I had a very passionate discussion with a colleague on Friday that got me thinking about why I am a librarian, why libraries are relevant today, and what can be done to advance the profession.
1) The reason I became a librarian is relatively simple. When I was growing up, my mom took my sister and me to the library often. I remember spending not-enough-time browsing the shelves of my hometown public library. I was intensely interested in fantasy, science fiction, and metaphysics even back then and couldn't get enough of books about those subjects.
2) I think the basic purpose of a library today is to provide access to information. Whether this is done through answering a reference question or allowing teens to play games on the latest technology, the public is still getting information from librarians.
3) Unfortunately--and this was the crux of the conversation with my colleague--we live in an information economy, culture, and society. We're information professionals, yet we are not the first called upon to use our expertise to help further the goals of society. Large information technology companies have shown time and again that they can provide for the information needs of the world at large. Where do we fit in as librarians?
In my position as manager/librarian, I really feel that it's up to me to push for the inclusion of progressive ideas like this one. Let's invite people to participate in our library in ways they've not had the opportunity to do in the past. Let's provide an experience for our users that not only involves them in physical space, but virtual space as well.
The point is that we can provide people with places to explore, inquire, collaborate, and discover. We just have to re-invent ourselves to match 21st-century expectations.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment