[WEB4LIB] RE: The Wireless Future of Library Computing

[Andrew I. Mutch]

One can hardly fault librarians if they won't jump right onto the
"wireless is the future!" bandwagon. Anyone who's been around for more
than a few years has seen their share of "this is the future!" claims only
to see those claims fizzle or be radically adjusted to meet the realities
of the technology. I remember when I first started working with technology
in libraries and the big thing was CD-ROMs! We had to have networked
CD-ROMs and as many as possible. The Internet as a public information
resource was just starting to take off and the promise of easily
accessible online databases was just that, a promise, not something that
was readily available. Now, I have a handful of CD-ROMs available for
resources that are still not easily accessible on the web or in a format
that is better suited for a local resource. Everything else has gone to
online databases. But in 1995, I was safe going with just CD-ROMs. 

Now, that doesn't mean that libraries shouldn't be looking at wireless
technology and how we can provide services to wireless users, whether it
be laptops, handhelds, or other portable devices. I agree with many points
in the article. But the reality is that there still isn't a lot of
compelling features and services available for libraries. Maybe this the
old "chicken and egg" dilemma where we don't get these services if we
don't demand them but we don't demand them if we can't test and see their
value. 

I don't think librarians and techs are oblivious to the value of wireless
technology. I know a number of my fellow techs are working on wireless
projects, many funded through LSTA grants, so someone must be seeing a
value in these efforts. But I think as a whole, we tend to like to see
what we are buying. With the limited resources that all of us work with,
we simply can't afford to jump on the latest technology that comes down
the pike. E-books anyone? Having said that, I'm glad that people like Bill
Drew are out there pushing the technology and its use in libraries
forward. Someone has to be out there on the edge and that's how progress
will happen. If wireless technology and delivery of information pans out,
the rest will follow. It won't happen overnight but I have no doubt that
in the long-term, libraries will have played a role in making that happen.

Andrew Mutch
Library Systems Technician
Waterford Township Public Library
Waterford, MI