Philosophical and Attitudinal Changes from Library to Learning Commons

What philosophical and attitudinal changes need to take place on the part of the person running the library in order to create a learning commons?
It’s interesting to look at the broad span of answers for this question. Each article I read this week offers a different, yet oddly similar opinion on the matter. Seth Godin offers a strong opinion on the matter. Even though I’m sure this article irritated a lot of people in the profession I’m planning on going into, I think he offers valid points. What Godin is trying to stress is the importance of a librarian as a venue to higher education. He states that the use of a librarian is more important than ever, but that there is really no use for a library at all. (Not something I totally agree with). In order for the above changes to be made librarians are going to have to look past the way Godin has of ‘laying it all on the table’, and really understand that he has valid points. For example, instead of being ‘a warehouse for dead books’, libraries are going to have to adjust their attitudes as to what exactly it means in providing the best, most up to date materials for their consumers. In this day in age, that means looking further into technology, not only is it more accessible, it’s more welcoming, and a lot easier and quicker to find information. Overall the user-friendliness of the library increases once these options are put into place.
The Unquiet Librarian has a very realistic approach to the fact that philosophical and attitudinal changes need to come to the library, over and over again she brings up the realization that funding is just not there at this point in time. This puts librarians in a difficult situation. You want to prove that you are functional to the best capacities for the community, but you don’t have the resources to do it. At this point I think part of the ‘attitude change’ could come in. Why not start a few fundraisers, ask patrons to donate actual objects instead of holding out a cash hungry hand? Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Another suggestion that was brought up in this article really stunned me. The idea of collaboration is great, but one suggestion was that a librarian be in a classroom 3-4 days a week, and the other 1-2 they can work in the library. Ideally this would be wonderful, but in our school we have 1 librarian and 1 para for around 800 children. How can she possibly be in classrooms AND have the library functioning properly? However, maybe that’s one of my philosophical changes that I need to make- the role of the teacher-librarian.
‘A Long Look in the Mirror’ asks some tough questions, but ones that I think are necessary. If librarians answer these questions honestly, they can see where their changes need to stem from. Can programs be directly linked to student achievement, and if so, why is the library the only one that knows it? Unfortunately, in today’s day and age a library has to prove why it should stay open. It’s obvious to us, but how are you going to show others? So library philosophy can and should start changing here. Instead of worrying about making sure all the books are in order, checked in on time, and sending out those past-due notices, priorities need to be reassessed and changed.
‘Librarian 2.0’ is a perfect example of what and where a school library should be. Students learn so much by creating and collaborating, and the ‘Veteran’s Issues Project Portal’ is a shining star when looking at those two aspects. Obviously someone in this library has stepped back and looked at their philosophy and attitudes when it comes to what they should provide.
My personal opinion to the question is a mixture of all the above articles. Do I think libraries need to ‘step it up’ and start offering things such as ebooks and a bank of research computers? Absolutely. Do I think this is an option for every library at this point? Not in a million years. I keep coming back to the same thing over and over again (probably because it plagues my area and personal life), funding. We live in a rural town of 3,000 people, how beneficial would it be to offer after school tutoring at the library, or a bank of research computers? I don’t honestly know the clear answer to the question, but if I had to guess these services would not be accessed like they should be, or have the potential to be. There is a low rate of college graduates, and most people who graduate high school move right into the working field. So- I guess what I must do is take myself out of ‘what I know’, and position myself into a different area. In that case, as I’ve said before, Kirkpatrick Library is an absolutely amazing example of what a learning commons should look and feel like. It offers layers upon layers of resources for it’s students (and I assume residents?) to engage themselves in. I would be interested also to see how they get clients into the library, and what kind of programs they run.
Overall in the library community I think the changes (I’m not so sure they’re exactly changes per say) need to be the following; the ability to be and stay flexible, providing information to consumers in a number of ways especially the most convenient ways, and to take a look at the questions that LaGarde asked in her article ‘A Long Look in the Mirror.’