I recently read Rick Anderson's "Away from the icebergs". I agree with some of his points but think a comprehensive approach needs to be taken rather than relying totally on technology to serve our patrons.
Point 1. The "just in case Collection". I do agree that we do buy a lot of materials that are now available on the Internet. I think we should evaluate collections and see what makes sense for each library. Buying 256 copies of Janet Evanovich's latest book may not be the best use of library resources. I know he is probably speaking mainly of items available online. I still think people enjoy the physical act of reading. I don't necessarily want to curl up with my laptop and read the latest Tamora Pierce book. Maybe we could make our collection smaller without getting rid of it totally.
Point 2. Reliance on user education. I'm all for making technology more user friendly and exploring avenues to that effect. However, I'm also in favor of reaching out into our community and looking for teachers there. Soon we will have a huge population of retiree's looking for something to do with their free time. Why not tap into every possible resource you have to offer better services to our customers. We can have volunteers run basic training courses. It's a win win situation. The volunteer helps their community and the patron learns in a comfortable environment.
Point 3. The come to us mentality. I think virtual branches are coming if they have not happened already. I like the idea of the library being incorporated into our patron's everyday lives. We're here to meet a need.
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