"The Vanishing Librarian"

If you haven't read the editorial by John Berry in the 2/15/08 Library Journal take a look at it:
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6529375.html

then, here are my comments on it:

I feel like he is missing Joan's basic point. We are not driving this- it is our patrons who are. Are we just going to stick to our guns so to speak and not adapt and change while our patrons give up on us and go elsewhere for their recreational and informational needs? Or, are we going to be proactive and listen to what they are telling us they want and give that to them in a way that makes them prefer us to the competition? I feel that Joan's message was definitely not one of "dumbing down" but utilizing the knowledge, skills and abilities (ksas) of ALL staff in a better way than the current service model allows. It means utilizing ALLlibrary staff in new ways but not in ways that supplants the special ksas of our librarians. On the contrary the new model encourages librarians to utilize their special training in ways they currently cannot.