3-2-1 TUESDAYS WITH MS NIV

Issue #  26  /  January 5, 2021

Google will give you a thousand answers to your questions, but a librarian will give you the right one 🙂 What do you think? Here’s an entertaining Ted talk by a librarian of the role of today’s library and also my guest columnist this week shares her thoughts of running a community library and the role it plays. Here we are in a brand new year. I am planning to use the  continuing non-commute-to-work time for adding some more reading time to my routine. What about you? 

Three Images For The Week

For Teachers, parents and students. The holy trinity of education.

Two Thoughts For The Week

When in doubt go to the library.– J.K. Rowling

The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library.– Albert Einstein

One Video For The Week

What do you think when you hear the word library? Are libraries obsolete in the 21st century digital age? Find out how libraries have transformed over the years and what this librarian believes to be the future of community libraries everywhere.

Readers advisory, reference service, programs and events – the librarians still do this and so much more.

Guest column:

Why do we still need a library ?

Let us understand the origin of library. Libraries were set up as part of reform movements in the late nineteenth century. The goal was to create a special collection of books for children to give a sense of a hopeful future. Public authorities wanted to introduce the joy of reading as well as foster literacy skills of children. The positive connection between literature and children came into formation somewhere around the 1890s (specifically, 1895) when the first set of children libraries was set up. Post the 1890s, public and private children libraries were set up along with primary and secondary institutions and the surge of children’s book publishing houses.

Library plays a huge role in building communities. Libraries aren’t just about books and information; they can also be special centers which have developed from specific community needs.  There are myriad communities across the country that are made up of individuals and families for whom English isn’t their first language and this can sometimes be a barrier in daily life.  However, the majority of public libraries help integrate non-English speakers into society by providing books in other languages, hiring librarians who are multilingual or offering bilingual book clubs. Libraries offer a whole host of programs like storytelling to book club to summer reading programs for young children and teenagers.

Neutrality and social responsibility are key values of libraries and the actual Librarians always try to provide balanced collections, in which the readers are free to pick and to build their own point of view. This neutrality is part of the unwritten contract between the readers and the librarians. Readers go to libraries to find a broader range of points of view than she can find by herself. To assume this social responsibility, which is to ensure that they provide a fair overlook on its topics, librarians must have the full choice to shape their collections.

Libraries have long been at the front lines of providing people with access to new formats for reading and new technology, whether when switching from scrolls to the familiar book format, to newer trends in e-reading.

Many people believe libraries to be a thing of the past due to the digital revolution and the rise of a gadget enamored society. The role of libraries as community centers is often undervalued leading to shrinking budgets and sometimes even closure. However, the increase of technologically mediated life is perhaps the reason why public libraries are important institutions for bringing together communities and providing a safe place in which individuals can gather to interact, learn and explore.  

There is no doubt: the era of printed books as the one and only media format for information and knowledge transfer is over. We are witnessing the triumph of digital media and e-books distributed via Internet. Libraries are highly challenged by new models of access to digital content. Publishers and distributors provide access via licenses. They don’t sell the material anymore:  Licensing has replaced ownership in many cases. Some publishers even refuse to offer digital content to libraries; others have created licensing restrictions which put the traditional role of libraries in modern societies at risk.

Indeed the reflection goes much beyond the merely technical issues to question the very role of libraries towards the society and ask what the shift from printed books to electronic books might actually change with regard to this fundamental mission. 

Libraries have always been thought of as a kind of “temple of books” … a place you can go to for peace and quiet, a place to read and think. They are intricate part of the fabric that pulls a community together. But if they are to be relevant in the future they will have to make space for themselves in the digital community as well.

Bhakti Shah

http://thinkbox.co.in/

Showcase:

This is a weekly newsletter on education. Once a week, curated by me from amongst the  articles, videos and long form articles that I read. Most of you would have been too busy to track trends in education, ponder on most relevant thoughts or deliberate on career choice, parenting or pedagogy. Find it all here.

For whom? Students, educators and parents

When? Every Tuesday

Where? my blog post, register with your e-mail id, it is free.

I have been a research scientist, a journalist and an educator for over 3 decades. I read and I write.  With this weekly newsletter, I intend to share what I read, learn and experience while I engage with students, parents and teams of teachers across K-12 schools, higher education institutions and ed-tech organisations.

3-2-1 Tuesdays with Ms Niv  is a newsletter for you to subscribe and enjoy your learning journey with me. This week, it consists of:  3 images, 2 thoughts and 1 video.

If you have created any material, virtual or physical that you think can be reviewed and/or featured in this news letter, please feel free to write to me at : niveditamukerjee10@gmail.com

And Finally….

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