Out with the old, in with the new. That phrase was in my head as I was reading through today's reading assignment. I envision running a library one day that follows the learning commons concept. I really love what Janice O'Neill did to the library at St. Mark Catholic High School. When I was in school, I don't remember the library as an inviting place. I visited it when I had to and took care of business. I want my library to be a place that students want to visit and get excited to visit.
I really enjoyed the Manifesto for the 21st Century Librarian. This article really makes me anxious to have my own library (which, since I don't want to leave my district, is is the very distant future)! I especially like the idea to take social networking and use it in a meaningful way. I have been saying that for years. I think the possibilities are endless!
My bottom line... even with all of the changes to libraries today, I believe that yes, librarians are still needed. Very much so. Who else is going to manage the learning commons and come up with ideas for collaboration? To me, a librarian does SO much more than just check out books!
What specifically excited you about the future of libraries from these articles? There is such potential on one hand but such confusion on the other. I think some of Joyce Valenza’s suggestions, for example, are not ones that a lot of librarians in the field would agree with. And do we really need brick and mortar libraries anymore?
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