I can see that having more responsive websearch capabilities will truly change the future of libraries and how we provide services to people. I see the nature of the services changing the most, with there being a need for more computer training and processing going on. I sometimes don't feel as much like a librarian as I do a computer specialist. People ask us all the time how to do things on line, some times more than the typical reference questions. While some of the youngest patrons are growing up with this technology and it is as easy as breathing to them, the older folks who may or may not have access to computers on a regular basis, are falling farther and farther behind.
This will be the great divide between generations, cultures and economies--access to and freedom to access the web. For thousands of years, it was a need to provide for life-food, water and protection. As words became books, access to the books and the thoughts behind them were also worth fighting for. People fight for freedom of speech and religion and that fight will move into the hyper-link dimension. Access to thoughts of people all over the world will impact cultures and governments, not just the services given by a library. We will be the small cog on the wheel of progress, and protecting the privacy and freedoms of people is going to be a huge issue. I agree with what Michael Wesch, Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology said, that it will effect ethics as much as anything else. What a time we live in!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment