Things that keep us up at night

Joyce Valenza and Doug Johnson have written an inspiring and challenging article : Things that keep us up at night , originally published in School Library Journal, and reprinted in the latest SCIS Connections newsletter

http://www2.curriculum.edu.au/scis/connections/things_that_keep_us_up_at_night.html

It opens "The library, as we once knew it, may no longer be relevant. School librarians, as we once knew them, may no longer be relevant. And, yet, this is undoubtedly the most exciting time in history to be a librarian..."

Here are a couple of extracts :

Economic shifts

We face a major change in the economic rationale for libraries. Libraries were created under an economic model where it was more cost-effective to buy something (a book, a video, a magazine) and share it than to buy a copy for everyone. And for centuries this model has given libraries their value. But for the first time in history, we are moving from a time of information scarcity to one of information abundance. Can we define why libraries are necessary when information is ubiquitous, more scalable, far more convenient, and often 'free' online?

Libraries need to change from places where we just get stuff to places where we make stuff, do stuff and share stuff. Our libraries should not be grocery stores. We need to use the groceries, to open the boxes, pour the milk, mix the batter, make a mess (see Joyce Kasman Valenza's 'Library as Domestic Metaphor', NeverEndingSearch blog www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1340000334/post/90032209.html). We need production space. We need to serve up our creations in presentation or story space. We need to inspire masterpieces of all sorts, and we need to guide members of our communities through new library metaphors.

Missing the potential of reading 2.0

Are we moving fast enough to embrace shifts in how and what people read? In what reading is? Are we promoting traditional books in ways that reach young readers where they live and play? What do literature circles look like when we add powerful new tools for discussion? Can we promote new titles and award winners and involve students and teachers in sharing and celebrating favourite reads in new, media-rich ways? How can we successfully integrate new book formats - Playaways, e-books, audiobooks, interactive web books - into our programs? Are we making the connection between increased voluntary free reading and increased performance on reading test scores emphatically enough?

Are we preparing our libraries to serve a post-literate society (See Doug Johnson's 'Libraries for a Post-Literate Society' in Multimedia & Internet@Schools, July/August 2009, reprinted in Connections Issue 72), one in which people can read but prefer to meet their information, communication and recreational needs in formats other than print? How do we begin to understand that literacy is no longer restricted to print? Learners must be able to construct and deconstruct messages in a multitude of media. They need to read, interpret and create all types of writing and scripting: YouTube video, Tweets, blog posts, digital stories.