Two things I read today -
American Libraries Direct linked to a post by LIS student Tracy Nectoux on Libraries versus Bookstores that’s a great view on a topic I have been thinking about a lot. Ever since I started library school, there’s been discussion about how libraries can be more like retail. I agree with this in some instances- adding comfortable seating and learning how to provide excellent customer service is not a bad thing. But in the talk of how to become like a bookstore, it’s easy to look past what makes libraries unique. There’s a reason I want to work in a library and not a book store, and it has to do with many of the things Tracy talks about.
Another LIS student, Brett Bonfield, has a post on ACRLog called Time For Academic Librarians To Tune In To The Semantic Web, which is a great intro to the semantic web for librarians (it’s neither too technical or too simplistic, a hard balance to strike.)
I don’t usually do posts where I link to other things- mostly because approximately 2,000 blogs are out there doing the same thing. But these two posts really illustrate to me the brilliant crop of LIS students we have out there. “Some people” seem to think we’re all a bunch of dullards, but from my experience, I’m surrounded by brilliant, motivated people. In the LIS Students Ning Group, we have more amazing, talented people- many of whom are already quite well known in the library world. I’m honored they’ve decided to join, and I learn so much from everyone in the group. With this crop of library students on the way, libraries *will* change, and for the better.
Hee hee, I went in to work today to give Tracy a small bit of ribbing for beating her into AL Direct by a week. I got a hug for my troubles. :)