Johnson

"What are you doing to prepare for the day when finding a good book or researching a paper is no longer a reason to come to the library? When administrators figure out there are less expensive, more effective ways of providing materials?

Will you have the skills and be in the position to manage digital resources? Will you have a curriculum of essential skills that only you teach? Will your physical library space still be seen as a vital part of the school program?

My bet is that e-readers will be adopted more rapidly that mp3 players. When's the last time you saw a kid using a phonograph, a cassette player or even a Walkman? My son's "e-book reader" is his iPod Touch and reading on cell phones has long been a staple in other parts of the world. //Neflix// is killing the video rental stores. How fast will people and schools sign up for "books on demand" when it becomes available? Now, not tomorrow, is when to start positioning yourself in the new information ecosystem. And remember Godin's words: Whining isn't a scalable solution."

-Doug Johnson //[|Blue Skunk Blog]//


 Doug Johnson is the director at Mankato (MN) public schools and he has taught K-12 in the United States and Saudi Arabia. He got his BA in English Education at the University of Northern Colorado; his MA in Library Science from the University of Iowa. He has a certification in Media Supervision from Mankato State University and he was in the Bush Leadership Program from 1996-1998. Johnson has done presentations and workshops for over 130 organizations in eleven different countries. He takes the librarian show on the road! He has published five books and a blog that gets 50,000 visits a month. The blog, //Blue Skunk Blog//, touches on current issues facing libraries specifically and schools in general. He offers links to research and support. Johnson also writes his blog in such a way that it is easily accessible for browsing. He writes with style and a wit that will make readers chuckle. He even includes in his website a [|page of quotes] that aren’t the normal academic lines that have been over quoted. “ You teach kids how to succeed when they successfully foil the educational system.” Arlo Guthrie

TJB