“The Library” doesn t have to be about books but it has to be about reading literacy and education. Otherwise it doesn t justify itself at all. Citizens should rightly examine their libraries and ask themselves why they should pay taxes to support some guy who sits in the basement of the library playing with gadgets and surfing the Internet. What exactly is that guy doing that s so important to the community

via Shiny Toys and Glossy Gimmicks – Annoyed Librarian – Blog on Library Journal.

Technology does not determine practice. How people embrace technology has less to do with the technology itself than with the social setting in which they are embedded. Those who are immersed in a techno-savvy, technophilic community are far more likely to embrace technology than those whose social world is shaped by other patterns of consumption and communication. People’s practices are also shaped by those around them. There are cluster effects to socio-technical engagement. In other words, people do what their friends do.

via apophenia: some thoughts on technophilia.

apophenia: Informing Communities: Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age.

http://midhudson.org/funding/advocacy/heart_community.pdf

Found via: myliblog: Libraries at the heart of our communities.