During our searching and discussion I found a link to beautiful photographs of libraries that I found inspiring in a way.
Digital World Libraries sounds quite exciting in the concept of making connections globally, access to more resources, round the clock availability, no physical boundaries and take up less space. There are challenges too that include how digital information is stored long term- where and for how long, copyright issues across different countries, accessibility for all and the implications for a physical library. Teacher Librarians need to be prepared for their changing role to educate students about digital libraries and how to use them effectively.
I feel strongly that both digital and physical libraries must compliment each other in the future. I see that they can provide distinct roles. I feel the physical library does play an important role in the community as a place for many to connect with, provide access to the internet for those who do not have it, celebrate the pleasure of a physical book, share stories to children in a group setting, author visits and help research information for those who find it a difficult skill. As we live in a global community, I see digital libraries enhancing that global connection with a greater access to more resources at any time.
As a teacher I love to read and share physical books with my students. To share a beautiful illustration and pausing to turn a page at a climatic moment. I feel some of those special moments would be lost forever without a physical book. I also see the benefit of a digital copy and in the past year students have accessed novels through Kurzweil to allow them to hear the book read to them and also had a novel translated digitally for my International Student. On a personal note I have carried my personal library from England and taken it to different locations in BC. I have built shelves in two different homes designed especially for my books. Despite the physical effort involved in moving the books, when I place them on a shelf in a new location there is special memory of our sharing together that is triggered in the touch. Each tells more than one story in that memory.
Here are a couple of links:
Where do we go from here? The next decade for digital libraries.
Petra,
Thank you for providing the link to Interesting Libraries around the world! I will pass it on to our Learning Commons task force group – my school is in the planning process of redesigning our physical space.
It was sobering to discuss the concept of World Libraries yesterday, and the concern for preserving the community nature of a library (and physical books) was evident in our group! Thank you also for providing the link to David Lax’s article on digital vs physical space – so glad there are people like him advocating for libraries.
If the purpose of a library is to organize and share information, and we have the tools to provide access to this information, then (I believe) we have a moral obligation to do so. But as librarians, we also have an obligation to curate the information in many formats (to maintain and increase access). I also believe the community nature of a library (or school) is inherent in its design. Learning is not done in isolation, or without a connection to the information or a desire to change or better ourselves in some way.
I love the way you share your love of reading with children, it is such an important part of the process. You must love your books to move them from England to here – I wonder how many are in your collection?!
As I was reading your post, I sense the same sense of nostalgia when you were talking about the shared moments in a physical library. The thought that these moments may never happen for those of the future generations brings a sense of sadness to me as well. It made me think about how we are more connected than ever yet even more segregated then ever. Instead of calling someone to have a chat, I text them more often than not. As demonstrated in our class, many students have indicated they have enjoyed the learning more with the social interaction in a physical classroom. Hopefully, as teacher-librarians we can continue to create this sense of community with our patrons. As I was thinking about creating a library blog, it would be nice to have students create book reviews. However, I also thought it would be a good idea have a bulletin board in the library for reviews as well. Hopefully, the physical space will enhance the online discussion and vice versa. I also hope that students who comment online will continue these discussions when they see me in the library.
There is a reason that architecture plays a signature role in our learning experiences. For example, in this course, the difference between being bolted into rows in the computer lab and being able to swing chairs around into small groups and then into large groups, all the while with our screen open to access information, is huge. The ways that we were able to interact as we were accessing the Internet, using the projector and screen, using our small screens, these all make a difference for learning. And it is through learning that we shape our future society. So the architecture of our learning spaces also shape our future society. Libraries are not only digital collections of information, they are also gathering places, where we can participate in the free-ranging conversations that are unique to face to face interactions. Even the use of video conferencing, which has its place in communicating, does not replace the way spontaneous ideas can come to the surface when you have a whole group of people discussing a topic.