Thing #15

The first link I read was called "Away from the 'icebergs'" and this one really hit home. Why do we spend so much money and effort purchasing books when a good majority of the information found in those books can be found online and usually free? There is the mindset that we need to keep doing things this way because that is the way it has always been done. As my dad would say, "If it isn't broken, don't fix it." And, while I do agree with that theory, there should probably be another phrase that goes something like, "If it can be done better, do it." That is how I view the way libraries are right now. What is happening at my library works, but it could work a lot better. Maybe a better way to spend money is on the technology we lack.

I also read "Into a new world of librarianship" and I really liked what Stephens had to say about "technolust". I also think this goes along with the online discussion #6 about how you determine what non print items to purchase for your library. There is so much new technology appearing every day, and we as librarians have to remember that not only is it not all appropriate for the current position we are in, it is also not always what our patrons need/want. Stephens also mentioned that a 2.0 librarian listens to their patrons, shares the good and bad, learns from every situation, and continues to dream of the ideal library for everyone. How true.