Edging Ahead…

And so how do I try to “walk the talk” of Middle Way thinking? What is it about my library or my program that demonstrates my commitment to preserving the best of traditional teaching/learning environment while giving the nod to the the exquisite potential of new media and web2.0?

Let me see…

• Instead of our stable, but static school-based website as an entry to library collections, programs and services, we’ve created HS and MS blogs which allow us to take advantage of emerging interactive capabilities (commenting on posts), display options (flickr photo streams from our library) and linking technologies (research and reference websites, blogs and wikis). At the same time, we’ve kept the links alive from the schoo website for those that are comfortable with our well-tested “3-clicks-in” to research tools strategy.
• We’re rolling out a new graphic-interface OPAC this year, while at the same time reverting to Genres Collections for our HS Fiction. Patrons can take advantage of the google-like search and results OPAC interface or just walk to their favorite genre and browse for a new Independent Reading title
• Our new catalog features integrated web-searches along with the hunt for traditional print and AV/media references. For those patrons who expect to find their answers on the web, there’s no longer a need to carry out two independent searches.
• On the one hand, we’ve continued to bolster our online subscription reference databases while on the other, we’ve integrated our traditional print Reference Collection into our general Non-Fiction Collection, and encourage patrons to borrow any print item that meets their information needs.
• Both our blogs and our websites link to internal iptv offerings providing live access to news and educational programming on any computer on the campus area network.
• Although we carry very sophisticated subject-specialty databases, including literature references, we’ve retained our 1970-2000 collection of Gale CritLIt references. In order to facilitate student use of these wonderful but weighty references, we offer free photocopying of any Gale references needed for advanced research.
• We’re in the process of retiring our legacy VHS video Collection, but we’re committed to preserving the best of the instructional programming embodied in this collection by either buying new DVD editions of specific titles or transferring the VHS programming to DVD (after due diligence in searching for DVD editions of the specific work)
• Our “Gutenberg’s Intent” LIbrary Club now features three division. For the traditionalists, we’ve got a Readers’ Group who recommend titles, conduct buying trips for local materials, and discuss their current reading interests. To cater to the more action-oriented patrons, we run a Games Divison, currently meeting on Friday afternoons to test their skill with the latest 1st-person shooters, strategy games, and virtual environments. At the same time, a sub-group of Gamers are,playing f2f, real-world chess, and new this year is a Writers’ Group who hope to support each other in getting a student manuscript through to publication before they leave ISB. Although we’re open to traditonal publishing opportunites, we plan to take advantage of emerging Print-on-Demand options to facilitate getting student work into print while minimizing ptotential environmental impact.

Middle-Way? Well, I”ve just read Joyce Valenza’s article in the June SLJ about web2.0 tools in the library, and clearly, we’ve got a ways to go - but we’re on the Path…