Comments on: Quaint vs. Libraries http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/12096/quaint-vs-libraries A bunch of stuff I would have emailed you about. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:59:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Paige Fujisue http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/12096/quaint-vs-libraries#comment-191185 Paige Fujisue Mon, 10 Mar 2008 05:07:30 +0000 http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/12096/quaint-vs-libraries#comment-191185 Just having seen a flier that an elementary school may close due to California's dramatic budget shortfalls and reading of this blog post prompted this rambling what-if. What if what we are seeing is a trend where buildings as physical spaces for schools and libraries will be lost due to tight budgets. However, schools and libraries will still be needed, but more and more of its services will be provided online, making greater use of collaborative 2.0 technologies. Reverting back to days of old, such services will be housed in (where else?) the homes of its workers. As more and more professionals clamor for flexible time and the ability to work from home, they may just get what they want. That is, until the trend sways back and users clamor for face to face interaction, thus prompting federal funding for physical spaces for schools and libraries. 2019 may mark the end of libraries as we know it, but what might 2069 bring? Just having seen a flier that an elementary school may close due to California’s dramatic budget shortfalls and reading of this blog post prompted this rambling what-if.

What if what we are seeing is a trend where buildings as physical spaces for schools and libraries will be lost due to tight budgets. However, schools and libraries will still be needed, but more and more of its services will be provided online, making greater use of collaborative 2.0 technologies. Reverting back to days of old, such services will be housed in (where else?) the homes of its workers.

As more and more professionals clamor for flexible time and the ability to work from home, they may just get what they want. That is, until the trend sways back and users clamor for face to face interaction, thus prompting federal funding for physical spaces for schools and libraries.

2019 may mark the end of libraries as we know it, but what might 2069 bring?

]]> By: Matt http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/12096/quaint-vs-libraries#comment-190990 Matt Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:30:30 +0000 http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/12096/quaint-vs-libraries#comment-190990 Speaking as one on the payroll of a, ahem, robber baron library I wholly concur with your sentiments. While the idea of library as physical place may be changing, the service librarians provide remains the same as it has always been: getting useful information into the hands of people who don’t have it and need it. Our library gets much more traffic on our various Web sites than it does in our reading room – although that might change if we implemented some sort of tavern service at the library. Hmmm. Care for a bloody mary with that Dun & Bradstreet list? Speaking as one on the payroll of a, ahem, robber baron library I wholly concur with your sentiments. While the idea of library as physical place may be changing, the service librarians provide remains the same as it has always been: getting useful information into the hands of people who don’t have it and need it. Our library gets much more traffic on our various Web sites than it does in our reading room – although that might change if we implemented some sort of tavern service at the library. Hmmm. Care for a bloody mary with that Dun & Bradstreet list?

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