Thing 15

When I first looked at the resources for this exercise, I was a little put off by the age of some of the articles. Now that I have attained the necessary levels of motivation and caffeine however, I find it is interesting that the opinions and visions in those articles are still so relevant today. We as librarians, educators, or just plain folks are still trying to get a grip on all the various technological advances and to figure out what to do with them.

There are certainly many truths expressed. We must keep up with trends, anticipate needs, and in Storey’s words “reach users in new and compelling ways.” We must continuously advocate for our patrons with the public in general and especially with the politicians who hold our purse strings. We must participate in “harnessing collective intelligence” and teach our students and colleagues how to do the same. We must dream with Dr. Schultz of Library 3.0, Library 4.0, and beyond.

And yet… We must not get so caught up in our dreams that we lose touch with reality. Just because it appears that everyone we see has a cellphone attached, that does not mean that all of those phones are “smart” nor does it mean that everyone has access to an adequate computer with good internet capability. We must remind both our colleagues and politicians that it is unlikely that our students who qualify for free or reduced price lunch have the option of working on Blackboard or taking a Virtual School class at home. We must balance our wishes as well as our budgets.

So what did I find in what I read that we might put into action sooner rather than later? I liked the “It’s a crime not to read” program. Perhaps we should look into partnering with our school resource officers on a similar project. I am also intrigued by the possibility of replacing conventional textbooks with electronic books. Part of me thinks that this would be a blessing for those of us who have spent years with the responsibility for processing and circulating textbooks. Another part of me wonders about the logistics for loading 2400+ readers with the correct titles in a timely manner. And then there is that lawsuit I read about recently claiming that some of the present generation of electronic books do not address all the needs of the visually or otherwise impaired – another hurdle as consider our diverse student population.