The Long Tail, Finale

I believe that libraries can and should utilize the long tail of their collections if they want to stay a viable and integral part of our culture and society. It is absolutely worth and it and must be done. As the rest of the culture diversifies its interests, library collections must mirror that shift. I think a few factors are important in accomplishing this shift:

1. Remembering that some consumers still want to come into the library to browse and check out physical goods, but some consumers will want to download from their computers, or perhaps even receive items directly in the mail. The same holds true for reference services. Making services easily accessible and available through various distribution channels is key.

2. Finding more ways to let the patrons influence collection development. Using surveys and polls, online and in the library, can help librarians ensure they are meeting the needs of the public. In addition librarians can utilize blogs to start discussions.

3. Chris Anderson reminds us to "think and, not or". This can be more difficult when physical storage space is limited. More patrons may need to use ILL. Stand-alone libraries are quite possibly going to need to somehow utilize a consortium system to be able to offer increased selection and variety to patrons. And perhaps as libraries come together, they can utilize economies of scale to purchase increased online collections and services.