Just read an intriguing op-ed by Nate Hill on the Public Library Association blog. Nate presents yet another argument for transforming libraries into places of transformation as opposed to the transaction type experiences people have come to expect. There have been some great pieces written lately about the future of libraries in light of shifting trends in digital publishing and ebooks (see the Huffington Post’s feature, Libraries in Crisis or read a few posts on the Digital Shift blog). What do you think? We’d love to hear, comment on this post.
In this transitional time, public libraries should aim for the future and invest in toolsets and programming that help their communities produce and participate in new digital works, not simply consume them. To make something is to understand something. If you build a radio from parts in your garage, you’ll have a very different relationship with every radio you listen to from that day on. A tomato you grow in your garden will always taste better than the tomato you bought from the grocery store, and you’ll develop a deep understanding of what that tomato is after you’ve nurtured its growth for months. Every time you have tomatoes at a restaurant after you’ve grown your own you’ll have a different understanding of tomatoes; what they are, where they came from, and the potential they hold. To help our communities taste better tomatoes, public libraries need media labs, hacker spaces, coworking spaces, expert staff, and a long term investment in technologies supporting community creativity. –Nate Hill
Posted on January 9, 2012 by Juneau Public Libraries