Philippine Association of Academic and Research Librarians (PAARL)
Annual National Conference
Theme: The Power of Convergence: Technology and Connectivity in the 21st Century Library and Information Services
KEYNOTE SPEECH
Good morning! I am greatly pleased to be your keynote speaker. This is my first time to be among the company of librarians and I find the experience refreshing and exciting.
Let me begin my talk with a very amusing curse …
For him that stealeth a Book from this Library, let it change into a serpent in his hand and rend him. Let him be struck with Palsy, and all his Members blasted. Let him languish in Pain crying aloud for Mercy and let there be no surcease to his Agony till he sink in Dissolution. Let Bookworms gnaw his Entrails in token of the Worm that dieth not, and when at last he goeth to his final Punishment, let the flames of Hell consume him for ever and aye.
~Curse Against Book Stealers
Monastery of San Pedro, Barcelona
A very harsh curse for book thieves -- even cursed to hell. This curse was supposed to be written centuries ago, and we can understand the security concerns of the monks. Books then were painstakingly handwritten and a stolen book might never be duplicated again. However, some say this curse is a hoax because there is really no Monastery of San Pedro in Barcelona. But in Asturias, Spain, there exists the Monastery of San Pedro de Villanueva. Nevertheless, hoax or not, this curse shows the power books hold over those who value them. Indeed, books are powerful source of knowledge. They are the blueprints of mankind, of our humanity. These are documentations of every segment of society which should be valued, respected, and shared.
But my concern today is whether or not libraries, and their librarians are outmoded and have become irrelevant.
With the advent of new technologies, and the internet, do we still need libraries? This concern that the number of library users will decrease in a couple of years, and that libraries might become redundant in the future may be reversed if we transform our libraries from merely depositories of printed materials to “hubs of information, research, learning, communication and culture.”
The Commission on Higher Education recognizes the new developments in technology. It strongly encourages higher education institutions to establish and provide for an e-library or digital library for their students. This will become a requirement very soon since an e-library or digital library will be one of the imperatives of the 21st century.
But what academic libraries does the 21st century require? Do having computers in the library with internet access, subscription to a few online journals, or use of OPAC constitute an e-library or digital library? Each can be one of the features, but they do not solely define this type of library. This restricts this type of library, because we are not maximizing the functionality and usage of new technologies available to us.
To get a glimpse of these 21st century libraries let us take a tour of the twenty-five most modern libraries in the world compiled by best college online. The site does not specify how these libraries were selected, the criteria used, etc. Many of the libraries listed are public libraries and only two are university libraries. Nevertheless these libraries may set the paradigm of future library services, and the goals we can achieve.
The site grouped the twenty-five modern libraries into three categories: first, architecture; second, technology and innovation; and third, digital collections. There are eight libraries grouped under architecture, twelve under technology and innovation and five under digital collections.
For Architecture, the eight libraries are:
1. Library of Picture Books in Iwai City of Fukushima Prefecture (Japan)
This is a library for children’s books, each book has its own cubicle, encouraging children to pick one up and read. In almost every corner of the library, one can see nature, hills close by and the ocean from afar. The building was designed for children to freely move around, play, and enjoy reading. It provides a bright, transparent and airy atmosphere instilling on children the love and fun for reading.
2. The Danish Royal Library (Denmark)
The Danish Royal Library is often called the Black Diamond because its facade was made of black granite from Zimbabwe. The Black Diamond is located at the waterfront of Copenhagen. It has lots of open spaces and playful walkways. It also used glass to take advantage of the view of the waterfront.
3. French National Library (France)
The French National Library is composed of four towers housing 10 million pieces of printed or recorded materials. It is located on the eastern side of Paris, along the Seine River. It has 1,600 seats in open reading rooms and 2,000 seats reserved for scientists and researchers.
4. Seattle Public Library (Washington, USA)
The Seattle Public Library is made of glass and steel, both forming diamond shapes all over, inviting natural light to come in during the day and the interior lights to shine through during the evening as if it glows in the dark. One feature of this library is the self-service check-out system available for its patrons. Patrons can check out their materials on their own, enabling the library staff to do other tasks.
5. Malmo City Library (Sweden)
The Malmo City Library is enclosed by glass and has a high ceiling giving it a bright and open atmosphere. It also has a self-service check-in kiosks.
6. Geisel Library (San Diego, California, USA)
The Geisel Library is located at the University of California, San Diego. Its design was described as a glass tree house. It also serves as the home of the works of Dr. Seuss.
7. Halmstad Library (Sweden)
The Halmstad Library was built over the Nissan River. Its interior is bright and airy. It also allows plenty of light to penetrate inside because of its glass walls.
8. National Library of the Czech Republic (Prague, Czech Republic)
The National Library of the Czech Republic is still in its conceptual stage. The building looks like a hill, but some say it looks like a giant octopus. It plans to provide bright and colorful interior spaces with a view of the landscape outside.
For Technology and Innovation, the twelve libraries are:
1. Delft Public Library (Netherlands)
The Delft Public Library is called a “library concept center.” Its interior is full of bright and vibrant colors. Patrons not only have access to books, but to lots of video games, listening stations, toys for kids, comic books, a piano and some art collection. It used recycled materials for its bookshelves. On the technology side, the library is wired to send a welcome text message to the cell phone of a patron upon entering the premises of the library. It also uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for books and cards. LCD screens filled with information are scattered around the building. It also has stations for podcasting and videocasting. For those who need technology-related help, there is a “genius bar.”
2. Turku City Library (Finland)
The Turku City Library has all the normal resources like books, DVDs, CDs and magazines. However, all these resources are organized not by the type of materials, but entirely by subject. The librarian assigned to one section is a specialist on the subject matter. Patrons are also able to check out their own books with automated machines.
3. Bow Idea Store (London)
This library prefers to call itself as Idea Store. It combines traditional services with access to technology and lifelong learning opportunities. Besides providing resources, it also attempts to educate and improve the lives of the residents of the community. Patrons are encouraged to hang out in the library, meet friends or have coffee at the café.
4. Cerritos Library (California, USA)
Cerritos Library is called the “Experience Library.” Besides books, it is home to a saltwater aquarium, sculptures, and a T-Rex fossil replica. The interior of this library is full of colors - very bright and vibrant. Information Stations are scattered all over the library to help patrons find what they need. Additional technology is found in its multimedia lab. It has thousands of laptop stations, wireless headsets and computers for librarians. It also employs the RFID in tracking books.
5. Cuyahoga County Public Library (Cleveland, Ohio, USA)
The Cuyahoga County Public Library always keeps up to date with the latest technologies. Its website was ranked the best in 2006 and patrons can access its collection. Its online link program provides access to 85 colleges and universities as well as other Ohio libraries. It also participates in podcasting program. It also uploads videos of lecturers who were invited to speak. Patrons can enjoy these uploaded videos. It also sends text messages to notify patrons of library notices. Although the exterior of the building is traditional, reflecting the colonial period when the City was founded, its interior is modern for all its purposes. This includes self-check machines, self-reserve pick-ups, vehicular book drop, wireless web tablets, children’s room with a learning tree and story room, teen room with stereo system, expanded collection area, two meeting rooms and a café.
6. Pace University Library (New York, USA)
This university library made it very easy for patrons to get access to library materials. It implements an innovative media network called the MediaPatch, an internal streaming system, which allows the library to share various types of media across campuses quickly and easily allowing patrons at one branch to easily and quickly access the resources from another at the touch of a button. There is no need for the patron to go to the other branch as the resources and information are all accessible online. It also participates in a podcasting program designed to cover a variety of subject areas.
7. Richmond Public Library (California, USA)
The Richmond Public Library maintains a large computer center, laptop stations and a digital resource center. There are also listening stations for music, a quiet study room, a large children’s section and a huge collection of Chinese language to cater to the big Asian population in the community. It also uses express self check out stations. It also boasts of a huge online collection of resources.
8. Denver Public Library (Denver, Colorado, USA)
The Denver Public Library makes the internet a major part of its operations. It has an extensive webpage, a podcasting series, and a huge digital download site where users can download audio books, online movies and e-books for use on their computer or MP3 player. It uses Denver Library Firefox plug-ins and an iGoogle catalog gadget.
9. San Diego Public Library (San Diego, California, USA)
San Diego Public Library was one of the first libraries to embrace wireless technology. It offers free wifi at all of its locations. It has an extensive website with services for live online homework help, a variety of e-books and audio books, online assistance, among others. It also has a self-check out system.
10.Cleveland Public Library (Cleveland, Ohio, USA)
The Cleveland Public Library has a wide range of downloadable materials on its website that includes audio books, ebooks, music and video. It is part of a network of libraries in Ohio allowing patrons to access materials from other locations. It works with a NetNotice plan which sends information on the library or reserved materials directly to the patrons' inboxes. It also uses the iGoogle catalog gadget and a Twitter feed.
11.Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, USA)
The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is a hybrid of the traditional and digital libraries. It provides online services which allow patrons to chat online with librarians. It also has an RSS feed, a blog, podcasts, online requests, downloadable media and more. To keep patrons engaged, it also offers career classes, gaming competitions and self checkout kiosks on site. To reach out to teens, it also maintains a MySpace and Facebook pages, gaming nights, art and anime clubs and a variety of teen centered programs and organizations.
12.New York Public Library (New York, USA)
The New York Public Library offers patrons access to millions of books, periodicals, CDs and more. It has a large number of digitized collections which include images, prints and photographs. It worked with Google to create a selection of digital books and offers patrons a large number of online text collections. It is highly technically savvy with an active RSS feed as well as podcasts on iTunes U. Patrons can also download e-books, videos and audios directly from the website or enjoy video storybooks, videos on demand and webcasts as well.
For Digital Collections, the five libraries are:
1. National Diet Library (Japan)
This library provides a huge online catalog system. Users of the catalog can search the library’s entire collection from anywhere in the world, with sites in both English and Japanese. It allows anyone to request materials from the library. The digital collection of Meiji era books numbers around 60,000. Users can search through these and see actual digital images of the materials. Additional online collections include almost 37,000 rare books from the pre-Edo periods of Japan, making research of Japanese history easier for those who cannot physically travel to Japan.