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Are Libraries Dead?

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I had a chance this afternoon to pop into the collection of speaker presentations from the CALL conference, making me regret even more that I was not in attendance this year (thanks to Cynthia Simpson for the long e-mail, detailing everything I missed).

The one that really caught my eye was the presentation by Judith Seiss, Embedded Librarians : Our Future or Our Fear? (the link goes to her paper, but there is also a powerpoint deck on the CALL website). At the risk of spoiling the surprise, the paper muses on the future of libraries and librarians, and supports the argument that we may have reached the fork in the road, with libraries fading into insignificance, and librarians continuing boldly onward.

Not surprisingly, there is detailed discussion of the concept of “Embedded Librarians”. These are professionals, often double-degreed in a specialty and and MLS or equivalent, who are specifically assigned to meet the information needs of a distinct group of users. I first heard about this practice in the health libraries, where a librarian would accompany doctors on rounds, and pick up research assignments as cases were discussed. It’s exciting and challenging, and the paper reviews some innovative approaches to service delivery.

On the other hand, there is something to be lost when the Library ceases to exist as a place, and Ms. Seiss gives due time to these considerations.

It’s a thoughtful and thought-provoking overview. I hope that it generated lots of discussion at the conference – we need to be thinking about these issues, or they’ll be decided for us.

Comments

  1. Shaunna Mireau
    June 5th, 2009 at 5:31 pm

    Thanks for posting on this Wendy. I was at the session and it was quite thought provoking.

    I believe that some of the techniques Ms. Seiss mentioned for service delivery by libraryless-librarians are the same techniques that will insulate a library (as a place within a corporate structure) from disappearing at all.

    Service protocols like hand delivering research results, taking the “management corridor” route when you walk about the organization, being visible as a trainer or meeting participant, are all library marketing strategies that integrate us into the fabric of our organizations.