Will librarians be obsolete?

Will computer automated libraries and classrooms be the new wave of the future? On the way home recently, I overheard a few of students talking about the future of libraries & education. One comment that really caught my attention was “one day there will be no teachers, or librarians as everything will be done via the computer. Librarians will become obsolete as we can generate the information off the inter net, and professors lectures will be taped.” I chuckled at the response.





Part of the students comment rings true, but not all of it. If anything, we live in a society that is heavily reliable on information that we get from electronic sources. Depending the career you work, you might needed that information yesterday. What the student did not realize is “how much much of the information we get is it reliable?” If anything, librarians will not become an extinct breed of people, but be the driving force of how the technology is used. Librarians act as a filter who sorts through an endless amount information that we use in our papers and discussions, this is something even a computer cannot do. Librarians are riding the wave of change, and are keeping up with the times by being informed and keeping up with the needs of their customer. This something that even a computer cannot do.

Limitations to e-books for libraries

Libraries to date have to survive in challenging times, from limited budgets to keeping up on the latest technology. The latest problem encounter by libraries has been the limited access they can give to their patrons over e-books. One publisher in the United States has done exactly that, the publisher has limited the borrowing to 26 times a year; the reason cited by the publisher has been over the rightsholder. Rightsholder is the same as the copyright. Authors and publishers have express concerns that the libraries are not doing enough to have proper technology in place that ensures the material from e-books cannot be duplicated and be passed on through other electronic means. 

The copying and distribution problems are nothing new; the problems existed in other industries such as the music and movie industry. In the age of the internet, industries have limited themselves by not been looking at new ways which can stop the copying and distribution of materials. Libraries are not for profit organizations, if anything they help educates the public of what resources are readily available. In a white paper report that was release last year shows that the sales from e-books has stem from people visiting the library. Instead of the industries working the libraries to help curb the problem, they are creating a bigger backlash from the public and its patron’s.

www.overdrive.com/files/PubWhitePaper.pdf

Thinking Outside the Box

Today’s libraries are facing many challenges of either shrinking budgets, trying to keep up with the latest technology, and meeting the demands of the public and government. Imagine living in a small community where you have no local library, or the local library is limited in resources (staffing issues, hours of operation, and purchasing books), and not everyone has access or the means to the latest technology to download books on Kobo, Kindle or any of the other tablets.  For those of who live in large urban centers we automatically assume everyone is on the same playing field as us, but in reality they aren’t.  Currently, there is a small movement based in the United States that has created the “Little Free Library.” The concept of this little library is to “pay it forward.”

Here the community is encouraged to share your books with other people. There are boxes placed in yards, homes, hospitals, or community centers were anyone can take a book, and put another in its place. The boxes are bigger than a mailbox, and are creatively decorated by their owners. The Little Free Library is great for people who may find it difficult shopping in a bookstore due to the variety of choices, or they just don’t like shopping in the mega bookstores. There are people who do not have the funds to purchase books, or the means to travel to a nearby library. Not everyone is technology savvy, nor do they want the latest technology gadget. The little library is a great way to share your books on your topics with other people. Books can range children’s novels, help books, chicken soup for the…, or books on hobbies that you want to share with other people. 

For those who are interested here is the link to the site:

 http://www.littlefreelibrary.org/index.html

Libraries: Investing into the Community

In the fiscal age of restraint many communities are face with cutting services, in a large city of over five million people you would think Toronto would be immune. However, this is not the case. In the municipal election last year Mayor Ford campaign on the promise that he would save the city two billion dollars and stop the gravy train at city hall. Over the past year a consulting firm was hired to help find the waste at the city hall, the report recommend to the city that they could close branches of Toronto Public Library or sell it to a private business.

The public reaction to the report was quite swift. Notable Canadian authors such as Margret Atwood, have launched a campaign called “My Library Matters to Me” contest. The citizens of Toronto are encouraged to submit an essay in which the winner is selected to have lunch with their favorite Canadian author. Initially Atwood spoke about the possible library closures on her twitter account which sparked a reaction the mayor’s own brother, who is also an elected official on council. Councilor  Doug Ford made a comment that he did know who Margret Atwood was even if she passed him at city hall. Councilor Ford also stated that he more Toronto Public Library branches in his district than Tim Horton’s which was later corrected.

Libraries are not a wasted expense, its an investment into the community and the people of Toronto. Every day nearly a hundred thousand people move into Toronto, most of them do not speak English but will get assistance from a library. Kids will learn and pick up a new skills through various programs offered over the summer months. Its also a gathering place for the young and old to exchange ideals and offer support, its place of learning and an investment with future dividends coming from the public. 

http://www.blogto.com/city/2011/07/tim_hortons_vs_toronto_public_libraries_mashup/

http://www.torontosun.com/2011/08/25/ford-bros-not-stupid-says-atwood