Isn’t it Great to Be In the Library (wherever that is)
Joseph Janes
Mark Beatty started by giving a few remarks on his term as president. He then introduced the main speaker: Joe Janes
- Started by talking about Seattle public libraries
- Then spoke of the university library
- Showed a picture of an old reference desk and said we should all look at it and see ourselves behind the desk. Should bother us. Picture taken in 1906. Medical tools from then not recognizable today. We really love our history and tradition, but there are things we have to get over.
- Information environment evolves: more and more information in fewer and fewer specific organization’s hands
- What does it mean to be in the library? Physically: walk through threshold; what about in a bookmobile? The idea has always been a little bit bigger than the library: branches, bookmobiles, etc. In a virtual world, this is a bit more difficult. “In the library” whenever they’re in chat or on the website. Possibly simultaneously in other places, too.
- The library is: by implication the place, the stuff, the support, the interaction, and the values. Take away one: bookstore; take away another: an archive; etc. Many of these are up for grabs now.
- This implies an extended notion of “library” or “librarianship.” When you begin to think this way the library has power.
- We also have presences, and can be in several places at the same time, with several identities. (Twitter, facebook, IM, texting, Meebo rooms, in person, etc). These all have information needs and are tied to environments.
- They will come to us, but they won’t go very far. Where ever they are, whatever they want to do, we must be available, positioned, and ready to support on their terms, visible presences, not unlike building new branches or bookmobile routes.
- We know how to plan for new service areas, here’s another one. Digital citizens.
- We have to be better online.
- Said prehistoric cave-art is like YouTube. “I was here, I mattered.”
- Basic human urges: to communicate, learn, organize, search for and make meaning, inherently ambiguous context of language. This stuff is hard, we help make it easy. It’s what we do.
Then the OCLC Bloggers panel spoke. George Needham, Eric, Chrystie Hill, and Alice Sneary.
- Talked about turning the question around… when do we *not* want to be in the library?
- If collections are everywhere, what we have specifically is less important.
- The actual tool doesn’t matter as much as why you use it. Twitter can be carried with you, it’s fun, etc. Can we incorporate these characteristics into our services?
- We might use libraries in different ways.
- Need to get away from the cool step-back-view of the profession, and back to user-as-center enthusiastic view.
- It’s not going to be about the stuff. It’s going to be about the experience we create around the stuff.
- Sure we’re doing the work right, but are we doing the right work?
- Ex. Need: quick ubiquitous type of thing. One possible solution: Twitter.
Can I just say that I love LITA had chairs by each of the outlets for the bloggers? Fabulous!
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