Description
Book SynopsisThis collection of thought-provoking essays challenges librarians to consider the future of the profession, particularly as it relates to the Web, the library as place, delivering services to the desktop, certification, and the future of professional associations.
Trade ReviewEach essay in the book offers a different perspective on how to get services to users—all those nonusers and lapsed users who have fled to the Internet, and even our fellow professionals and paraprofessionals. Some are more practical, 'how-to' articles; others are thoughtful pieces on the roles of libraries and how we as librarians can move forward and yet also 'preserve what is good.' * College & Research Libraries, Vol. 67, No. 6 (November 2006) *
The essays provide a wonderful mix of the philosophical and the practical. Ultimately, Last One Out Turn Off the Lights provides a re-affirmation of the value of libraries and librarians, provided we are determined to figure out how to best 'serve an information-hungry society.' * Info Career Trends *
...very timely...It should be read by librarians and library workers in all library settings, and added to any library's collection. * Public Services Quarterly, Vol. 2, No. 2/3 (2006) *
...this collection makes for stimulating discussion and consciousness-raising professional reading. The essays are tightly structured and succinct in presenting and discussing the state of the profession. Highly recommended for those in supervisory positions within public and academic libraries as well as library association leaders. * Medical Reference Services Quarterly, Vol. 26, No. 1 (Spring 2007) *
...full of questions...universal for all library and information professionals at the beginning of the twenty-first century. * Library Management, Vol. 27, No. 9 (2006) *
Editors Susan E. Cleyle and Louise M. McGillis invited 16 essayists to speculate about the role of libraries in the future. In Last One Out Turn Off the Lights: Is This the Future of American and Canadian Libraries? forecasts are grouped into five main areas: the Web, library as place, pushing to the desktop, certification, and the future of library associations. Among the essayists are Roy Tennant, who evaluates the Web as both a threat and a salvation for the profession; and Barbara K. Stripling, who addresses the certification debate. * American Libraries *
Sixteen essays from library professionals and academics consider the future of U.S. and Canadian libraries in a world where alternative sources of information abound. Five main topics are addressed: competition from the Web, the library as place, the consequences of pushing electronic resources to the desktop, certification issues, and the future of library associations. * Reference and Research Book News *
Table of ContentsPart 1 Preface Part 2 Acknowledgments Part 3 Introduction: Change the Lightbulb or Flip the Switch - Our Choice! Part 4 Part 1: The Tug of War between Libraries and the Web: Who Will End Up in the Dirt? Chapter 5 1 The Microwave of the Reference World Chapter 6 2 Library Prophets and Library Pornographers: Some Problems That Arise When We Talk about Libraries and the Web Chapter 7 3 The Library Blog: Serving Users and Staying Relevant Part 8 Part 2: Wake Up and Smell the Coffee: How Do We Reinvent the Library as Place? Chapter 9 4 "Real" University Libraries Don't Have Neon Lights Chapter 10 5 A Refuge and a Sanctuary: Vancouver's Carnegie Library as Civic Space Chapter 11 6 Public Libraries and Services to Students: Taking Up the Slack in the Face of Budget Cuts Part 12 Part 3: The End of the World as We Know It: What Are the Consequences of Pushing to the Desktop? Chapter 13 7 Being All We Can Be: The Web as Both a Threat and the Means of Our Salvation Chapter 14 8 The Challenges of Our Success: Consequences of Pushing to the Desktop Chapter 15 9 All or Nothing at All: The Consequences of Pushing Electronic Resources to the Desktop Part 16 Part 4: From Librarian to Cybrarian: Can Certification Redefine Us? Chapter 17 10 Post-Master's Certification: A Case for Responsive Education Chapter 18 11 Door #1: Certification. Door #2: Not! Door #3: Real Solutions Chapter 19 12 The Certification Debate: Will You, Won't You, Will You, Won't You, Will You Join the Dance? Part 20 Part 5: Mixing the Old with the New: How Do Library Associations Survive? Chapter 21 13 Changing Roles for Library Associations Chapter 22 14 Texas Library Association: A Success Story Chapter 23 15 Lighting the Way: Can Library Associations Shape Our Future? Chapter 24 16 I Don't Wanna Pay If I Can't Play: One New Librarian's Vision of Library Associations Part 25 Epilogue Part 26 About the Editors and Contributors
