As we move forward into a digital era, it will become more important for libraries to nurture, stengthen and eventually expose its human side. A library's strength will no longer be the gateway to information in an age where any basement computer terminal can lead you to the down the same information pathways. Rather, our strength will be in how our *people* enliven and enrich the lives of other people.
I believe we will have to veer away from a focus on acquiring data and direct our focus on the humans who need that data.
"People are looking for real people who speak from the heart... [l]ibraries have this in spades. We have many stories to tell that will illustrate our value to customers and we should be 'shouting these stories from the rooftops.' " - Audra Caplan, President of the PLA and retired director of Harford County Public Library.
Call for ideas
I have my own ideas about ways we can do this (including putting together librarian profiles outlining who we really are, what our passions are, what we love about library service, etc.), but I'm curious what everyone else thinks. Any other ideas?
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