Career guidance

Anyone who has read anything I've written knows that I am an ardent supporter and believer in libraries. I've worked as either a school librarian or library supervisor for over 25 years. I have seen first hand the great good libraries do for institutions and  individuals.

But for the first time in my career, if someone asked me whether to pursue librarianship as a profession, I might hesitate. At least for a moment. The hesitation comes after catching up on my reading this weekend and looking at the provocative documents below. Maybe I am simply tired from travel and stressed from the day job, but I found little to be optimistic about after reading these studies.

The Battle to Define the Future of the Book in the Digital World. Clifford Lynch, 2001
"For large classes of content, libraries may not represent a large enough market to cause publishers to accommodate library requirements, or they may be asked to agree to prices and license terms that are intolerable."

Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources A Report to the OCLC Membership, 2005
"In a world where the sources of information and the tools of discovery continue to proliferate and increase in relevance to online information sources, the brand differentiation of the library is still books. The library has not been successful in leveraging its brand to incorporate growing investments in electronic resources and library Web-based services."

"Respondents do indeed have strong attachments to the idea of the "Library" but clearly expressed dissatisfaction with the service experience of the libraries they use... The over all message is clear: improve the physical experience of using libraries." 

Do Libraries Matter?: The rise of Library 2.0 Ken Chad and Paul Miller, Talis, Nov 2005.
'The library's information provider crown is slipping. Justifiably or not, today libraries are increasingly viewed as outdated, with modern, Internet-based services, such as Amazon and Google, looking to inherit the throne."

 Studies like these - any quite frankly, any clear-eyed view of information's future - must lead librarians and those who care about them to ask two serious questions:

1. Will libraries in any form survive more than a few more decades (or years)?
2. Will future libraries sufficiently resemble current libraries that contemporary librarians would feel competent, comfortable and fulfilled working in them? Can or should new librarians enter the field expecting the same satisfactions/rewards as those of us who became librarians before the advent of the digital era?

Joyce Valenza came home from the Computers in Libraries conference charged up and optimistic.  I would like to be. Please, tell me why, if a young person asks, I should enthusiastically say, "Yes - pursue a career as a librarian!"

Comments

[Ivan Chew]

These are deep questions you're asking in the context of your posts. I'm going to have to think long and hard about it...

[Jacquie Henry]

Well - I have not read either article thoroughly yet - but this quote got me:

"Results indicate that younger U.S. respondents (14- to 24-year-olds) were significantly more likely to respond that the library resources are less trustworthy than search engines among all U.S. age groups.... Although search engines have been in general use for a relatively short period of time, over 70 percent of all U.S. respondents over the age of 25, including those
over 65, believe they provide the same level of trustworthiness as information providers that libraries do."

Sigh.....

[Artichoke]

Perhaps we are not so individual as we might like to believe Doug - our thinking is more synchronous and predictable than we might allow.

We have just had two librarians from Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa - National Library of New Zealand running a workshop for our ict_pd cluster teachers on the huge collections of electronic resources available online through http://www.natlib.govt.nz - fascinating databases, history and cultural resources, art, music, papers past, timeframes etc and a AnyQuestions http://www.anyquestions.co.nz online chat initiative that gives students real time help with their homework with a real librarian.

When they were speaking I also wondered how many students continue to go to libraries once they leave formal education - and if we will need the physical building/space in quite the same way in the future. But then I often think the same thoughts about that institution called school.

These librarians were young, full of verve, fascinated and challenged by the possibilities of helping people interact with knowledge. It is just the nature of the interaction that might change. The job will always set people who love to learn on fire

[Jacquie Henry]

I'm still thinking about it all....

I am hoping you are wrong and we can get huge numbers of talented and visionary people to join us in our wonderful profession.

We need to get our "brand" out there as prominently as Google. Problem is - there are so many conflicting interests in the marketplace creating barriers to our vision. But just think of it.... I can't imagine ever going to Google or the like again if I had access to a really good "federated" library search engine. It would have to be a portal that looks as clean and inviting as Google, Ask.com etc.- but when you search you get BOOKS (including call number to retrieve the print version AND access to the downloadable/searchable/printable version) and RESEARCH DATABASE HITS and WEB RESULTS. It would also have a cross referencing feature similar to Ask.com with links to related, narrower and broader topics etc. How great would THAT be? And while we're at it - lets have a feature where people can click on the latest hot book and join an online discussion group. Perhaps libraries could use the NetFlix model. Library patrons could choose the books they want and queue them up on a list. The books could then be emailed. Right now, I can just dream about this kind of thing and hope there are techie, visionary, revolutionary librarians coming up who can make this kind of dream happen. If I were starting today - I would be even more excited than I was 35 years ago!

[Wesley Fryer]

I think this situation poses challenges but also great opportunities for librarians. Like teachers, librarians are challenged to continually re-invent and renew themselves. I agree with the comment that librarians who embrace new technologies can find valued and important roles for themselves within the school and the community. I think latent in this original post is the question, "Will I be replaced by a computer?" The answer depends largely or wholly on the philosophy of education with which a given community approaches the educational enterprise. If people continue to support a content transmission-based model of education, then the role of the teacher can seem less important. But I think the role of the teacher, and the librarian (or media-specialist, which might be a more apt 21st century term, even though it certainly originated in the 20th century) will be as important as ever. As MySpace and other social networking opportunities continue to proliferate (we must recognize these trends are not going away) there is a greater need for educators to engage students in studies of digital citizenship. This is a perfect opportunity for librarians / media specialists to be centered in dialogs focused on these new technologies, and the ways they can be most effectively leveraged to support student learning.

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