Go Forth and Multiply

Library professionals are constantly discussing ways to prove the library's relevancy in today's world. With shrinking budgets and threats of closure, real or imagined, librarians struggle to find new ways to bring up their circulation numbers, draw bigger crowds to their events, and prove their worth through statistics and measurements. When policy makers wonder what purpose libraries serve when we have e-books and the internet, some librarians panic and adopt new technologies or try to reinvent themselves to prove their value. Keeping abreast of new technologies and trends is vital to the future of libraries; however, we cannot afford to lose sight of our original brand. Ask a person what they expect to find in a library, and most of them will be spot on. We cannot afford to fall behind, but we also cannot afford to lose sight of who and what we already are.

Steve Jobs, co-founder and former CEO of Apple, said that he was "as proud of the things we haven't done as the things I have done." In his words, "Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things." Does your local library need to purchase expensive software or equipment it cannot maintain or use? Absolutely not. Should libraries be the first to adopt every new technology to come down the road? Of course not. Picking and choosing is critical when adopting new technologies. The library director must not only consider the cost but must consider staff time, maintenance, and instruction of these new technologies. A bright and shiny new toy is no fun for anyone if it can never be used or if it breaks down and nobody can fix it.

We should stop apologizing for our brand. Libraries do equal books, and we should not be ashamed of it. We should offer programming that highlights this service, and we should promote our reader advisory. It has been and will continue to be critical to our success. Libraries have also always been about providing information to everyone, regardless of background or income level. This is nothing new. What has changed is that people have more ready access at their own fingertips, in their own homes. Therefore, we need to offer and promote information literacy instruction. We must go out into our communities and remind people what we do. Outreach is crucial to promoting our brand and is a popular buzzword in the library professional community right now. As Noah said to the animals on the ark, "Go forth and prosper!" So must we.