WebJunction

With the addition of technology in libraries, what are the role of librarians in this new century?

Do we embrace the technology whole-heartedly (eg. This is a OUR job!) or do we pass the technology to the tech guys (eg. That is NOT our job?).

Second question:
Why do many libraries dislike chat or IM?

The question is, of course, an old one. Traditionally -- leastways since 1900 or so -- libraries have offered tools for folks to use in addition to entertainment. Most of these tools were books.

The books contained information (which the reader could internalize to knowledge).

But there is another tradition, an older one, of "knowledge access" based upon the expertise held by various library staff members (primarily reference, readers' advisors, and children's librarians). When a person has a question, they ask someone who can drill down to find what the question really means (or what part can be addressed with the tools at hand).

I think we'll continue to offer both. Indeed, I think we must since as computing becomes more and more ubiquitous the questions of "information access" disappear. Your watch/suit/belt will connect to the nearest node and you'll be able to query the universe of information sources -- the important question, I think, will be "How does the person know that his/her question can be addressed with the understanding he/she has at his/her personal disposal." That's not answered yet and, so far, the "strong" artificial intelligence people don't have answers.

Great answers so far to the first question, so I'll just comment on #2.

Chat/IM is a great technology, but I think many libraries see it as just as "fun" and a waste of valuable resources - we like to think our internet access will be used for "greater" purposes. But if 2 young adults are "chatting" with each other online while surfing the internet (even if they are sitting side by side in the library), isn't this a positive use of resources? They aren't disturbing others (as they would be if they were talking), and are having a great experience in the library, so hopefully will want to come back.

I admit it causes security issues (both network/computer security as well as patron-related), and that is the big challenge for us - how to allow this great technology without compromising the quality of library service we want to offer.

This is a very interesting discussion, and while I cannot comment as a librarian, I can comment as a technician.

While IM/Chat have some advantages, in my mind, the security concerns still outweigh the advantages. There have been multiple vulnerabilities found in many of the IM products. ICQ has been especially problematic in this area. Also, many of the IM products allow the transferring of programs in real time. Inevitably, a patron will try to install such a program and if he happens to receive a trojan horse, it can be devastating to us as they often find ways to bypass security.

Internet based chat rooms are a bit less of a problem, but still raise concerns. Yahoo chat for example downloads and installs a program into the downloaded programs folder that has a tendency to crash the NT4 based Gates machines. Our AUP specifically prohibits the downloading and installation of any program, even if the patron is not aware that they are doing it. Instead of having to stop a patron after we catch them, we have put restrictions on the machines to keep them out of certain chat rooms; however, it is impossible to prohibit all chat rooms without an elaborate filter.

On a philosophical side and strictly in my personal opinion, I have a problem with the way chat rooms and IM's are sometimes used by stalkers of children. If I would happen to catch someone soliciting a child on the net, our library policy would prohibit me from notifying the police. I would have to notify the Community Librarian and she would make the determination as to whether to call or not; however, that would put me in direct conflict with state law that requires that if I reasonably suspect that such activity is going on, I am responsible to report it to law enforcement. It is not a defense that I notified my supervisor and put the monkey on her back. If I fail to do this, I risk criminal prosecution. With this quandary, I would just as soon limit the availability of chat/IM. The same problem would exist with someone viewing child porn, which I would be more likely to catch someone viewing anyway.

Once again, that controversial issue of where to draw the line rears its head!

I refuse to answer this question on the basis of technology as technology is just a tool.

You asked, "What is the role of librarians in the 21st century?" and, as WebJunction as a site for libraries providing public access to the Internet, I prefer to answer the question in terms of WHY we are providing public access rather in regard to HOW.

Public access, to me is a service libraries provide to assist communities in their community development. In the same way that a library helps individuals become whatever they want to become (without judgement, without imposing a curriculum, ...) the library also assists its community become whatever the community wishes to become.

As the Internet is a powerful tool for communication and source of information, providing public access to the Internet (and assistance on how to use it effectively) is a valuable service that libraries provide. This service contributes to community development.

The aspect I want to mention, however, is a bit beyond just the access and it has to do with community networking. Technology has wonderfully enhanced the capacity for organizations in a community to share resources (sort of like we librarians have done for decades - through interlibrary loan).

With this increased ability to form community partnerships, a key service that librarians can provide to their community is in helping identify which organization might benefit from working with another. On one hand it sounds like matchmaking, but I prefer to think of it as we librarians exercising the skills we have picked up in classifying (in this case, not subjects of books, rather interests of community organizations).

Luther Snow, who works with John McKnight re "asset mapping" (see [url http://www.northwestern.edu/ipr/abcd.html ]http://www.northwestern.edu/ipr/abcd.html[/url]) once said that once you have identified the assets in your community, the process of "connecting the dots" constitutes community development.

The role of the librarian in the technology empowered community is community development.

Sez Sam

Have you looked at DriveShield - a software version of Centurion Guard - made by the same company. I downloaded the free 30-day trial version onto my home computer last summer and had no worries while my roommate's grandchildren used my computer. At that time it was $30 per computer for a not-for-profit and $45 for me for home use. It's enabled/disabled with a password instead of a key. For a 1-time fee of $30, that's a lot cheaper, for even the smallest library, than paying a tech.