Thing #15

I think the "Icebergs" piece is dead-on in terms of what to expect in the near future. Like it or not, the world is and will continue to change in dramatic technological leaps and bounds. And despite their steadfast importance and purpose, a library full of print books is already archaic to younger generations. In my own experience, I remember taking a Library Science course in college and being challenged not by learning the technological tools, but the old search-by-card and microfilm techniques. I did not realize until then that I had not used those skills since I was little, and just how computerized the modern world has become.

Google books, or Amazon's Kindle reader are good examples of this. But to get back on track, the three "icebergs" mentioned are all related to my experience I mentioned above. Technology seems to be making a print-copy archive unnecessary, training for patrons is a burden that librarians just don't have the resources to keep up with, and people searching for information want to be able to access it passively, not have to "go to the library" to research it.

I find myself thinking that technology has made it possible to distribute a library's worth of information to anywhere with an internet connection, and that is a good thing! But a part of me is whistful and resistant to that change, based really more on tradition and experience than a thought-out principle.

Then again, the next time a hurricane comes through and knocks the power out for days on end, reading that RSS feed will be pretty tough! There will always be a need for a good book...just in case!