The Sky Is Falling

It looks like the “transformation” we seek for libraries and librarianship may turn out to be more of a “deskilling” of library jobs than an enhancement of the profession. More and more working librarians are “managed” by a new breed of library leader. Their model for the new public library is that dehumanized supermarket or the chaotic disorganization of the largest Barnes & Noble.

Berry's article, The Vanishing Librarians, brings up some interesting points. Many of his charges are, on the surface, true: we keep adding self-service options for patrons, we have centralized ordering, we outsource some of our services, we see a decrease in real reference questions each year, we try to steal good ideas from other successful interprises, and others. But these don't necessarily have to be bad things. His argument is that each of these changes leads to poorer customer service, but I can't agree with that. Sure, self-check stations save us time, but patrons overwhelmingly love them, for instance. In each decision we make, we're not just looking at what's trendy or cool, but how we can best serve our patrons. That is the deciding factor behind each decision we make. If Berry fails to see how these decision can lead to better service, then perhaps he is a traditionalist afraid to change. There's no need to change for the sake of change, but we can't be stagnant either. We have to constantly find ways to evolve to keep our mission relevant in a changing world. That evolution may not require the same skills of us as in the past, but there are most certainly new ones we need to develop.

The one area I fully agree with Berry, though, is the roving model of service. Service desks are minimized in favor of mobile librarians who seek out patrons in need of help. As a customer/patron, I can't stand patronizing places that do this. I don't want to have to come up with a smile for a greeter at the door, I want open passage so I can begin exploring. And stop harassing me all the time with your offers of help; when I want your help, I'll ask you for it. But when the employees are roving, they're that much harder to find when I do need assistance. You never know where they're going to be. Now if they had a nice little desk where they stayed most of the time, I'd know exactly where to look for them. I avoid places with greeters and roving help. I certainly don't want to be one.