This last week, I gave a talk at the Coalition for Networked Information meeting.  I've uploaded the CNI presentation here.

This is a speculative talk, not as specific as an endorsed direction, musing about the desirability of creating an entirely new type of organization for libraries to represent current and future interests.  

I am grateful for the comments and feedback of (among several others) Rick Luce (Emory Univ.), Kevin Guthrie (JSTOR, Ithaka), Dale Flecker (Harvard Univ.), Katherine Kott (Aquifer Project), Linda Frueh (Internet Archive), and Gretchen Wagner (ARTStor).  

After the talk, Dale gave me the most poignant comment, "Why isn't what you are describing OCLC?"  (This comment may make more sense after a perusal of the slides).  I agreed, this could be OCLC, and arguably, it was historically OCLC.  And OCLC is doing some incredibly innovative and exciting work for their membership.  

I believe the best rejoinder is that OCLC is working within a bibliographic systems universe and they may not be as able as an entirely new organization to address cyber-infrastructure demands and visions.  I admit as several commentators pointed out that achieving cohesion over a specific development plan - defining and choosing an application - may range from difficult to insurmountable - what is the role of the library in this space, if any? 

As Dale concluded, if we are eventually able to isolate a desiderata, then we might think of this effort as choosing to replicate the success that OCLC achieved in a new forum.  

As always, comments welcome.  I am about to get lost in conceptual weeds, so I halt.