Libraries and today's technology

One of my followers on here is known to have said to his users that, if and when technology resources were down, "...go read a book". My boss sent an article around for our thoughts and it's had me thinking about libraries. The article is titled "The Changing Library" and was published in the American School Board Journal.

If you follow that link, you'll find the first few paragraphs followed by another link to purchase the article. As luck would have it, you CAN find that article via the Kentucky Virtual Library, and maybe that's one of the points of this blog post. Do we realize the resource we have? KY CIOs, does your district actively utilize this resource? This topic surfaced during a recent webcast when, during a discussion of potential sources for funding cuts, KyVL was mentioned as one potential resource that might have to be cut. I believe that has been avoided, but the whole discussion made me think about that resource. Along with the content of the article, it has caused me to think about our libraries in general.

The number and location of computers in our libraries today varies WIDELY. As you know, some schools have full-time library/media specialists and some have had to do away with full-time positions due to budget cuts. The article I read suggests a strong correlation between the strength of a school library and the aptitude shown on testing, overall reading skills, etc.

Maybe I'll simply ask several questions and come back to this topic at a later time. Right now, I find myself asking:

* If I walked into your school's library and wanted to research a topic, would I be able to do so effectively? Where would I go to get the most current and accurate information?

* If I could remodel the school's library, how much technology would I have? Where would I place it? Do I need mobile access?

* Are my computer labs today serving as research centers? If so, should they be part of (or adjacent to) the library?

* Is my library/media specialist a strong technology user? Should he/she be? (At this point, my thoughts are that this person or department could hold the key to technology integration, since we often lament the fact that students have difficulty validating the accuracy of information found on the Internet)

* What role does my library play in the overall instruction taking place in our schools? Could (or should) that role be increased? How?

If you do decide to comment, keep it civil and acknowledge that both groups (tech leaders and librarians) struggle with the pace of change, the lack of funding, etc.