Ink vs. Bytes: The Delicate Balance I Tried to Maintain in a Library

Authors

  • Fatima Taha I am currently a PhD student at the University of Georgia. I was previously and Instructor & Research Specialist Librarian with the Howard County Library System

Keywords:

librarians, Librarians, internet, Library, patrons, Teaching, electronic sources, Research, computers, Information Sources, discrimination, technology

Abstract

Librarian is a misleading term that imposes a general idea upon what those who work in libraries do on a daily basis. Amongst the numerous tasks I was assigned and completed during my two years at my library system, one of the most intriguing and, perhaps, difficult to accomplish was finding a balance between technological advantages and written, tangible works. While the internet creates an easily accessible forum within which to disseminate information, even of the scholarly field, it also creates a sometimes seemingly insurmountable gap between those familiar with technology and those who find it to be a frightening tool that they will be unable to understand or use properly. Conversely, many patrons are forgetting the magic that exists with tangible documents, especially ones such as handwritten letters. A few vignettes of my experience with a variety of patrons will, I hope, serve to shed light on the balance I tried to find between paper and electronic sources.

Author Biography

Fatima Taha, I am currently a PhD student at the University of Georgia. I was previously and Instructor & Research Specialist Librarian with the Howard County Library System

In 2012, I graduated from Georgetown University with my MA in English literature. Currently, I am working towards my PhD with a specific interest in letters/epistles at the University of Georgia. I have also spent several years as a Instructor & Research Librarian with the Howard County Library System. With the advent of technology, I feel that the art and importance of letters and letter-writing is becoming lost. I strive to help my students understand the importance of keeping writing alive and how it personalizes creative and academic writing. I have also an interest in breaking any sort of cultural and.or binding norms forced upon students or the younger generation, no matter what field of study in which they are interested.

Downloads

Published

2018-03-13

How to Cite

Taha, F. (2018). Ink vs. Bytes: The Delicate Balance I Tried to Maintain in a Library. Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping, 23(3), 36–41. Retrieved from https://reflectionsnarrativesofprofessionalhelping.org/index.php/Reflections/article/view/1429

Issue

Section

Librarians as Helping Professionals