Reading the two articles "The Evolution of LIS and Enabling Technologies" and "Environmental Scan: A Report on Trends and Technologies Affecting Libraries" were very enlightening on the topic of technology in libraries in different ways. "The Evolution of LIS and Enabling Technologies" was interesting for its look at the past when it comes to technologies in libraries. Something that I truly believe in is the importance of an examination and understanding of the past in order to prepare ourselves and attempt to anticipate the future and understand the present. Kochtanel and Matthews dive into the past to flesh out the stages that LIS has gone through and help to define what the term Library Information Systems means. Terms such as this one often are ubiquitous to the point of losing the meaning, but the authors do a great job of helping us to understand what is meant by the term. Kochtanel and Matthews understand LIS as the entity which brings content and users together, providing the service that defines the library. I believe, and it seems that Kochtanel and Matthews do as well, that libraries need to focus on the user and what they need (without the user, what is the point of having a library in the first place?) and creating and adopting library systems functions that are both helpful to the user and easy to use can only increase the user's awareness of the library offerings and perhaps be an entrance point for people who do not already use the library's offerings. Another interesting distinction that the authors make is in the ways that libraries adopt new technologies. Their assessment and commentary on page 7 on this topic proved to be a thought-provoking one for me--if I was the head of a library, how would I want to approach new technologies? Is it worth it to risk a failure and be the "bleeding edge" library? I know that I certainly would not want to be on the "trailing edge!" This distinction should give librarians something to consider in adopting new technologies. One final thing that I really gleaned from this article was in the "three phases or periods of innovation in the design of several computing configurations" (Kochtanel 10). I find it interesting and telling of the library profession that we have moved from periods that focus on collections and content to one that focuses on users. Through my LIS education, I have become increasingly interested in outreach and the users of libraries, and it is good to know and understand the ways in which library systems are becoming more user-friendly and user-focused. I thought that this article did a great job of examining the past of LIS and helping me to understand how important the past is in fueling the future.
Pairing this article with the article entitled "Environmental Scan: A Report on Trends and Technologies Affecting Libraries" made for interesting reading. Arnold Hirshon attempts to forecast the future of libraries in the context of technology, which is made most effective by his inclusion of all aspects of libraries in his predictions and discussions. Hirshon makes clear that his predictions are not comprehensive, and that although his ideas are based on studies and statistics, they are not definitive. Hirshon looks at the future of libraries by splitting his article into five issues that libraries will be facing: societal and economic, technology, education and learning, information content, and library leadership and organization. It is interesting that technology comprises only one of these issues, but it certainly informs most of the issues with these other factors. Some of the most interesting and thought-provoking issues that Hirshon discusses were on Generation Y, societal changes, gaming and augmented reality, e-books, and a refocus on users. Each of these issues are informed by new technologies--Generation Y is one that have had technology around them throughout their entire lives, and libraries have to learn how to adapt their older ways to suit the new demands and expectations of a generation of "digital natives." Hirshon discuses the JISC report in which one of the conclusions was that librarians need to better understand how these new users of library services search and retrieve and use information in the light of the Internet and technology so that their users are getting the best information that they can. The author also comments on the rise of gaming and augmented reality in learning environments and how it is effecting the way that people learn and interact with their information, while inferring that libraries need to analyze these methods and incorporate some aspect of them into their presence in order to keep the attention of their users. Hirshon takes a look at the more pronounced presence of e-books and how they are effecting budgets, cataloging, and general technology needs. With new technologies like the Nook and Kindle, e-books are becoming more prevalent in our society and libraries need to adapt to this new market and learn how its community responds to them. As I have mentioned before, libraries are changing their focus from collection-based to user-based, which Hirshon seems to approve of, but which he also warns is not to be taken lightly, and management and leadership roles will have to change with this change in focus. Obviously, Hirshon focuses on much more in his article than these points, but I found these to be the most interesting and they made me think about my own use of technology over the years and how it has informed my own research habits and library usage. It seems to me that the overall message Hirshon wants the reader to take away is that libraries are living creatures which change rapidly, and as librarians, it is crucial that we understand them changes and act accordingly in order to benefit our users.
I found both of these articles to be intriguing and thought-provoking, and in thinking about them, I came up with a possible discussion point based on the articles: Social networking has been played up quite a bit over the years, and both articles touch on it (Hirshon's more than Kochtanel and Matthews) but I'm wondering what the influence of social networking will be on the future of libraries, and how libraries and librarians can possibly foresee their role in a world that values social networking in the ways that we do now. Although the influence of social networking may not be the same in 10 years, its impact should still be considered an important one in the library world.
Works Cited
Kochtanek, T.R., and J.R. Matthews. "The Evolution of LIS and Enabling Technologies." Chapter 1. Library Information Systems. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2002. 3-13.
Hirshon, Arnold. "Environmental Scan: A Report on Trends and Technologies Affecting Libraries." NELINET August 2008. 1-12.
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