LIS 701 Spring 2008 Discussion Blog

I take a position opposite to that of the last paragraph. It is exactly BECAUSE of the blurred line between information management, social software and games and productivity softwar that it is precisely our job to use professional judgement to draw lines in the blurriness.
Just as a library cannot provide every book, song or movie that’s published, it cannot provide every game or song or movie or any other slice of culture. Comic books, pulp fiction and trading cards have been printed for decades but there seems to be no expectation that libraries have a duty to provide these. Even though something was been printed didn’t mean it had a place in a public library. In years past, librarians had to judge what print matter, and later, what media were worth providing. The expectations of libraries grew accordingly but should a library, even an art library, be expected to provide a copy of every painting? Of course not. Now as always, just because something was produced (text, graphic, sonic or otherwise) doesn’t mean its worth saving, and the exponential rate of information production makes that glaringly obvious. At least when something tangible was produced it required cooperative effort between like-minded people to bring it into existence. With blogs and websites and social networking sites anyone can create information. Despite the grandiose notions of the participants, all information is not and never was created equal. If this sounds too elitist, there is the reality that there is now so much information that nobody can be expected to keep up with it all. Therefore, what is “simply unrealistic” is to expect a library to be able to provide it all.
The same delineation needs to be made for computers in the library. Just because they can produce information doesn’t obligate us to be instructors for what they can do. We are responsible to the extent that some internet sites and some computer programs can provide what we as professionals judge to be valuable information. However, the creation of something else from it puts the onus on the user not the provider. I would argue that libraries are appropriate places to provide classes for these computer applications, but this a separate area of expertise in the way that librarians were not expected to teach patrons to read nor to instruct them in operating a typewriter. If one is a jack of all trades they are the master of none. We can choose to be good librarians or marginal helpers for dozens of things we know incompletely.

I think the technical part just comes with the territory. It’s what’s new and therefore it’s what people need help with. I was just talking to a suburban public library director today and she said that along with knowledge of the library and its policy, and attitute toward patrons, she evaluates her staff on their technical ability.
Computer technology is becoming a much more essential part of life, but on some level people in many fields have to gain knowledge over what is popular for their jobs. A music critic may not like hip hop or whatever, but he has to understand it and learn to critique it for his/her job.

I think that people should understand that just because it isn’t listed in your job duties it doesn’t mean you will have to do it. Changing with the technology that has come about in the library field is the only way to properly do your job. It is important to realize as a librarian that you may have to do simple tasks like fix a paper jam. In the case of the librarian that doesn’t know microsoft office, that is a little scary, people should have at least a general knowledge of each of the programs. It is our job to assist the patrons and if we aren’t equiped mentally or technologically, how are we going to move forward?

I think that the best way to set a boundary in this area is to realize that staff need to know how to use the equipment that is in their place of work. I don’t think a Librarian could justify saying they aren’t responsible for showing a patron how to use an Encyclopedia, a phone book, or the copy machine. We don’t need to sit down and train a patron how to code their own html document…more than likely it will be showing them how to print, fix a frozen computer, save a document, use a microsoft or Mac program, or get to their email. In our profession those tasks should no longer be intimidating to the Librarian to show others to do. And if they are, the Librarian needs to take measures to be more comfortable with these things.
If there is an expectation for actual instruction in making power points, elaborate graphics programs, etc. there needs to be a professional hired to run classes or oversee these tasks. Librarians are busy with everything in the library. We can’t always stop to give a patron a 10 minute instruction and leave others waiting. We can’t babysit the computers, but we can make sure there is someone available to do so.

If a professional in out field still is technology shy…they are going to have a tough career ahead of them. Technology is part of our job now.