Are Librarians becoming extinct?

-Overtime Civilizations Become Extinct-

I was traversing through bloglines when I decided to check out a blog feed from, http://www.librarian.net/.

One post caught my eye. This post dated Jan. 31st, 2007, is titled, "33 reasons librarians are still extremely important." Read the post below.

"A no-nonsense list, good for any sort of situation. My favorites are 24) The Internet is subject to manipulation, and 32) Libraries are a stopgap to anti-intellectualism. [thanks forrest]"

I went to the link that contained a very informative article written by Will Sherman. After reading the article, "33 Reasons Why Libraries and Librarians are Extremely Important," I started to think about issues facing the future librarian in the 21st century and beyond.



As a fairly new grad student in the SLIS program, I asked myself a few questions.

• Will I have a career as a librarian in 10 years or beyond?


• Will librarians fade away, as library materials become a part of the digitized world?


• Will human librarians be replaced by virtual librarians?


• Will physical libraries become extinct?

Will Sherman seems to think not. He believes wholeheartedly that librarians are here to stay and backs up his beliefs with his 33 reasons. Be sure to check out these reasons for yourself. They seem logical to me.

I also agree with Sherman and his reasonings. I especially agree with reason number nine, "Libraries aren't just Books."

Libraries are so much more than books on a shelf!

Libraries are a place for fellowship with community, cultural awareness centers, social networks, informational hubs, learning institutions, relaxation centers, and lastly a place where one can seek help and guidance.

This brings me to my next point. Librarians will not become extinct because there will alwys be a need for a physical person to guide and assist patrons who need help. Libarians are informed of information technology. Some patrons may not know how to utilize the rapidly changing technology and resources filling our world. This is where the expertise of the librarian comes into play.

After reviewing Will Sherman's article, I am not terribly worried about the extinction of the librarian. I just think that as the library moves into the future, it is crucial for librarians, library organizations such as the ALA, librarian administrators, etc. continue to build the skills and resources necessary to adapt to the fast-paced technology.

What are your thoughts?