Speaking Volumes

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APRIL 22, 2009

From the Field

For our regular readers, if you’ve not noticed, Wednesday is my day to blog. This week, I’m not home. I am in Lancaster, PA. (It is very nice here.) Back home, Library staff are reading this and very surprised. Not because I am technically doing work on vacation or because I will justify this by saying they, back home, had enough to do without one more thing, but because I remembered what day of the week it is. It is well known at the Library that while I do enjoy writing these blog entries, I am frequently lost in the days and need to be reminded.

Being in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, posting this from afar on the motel’s wifi I am struck by the uses of technology and how attached I am to them. It is strange to see a supermarket with parking for horse and buggy and self check out. I wonder what it is like for a culture that doesn’t use electricity to pass by coke machines, basically on the side of the road. Traveling here I annoyed my husband by announcing for the millionth time my adoration for the EZ-pass.

As many know, Librarianship is a second career for me. I can honestly say if it were not for technology, I would never have considered this path. The notion of typing out multiple cards for the catalog sends shivers down my spine. At the same time, as well all know, the technology is not without its complications. How many times have we heard the beep, but it didn’t seem to ‘take’?

All technology has its pros and cons. In the next few weeks, the Saxton B. Little Free Library will start beta testing a new interface* for their catalog. We hope it will be an EZ pass, but at first it might be as strange as a horse and buggy at a coke machine. We’ll keep you posted.

*This refers to the way a program looks on the computer, such as where you can click etc.

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Comments

CarolK said, on Apr. 23 at 5:10AM
lol, we of little faith thought you truly were on vacation and would take an EZ pass on blogging. Cheers to you for remembering it was a Wednesday. Did you remember to take the Saxton Bee? Enjoy your step back in time and don't let technology intrude too much this trip.

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Judy said, on Apr. 28 at 10:08AM
This shows that you can take the librarian out of the library, but not the library out of the librarain! We're glad you had a good time and brought back good memories (and other things). Mostly we're glad you're back!