A provocative editorial from the February 15th Library Journal, wherein John N. Berry III, Editor-at-Large, jberry@reedbusiness.com opines: "once professional responsibilities of librarians are being dumbed down into the duties of retail clerks or the robotic responses of machines." Feel free to comment here or on the article site.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
The Vanishing Librarians?
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1 comments:
I have some issues with the Berry editorial. I think that he underestimates the value of proactive librarians and the importance of reaching out to patrons. This doesn't mean that services should be "dumbed down," but it is important to reach out to those who visit libraries and make them feel comfortable seeking help with reference services.
Even as an adult I have found approaching the reference desk to be daunting at times. Perhaps that's why the reference librarians are having to respond to the inquiries that arrive online (and is it just me, or does Berry seem to view online reference assistance with some disdain?) - it's less scary for many patrons to send in an online inquiry than it is to physically approach the reference desk.
While I share Berry's concerns about dumbing down the profession, I think that many of his concerns are misdirected. Approaching patrons and providing outreach so that they receive knowledgeable reference assistance from trained professionals is not a threat to the profession - it is a way to provide quality services to those who might be reluctant to approach the reference desk without prodding.
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