Cautionary notes

Looking at blogs like The Shifted Librarian and LibraryBytes elicited these thoughts:

The most technologically savvy librarians seem to be in an early discovery/exploratory phase in which a lot of possibly useful technologies are presenting themselves to the new generation of library professionals.

It is virtually impossible for any one person to be aware of all of the new tools currently available or in development.

It will take time to find out which internet-based tools have useful applications to the library environment.

Two cautionary notes:

1. When personal computers came on the scene in 1981-82, they were sold to the educational profession as a tool that would revolutionize teaching and rescue teachers from the drudgery of
repetitive, routine drills. A lot of computers and software were sold to school systems. From the perspective of nearly 30 years later, what has been the real impact of digital technology on education? It might be instructive for librarians to do some research regarding how computers and the internet have changed schools and the teaching profession.

2. New technology (RFID, for example) is expensive to purchase, and transitioning/retrofitting libraries and materials is also expensive. Will local governments and taxpayers be willing to pay for the new technologies? Recent history suggests that library systems are among the first entities to be cut when there are budget shortfalls.