June 27, 2007
Transforming Your Library With Technology - ALA Presentation
I was part of the panel Transforming Your Library, and Your Library's Future, with Technology held at ALA this year. I spoke with Casey Bisson and Roy Tennant. I went first and approached the transformation issue from a big, physical technology point of view arguing that we need to use less of our library spaces for books and start using the library space to ensure our users have a productive experience. We have to do more than warehouse books in our libraries. They need to be vibrant community centers that appeal to a broad range of users. See more on this theme in my The Synaptic Library podcast.
I also argued that the days of the "accidental systems librarian" are over and we need to start taking our technology skills more seriously. All library workers need to be effective users of technology. Period. On top of that, we need strong technologists running our networks, administering our databases and, yes, designing our software.
Our panel was part of the larger Libraries Transform Communities theme.
If you'd like to hear my presentation, here's the 40 min podcast. Or if you'd rather just watch the slides, here's a Powerpoint Show of my presentation.
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