Can librarians utilize the Long Tail?

Short answer: sort of.

Long answer: I think the only way librarians can effectively utilize the Long Tail effect is by guiding patrons to the Long Tail by the power of suggestion. As I mentioned in an earlier post, librarians hold some power as "new tastemakers." If a patron is looking for a "hit" that's unavailable, the librarian can guide the patron to a "nonhit" that's similar, but part of the Long Tail, rather than the mainstream.

I do this all the time in my work. Kids will ask me for the latest, greatest book, and if it's not in, I try to guide them to something similar but less popular. I'm sure that I say "if you like [book x], then you might like [book y]" a dozen times a day. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't, but it's important to me that I at least introduce the students to a new book or series.

Anderson reading 2

So, Anderson defines three forces of the long tail:

1. New producers - Democratized production - populates the Tail
2. New markets - Democratized distribution - makes content freely/widely available
3. New tastemakers - Amplified word of mouth - connects consumers to products, the "new" supply and demand

I can see libraries/librarians fitting in within the first and third forces. Let's first discuss the third force, the amplified word of mouth. Anderson defines the new tastemakers as "people whose opinions are respected." (p 107). Traditionally, libraries are respected as repositories of knowledge, making librarians purveyors of knowledge. It should follow that librari* (my new made-up term for "librarians/libraries") set the standard for what is important to know. After all, librari* decide which new books to acquire, which books to advertise in book clubs, and which books to feature in displays.

Even though librari* influence is over books, they can still have some play in the first force, as "new producers." Librari* can use web services, such as blogs and emails, to advertise books. Anderson discussed a new "exposure culture," where being found is the end-all. Librari* can use blogs to advertise new books and programs, and expose themselves to new users.

The second force, the new markets, really isn't relevant to libraries. The new market is online and available 24/7, worldwide, to anyone with an internet connection. Libraries are open 8-10 hours a day, 6-7 days a week, and are limited to the physical space which contains them. A library's physical market confines it to whatever the library physically holds, plus the holdings of associated libraries. There are a finite number of items and a finite number of people who can use those items at a given time. A pure digital market, such as iTunes, carries millions of holdings, and because they are stored digitally, can be accessed many times by many people.

Personal anecdote time: the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series is extremely popular in my K-5 library. We have 4 or 5 copies of the first (red) book, and 7 of the 2nd (blue) book. They flew off the shelves once school opened, and have been continually on hold ever since. Kids are extremely disappointed when they can't have one of the books right away, and some have said that they'll just have their parents buy it, so they can have it right away. The library cannot compete with Barnes & Noble, where dozens of copies are available at a moment's notice. Even though we physically advertise the book (force 1) and personally discuss it (force 3), we have a finite number of copies for a finite number of users. Simply said, we are an old market.

Anderson reading

So, will the library world benefit from the Long Tail effect?

I don't think so. The Long Tail is all about the niche market. Anderson refers to the internet as the "ultimate discovery tool," (p. 37) and the Long Tail is about using the internet to find the myriad non-hits. He discusses how online retailers like amazon.com have eradicated brick and mortar stores by offering a no-boundaries online shop. Online stores are global; they are unfettered by things like walls and location.

Libraries, unfortunately, are limited by walls and location. My local library is four miles from my house. However, via the public library system, I can borrow from any of the 38 libraries in Morris County. There are still walls on those libraries. Borders.com, on the other hand, doesn't have walls. If I can't find a book at my local library, or any of the other 37 libraries in Morris County, you bet I'm going to find it online. Because libraries are only able to hold so many books, I think that as the niches get narrower and the tail gets longer, libraries won't be able to supply the demand.