Librarians proudly going down with the ship
How long can libraries—repositories for the print pages that become more outdated every day—last in the age of instant information? They're probably already as marginalized as the morning newspaper in terms of usefulness and functionality. Allen & Gerritsen does a good job of putting human faces on the brick-and-mortar neighborhood knowledge banks in a campaign touting the historic Boston Public Library system. The ads star real librarians as "heroes" willing to share what they know with smiles and good humor. (No stereotypical stern-faced patron-shushers here.) The effort subtly celebrates libraries' heritage as a vibrant part of the communities they serve and focuses on the dedication, knowledge and courtesy of the BPL staff. People sharing what they know, rather than Googling until their fingers go numb, is what this campaign is about. Still, I can't help feeling a bit sorry for learned folks whose value to society is cloesly tied to their performances at the local bar's trivia night. The ads ask, almost wistfully, "What do you want to know?" There's no need to inquire about the future of libraries. We already have the answer. —Posted by David Gianatasio |
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October 29, 2008 in Allen & Gerritsen, Gianatasio | Permalink |
Comments
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From the looks of her, she doesn't know what an "O" face is either.
Posted by: verbal dildo | Oct 29, 2008 11:03:24 AM
The Library isn't over. They also provide access to "respectable" digital databases when my most preferred reference, Wikipedia, just won't cut it. Not to mention quiet, comfortable spaces for dorks like me.
Posted by: sleeping in my party dress | Oct 29, 2008 12:31:24 PM
Libraries aren't just for looking up information. Come on! Why don't they advertise the fact that here's a great way to read the latest Pulitzer-prize winner without shelling out $35 at Chapters? Hello, economic recession.
Posted by: alison | Oct 29, 2008 1:48:31 PM
I agree libraries save you lots of money! I've recently gotten back into going to my public library. One would think that they'd be pushing that they can save you a load of cash on books and movies in these "tough economic times." Plus, for a lot of people the library is closer then the mall or bookstore. Yay libraries!
Posted by: nihil | Oct 30, 2008 3:54:34 PM
Actually library scientists are more important now than ever. We need them to put down the books and work on archiving the Internet. There is so much cool stuff that is just disappearing when someone stops paying their server fees.
Posted by: Laura Moncur | Nov 3, 2008 12:21:30 PM
Get real people. Anyone who thinks Librarians are going the way of the dodo hasn't worked on a reference desk. People still need us, believe me! Do you think all of the millions of manuscripts and historical primary source documents held by any given research library have been digitized? Not even close. I am personally not at all worried about becoming redundant.
Posted by: Research Librarian | Apr 3, 2009 10:51:56 AM
