Editor's Page

Views expressed below are those of the author.
They do not reflect the official view of the AU Libraries or of the University itself.

In the September 15, 1999 issue of Library Journal*, F.W. Lancaster muses on the Paperless Society and wonders what happened to thoughts of the patron in this age of technology.  Much of what Lancaster cites as the establishment's disregard for patron service falls under what some may describe as the coldness of our digital realm.  One can not help but sympathize with Lancaster over many of the faults that occur with the use of technology; however, the embrace given to technology in the present will shape how it evolves and exists organically with libraries of the future.

When music first started to appear in digital format, many people complained that it lacked the warmth of older recordings on vinyl.  This was true when digital recordings existed only through the means of analog recording technology.  As time passed, it was apparent that new recording techniques were needed in order to approximate the quality of sound that could be obtained through LP recordings.  Recording Engineers invented techniques that enabled them to add digital recording tools to their repertoire.  As a result, one can now hear recordings that would have been impossible even 5 years ago.

In this vein, one can either accept Lancaster's comments as the end of libraries or as an example of a negative dialectic that can be used to build the greatest libraries known to man. 

Interesting points brought out by Lancaster include: 

1. Are librarians mesmerized by technology and not critical enough of the information provided through this medium?

2. Is it possible to teach search strategy proficiency over different classes of searchers?

3. If print catalogs were imperfect, why did libraries just convert them to digital versions of their analog selves?

4.  Is there such a concept as "constant accessibility?"  (". . . improvements in searching tools simply let us remain at about the same level of subject access, merely compensating for the growth, scatter, and increasing diversity of the literature."

5. Does more access mean better access? 

6. Why are librarians obsessed with technical innovation yet ignoring 1950s ideas of Patron Service?

7. Why can't modern librarians be warm?
 

*Lancaster, F.W.  "Second Thoughts on the Paperless Society." Library Journal  15 Sep.1999:  48.