RIFDs are very complicated, but Karen Coyle did a great job of explaining them in Layman's terms for technologically-challenged people like me. I am glad that she is advocating for libraries to keep circulation staff, despite the fact that many of them could one day be terminated due to this new technlogy. She is right that the circulation staff represents the human aspect of libraries.
LANs
The YouTube video about LANs was great! When learning new information, I am the kind of person that does well when hearing or listening to a lecture as opposed to having to read about it. So, needless to say, I got more out of the YouTube video than the Wikipedia article. Also, I had never heard about MANs or PANs before, so it was great to learn about them.
Computer Network
It was great to learn about the various types of networks that are out there. I erroneously commented on another students wall that a dial-up network was a LAN, and this article taught me that a dial-up is not a LAN but an overlay network. Oops, my bad! :)
Hi Doug, I’m curious about your claim that “circulation staff represents the human aspect of libraries.” I agree that they’re a big part of the staff/patron relationship, because, as Coyle says, they’re the people most often interacting with patrons. But like Coyle also says, checking books in and out is hardly a stimulating task – couldn’t their MLIS degrees be put to better use elsewhere in the library? Shouldn’t the “human aspect of libraries” be accomplishing something that technology can’t? I think the abilities of librarians are put to much better use when they’re helping patrons find materials, learn new technology, and access digital resources.
ReplyDeleteAnd I don’t think the loss of jobs is inevitable. This is probably idealistic, but my hope is that by freeing librarians from the circulation desk, they’ll be more visible and useful to patrons. Then there will be more demand for the services they offer, which would make layoffs impractical.
Rachel, at our public library and at the school library when I am doing my practicum, the person checking out the books is not a librarian but rather a staff member or aide. I agree that checking books in and out is a waste of an expensive degree. On the other hand, particularly at my public library, Doug and Karen Coyle are right that the circ. staff are the face of the library. Except for the children's section, I rarely see the reference librarians helping people, and I have never seen one on the other side of the imposing desk that seems to be designed to intimidate. I'd love to see our librarians performing the tasks you describe. That is my ideal library as well.
ReplyDeleteI could not agree more with regards to the humanistic approach that is needed within a public library setting. The public still needs a human being to analyze various forms of information. In addition, it is still a human being that engineers various programming. With RIFD, we still have the unfortunate reality of downsizing to some degree. I think it will be a similar trend to computers vs books. The demand for computer use in libraries and audiovisual material is tremendous. But, there are people who still want a good book; similar dynamic with RIFD and humans.
ReplyDeleteAdam Brody