On the Remediation of Libraries
(This post comes out of some research that came to me through my work at the Courthouse Libraries of BC. Above is a picture of the Campbell River Courthouse Library )
The Pew Research Center recently released the findings of a U.S. based survey examining library use and the future of public libraries. As reported by Horrigan (2015), the survey of respondents age 16 and older found some surprising results, including:
- 78% said libraries should “definitely” have programs to teach people how to use digital tools such as computers, smartphones, and apps. A further 16% said they should “maybe” do it.
- 76% said libraries definitely should teach people how to protect their privacy and security online, a further 18% said they maybe should
- 45% said libraries definitely should buy 3-D printers and other tools to allow people to learn how to use them, while 35% said they maybe should do so.
- 30% said that libraries should definitely move some print books and stacks out of public locations to make more space for tech centers, reading rooms, meeting rooms and cultural events and an additional 40% said they maybe should. (p.3)
While the survey did not include Canada, I suggest that the findings have great relevancy here as well. Libraries are under pressure to adapt to the increasing digital domination of our society. Horrigan observes:
These findings highlight how this is a crossroads moment for libraries. The data paint a complex portrait of disruption and aspiration. There are relatively active constituents who hope libraries will maintain valuable legacy functions such as lending books. At the same time, there are those who support the idea that libraries should adapt to a world where more and more information lives in digital form, accessible anytime and anywhere (2015, p.4)
I would argue that libraries are going through a remediation process similar to that described by Bolter (2001) in relation to print and hypertext: paying homage, rivaling, and refashioning.
Bolter (2001) writes that, “[e]lectronic writing in general and hypertext in particular can be both old and new, because the process of remediation must acknowledge both their connection with and their difference from print.” (Ch. 3, “The Old and New,” Para.2) Like text, the old and new exists in how we understand the library today. Not only do today’s libraries preserve their “legacy functions,” they also pay homage to traditional concepts in their digital format. We have an electronic catalogue (replete with hypertext) to replace the card catalogue of old, and we can usually choose to place books on our “bookshelf” for later access. Further, the Courthouse Libraries of BC, for example, have a lawyer’s “Reading Room” where lawyers can sign remotely to access electronic texts and journals. There is a clear connection between the old and the new; homage is paid through applying old concepts to new contexts.
The “new” library (that is those of today) rivals the traditional in its very access to information in various formats. No longer a simple collection of dusty tomes, libraries have very much joined our digital, mult-media present. Bolter (2001) writes that, “[b]ecause of the number of old and new, analog and digital, media available to us today is very great, we live in an environment that is conducive to hypermediacy” (Ch. 2, Remediation, para 6). Libraries have become a reflection of our hypermediated world. Starting with vinyl records and videotapes and moving on to CDs, DVDs, public computer access, and online services, the libraries reflects the changes in the world around it. Simply put, they provide more things to more people in more ways than a traditional library ever could. I submit that this rivalry had led to the refashioning of the modern library. No longer just a place to borrow books and a few other items, it has become a gateway of a far greater dimension.
The refashioning of the library has occurred as it adapts to the world of 2015 and beyond. Room needs to be made amidst the books to house the tools and technology that the public expects. While the remediation may not be as drastic as Bolter’s hypertext tearing out pages of a book and “reordering them before the reader’s eyes” (Ch.3, Hypertext as Remediation, para. 4), this remodeling of the library into a tech centre and meeting place is a huge shift from the card catalogues and silence of yesteryear. In fact, beyond the physical library itself, the shift to digital resources means that the library also exists in the nebulous regions of the web, taking “shape” anytime a user chooses to access it.
Finally, If libraries are being remediated, then what of librarians? On the role of the librarian in the digital world full of “unstable text” O’Donnell remarks that, “[n]one of this is good news for librarians. Whereas the codex book in print form has been a remarkably stable and standardized medium…the new flood of electronic text brings with it an exponential increase in the difficulties of making information available to users and preserving it over time” ( 1998, para. 11).
Leaving aside the vexing question of long term storage, it seems to me the librarians are adapting to the flood by becoming digital educators. If the world is at our fingertips (and out of the library’s control), librarians as curators need to help us learn how to access it, how to do so safely, and what are reliable online sources. As O’Donnell sagely predicts, they will have to be “a more active participant in staving off infochaos” (n.d., para. 35). Moreover, instead of learning how to use a card catalogue (or an online one for that matter), the public is looking for guidance about hardware not traditionally found in the library, including various digital tools and 3-D printers. Librarians will need to leave the realm of gentle guidance and enter the very hands-on world of demonstration and instruction. They will need, for example, to be able to show a client how to access information on an android device, iPhone, or whatever comes up next. In short, as part of the remediated library, librarians will need to refashion themselves.
Though O’Donnell argues that “[t]he idea that the totality of our culture can in some way be incorporated in a library is precisely what will disappear” (n.d., par. 32,), it seems the remediated library will continue to incorporate our increasingly digital culture. Bolter concludes that “electronic hypertext is not the end of print; it is instead the remediation of print” (Ch. 3, “The Old and New,” par. 5), and similarly I believe that the digital era does not signal the end of the library, but the remediation of the library.
References
Bolter, J.D. (2001). Writing space: Computers, hypertext, and the remediation of print. (2nd Ed.) [SocialBook version]. Available at http://www.livemargin.com
Horrigan, J.B. (2015). Libraries at the crossroads. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2015/09/2015-09-15_libraries_FINAL.pdf
O’Donnell, J.J (n.d.) The Virtual library: An idea whose time has passed. Retrieved from http://web.archive.org/web/20070204034556/http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jod/virtual.html
O’Donnell, J.J. (1998). Hyperlink: The instability of the text. In Avatars of the Word. In Papyrus to cyberspace. Retrieved from http://www.public.asu.edu/~dgilfill/speakers/odonnell1.html
I found your exploration of the impact of technology on the library very interesting. In my experience working in the post-secondary system, I worked closely with our librarian and the library technicians. Post-secondary institutions in Alberta faced major government cutbacks a few years ago, and this resulted in staff layoffs, departments being eliminated, early retirement packages, hiring freezes, and a period of fiscal restraint over the next few years. Two of our three full-time library technicians lost their jobs as a result of the cuts.
I definitely agree that librarians have had to refashion themselves. There is less time for research because more time is being spent in the classroom teaching students how to navigate the library’s electronic database resources. More time is also devoted to transferring data online, and having to manage this data. Librarians are also creating online tutorials to help meet the needs of both the face-to-face and online students, but it is a struggle to keep these resources up to date.
The statistics you quoted reflect the importance of teaching digital skills and privacy issues to students. In my experience, post-secondary students usually try to learn digital skills on their own through trial and error. They seek out guidance from “how to” videos, online forums and tutorials or through friends. In the future, my college hopes to eventually implement a learning space known as the Student Learning Commons, which will be open 24/7. The vision is that the centre will be run by students, who will be available for one-on-one technology tutorials. It is hoped that students will be able to test out new technology, and provide feedback to the college.