ICEBERGS

"Away from the Icebergs" was interesting, in that it pointed out 3 dangerous threats to the future success of libraries: The "just in case" collection, reliance on user education, and the "come to us" model of library service. All three of these, I think, are true. The traditional COLLECTION has been available for "if" and "when" patrons might need the items. I liked the point made that library staff aren't teachers -- If patrons cant' use the services available, then the service needs to be changed! AND, thirdly, the libraries need to find ways of bringing services TO patrons, rather than insisting that the patrons come to the library...on our terms! It's exciting to speculate on the various possibilities for the future. The main thing to remember is that the world, even for libraries, is changing VERY quickly, and libraries need to not only keep up, but think WAY ahead. So that the patrons can benefit.