Future of Librarians - an article by Will Sherman

as some people may know, i am applying to do a masters of information and library science at western in january. whenever i bring this news up in conversation i am fronted by questions on the importance/necessity/value of librarians and libraries amidst such a rapidy growing digital information age, and i'm not sure i've been responding so well to them.

i love libraries - always have, always will kind of thing - i love going there, searching for a book, getting it off the shelf and holding it in my hands as i sit to read. however, my love for libraries (as beautiful as i think it is) does not address the issue of their continuing relevance, which is something i need to look into as i consider a career as a librarian. as a result, i have made time this morning to read about this issue and have learned a lot about both sides; librarians as a lost profession and librarians as more important than ever.

here is a segment from an article that i found most interesting (you can click on the title of this post for the whole thing) and that highlights interviews with twenty-seven librarians and thinkers in its exploration of the future of both librarian and libraries.

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"One must remember that the cultural changes brought about by the Gutenberg press were extraordinary, and fueled not only by a sudden surplus of content, but also by a new way of interacting with that content. What seems unique about our age, however, is that social interaction is a form of content itself, and it’s up to librarians to take an active role in the creation and collaboration within this ethereal “user generated content.” It's more than just guiding patrons, but making this guidance contribute to the new substance of interaction." (Will Sherman)