Evolve or Die. Evolve and Die.

the false dichotomy of tech

by Jessamyn West

http://librarian.net/talks/columbia.html

12mar04

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Do Librarians Dream of Electric Books?

• Dream #1 - the building
• Dream #2 - the ability

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The Day to Day Non-Dream

A story of two librarians

Me	Reference Librarian
knows computers smiles tries hard outgoing	knows Dewey knows reference sources knows patrons shy

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What we learn at work

• Evolution is rapid
• Physical prowess beats accumulated "knowledge"
• You are a change agent, to heck with Ranganathan
• Putting a price tag on progress is parsimonious and backwards-thinking
• Computers make us smart.

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What we learn in the wild

• Evolution takes place gradually over time
• Resourcefulness will beat out raw physical traits
• Good neighbors won't kill and eat you
• The value of thrift
• A computer is of little use to a man trapped in a tiger pit [aka right tool, right job]

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Let's Be Real

The truth, as always, lies somewhere in between.
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Thank You.

the end