Thoughts on stewardship and service

Blogs and wikis; discussion boards, technology! reference foundations and theories. Digital libraries. Virtual libraries. Longevity of media? Librarianship. Issues in libraries are deeper and more theoretical than I imagined. Seriously, a professor this week actually mentioned the possibility of a gap in the human record, which I am determined to not see happen. Feeling slightly overwhelmed with the first week and the rush of information, but left with an undeniable sense of This is right for me, this is what I’ve been waiting for. Take that all you doubters in my life, all you folks who tell me libraries are “ dying”. I finally have an abundant supply of confidence that outweighs your negativity.

In the first chapter of his book, Gorman succinctly outlines the major philosophies that have impacted librarianship as we know it and ends the article with his formulation of what he believes are the core values of the profession. While I agree with each of the values he describes, the first two are the ones that stand out the most, and that I feel I’m coming to understand their depths more clearly. Though there is no mention of any type of priority in the order of the list, perhaps it is no coincidence that the values of stewardship and service come first.

This reading allowed me to really lay out some fundamental values and weigh their importance in my mind, which in hindsight seems incredibly important. I wholeheartedly agree with Rothstein’s Ethos, where in a speech that Gorman relates to the reader, he demands that a declaration of principals is necessary in order to define what a librarian is and does. The value of stewardship is resonant, especially after a shocking daydream of a future with a gap in the human record. It is a librarian’s duty to preserve our history, and pass education along to future generations. The value of service, too, reminds me of the usefulness of the profession; we serve a purpose. That purpose is to serve our users; to never stop acquiring new materials or providing educational resources to the community in which the library exists.

I am comforted by a new sense of the pivotal need for the librarian, as a record keeper of history, as well as the pragmatic, everyday function of the librarian in today’s society. Though some may fear the fast pace of technology and the changes it brings to the field, I am ready to embrace it; though I’m not sure I could ever truly keep up!