Back in the early part of this century, it seemed like you couldn’t go to a class reunion or a neighborhood cookout without someone sidling up to you just dying to pop the question: “If I can find everything I need through Google, why do I need the library?”

It’s true that we’re all able to satisfy many of our daily information needs thanks to the Internet. But while some people may still think that Google renders libraries obsolete, most Americans now realize that libraries offer a whole lot more than what you can get through a search engine.

But lately, I’ve been hearing the obsolescence argument again, this time hitched to the growing popularity of ebooks: “Why do we need libraries if I can instantly download any book I want onto my Kindle?” The argument assumes that libraries are basically warehouses, and the digital distribution of books will put them out of business.

This new wave of concern over obsolescence was a hot topic this June at the American Library Association’s (ALA) annual conference in New Orleans and at the International Society for Technology in Education’s (ISTE) conference in Philadelphia. And it’s a misconception that both public and school libraries will have to contend with—albeit with different responses.

At ISTE, the message, naturally, was a digital one: don’t just embrace technology, but be a leader in helping your teaching peers and students use it better. How can you do that?

One suggestion was to leverage social media and the web to “make sure your community knows what you provide,” said Karen Kliegman, a librarian and ed tech specialist at Searingtown Elementary School in Albertson, NY. Create a logo that clearly reflects your identity and mission statement. A good example: Georgia school librarian Buffy Hamilton’s “Unquiet Library” blog (http://theunquietlibrary.wordpress.com and also on Twitter@UnquietLibrary).

Another suggestion is to step up the tech, even if that means starting small. And while resources might be limited, don’t let that be a roadblock. Mary Carole Strother, a teacher librarian at Finch Elementary School in McKinney, TX, uses free applications and websites to get her students excited about reading. “We don’t have a tech coordinator on campus—that’s us,” Strother, the 2011 winner of the SIGMS award for technology innovation, cheerfully told ISTE attendees at a session detailing her use of technology to give booktalks a multimedia twist (see http://readilicious.wikispaces.com).

Public libraries can also start out with small projects—and end up making a big difference. Check out “Game Station,” which describes how, on a very slim budget, New Jersey’s Flemington Public Library created its hugely successful Mediatech center, a friendly space where neighborhood kids can come together and mess with computers—and also talk to and learn from one another.

Finally, own the technology that has the clearest implication for libraries, like ebooks. No, you probably don’t have enough Kindles for all of your students. And most likely, you never will. But get a small pilot project going. Evaluate its impact—and talk about it. Make sure that your community knows that when the topic of ebooks comes up, you’re the go-to person. Cede this turf to no one.

After all, the best antidote to obsolescence is innovation.

Brian Kenney
Editor-in-Chief
bkenney@mediasourceinc.com