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Libraries as New Producers: Libraries may not necessarily be new producers per se, but I think they are well-poised to create an environment for amateur producers. Through library spaces that can be used by indie bands to public performances by amateur dance groups, the library can be the place where talent is bred and discovered. Similarly, through teen programs such as social media workshops that some public libraries have organized, libraries are actively seeding the new producers of tomorrow. In addition, a platform spearheaded by libraries for users to showcase their creative works -- such as what Goodreads has done to allow people to share their writing -- is also a potential breeding ground for new producers.

Libraries as New Markets: Traditionally, libraries have focused on physical resources, but that is expected to change with the increasing amount of born-digital content from peer and industrial producers alike. Although this can potentially expand the scope of a library's collection, Chris Anderson tells us that the quality of information in the long tail varies widely. I think the role of the library with the emergence of new markets should be that of an information concierge where quality information can be sought and filtered. I'm reminded of the keynote delivered by Joe Janes, associate dean of the iSchool at the University of Washington, during the Internet Librarian conference last year, where he called for libraries to focus on quality and save the time of the user: "don't worry about information worlds we're not working with; stop chasing things we can't catch - Google is doing a good job already".

Libraries as New Tastemakers: Libraries have been the tastemakers of the old, often depending on book reviews and subject librarians to sift through thousands of new titles produced each month. Collection development as a filtering process will still remain a primary activity for libraries, but that process may have to change. Librarians, who can't accurately predict demand for niches in the long tail, will have to find some way to incorporate collaborative filtering in collection development from the onset rather than as an afterthought.