Library Hot Topics:

Discussions and Interviews

Library Challenges and Opportunities

Broadcast Friday, April 29, 2005

What are the current “hot topics?” What are the new technologies? We’ll find out in this teleconference that will be similar to a television news magazine. This is ideal for librarians who have been unable to attend conferences and workshops.

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The library profession today is certainly awash with opportunities and challenges. The panelists on this program will be asked to address a variety of these “hot topics.” A few of them I will ask the panelists to explore include:

1) The budget crisis in Salinas, CA that precipitated the announcement that the community’s libraries would be closed has received a great deal of attention. It is my impression that the elected officials have taken a step back from their initial dire announcements. It is very possible that the involvement of librarians made an impact. What lessons have been learned? What advice can the panelists offer to others who are faced with budget crises?

2) The recent announcement that Google intends to digitize several million volumes has gotten an enormous amount of press. Opinions abound. Some believe that the project could alter the paradigm of librarianship. Others don’t believe the project is particularly significant. Some feel that the project is likely to fail as others in the past have failed. Obstacles such as copyright have been cited countless times. What would be the impact on libraries if the digitization project succeeds? What are the threats? The opportunities?

3) The “L” word has been dropped out of the names of many former library schools. The pros and cons of this movement continue to be debated. One “hot topic” is whether graduates from the “I” schools are adequately prepared to work in libraries. One experienced librarian from my former institution, Peggy Daub, wrote the following in Lj: “At my institution we have begun talking about the problem of the new graduates who have not been trained appropriately because we find we must take on more of the training! It feels as though the burden is being shifted to practitioners to provide much more library education than in the past.” What do our panelists believe? What actions will they recommend?

This is just a sampling of what viewers can expect. If you have an issue that you would like to see addressed, let me know at rmdoughe@umich.edu

Panelists

Leslie Burger, Director, Princeton (New Jersey) Public Library and candidate for ALA president

Mitch Freedman, Director, Westchester Library System (Ardsley, New York) and 2002-2003 ALA President

Michael Gorman, Dean of Library Services, California State University at Fresno and current ALA President

Christine Lind Hage, Director, Clinton-Macomb (Michigan) Public Library and candidate for ALA president