"From Automation to Transformation" Lynch

This author was very astute in their observation that special collections of libraries used to be nearly completely invisible; while now online they can be very accessible in pdf formats. As an undergraduate historian and also someone who loves old things, it is so neat to me that the accessibility to old and unique materials has taken off with the ability to put high quality images online. True there is still a tactile setback, the truth is that now anyone could conceivably see images of unique materials like George Washington’s diary online or look at a copy of the Magna Carta online. I liked that the author talked about the constant problem of resources and how librarians have to choose between doing things the way they always have or investing in machines and digitalization projects that often are a large chunk out of a smaller library’s budget. But since the public demands it, I don’t know of many libraries that have been able to withstand the pressure of the public from getting the newest and the best for their library. One problem I had with the author was their assertion that automation is comfortable because it does not challenge roles and missions of the library. On the contrary! Libraries though they rarely close, are still confronted with taxpayers who do not see the reason for a physical library to exist anymore, and I would like to see some data on the relation of technology and automation with construction of new libraries either in Universities or in smaller towns. I suspect that the trend has been heading against new library facilities. Librarians themselves have to fight once more for their existence especially when supported by public funds, and I don’t think that the tension between automation and the physical will dissipate anytime soon, because automation is here to stay, and will probably become a constant if not increasing part of the human experience.