The Future of Libraries

Well, my social media networks went crazy this weekend in response to a post by Seth Godin:

What should libraries do to become relevant in the digital age?

They can't survive as community-funded repositories for books that individuals don't want to own (or for reference books we can't afford to own.) More librarians are telling me (unhappily) that the number one thing they deliver to their patrons is free DVD rentals. That's not a long-term strategy, nor is it particularly an uplifting use of our tax dollars.

Here's my proposal: train people to take intellectual initiative.

Once again, the net turns things upside down. The information is free now. No need to pool tax money to buy reference books.

2

What we need to spend the money on are leaders, sherpas and teachers who will push everyone from kids to seniors to get very aggressive in finding and using information and in connecting with and leading others.

Godin is a well-respected marketing guru.  There have been numerous responses from librarians of all types, all with different points of view.

• Joyce Valenza (school library media specialist)
• Doug Johnson (district ibrary media supervisor)
• Jenny Luca (academic librarian - Australia)
• Erin Downey (public librarian)
• Carolyn Foote (school library media specialist)
• The M Word - (library marketing  blog)
  

You can see links to even MORE responses in this post from the Georgia Library Media Association blog.  Twitter discussion was hot, too!  Initially, I was burning, but I started to think that this is a very smart man,  and he probably represents many parents and taxpayers in his attitude (and knowledge).  I agree with Joyce Valenza:

The revolution can happen.  And it can happen in our blogs, through our tweets, in our libraries. It will not happen if we are asleep at the wheel.  It will not happen if we do not assume responsibility for our own retooling.

This is the year of redefinition.  Frankly, it's definition or death.  Some of you thought I was cold when I suggested that folks lead, follow, or get out of the way.

I know many of you are out there are working hard.

But it is not about working hard. It is about working smart. It is about marketing. It is about redefining. Before it is too late.  This is the year.

 And, related to our own class and professional development, these words from Jenny Luca ring true:

If you’re a Librarian right now and you don’t know what Diigo or Delicious are, or how you use Twitter for real time search, or how to go about trying to find the experts out there who may be able to answer the questions your students are posing, then you better start rethinking what it is you are doing. Libraries are not going to be about the book collection forever; they’re not about that now in my opinion. They are about being a connective space; a space where reading, discussion and discovery take place. The professionals in those spaces need to be the information sherpa enabling new understandings of how we go about finding out what it is we need.

So what do you think?