This is an aside from class postings, but I just came across this
article about the Ridgefield Public Library in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Apparently they're in the planning stages of a building a new library, and have some angry opposition. Some community members don't understand why new facilities are being built when the day of the book is over.
“Give everybody a tablet, and get rid of the stacks. You’re done,” he
said. “...It’s ADA compliant.”
Virtual libraries are already being set up, and are the future, Mr.
Miller said.
“The classics, anything that’s over 100 years old, you can get from
Google for free,” he said. “Anything written in the last 25 years,
people have digitized it and are selling digital copies.”
While it's an interesting perspective in what the role of a library is in a community, it's frustrating that people continue to make large political statements without understanding the dynamic day-to-day realities, here an understanding of the dynamic between
e-book publishers and libraries would be greatly beneficial to this discussion. I know this level of selective awareness is not new in our world, but it gets me every time.
Oh, goodness. So many misconceptions here ... not everything is digitized, and not every digital device is ADA compliant. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteHas anybody taken SI 626? I took something else for my management requirement, but I feel like this article would be a great basis for a case study in public library management-- how to respond to each of the assertions made in the article and what the best course of action in an event like this is.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I did a little research (because that's what I do after I read articles...) and the director of the Ridgefield Library was associate director of public services at the AADL before she took her current job, so I bet she's relatively familiar with SI! Maybe if they studied this in 626, she could even Skype in and offer her thoughts after this all blows over?
yeah the big question is how to make sure that people know about these issues without being too library-focused in our advocacy. I worry about advocacy efforts that are too much like "this is why we're great... this is why you need us..." I think that the conversation around eBooks and our patrons really needs to focus on issues of access and the breadth of information available digitally. It needs to focus on the patrons and their needs.
ReplyDelete