Will this be me one day??

"In the public psyche, a librarian is a woman of indeterminate age, who wears spectacles; a person with either a timorous disposition or an austere disposition, wearing a long sleeved blouse buttoned to the neck; someone who loves silence, likes books, and suffers people. Librarians don't laugh. They are covered with a thin film of dust. They have pale skins, which, when touched (as if one ever could) might flake and prove to be reptilian scales."

From "Between the Stacks", by Barry Bowes
(London: Landesman, 1979)

Library Innovations

I work in the Toronto Public Library system - whose circulation is second in the world (according to 2006 statistics), behind Japan I believe.

Circulation is largely important in the public library system; it is linked to everything from - among others - demographics, book collection/selection (for example, which languages are more prevalent), and finally, the amount of staff allotted per branch (both permanent and part-time). But I wonder - besides books, what else makes a library a library?

I consider the TPL system to be a dinosaur - an immovable feat in a fast-paced technologically advanced world. Mainly, I base this on the fact that there is a huge emphasis on the customer service aspect of books; display the books prominently so library patrons will take them out. Be polite and considerate to the patron, so that he or she will return again. And lastly, collect and check-in books in a timely manner to ensure that it goes out to the next eager patron. But really, is that all a library is? An institution that collects and lends books?

I believe that libraries are a means of accumulating and sharing information, be it through the written word, or other means of communication. There is a library in Denmark that is challenging the norm with innovative technologies and forward thinkers. Wouldn't it be cool if this was the norm in Toronto?? I've attached the link below to a video of the library:

http://www.aakb.dk/sw49714.asp

Blogging in a school context... take 2!

Two years ago I began my own blog in response to an assignment at Ryerson, where I completed my undergraduate degree in Social Work. I know what you're all thinking; what does blogging have to do with Social Work? Simply, most organizations cannot operate nowadays without networking and sharing resources - a feat which has been made easier through globalization and technologies such as blogs.

Now, as for the title of my blog itself, 1311 happens to be the newest course that has asked that I create and submit a blog. The idea here is that students can increase their knowledge base by sharing ideas and thoughts by reading and commenting on other's blogs. Finally, an assignment I'm excited about doing!