Thing 15: Whoa Icebergs!

"Away from the icebergs"
What metaphors...libraries as boats headed for disaster if we hit those three icebergs of collection, education and services.
ICEBERG #1: PRINT vs. DIGITAL COLLECTION
This is a given...all of that print media we were used to is now found digitally. Our reference collections have gone to online databases. Our everyday reading has gone to digital and audio format. Just to keep up the library will have to funnel monies from print media to computers...seems we've been on that track for a while. Now if we can only keep up with the electrical and phone services needed to keep moving computers in.
ICEBERG #2: USER EDUCATION
We can't always be educators too. It's amazing how one customer's computer knowledge differs from the next...just look at us too! the need for Web 2.0 is here. We need to come up with quicker and easier ways for our digital information to reach the public. We would once pick up that reference book and open it to the needed page...we need to pick that correct database and get the information fast!
ICEBERG #3: GO to THEM
At one point customers came to us...we had all the print material collected here. Now, most customers have computers of there own and access information that was once in print on the 'world wide web'. We need to keep those customers but not necessarily have to bring them in. Our website (so glad it's getting a makeover) and databases become more important, especially for the student. But what about play? more Web 2.0?!...access to social networking sites.

Howard County Library seems on the right track in regards to some of these icebergs...let us just hope our navigation experts continue in the right direction.