Re:What Can We Learn from Barnes and Noble's Surprising Turn...
by karmelapple on Wednesday December 28, 2022 @10:18PM
(#34169057)
I co-founded a library technology company, and I didn’t realize this until those initial discussions with my cofounders. Librarians were so far ahead of the curve of adopting electronic delivery. They came up with a variety of technologies and standards to accomplish this when nothing else had been specified or built. It’s quite inspiring.
I even met the librarian who invented the phrase “surfing the internet” at a librarian conference. Yes, a librarian was there to coin phrases at the dawn of the web!
Re:What Can We Learn from Barnes and Noble's Surprising Turn...
by greenyoda on Wednesday December 28, 2022 @10:55PM
(#34169349)
> I even met the librarian who invented the phrase “surfing the internet”...
A bit of internet surfing turned up her story about it: https://www.netmom.com/surfing/birth-of-a-metaphor
Re:What Can We Learn from Barnes and Noble's Surprising Turn...
by uoaei on Thursday December 29, 2022 @12:48AM
(#34169942)
I'm in loose circles involving archivists in addition to librarians and can confirm that they have some of the most nuanced and insightful takes on information management: discovery, curation, search, etc., especially how these systems serve human users as interfaces to knowledge. It seems obvious to say but feels important to reiterate.
Re:What Can We Learn from Barnes and Noble's Surprising Turn...
by NetOpWibby on Thursday December 29, 2022 @03:49AM
(#34170788)
See, this is why I come to the comments. That’s incredible.
Re:What Can We Learn from Barnes and Noble's Surprising Turn...
by fishtacos on Thursday December 29, 2022 @05:52AM
(#34171402)
My introduction to the Internet as an immigrant back in 1996 was hugely thanks to accommodating librarians at the middle school I attended. Netscape on a 486 running Win 3.11 was not ideal, but it's also where I created my first website, a Simpsons fan site on Tripod (rip).
Re:What Can We Learn from Barnes and Noble's Surprising Turn...
by alexpetralia on Wednesday December 28, 2022 @10:30PM
(#34169133)
I just looked it up. That is indeed a beautiful library!
Re:What Can We Learn from Barnes and Noble's Surprising Turn...
by grogenaut on Wednesday December 28, 2022 @10:55PM
(#34169350)
For those who want to look I think they're referring to https://www.google.com/search?q=Halifax+Central+Library&tbm=...
Re:What Can We Learn from Barnes and Noble's Surprising Turn...
by eldaisfish on Wednesday December 28, 2022 @11:41PM
(#34169625)
The Halifax central library really is a sight to behold. That is the sort of investment i would hope the public could rally behind because it is visible and immensely useful. Even if you don't visit the actual building, the online services provided by Canadian libraries is among the best in the world.
Many Canadian cities are upgrading their libraries and i for one am overjoyed to see that!
It has become an incredibly valuable community hub. Books are a bit of an excuse to enjoy its architecture and function. I've been there for countless hours with my children as they have grown up.
I'm also consistently impressed by the staff. In a time when every business is complaining about staffing and using it as an excuse for bad quality and bad service, it seems that most libraries are staffed with total professionals who do their job day in and day out and do it well.