Being a Librarian in the 21st Century
I was asked by a legislator the other day if we still needed librarians now that we have the Internet.
Yes, we still need librarians in the 21st century. We need librarians for their skills as information architects-to assist with the creation of systems to manage the exponentially increasing flows of data; for their knowledge as information consumers-to assist in the critical processes involved in turning that data into human wisdom; and, for their attitudes as information advocates-to preserve and protect the values of literacy, freedom of access, and freedom of expression.
I began working in libraries in 1966-when we prepared library catalog cards on a manual typewriter, had a rotary phone at the reference desk, magazines were printed on paper, and we checked out books by signing a card in the book pocket. The Beatles had just released "Revolver", Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. were still alive, and the war du jour was Vietnam.
Today, I'm a librarian in a state library agency. I'm sharing in a global, virtual community on my laptop computer over a wireless connection to the Internet. We can deliver materials and services via flash memory and download-able files to clients in milliseconds.
The core functions of the librarian, however, remain - to acquire, organize, and disseminate information; to assist clients in finding a good read or that crucial answer to his/her important question; to advocate for reading, literacy, and the free flow of ideas; and to preserve (at least some of) the collective wisdom of humankind for future generations. I still find librarianship to be one of the most challenging and rewarding professions.
