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)!