Why Innovation Isn't Always a Good Thing for Libraries

I've really liked a lot of the innovations in libraries during my tenure in them over the last 30 years.  Do I want to go back to manually filing cards in the catalog?  Not really, though it gave me a physical experience of entries in a catalog that mere coding will never replace.

Nobody likes waiting in lines either. I like self checkout, both at the supermarket and at the library. It's not that I don't want to talk to the friendly clerks, it's just that I like doing things for myself more.

These are great library labor saving devices which making working in and using libraries more enjoyable.  Like any labor saving approaches, the point is not to reduce work, but to redirect it to better purpose.  I advocate spending more time in reading and research and less in the scut work that wastes time.

I do still think it's important for everyone to learn how to use books, especially printed reference books such as indexes and encyclopedias.  There is still much that is printed and not available on the internet. As wonderful as it is, not everything can be found (and properly authenticated) in Wikipedia.

Innovative technology can often improve access, but a dependence on it alone, eschewing printed material can be as much of a barrier to complete and trustworthy research as an ignorance of technology.  If libraries forget to advance the cause of good research practices, they do a disservice to their constituents.  No one really enjoys making the kids eat their vegetables, and in the same way, it's less sexy to push books than show off the latest database, but for those of us responsible to the reading community, we can't abdicate our place in their education with impunity.