Here’s An Interesting LISWiki Article on the “peak libraries” idea. Peak libraries is a concept named after the (contested) theory of peak oil. According to the peak oil theory, as the world’s oil supply becomes depleted, its supply will diminish along a mathematical curve, causing large economic shifts and forcing alternative power supplies to be explored.
The peak libraries theory states that traditional libraries and librarians, such as those that have existed since the Library of Alexandria, are similarly doomed due to the advent of information technology.
Just as the unskilled assembly line worker was replaced by machines or the elevator operator was eliminated because the general public can use modern elevators directly, librarianship will cease to exist (or be radically altered) by the automation of library work.
Related blog entry
I blogged a bit about this wiki article a little ways back–perhaps it would make interesting, related reading:
What a crooked fence I straddle
The key word here is unskilled
I think the key word here is unskilled. If you watch most patrons coming in off the street looking for something other than the book they know the title of, they have horrendous search skills. And that’s where we come in.
We rolled out the DiscoverStations (yay!) last week, and no one had a question about using them… the questions were about using Google. Yes, searching Google. Such as, why is Google not going (you have to click the search button). And why is going not showing me the page I want (you have to click the link). Seriously, people had these questions. And yes, I did get the more serious, “Google is not returning the results I want, can you help me?” but I fear most of those people just sort of clam up and shy away, embarrassed (even though there’s nothing to be embarrassed about).
Our jobs will change a bit, and we’ll need to adapt a bit. That’s the difference, though, between a skilled worker and an unskilled worker.
I think with the amount of information that is becoming available to people, we’re probably going to become more relevant than ever. Just not with that relevancy limited to the “traditional” materials.
Re:Related blog entry
+1 interesting post on your site. I don’t know for sure if the IT department is slowly killing the library, or making it more important yet.
The open stacks thing reminds me that we don’t know what’s next for us, something we can’t predict could pop up. inevitable? I just dunno.
Nice blog!
Re:The key word here is unskilled
Good points. I just worry because Google et. al. are all working hard on systems that do the work of us skilled workers, and do it fairly well right now. I can’t imagine what they’ll be like in a few years. I hope our jobs will change alot, and we will adapt. I can’t see what the future holds for our profession at this point, shouldn’t it be obvious by now?
I like you idea that we’ll be working with stuff other than the “traditional” materials.
Re:The key word here is unskilled
” I just worry because Google et. al. are all working hard on systems that do the work of us skilled workers, and do it fairly well right now.”
Ugh. I’m sorry I just don’t know how this can be true.
Re:The key word here is unskilled
If it is can I have my unemployment check sent to Gereral Delivery (Poste Restante) Merida, Yucatan, Mexico?