Thoughts on other readings

Going over the last week's readings, I've been wondering about the future of libraries and information science as content continues to become more and more accessible. Now that it's ever easier for both aspiring and established writers to circumvent traditional publishing channels and for readers to turn up a surplus of documents relating to their interests, this diversity and oversupply could change the whole picture of intellectual life in our times.

I've been wondering in what ways, if any, the trend toward electronic media may result in a decrease in literacy. Perhaps the more germane question is whether it's developing a new kind of literacy -- and how librarians can contribute?

I'm also concerned by the decline of university and independent presses. To put book publishing in the hands only (or overwhelmingly) of mainstream publishers limits the promulgation of worthy and interesting non-mainstream books. Of course, increasingly authors are taking the option to self-publish or release materials online, but as of yet, I don’t perceive many established standards of quality online (equivalent to the vetting function that academic presses and/or niche publishers serve for books). Perhaps such standards are now emerging?

The above point helps me see the value in the idea of librarians as the arbiters of quality, discussed in one of our online readings. As there's a shift away from packaged content, librarians can take a stronger role in holding non-prepackaged texts to various standards and giving them more or less prominence accordingly.

On a separate (random) note, I can identify with what one of the texts said about the new model of micropayment for microcontent, having worked for years (for micro-pay!) as a web-based editor for individual clients' writing. Even when I worked for a magazine, its niche-nature (emergent educational technology) gave me the sense that our audience was fairly "micro" and specialized. It's encouraging that unlimited opportunities for niche publishing exist online now. I do hope, however, that the trend toward open access doesn't too drastically reduce funding for libraries.

Meanwhile, it's been interesting to poke through the document about public perception of libraries and gather factoids. I don't know quite what to do with many of the statistics, but it's intriguing so far to see breakdowns, figures, and sample quotations regarding the patrons'-eye view of libraries.