Monday, May 18, 2009

Librarians in danger of extinction? A couple of items found on the web today:

A great Opinion post at the Toledo Blade: Who Needs Librarians Anyway?

Librarians Set To Be Stamped Out? (Camden News, UK)
the author describes the makeover of the library, using technology to save money:
"It will involve the introduction of a service known as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), replacing front-counters with self-service machines like those kind already seen in supermarkets. 
Meanwhile, “information plinths” will allow library users to approach a member of staff for help."
According to the Random House Dictionary of the English Language, 2nd ed., a plinth is "2. a square base or a lower block, as of a pedestal" In my opinion, it sounds great to put all librarians on a pedestal, but I am not sure it leads to the best customer service in the end. 

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