Blended Librarians

I was thinking about the article “A Passion for Academic Librarianship” by Steven Bell specifically about the blended librarian. Bell actually set up a website and a community of Blended Librarians at http://blendedlibrarian.org. Bell wants the librarianship moving into a more technological and educational role. He is absolutely right. It’s hard for the technology to replace the librarians if the librarians are the maters of the technology. It also helps the librarians moving beyond just book stacks and into the classrooms joining the faculty members and the students. Education has changed as much as the librarianship has changed. Physically confined spaces are not required to make classrooms or libraries. The creation of WebCT or Balckboard transforms classrooms into virtual space and classrooms without walls. Chat rooms, instant messages, emails, webcams, and electronic discussion boards are all become tools for educational means. Asynchronous and synchronous communications through computer mediated method deliver quality education just as good as a traditional classroom method. Librarians can deliver library tutorials through real time media, and student’s questions can be answered through virtual reference. Librarians actually play a more important role than ever when it comes to technology and education. Librarians often are the first people who dive in to the dark technological pools. We find what work for our faculty and students and we deliver the new technology to them. Without us, the students will be lost in the massive new technology pool and can’t find what tools that can truly help with their education. Without us, you will have serious problem to educate and “push” our faculty new ways to deliver their knowledge to their students. A blended librarian is everyone’s pal because he or she can bring technology and education together to the academia in this ever changing technological, savvy world.