So hard for young folk to get a foot in the door when all the "starter" jobs are being eradicated. Gone are many of the ordinary jobs that were available years ago. Computers and machines have taken over a lot of the jobs that used to be done by the office junior. Nowadays… Photocopiers can collate their own work. Computers handle the typesetting. Telephones answer themselves. Faxes go straight to your computer. We check out our own goods at Big W, Bunnings. We check out our own books. We do our banking online or at ATMs.
And now even books will shelf themselves.
Sure, some of those jobs might have been boring, but they were an introduction to the work environment. They introduced you to the organisation and people. They gave you an incentive to work & study hard and move up to something better. And some people are suited for doing simple, repetitive work.
If a machine or computer or robot can help you do your job then you don't have to work so hard.
I'm quite excited to work in (or just go to) a library with all the mod cons, but also apprehensive that I wouldn't be able to cope with the technology. Technology everywhere is moving in such a fast pace, that most of us are in constant motion since we have to double our efforts just to catch up, and most of the time we can't, even with best of what we have.
I love the idea that my son would be able to enjoy and use the technological advancement in a library, but also worried that this advancement will make people "out of date".
I agree with Josephine's comments about the new technologies making it harder for some people to access libraries. Not everyone is young and tech savvy.
Ideally, the technology can be used to make the library run more efficiently, and the staff can spend less time shelving and will be able to assist the patrons more. However, it could be used as a cost-cutting exercise so that the library works on a skeleton staff. This won't help the students of the university.
Also, there doesn't seem to be a contingency plan for when the technology breaks down, which is bound to happen sooner or later. If this happened during a busy period they wouldn't be able to access important resources and they'd be really screwed.
New technologies are always welcome to assist in jobs and to make any work easier. But, if we leave all to the machine, do we become so impersonal and eventually become machines as well. At some point we need people to do the job or at least to fix the machine. I am really impressed what has been done in some libraries especially the new Macquarie Library. Huge and breath-taking project. Yes for new technologies, but let's not forget the role of people in library service.
This seems like a very efficient system that should make finding books easier for library clients. If the books stored in the ABDS are kept in airtight containers they will probably last longer too.
The only major problem I can see is that this system limits the amount of books that can be removed at a time, which may result in crowding.
Hi monitoraccess I like your blog, especially the background pansies! Well this topic of robotic shelving seems to be generating some comments from the library students. I can see everyone's point of view. However the cost of implementing the system in the first place is so huge it can only be introduced by large academic libraries attched to universities like Macquarie at North Ryde. I think it is a clever and efficient system for storage and retrieval of books. Having said this, there will always be a library staff member on hand to load and unload the robot's bin. I wonder what happens when the robot needs a day off for an oil and grease change. Will the NSW Education department come up with the money for TAFE Ultimo library to get a robotic system - I sincerely doubt it. fluffyrabbit
So hard for young folk to get a foot in the door when all the "starter" jobs are being eradicated.
ReplyDeleteGone are many of the ordinary jobs that were available years ago.
Computers and machines have taken over a lot of the jobs that used to be done by the office junior.
Nowadays…
Photocopiers can collate their own work.
Computers handle the typesetting.
Telephones answer themselves.
Faxes go straight to your computer.
We check out our own goods at Big W, Bunnings.
We check out our own books.
We do our banking online or at ATMs.
And now even books will shelf themselves.
Sure, some of those jobs might have been boring, but they were an introduction to the work environment.
They introduced you to the organisation and people.
They gave you an incentive to work & study hard and move up to something better.
And some people are suited for doing simple, repetitive work.
If a machine or computer or robot can help you do your job then you don't have to work so hard.
I just noticed that a sentence is missing from the end of the comment I made...
ReplyDeleteIf a machine or computer or robot can help you do your job then you don't have to work so hard.
But if the machine can do your job by itself and more efficiently than you can, then you will be out of a job.
I'm quite excited to work in (or just go to) a library with all the mod cons, but also apprehensive that I wouldn't be able to cope with the technology. Technology everywhere is moving in such a fast pace, that most of us are in constant motion since we have to double our efforts just to catch up, and most of the time we can't, even with best of what we have.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea that my son would be able to enjoy and use the technological advancement in a library, but also worried that this advancement will make people "out of date".
I agree with Josephine's comments about the new technologies making it harder for some people to access libraries. Not everyone is young and tech savvy.
ReplyDeleteIdeally, the technology can be used to make the library run more efficiently, and the staff can spend less time shelving and will be able to assist the patrons more. However, it could be used as a cost-cutting exercise so that the library works on a skeleton staff. This won't help the students of the university.
ReplyDeleteAlso, there doesn't seem to be a contingency plan for when the technology breaks down, which is bound to happen sooner or later. If this happened during a busy period they wouldn't be able to access important resources and they'd be really screwed.
New technologies are always welcome to assist in jobs and to make any work easier. But, if we leave all to the machine, do we become so impersonal and eventually become machines as well. At some point we need people to do the job or at least to fix the machine.
ReplyDeleteI am really impressed what has been done in some libraries especially the new Macquarie Library. Huge and breath-taking project.
Yes for new technologies, but let's not forget the role of people in library service.
I am impressed.
ReplyDeleteThe system will be fascinating to watch
This seems like a very efficient system that should make finding books easier for library clients. If the books stored in the ABDS are kept in airtight containers they will probably last longer too.
ReplyDeleteThe only major problem I can see is that this system limits the amount of books that can be removed at a time, which may result in crowding.
Hi monitoraccess I like your blog, especially the background pansies! Well this topic of robotic shelving seems to be generating some comments from the library students. I can see everyone's point of view. However the cost of implementing the system in the first place is so huge it can only be introduced by large academic libraries attched to universities like Macquarie at North Ryde. I think it is a clever and efficient system for storage and retrieval of books. Having said this, there will always be a library staff member on hand to load and unload the robot's bin. I wonder what happens when the robot needs a day off for an oil and grease change. Will the NSW Education department come up with the money for TAFE Ultimo library to get a robotic system - I sincerely doubt it. fluffyrabbit
ReplyDelete