Libraries are NOT Doomed...

Libraries are not doomed; however, they do need some serious work. As I was reading The Atlas of New Librarianship, I noticed that there was a recurring issue. Libraries and librarians strive to make library and community members self-sufficient in terms of technology; Lankes points out that by doing this, members are dependent upon the technology and lose touch with the librarians in the process. It's true that "members use systems that help them" but at some point, do librarians feel unnecessary (Lankes, pg. 89)? Every job should promote self-worth, and librarians especially can feel a sense of self-worth when they assist the community. Librarians might not always be the "go-to" person for questions of reference, but as facilitators and coaches of the community members, their role changes, but the act of community service does not disappear. I like the idea of libraries developing writing centers, music centers, and topical centers. That way, the librarians' role in the community is still present, even if they are not just helping catalog books. As David Lankes mentions throughout his entire Atlas, libraries are not just about the artifacts.