of knowledge that the Library represents.

Unsure of its role in a 'post-book' world, the Library was looking to chart a course into the stormy seas of social networking. Currently, there is no easy way for Readers to to share ideas and advice. Two Readers could be few desks apart, researching the same obscure topic, without ever meeting. The artist sitting across from the scientist might be interested in chatting over lunch. The first-year undergraduate struggling to write a paper could be sitting next to an accomplished scholar and potential mentor.

Additionally, the Library was looking for a way to quantify its contributions to society: how many books were written in the Library's Reading Rooms? How many award-winning papers cited sources found in the Library's archives?

There is a ‘silent network’ of Readers that to-date has been largely untapped and unconnected. The potential is huge.

We had no interest in forcing a change on the institution or on the Readers, many of whom enjoy the opportunity for silent study that the library affords. Also, we wondered whether books would still be the primary item of study in five, ten, or twenty years. It was time for some research.

On a tight schedule, a team of my colleagues conducted a day of 'micro-research' at the British Library's main site in London. They observed Readers at their desks and followed their trails through the building. The research was summarized in a handout (click the cover above for a PDF file) which revealed that while most Readers brought and used a laptop computer, they also used a personal note book for written notes.

Even in an age when digital technology could easily replace handwritten note books, Readers both young and old still prefer pencil and paper. Perhaps the book is a more durable symbol of learning and knowledge than we thought.

The notebook would be our hook, our go-between, our site for facilitating interaction between users. If the Readers couldn't speak to each other in the silent Reading Rooms, could their note books converse instead?

What resulted was a proposal for an augmented note book: the British Library Smartbook. Issued to every Reader who wanted one, the Smartbook could do everything a note book does now, but with a twist: the notes you make could be scanned and shared; the resources you read could be recorded, and the note books themselves could become part of the library's collection. An online message system tied to your notebook would display information about other Readers in the Library that day. The Smartbook would also be a go-between for informal meetings between shy Readers, providing an opportunity for exchanging ideas.

Check out the video to see the Smartbook in action: