[Web4lib] Re: Future of libraries

[Cloutman, David]

> All right everyone. I'm going to play the Devil's advocate since I am
one of

I sure hope, because this statement is crazy:

> Librarians have not changed and they have simply reacted with the
> changing times; that is not true change

Actually, I would consider that to be adaptation, the best kind of
change. Adaptation means that change is done is the context of
situational awareness. There are so many posts to this list about Second
Life, and IM chat, etc., and so little of it relates to the actual
demands of patrons and abilities of library staff. I cannot project in
measurable benefit of providing these technological solutions. 

As sad as it may sound, in some libraries (I'm not naming names, here),
getting the bulk of the reference staff to answer reference questions by
email can be a significant change for an organization. Yes, the
reference staff knows how to answer references questions. Yes, they can
write email. But for some reason, the bulk of them can be resistant to
doing both. If reference staff were more accessible by email, it would
certainly benefit the patrons, and it would be a significant adaptation
to the current situation. But it doesn't happen, because the librarians
are resistant to change.

I'm sure the situation may different in an academic settings, but I
think for public libraries, and my library in particular, we needn't be
straining to implement bleeding edge technology. Simply implementing
well tested technology that many, if not most, of our patrons already
use, can provide significant return on investment. And, yes, that is
real change, even if it is only reactive.

---
David Cloutman <dcloutman at co.marin.ca.us>
Electronic Services Librarian
Marin County Free Library 

-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Christopher Kiess
Sent: Monday, July 07, 2008 2:49 PM
To: Bill Drew
Cc: web4lib at webjunction.org
Subject: Re: [Web4lib] Re: Future of libraries



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