Final Reflections

Our first introductory course to the library field has come to a close. I am sad, but also excited for the other courses (and of course the jobs) that are awaiting me. For our last blog post, Dr. Lankes asked that we sum up what we have learned during the semester and explain how our view of the profession has changed from when we first began school back in August.

I have to admit that my view of the profession has changed dramatically. When we first began the semester, I was stuck in defining librarianship in a very traditional way. Dr. Lankes knew that many of us would have this view, and that is why he worked hard to deconstruct that traditional definition for us. I now know that librarianship is about information, knowledge and conversation. It is not about books, shelves, and catalogs. I also know that there are a myriad of opportunities awaiting me in the profession. I don’t have to work in a university or public library to be a librarian. I can work for a hospital, a business, an archive, a museum, a newspaper, a television or radio broadcasting station, and the list goes on.

I also know that I may face some opposition. There are those people out in the world who see librarianship as a dying profession, and do not feel that there is a need for libraries anymore. After my first semester of graduate school, I feel that I am better prepared to face these people and their misguided opinions about libraries. For instance, say I am confronted with the following situation:

Misguided Person: “Why do we need libraries anymore? We can get everything online at home.”

Me, Future Librarian at the Ready: “Libraries are not just about books. In fact, they have always been about information more than anything else. Although you can access a lot of information online, that information is not always accurate or authoritative. Librarians can help you to find the right kind of information on the Internet.”

Misguided Person: “But can’t they do that virtually? Why do we even need a library building that is sucking up our government funding?”

Me: “Libraries serve a very important place in the community. They are gathering places, studying and learning places, and places for people to be themselves in their own community. They are also one of the only places where people who cannot afford computers can go to access the Internet free of charge. As my professor used to say, the mission of librarians is to improve society through facilitating knowledge creation in their communities. Libraries and librarians provide people with the tools and the information they need to become informed and to create. There is no other place in our community that serves the same function as libraries and certainly not one that does so for free. When you take all of this into consideration, libraries are quite deserving of government funding.”

While it is sad that I will have to defend my profession to some people, I take comfort in the fact that those who do not value libraries are simply misinformed. I am proud that I am going into such a worthy profession, and proud to defend that profession to anyone who questions its importance. I can’t wait to be a librarian!

Gaming in Libraries

Professor Scott Nicholson (a fellow Okie!) led the discussion for our IST 511 class this week and talked about the importance of games and gaming in a library setting. Personally, I had never really given much thought to gaming in the library. I knew that gaming in libraries existed, and I’ve heard a lot about National Gaming Day @ Your Library (an annual event each November originated by Dr. Nicholson), but I always thought of gaming in libraries as a sort of ‘extra’ thing that libraries could provide to the public. Professor Nicholson’s discussion made me realize that gaming is in fact a very relevant library service.

Cartoon by Jonny Hawkins.

At my hometown’s public library, I know that gaming nights have become popular over the past few years. When the Wii was first introduced, the library started having weekly Wii game nights for teens where they could take turns playing games for a designated period of time each week. I always thought it was strange that they targeted teens specifically—other age groups like playing with Wiis, too! However, Professor Nicholson brought up the fact that teens are an underrepresented group in public libraries. While there are plenty of activities for young children and even babies (cuddle hours, anyone?) to keep the little ones active at the library, kids tend to lose interest in libraries as they grow into teenagers. This is particularly true for teenage boys, who don’t necessarily think hanging out at the local library is a cool thing to do. Wii game nights, and other gaming events, are a great way for libraries to draw in teenage boys and other underrepresented groups.

There are many other benefits to libraries that provide gaming services and events to their patrons. Based on his own studies, Professor Nicholson discovered that libraries involved in gaming often find an increase in the library’s reputation and that of the library staff. The studies also found that people who attend library gaming events tend to return to the library for other services. Gaming events would also appear to create a more fun and inviting atmosphere at libraries. As Dr. Nicholson said, in times of economic hardship it is important to evoke the idea of the library as a positive, fun, and inviting space.  Gaming can certainly help make libraries reflect this positive atmosphere.

I particularly liked Dr. Nicholson’s ideas about connecting different generations and cultures through gaming. Gaming clubs at the library can be multi-generational and can create relationships among people who would not otherwise meet or associate with one another. Gaming has also become quite popular in senior centers and nursing homes, and many libraries have been taking advantage of this and bring the library, librarians, and games to the seniors. There are so many ways to utilize games at libraries, for fun and for learning, and it all seems to lead back to that wonderful library-as-community-space idea we’ve been talking about all semester.

My thoughts on "the Future of Libraries"

In the online version of our 511 class, Professor Lankes posted a video of Eli Neiburger giving a virtual presentation at the 2010 Library Journal/School Library Journal Online Summit and asked our class to respond to the presentation. At the Summit, Neiburger, the Associate Director for IT and Production at the Ann Arbor District Library, presented his e-lecture entitled “Libraries at the Tipping Point: How eBooks Impact Libraries.” In the video, Neiburger quite bluntly states that “libraries are screwed” unless they drastically change the way they operate. Similar to Professor Lankes, Neiburger believes that if libraries continue to associate themselves with the objects they contain (their collections) then the new “download everything from home for free or for cheap” way the world is going will make libraries become outmoded.

Books, Neiburger claims, could potentially go the way candles and LPs have gone: those items have not disappeared, but their primary purpose has shifted as technology has evolved. Rather than allowing libraries to become outmoded and perhaps ultimately obsolete, Neiburger suggests that libraries return to their roots of recording the materials of the local population. He suggests that libraries change their “circulating collections” focus to that of “member-created content.” Neiburger believes that the future of libraries lies in becoming centers for member-created content of our local communities. In essence, the community would come to the library not to receive information but to create their own information. The community would become the “writers/artists” and the library would become the “publishers” of their work and store the work of the local community to be shared with others.

I like the idea of user-created content in the library, and I’m glad that Neiburger is trying to find a new way to define the library’s role in this ever-changing world. Yet, I have to admit, he seems to be missing one crucial point: libraries are already centers of member-created content, which is why they mean more to people than just “that place where you can get books.” Libraries have existed as community centers for collaboration and creation for years. They do store the history of the community in their archives and they do facilitate creation in their communities through the information they distribute (whether that be through physical materials, through the Internet they provide, or through workshops and informational events). Libraries do much, much more for their communities than simply circulate materials.

At the end of his presentation, Neiburger argues that libraries “need to become a platform for unique experiences and unique content” if they want to remain relevant in today’s world. In my opinion, libraries already offer unique experiences, but meager budgets have hindered them in marketing those experiences in the most effective ways. As librarians, it is our job to keep the public interested in our services. If we continue to serve the needs of our community, however those needs might change through the years, then libraries will never become outmoded.

My "Aha" Library Moment (I think)

Our last class with Professor Lankes was last Wednesday night. He did a very nice job of giving us a few more motivational speeches to remember him by, and we are all sad to see him go (off to Italy, no less! Very jealous.) He let the class ask him anything we wanted to, and one of the tangents he went on got me thinking about how I arrived in this field in the first place.

When a classmate asked him how to broach the situation of the old librarian views vs. new librarian views as we begin our careers in the field, he mentioned that old-fashioned networking is a good way to get people to appreciate your new ideas. He suggested that finding out people’s “Aha” library moments, the moment they knew they wanted to be a librarian or the moment they knew they were in the right profession, was a good way to establish a relationship with your new colleagues.

That made me wonder, what is my “Aha” library moment? How did I know that I wanted to be librarian? People ask me this question all the time, and I’ve found myself stumbling over the answer somewhat. My usual answer is something along the lines of “I always loved being around books, and being in the library, and volunteering at the library and my mother was a librarian, so it just seemed natural!”

I think that answer is a little stilted and artificial-sounding. Becoming a librarian did not always seem “natural” to me. If I’m being quite honest, I wavered over my decision to move to Syracuse and start the LIS program only days before I left. This was mostly due to fear of the unknown, but I also found myself wondering if becoming a librarian was really what I wanted to do with my life. 

Thankfully, I forced myself to come, and doing so led me to what I think was my “Aha” library moment. No, I didn’t discover that my passion in life is MARC codes or FRBR. What really made me realize that I wanted to be a librarian was that sense of fitting in. In the LIS program at SU, I’m surrounded by people who like the same things I do, and actually find things like learning HTML, how to market a library, and mending books interesting! It’s refreshing to know that I’m surrounded by people who so strongly believe in things like the freedom to access information, and share other beliefs similar to my own.

I fit in with all these librarians and librarians-in-training around me. I think that’s my “Aha” library moment.

I Get it, but I Still Like Archives

After reading our various blogs on the wonders of Bird Library’s Special Collections Research Center from last week (my last blog included) our professor wanted to bring us a different perspective on archives and preservation. On Wednesday night’s class, he pointed out to us that although our visceral reactions to the antique books and documents in the archives are important, the items themselves do not actually have any intrinsic value, but are only appreciated and preserved because of the value we place on them.

I completely understand Professor Lankes’ argument. He comes from the relatively newer school of thought in the library world that argues against libraries as “places full of books.” From previous classes, I have come to understand his view in this way: If libraries are merely places used to house books (basically, places full of things) then what will happen when these books/materials/things are no longer valued? The answer: Libraries will no longer have any value. This is why he stresses for future librarians like myself to view libraries not by what they contain but by the mission of librarianship. In my professor’s opinion, archives will no longer have any value in the future either, since they are completely defined by the objects they contain.

While I understand Professor Lankes’ argument, and agree with his view of libraries, he seemed to be taking an extreme stance in regards to the value of archives. I think it is true that we are the ones that place the value on the illuminated manuscripts and first editions of Alice in Wonderland that are archived at Bird Library. Without us, these objects would have no value in and of themselves. However, I think you could make the same argument about any physical objects, or even people for that matter, which makes his argument a little weak to me. For example, does your cell phone have any real value outside of the value that you and others place on it? In reality it is just metal and plastic, but if you lose it you panic and feel as though you have lost your connection to the world. 

The point that I am trying to make is that people will always place value on things. Just because those values might change someday is no reason to abandon all the library archives of the world. Nor is it any reason to abandon all desires of becoming an archivist. I'm sorry, professor. Even though I know I only like them because of the value that myself and others have placed on them, I still like archives.

Dreams of Archival and Preservation Work

This week in IST 511 we explored the wonderful Special Collections area of Bird Library. Dr. Ken Lavender showed us some extremely rare and fascinating books; David Stokoe showed us what he was working on in his conservation lab; and Peter Verheyen also showed us some of Bird Library’s preservation techniques for circulating materials. As our professor, Dr. Lankes, warned us at the beginning of the semester, I was yet again left with a feeling of “Now, that’s the type of librarian I want to be!”

I think the feeling might stick this time, though. Preservation and Archives have been in the back of my mind since I first became interested in pursuing a degree in librarianship. While I like the idea of working in a public library to give information to the masses, the preserving and mending of old, sometimes ancient, books is much more enticing to me. I worked in the processing department of my undergraduate university’s library for two years, and directly handling books (working with my hands) was my favorite part of that job. There is an odd sort of satisfaction in knowing that you have mended a previously damaged book and allowed it to circulate and be of use for at least a little while longer.

While I’m obviously very interested in preservation and archival studies (I work in Bird Library’s Belfer Audio Archive, and am actually running for secretary for the SU student chapter of the Society for American Archivists (SAA)), I still find myself hesitant about obtaining SU’s Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Cultural Heritage and Preservation. Part of it is the money and the time (I believe three extra courses are required) but my other hesitation is the fact that, although I think I would like to eventually go into archives, I would rather take classes in all areas of the library field during my time at SU. Instead of focusing on one CAS and one specialty, I think I should be a well-rounded student so that I’m more qualified for whatever job comes my way when I graduate. I hope this is a smart decision!
  
By the way, I think I want to attend the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC—don’t you love all these library acronyms?!) which will be held this year from November 11-13 in Harrisburg, PA. Hopefully I can volunteer and go for free (crossing my fingers)!

I want to be a Scandibrarian: Scandinavian Libraries & their Amazing Use of Space

In my International Librarianship class we have been talking via Skype to librarians all over the world. So far we have spoken to a librarian in Qatar, a librarian in India, and most recently to Maru Peltonen, a Finnish Librarian who works as a children’s librarian in the suburb of Espoo near the capital, Helsinki. Maru was very interesting to listen to and had some very intriguing ideas about libraries, particularly in regards to library space. 

According to Maru, what is most important to Finnish library users are the library’s collection and its space, not its activities. Finnish librarians have taken their users’ opinions seriously and have devoted a lot of thought into making their libraries comfortable welcoming spaces. As Maru put it, “some people just want to have somewhere to be, and they go to the library to find that.” She went on to say that inviting, comfy libraries make users feel welcomed and create the idea of the library as a positive place in the community. Those austere, cold libraries with their shushing librarians create an atmosphere of negativity, and this is certainly not the image libraries need to have right now.

Rum för Barn

Maru further illustrated the way libraries in Finland and other parts of Scandinavia have approached the issue of space by showing us some pictures of some amazing libraries. By far, the coolest of those libraries was Stockholm’s Rum för Barn. Rum för Barn literally translates to ‘Room for Children’ and is essentially the children’s area in the Kulturhuset library. This library is incredible. Half library, half playground, Rum för Barn is filled with places for kids to climb, cubby holes where they can hide, and even hammocks for them to relax in while they read! Maru said that as a children’s librarian, her main goal is to get kids excited about reading, and what kid wouldn’t be thrilled about going to Rum för Barn? The Swedish librarians who designed this innovative library were clearly thinking about using the space to appeal to their patrons, and they certainly succeeded (I’ve heard that there is actually a waiting list to get in to Rum för Barn at certain times during the year!).

I am now desperate to work at a Scandinavian library and be a Scandinavian Librarian (Scandibrarian). Those Swedes and Finns are certainly on the cutting edge of librarianship! Now all I have to do is learn Swedish...

To learn more about Kulturhuset and Rum för Barn, click here. Picture above found here.

A Female Dominated Profession or Not?

Last week’s IST 511 guest speakers were excellent. They were: Blane Dessy, former Director of the United States Department of Justice Library and currently the new Director of the Federal Library and Information Network at the Library of Congress, and Stephen Weiter, former law librarian and new Library Director for SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Both librarians who spoke to us were very interesting speakers and gave us a lot of advice about our future profession. Both librarians hold very prestigious positions and have worked very hard and long to get to those current positions. Both librarians also happen to be men.

Before you start to groan, let me say that I am not pointing out the gender of the presenters to complain, nor am I trying to be antagonistic in any way.  I simply found it noteworthy and it reminded me of the complexities of the gender divide in the library profession. One of my professors, a PhD student, mentioned in class once that although librarianship is widely viewed as a female dominated profession, that is not actually true. To say that librarianship is a female dominated profession would imply that there are more females than males in leadership and director positions. While it is a fact that there are more female librarians and library students (a glance around any of my classrooms will attest to that) male librarians tend to dominate in library leadership positions. Some* have argued that this is not actually true, but something in me tends to believe that it still might be.

I know that our last two guest speakers were women, and I think that it is good for us to have both male and female guest speakers in our introductory course. The representation of both genders in the profession brings more diversity to our class lectures, and I think that everyone has benefitted from hearing all the speakers thus far. I also know that Syracuse University’s Dean of Libraries is a woman, and that there are countless other women in leadership positions in libraries. I would just kind of like to see those statistics for myself. If you have any more information for me on this topic, please let me know. It would ease my mind a bit to get some more concrete facts.

*Note: I have tried to do a little research on my own. In her article, A Female-Dominated Profession in the Male-Dominated Workforce of Higher Education, Turner states that “William Fisher’s The Question of Gender in Library Management…addressed a misconception about males in leadership roles in library management” (5). I have tried to gain access to Fisher’s article for myself, even though it is a bit outdated, but the SU Library will only get it for me via interlibrary loan. I might just have to wait to find out more…

The Power of the 'Off' Button

Evidently, the majority of last week’s IST 511 blogs consisted of discussions about the always controversial eBooks. I chose not to discuss eBooks last week, because I felt as though I had made my views of eBooks clear in my first blog post several weeks ago. (To paraphrase, I basically admitted that although I don’t particularly enjoy eReaders, they are here to stay and it is better to embrace them than complain about them). However, as the discussion in our class yet again centered on the issue, I feel as though I have to pick up on the topic once more and hopefully for the last time.

Rather than simply debating over whether or not eBooks are good or bad or whether libraries should embrace them or reject them, I prefer to talk about the idea that Professor Lankes hinted at in his presentation at the Virtual Summit on eBooks and further discussed with us in class last week. In the Virtual Summit, Professor Lankes talked about the concept of reading as a social act, and not a completely private act of conceptual decoding. He further suggested that eBooks should reflect this social aspect of reading by becoming more like the popular social networking tools we all seem to be obsessed with, like Facebook and Twitter. The example that we discussed in class went something like this: While reading Austen’s Pride and Prejudice on your eBook, occasionally other things pop up on your screen, like Amazon’s “Other people who like Pride and Prejudice also like Sense and Sensibility” or, while reading Pride and Prejudice on your eBook, the same eReading machine allows you to tweet to your friends, “Hilarious! I just read the part where Mr. Collins fumblingly proposes to Elizabeth!”

There were all sorts of arguments in class against this sort of thing, i.e., “I don’t want things to pop up at me while I’m reading. It would be so distracting!” I agree that social networking on my eReader would in fact be quite distracting. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people who can multitask and do many other things while reading. If I am not in a completely silent atmosphere, I literally cannot focus on the text in front of me (as a side note, I actually think I might have a type of learning disability, but I’ve never been officially diagnosed with anything). I can’t even enjoy reading a book at a coffee shop, so being bombarded by tweets and Facebook updates while reading would be a terrible thing for someone like me. I would never be able to read anything in its entirety again! If you believe in Schwartz’s theory of the Paradox of Choice, it would also follow that my not-ever-reading-anything-all-the-way-through would also lead to a personal dissatisfaction and would have a negative effect on my psyche.

Despite the effects it will have on my psyche, I do think that social networking applications are quite possibly the future of eBooks and that I’m going to have to deal with it when it comes along. However, if such applications are indeed the future, doesn’t it also make sense that this hypothetical eReader will also have a button or switch to turn off all those distractions, too? I know that there are other people in the world that are easily distracted like me, so it seems as though the inclusion of the ‘off’ button will be just as likely as those other developments. Basically, my message to everyone is: trust in the power of the ‘off’ button and you can deal with any of these new trends that come along.

Here's a link to Schwartz's TED talk on the Paradox of Choice: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/barry_schwartz_on_the_paradox_of_choice.html

Intellectual Freedom and Twilight

Recently, I've been thinking a lot about intellectual freedom and the role that libraries play in providing that right. This week, September 25-October 2, is national Banned Books Week. The annual event was started in the US in 1982 in response to a number of challenges against books held in libraries, bookstores, and schools. While many books contain material that may appear violent, sexist, or racist to some, it is the obligation of libraries to include these books in their collections so as not to violate the First Amendment of the United States Constitution’s Bill of Rights. I’m specifically referring to the freedom of speech part of the First Amendment, or in this case, freedom of the written word. Applied on an international level, removing these books from libraries would violate Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) established by the United Nations in 1948. Article 19 states that:

 “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

As we’ve been discussing in my International Librarianship class, many countries that are active participants in the UN do not uphold the rights established in the UDHR for their citizens. China and Cuba would be a few examples of such countries. However, in the United States we do provide these human rights for everyone. Because every person in the US has the right “to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media,” we will not remove To Kill a Mockingbird or Catcher in the Rye from our libraries. We will not even remove more recent items from the banned books list, such as And Tango Makes Three for its homosexual penguins (!?) or the Twilight series, despite the opinion of this blogger that Stephenie Meyer is a terrible writer and should consider a career change. You see, even though I greatly dislike the writing style of Stephenie Meyer, as a librarian I would still include her books in my collection and would not pass judgment on those who choose to read her. Who am I to tell you not to read Twilight? Be an independent thinker and make the choice for yourself. That’s what intellectual freedom is all about!

For more information on Banned Books Week and the list of banned books, click here or visit ALA’s page about the issue here. I retrieved the quote of Article 19 from Wikipedia.

My Librarian Hero: Ruth Brown

I wanted to start off this week's blog by talking about something I came across in chapter three of the Portable MLIS, "Human Rights, Democracy, and Librarians" by Kathleen de la Peña McCook and Katharine Phenix. Not many people realize that librarians have often had to fight for their community's right to freedom of expression and opinion, right to privacy, and right of equality under the law. During tumultuous times in our nation's history (and undoubtedly in other nations as well) librarians have continually fought for the protection of these fundamental human rights. As the chapter asserts, "a democratic society relies on an informed citenzry" (p. 23) so that those informed citizens can use their best judgement in selecting the legislators and representatives of their democratic government. One of the places in our society that allows for this informed citizenry to develop is at the public library. Public libraries are truly democratic institutions in that anyone and everyone who visits them is allowed access to information, and librarians have fiercly upheld this democratic tradition.

While the chapter mentions several librarians who acted quite bravely and suffered much in acting as human rights advocates for their patrons, one librarian in particular caught my interest. In 1950 Ruth Brown, a librarian of outstanding achievements, was fired from the Bartlesville Public Library in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, after 30 years of service to her community. Brown, a former president of the Oklahoma Library Association and long time civil rights activist, was released from her position by a newly elected library board "ostensibly because the library owned The Nation, The New Republic, and Soviet Russia Today" (p. 29). In reality, Brown was asked to step down due to her involvement with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). For years, Brown had welcomed African American children into the library through segregated story hours, and had eventually worked to integrate the library completely. The fear that McCarthyism engendered coupled with Brown's controversial civil rights advocacy caused those in power to chose to dismiss a comendable library professional at a time when she was most needed.

Being from Oklahoma myself, I was quite pleased to see Ruth Brown's inclusion in the chapter. Though I love my home state, Oklahoma's physical location within the Bible-belt and its nearness to the South have helped the state to garner many cases of civil rights injustices over its history (the persecution and discrimination of Native Americans and the Tulsa Race Riot, to name a few). It is astounding that in a state where many still today hold prejudices, over 50 years ago Ruth Brown was fighting for equality in her small town Oklahoma library. She makes me proud to be both a librarian-in-training and an Okie! 

For more information on Ruth Brown, click here, or see the book above, The Dismissal of Miss Ruth Brown: Civil Rights, Censorship, and the American Library by Louise S. Robbins.

Maybe not so Specialized Librarians

In yesterday's class we discussed the structure of your typical library, or what my professor referred to as the 'Classical View'. Branched under the Library Adminstrators (directors, board, etc.) you will find a division between the Public Service librarians and Technical Services librarians. Public Service librarians are the librarians you see and talk to when you enter the library, such as the Reference Librarians and those at the Circulation Desk. Technical Services librarians are the librarians you don't see. These librarians work in the Systems, Cataloging, and Acquisitions departments. As Professor Lankes jokingly suggested, they are divided between the librarians we show to the public, and those we hide from the public.

Having worked in an academic library's cataloging department, I have personal experience with technical services librarians. Although many of these cataloging librarians were wonderful people and very committed to their work, they did seem to be a bit more buttoned-down and curmudgeonly compared to the always smiling and helpful reference librarians wandering the shelves. It seems only natural that a library student might choose one of these directions depending on their own personality. For instance, the more outgoing person would rather work in reference or interlibrary loan where they could assist patrons directly, while the more subdued person would prefer a technical services position where they could keep to their own quiet workspace.

The more I think about it, the more it seems that dividing librarians into these two categories seems almost clique-ish and professionally restrictive. While it might be unwise to completely remove this division between library specialties, isn't our MLIS degree supposed to make us capable of being good at both public and technical library services? Professor Lankes suggested that rather than molding ourselves into one of these categories, we should focus on molding ourselves to the community our library serves. The profession of librarianship is shifting as society's needs for information change, and we have to be prepared to change as well. I wonder if those same cataloging librarians, who have been catalogers for 20 years or more, would be able to shift and work in reference services for a day. Or if the reference librarians would remember their OCLC well enough to catalog a few carts of books and other materials if they really had to.

I have nothing against having a specialization in one's field. It would be ridiculous to assume that every librarian can do everything in a library (although there are librarians that do do everything when they are the only one!). I simply think that it's probably good for a librarian to actually practice the core value of "education and lifelong learning" that we promote to society, so that we don't end up professionally identifying ourselves by the Fill in Your Libray Specialty Here clique someday.    

Librarianship: a Noble Profession

In my previous post, I discussed the inspirational mission of librarianship as defined by the professor of my introductory course, Dave Lankes. Professor Lankes began our most recent class by continuing to expound upon the mission of librarians and how this mission can be divided into three parts: Conversation, Facilitation, and Values. He noted that of the three divisions, the values of librarians and librarianship tend to be the most important to the profession. The Portable MLIS lists the four key values of libraries and librarianship today as follows:

1. Belief in Intellectual Freedom
2. Belief in Service and the Public Good
3. Belief in Education
4. Belief in the Value of the Past: Preservation

In all honesty, I entered my studies of librarianship without much consideration as to the values of the profession. As my last post implied, I turned to studying library science out of my love of books and literature, and not exactly out of the more noble desire to spread intellectual freedom and knowledge to the masses. Of course, I have always believed that access to knowledge is the key to understanding and creation. This belief particularly hit home during my undergraduate studies, which proved to open up my mind in ways I could never have conceived. While I was never enthusiastic about pursuing an MA and PhD in English Lit. in order to become a professor (and obviously chose not to take that path), I am glad that the profession that I have chosen to study holds many of the same values that a good teacher might possess.

No matter what type of librarian you choose to become (public, academic, school, or special), these values remain at the core of the profession. Again, I find myself inspired by this idea. I know that values can be found in almost any profession, but from what I have read and seen, most librarians seem to take these values to heart. I know that it is naive to assume that every librarian works by these core values, but it's still just refreshing to know that librarianship at its heart is a noble profession.

First Intro LIS Class

I just finished my first week of Library Science school and I am filled with optimism and excitement. In our introduction class, we discussed the various ways to define librarianship. Our professor focused on three different ways to define the profession: by what you do, by where you've been, and by your mission. Librarianship as defined by what librarians do is to define their function: acquiring books and other works and materials for cataloging and distributing them to the general public. The profession as defined by where librarians have been encompasses the traditional view of librarianship. This definition is tied to the historical view of librarianship, as seen in Krummel's "Seven Ages of Librarianship." The third way to define the librarianship is by its mission. Our professor defined the mission of librarians as "to improve society through facilitating knowledge creation in their communities."

Personally, I found this third definition of the mission of librarianship to be particularly enlightening. Even though I am pursuing the profession, I often found myself defining librarianship by the first two more narrow-minded definitions. This way of thinking can be very discouraging to a new-comer to the profession. If librarians are defined by what they do currently, and by what they have done in the past, we are failing to define them accurately. For example, if you define a librarian as someone in a building who provides you with books, your definition is fleeting. With the age of Kindles and iPads upon us, the need for physical books is waning. Just as the traditional newspapers are dying, so may the hard cover and paperback books that I love. I must admit that I was one of those who was clinging to the traditional views of the profession. (I would often find myself saying such things as "How could we ever replace books?" or "I need to be able to turn the pages!" or "I hate reading off of a computer screen!") Despite my feelings, the world is moving in the direction of the fast-paced electronic need for information, and librarianship must move to reflect this direction in order to survive.

However, we traditionalists need not be afraid and fear that the loss of books equals the loss of librarianship as a profession. If you define librarianship by its true mission, "to improve society through facilitating knowledge creation in communities," then it is easy to see that librarianship will never die. Librarians and libraries are not books, materials, and buildings. Librarians and libraries are knowledge, conversation, and understanding. Your librarian does not merely provide you with the right article to cite in your research paper. Through conversation, your librarian facilitates knowledge by giving you the tools necessary to understand the topic thoroughly and create your masterpiece. Can a Kindle help you do that? Can Google even help you do that? I think not. Who else but librarians can navigate the current influx of information and make it easy for you to get what you want, understand what you want, and create what you want? Who else but librarians wield such power? Take that, e-books and Internet databases. You won't steal my job anytime soon.