The Transparent Library: Cheers & Jeers

Cheers to the many librarians who have joined the local and global conversation via blogs, wikis, Flickr, and other social networks. The expression of shared ideas, feedback, and solutions furthers the professional discourse.

Jeers to IT departments that still hide behind “it’s not secure,” “we can’t support that,” and technology plans/decisions made without involving librarians or users. We’re ready for an open dialog about security, privacy, and what resources we can realistically spend. We understand how busy IT can be. We simply want the discussions to be more inclusive.

Cheers to libraries like North Carolina State University (NCSU) for the “transparent reference desk” at its Information Commons. Much more than furniture, this acknowledges what can be done in an open collaborative space. With iPods and digital cameras available for checkout, NCSU shows that librarians can be technology support leaders, trainers, and advocates for collaboration.

Read the whole column here

Update: How did we do? What would you add?