On Interviews and the Shadow of City Hall

Michael McGrorty had an interview:

http://librarydust.typepad.com/library_dust/2007/09/down-in-the-bas.html

During the interview I was asked the usual question, “As a new librarian, what would you do to determine the needs of your community of patrons?” My response was as it has always been: “I would do my best to make contact with a broad cross-section of the patrons by any means possible, but especially by the Internet, which is fast, cheap and easily used to communicate ideas and questions, and to receive responses in return.” I added that I would immediately establish a personal blog as a means of maintaining a conversation with the patrons, and to introduce them to the use of the Internet and computers in general. I said also that I felt that maintaining a presence on the Internet humanizes the position, makes the library and librarians seem more in the service of the public than merely a box of books across from the city hall.

The whole post is incredibl, so please read it. This sentence resonates: The library needs to figure out if they want to be part of that conversation, or die a slow death in the shadow of city hall.

Michael concludes with a fascinating take on the future of the public library.