#13 Musings on technology

The way I see it, technology is the thing that stands between me and Alzheimer's i.e. the constant learning and acquisition of new skills that is such a routine part of one's working life these days surely must be doing wonders for the old brain and my mental agility. For someone who has spent my working life in the same career, mostly in the same workplace, the emergence of technology has been a godsend inasmuch as it has enabled me to learn many new competencies which in turn has led to an increase in the interest and variety of my role over the years. The job I am doing now, and the skills I need to do it, are in so many ways very different from the ones I started with all those years ago. One of the greatest improvements that technology has been able to provide to our users is, in my view, the opening up of hitherto hidden or restricted parts of the collection through the digitising of pictures, manuscripts, rare pamphlets and (soon) newspapers. When I first started at the Library, these sorts of materials were accessible to a select few who were able to prove their credentials. Now anyone and everyone can view our treasures via our website together with our catalogue and an increasing range of databases. This is a seismic shift in information provision and the interactive aspects of the Web 2.0 technologies means that our users just aren't passive recipients - they can participate by ordering materials online, contributing information on images in our Pictures Catalogue, posting pictures and info on their favourite things on Your Treasures, subscribing to podcasts via RSS feeds etc. In a year or two's time, now doubt there will be interactive technologies available to our users that I haven't heard of myself yet so I'll just have to KEEP LEARNING!

Had a look at Educause's 7 Things You should Know site and chose Facebook, Wikipedia, Citizen Journalism and Social Bookmarking - good, solid information site. Likewise, the post on the Librarians Matter blog was thoughtful and informative, certainly the reasons outlined there for keeping, or trying to keep, one step ahead of the punters as far as technology is concerned applies to us in the SLV.