Warlick: Why Libraries Are Important

Absolutely wonderful, thoughtful post from David Warlick on a chance ride to the conference center with a school librarian.

http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/2006/07/07/why-libraries-are-important/

The library that people remember from their school experience (decades ago) seems to have less meaning when we have access to a global library of information with a mouse-click. But this logical piece of visionary budgeting misses an essential point in where education is evolving. When the child graduates, the teacher will be gone. The classroom will be gone. The textbooks will be gone. But for the first time in history, continual learning will be the ONLY road to prosperity. Teacher and classroom as the model for continual learning will be meaningless. Far more relevant will be the library and the skills that a talented librarian will help patrons to develop.