Sarah Morrison is the treasurer for
the UWO CLA during the Summer 2014 term. She enjoys technology, non-fiction,
the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Lego, and Scaredy Squirrel. You can read more
about her thoughts on libraries as her blog: http://sarahamorrison.net
Thanks to my Grandpa for spurring my thoughts on this topic. I was talking with him about all sorts of good stuff, like how database vendors work, the changes in reference services, and Millennials, and this came up.
I was describing how I wrote my papers for this first MLIS term, and I realized that I didn’t use any books from the library for any of them. I used 90% journal articles available online, a few journal articles that I had to photocopy from Weldon, and the odd GRC resource.
So, it stands to
reason that, for me, the library is its holdings. This lines up with my non-use
of public libraries. I am able to get anything I wanted to read through other
sources, so I didn’t need to use its holdings, online or otherwise, and hence I
didn’t use the library.
All this ties into some of the readings we did in a few of our classes as ‘library as place’. If the library is morphing into its holdings and not the building, and more and more of the holdings are accessible online, what is there to justify keeping the building and, by extension, the people working it? This is where these ideas of information commons, makerspaces, programming, information literacy efforts, and technology offerings can build on a new conception of what a library is.
And then THIS is where I start to get annoyed with some of the things I’m starting to see in the profession. Firstly, there seems to be this tension between recognizing that MLIS holders can be doing really cool macro-level things at libraries (like programming, outreach, and collection development) to change what a library means to its users, while not being willing to just let go of the reference desk. Why are we obsessed with keeping librarians at the reference desk? Is it so threatening to us to admit that the vast majority of things asked there can be dealt with (and in some cases, dealt with better) by a library technician? Is our identity that tied up to this one function? Let it go, staff it with library technicians, have your librarian be available for the few questions that they’re needed for, and let them do other things to build up our libraries in new ways.
Secondly, part of these tensions with changing what it means to be a library may be tied up in our homogeneity as a profession. I’m not even talking about race (Holy white profession, Batman!) or gender (It’s a lot of chicks up in here.) but theoretical and educational background before entering the MLIS. I was talking about MLIS diversity with amentor the other day and he said that we have a ton of English/History majors coming into the MLIS program. And you know what? I can absolutely see it.
Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being an English or History major. But when too many of us are? We’re not getting a wide range of theoretical backgrounds becoming librarians. I’m from social sciences (archaeology and language translation), with retail management. And I’m definitely in a minority in some of my views. Where are the engineering people? The STEM field people? The linguists? The psych and sociology people? The, heaven forbid, MBA people?
We need a wide range of people to all agree to the fundamental principles of librarianship so we can survive. If we don’t, we run the risk of being unable to find ways to bring our varied backgrounds together to change.
Let’s put it this way: I’m more than willing to write the grants and speak to stakeholders and secure the funding (aka, play to my strengths in business and register switching and networking and language) so that my imaginary social justice colleague (who would rather stab their eyes out with needles than talk to a capitalist) can change the world.
This can be summed up with one word: change. If we don’t change, our profession will die. I’m really excited about the job description I could have in the future, I just am afraid that if we don’t all get on board it won’t exist by the time I’m ready to start contributing.
