Re: job title

[Steven Weller <stevenw@IGLOU.COM>]

>Hi folks,
>
>What a wonderful discussion, and what a great time to have it - one of the
>few relatively slow times around here!
>
>I like the tack this conversation is taking. What we are called is really
>less important that what we do. I have always lobbied to be called "media
>czar," but with small success.
>
>Both Mike Eisenberg and Steve Weller have spoken to the need to make
>technology part of our domain, more or less for our professional survival.
>I agree, but I think the more pressing reason is that we as trained
>information specialists can help schools do technology "right" for the sake
>of our kid's education.

The most important thing is to stay in the driving seat and *not* get
caught up in the technology if at all possible. At the moment it is not
possible in most cases because the technological skills are not available
and the technology is changing so rapidly. Sink or swim.

To extend the "driving seat" idea, imaging that librarians used bicycles
for book transport. Along comes this new-fangled car thing. It's slow,
dirty, noisy, unreliable, noone knows how to operate or maintain it, let
alone drive it, but it sure shifts books. Fast forward to a point when cars
are commodity items, standard, fast, reliable, quiet, (relatively)
non-polluting, with little maintenance needed and places everywhere where
you can get them fixed.

Where would you rather be: in the driving seat or under the hood ? Are the
"mechanics" of today going to be the drivers of tomorrow ? Only if they a)
learn to drive, and b) train and hire their own mechanics.


--
Steven Weller  <Windsor Consulting Group>         +1 502 648 4115 (voice)
                                                  +1 502 451 5935 (fax)
2014 Cherokee Pkwy, Suite J, Louisville, KY 40204, USA
<OS-9 Consultancy and Software>    stevenw@iglou.com or sweller@aol.com