I’m sorry but that sort of strident attitude simply doesn’t take account of developments that we are likely to see in the next 5 to 10 years - and in some cases, probably much less.
For example, e-paper (not sure if that’s the right name) is something that people have been working on for more than a decade. You will have a book with normal looking paper in it but each page will have micro circuitry and pigment that will let you download a book to your e-paper book and read it like a normal book. Once your done, you simply download another book and the previous one disappears. You would even be able to store thousands of volumes in non-volatile memory built into the e-paper volume.
It sounds like you are relying on having patrons who don’t have access to any kind of modern computer technology. And as long as there are large numbers of such people, the libraries are safe. Even people who do have access often prefer the feel of a real book or magazine to a backlit computer screen. I certainly do and I have 4 computers running right now. If I have to read something like a textbook, I will get the pdf and print it out. But the tech is changing so quickly that there will soon be viable alternatives, like e-paper, that will literally make books obsolete.
Time for some more librarian mythbusting. We can’t plan 5-10 years out because we have no idea what technology will look like in 5-10 years. Libraries are very reactive when it comes to technology. We need a reason to embrace it. And right now, ebooks are still a niche and paper-based materials are what the majority of the public wants.
On top of that, most libraries get their budgets on a yearly basis. But some only receive their budget on a six-month basis while others get it on a three-month basis. Libraries don’t plan 5-10 years ahead because they don’t know what next year will look like.
E Ink is used in all of the big e-readers: the Kindle, the Nook and a few others. But e-readers are still a small percentage of all readers. So supplying more than a token amount of our budget to buying them, today, is not something a library can realistically do.
The question you were responding to said “Do you think that the library will eventually die out sometime in this century”. That was a long term prognostication - as were my comments. Neither myself nor Capt. Midnight were talking about the near future.
Daily DVD Guy - Pretty self explanatory. Comes in every day to get more DVDs.
Muscle Shirt Man - Again, pretty self explanatory.
Conservative Guy - A guy that comes in every day as soon as we open and sits at his computer and reads conservative blogs for his entire allotted Internet time. He’s always mumbling about “the liberals” and “O-Bammer” and Glenn Beck. He also eyes anyone that he feels is being too loud and he actually shhhed a librarian a few months ago.
The Professor - An elderly man who seems to know a little bit about everything. Very smart and very clever.
Willy the Hippie - Another self explanatory one. He’s an old hippie who’s now in his 60s. Always wears a vest and sandals and a ponytail. Also, always smells like a certain smell strongly associated with hippies.
Witness Protection Man - Always wears sunglasses and a hat and only uses the computer in the far corner. He turns the monitor all the way into the corner and shuts the computer off when he’s done (you’re not supposed to do this). Basically, he tries very hard to not be noticed, which makes him memorable. Also, he gives off a huge asshole vibe.
Disaster Man - Always has a story. He’s always just getting out of prison. His wife left him and he came in looking for law books on how to proceed. BUT! His wife talked to every divorce lawyer in town, so he can’t see them AND his wife has a cop friend who’s always following him around AND the cop friend told the cops to hassle him AND did I mention he just got out of prison? AND AND AND… When I explained that I’m not a lawyer and this is not a law library, he repeats his spiel and says “Well can’t you tell me what to do?” :smack:
The Singing Lady - A woman with a very screechy, sing-songy voice that is like nails on a chalkboard. She’s the one who pulled her bra off through her shirt.
And I’m telling you, making that kind of prediction is impossible. I don’t think libraries are going anywhere, but uninformed people like to think they are because [Computers/The Internet/E Ink/Whatever] is always right around the corner.
Oh, god, talk about a recipe for a bad trip. I do not want to be in possession of anything less than my full faculties when Evil Hat Lady walks through that door.
If you’re going to keep insulting me by implying that I’m “uninformed” let me disabuse you of that notion. In addition to having 2 grad degrees, I also subscribe to and read a host of publications dealing with science, technology, finance, etc. I’m one of the last people you could justifiably call “uninformed”.
Beyond that, you contradict yourself in the same paragraph. First you say “that kind of prediction is impossible.” But in the very next sentence you offer your own prediction by saying “I don’t think libraries are going anywhere.” Maybe you should pick one and stick with it.
The point is that if you thought that it was impossible to predict out beyond a few years, then all you had to do was say so and that would have been the end of it. Instead you call such ideas ridiculous while in the same breathe admitting that no can really know.
I hope you’re more coherent when dealing with your patrons.
Are you sure Witness Protection man isn’t looking at porn? We got some of those, but they’re hard to pinpoint.
I love Disaster Man. I got a lot of those types while in the library. Reminds me especially of Don’t Marry Woman, who always made me promise to never get married because men are eveil (I had to, every day, she wouldn’t leave till I did). The worst was when I offered to help her get an email address (which we did) and open a Word document (we did) and get her to type up her resume (which she had in hand) to submit online for a receptionist position. She scrunched up her face and said “Oh, I’ll just fax this.” I gently (and boy was I gentle, since it’s not in my nature and I was stunned to boot) explained to her that the way to do things now was to email them as an attachment, and that faxing wasted more resources and offices didn’t do things that way anymore. She said she’d simply find one that did! Poor woman is likely still unemployed.
Oh, we have several Disaster Mans. Lately we have a new Crazy Let Me Tell You About Jesus Man, this one with an I’m Learning Hebrew And Let Me Tell You About It bent. That’s all sorts of fun when you’re alone on the desk with nobody to rescue you.
During the mass DTV conversion last year, I had people offer me $20 to set theirs up for them. They didn’t seem to understand why I couldn’t (nor wanted to, but I only expressed the former). “Please? Can’t I take you to my house alone and have you set this up for me while you’re on the clock of your employer?”
Come on man. My opinion is that libraries aren’t going anywhere, but my prediction is that you can’t know how these things are going to shake out. Especially for libraries, which rarely plan ahead more than a year at a time.
And calling someone “uninformed” is not an insult. You honestly don’t know how E Ink and e-readers would affect libraries. And why would you? You’re not a librarian. You’re just uninformed.
Also, I never said anything was ridiculous about E Ink or e-readers. Don’t put words in my mouth.
Zsofia, when I used to work in the college’s computer lab, I deliberately lied to a guy by telling him we didn’t have 3.5" floppy drives (little did I know that this one lab out of a dozen had some floppies were getting the boot in the next few weeks). Also, I did it and told all my friends and laughed at him. Because he was black. Definitely.
What’s the employment situation for newly minted library school grads?
What do you think about ALA-accredited online MLS/MLIS programs? Are their students as well prepared as traditional schools? Are their degrees taken as seriously?
I see that some MLS/MLIS programs have specialized concentrations: one for reference librarians, one for archivists, one for K-12 school librarians, etc. How important is it that I pick the appropriate concentration? Suppose, for example, I took the archivist concentration and after graduation couldn’t find a job as an archivist. How big a deal would it be if I applied for a non-archivist job at a public or college library?
Calling someone uninformed is insulting regardless of the context. Your artless attempt to convince me otherwise is equally insulting. If you want to pretend that isn’t painfully obvious to anyone who is even semi-conscious, that’s fine. You can pretend words mean whatever you want as long as you don’t think I’m stupid enough to buy such a weakly sophistic argument.
But to get back to the issue at hand, since it is only your BELIEF that libraries will be around indefinitely, you will readily accept the proposition that it is also possible that they could become moribund in a matter of either years or decades - right? As you say, no one knows how things will shake out even a year or 2 down the road - right?
So if I happen to misread such complacent statements as being prediction, I simply need to remind myself that you are clueless as to what the future holds and that is merely your uninformed opinion - correct?
You’re putting words in my mouth again and you deliberately seem to be trying to pick a fight. I’ve said my peace. You can be insulted and mope or you can get over it and realize that no harm was meant. It’s your call.
It’s alright. A lot of librarians are retiring, but there are a lot more new grads out there. So obviously, there’s more grads than jobs at the moment. On top of that, budget cuts are causing some libraries to cut staff. So it’s tight, definitely.
I have never met a librarian that treated the MLS as anything more than a necessary evil. So I don’t think there’s too many people out there who’d look down on an online degree.
Most libraries break the specializations down to Public Librarian, School (K-12) Librarian, Academic (College) Librarian and Special Librarian (Archivist, Curator, etc, etc). It’s not too hard to make the jump between specialties, especially after you get some experience under your belt as experience will trump any and all education.
Interesting. I would have said much the same about you. Funny how that works isn’t it? And please don’t worry about my fragile emotional state. I’ll find a way to get through this. But I do appreciate the concern.
I’m assuming they weren’t in social or cultural anthropology :rolleyes:. By the way, having a grad degree around here doesn’t mean shit. It’s clear you’re brand spankin’ new around here, so you’d be well served to do half as much talking and twice as much reading. As someone who is upper middle class or even solidly middle class (as it sounds you are) it’s easy to forget how the “other half” lives. Working in a public library is eye opening, and I worked alongside librarians last year for 5 months. It reminds you that large numbers of Americans don’t have internet access, and internet access is largely how you apply for jobs, check email, pay bills, read the news, and generally stay abreast of life anymore. Libraries aren’t going anywhere, their business model will (and should) change a bit to be more of a job and internet center than one that is research-based. And Justin_Bailey is also correct that libraries are reactive with technology, and that budgets come in, at most, a yearly basis.
Lookin-at-porn man or KGB agent - You make the call!
You deal with some crazy people, but I guess its not too surprising. Thanks for the expanded descriptions.
What are your busiest days and times of days? I ask because my local library system cut back hours after budget cuts, but the hours did not make a lot of sense. They are completely closed on Sundays, which I would think would be a heavy volume day that you would want to be open for.