Report – Change & Information Organizations. Social Sciences Essay

Report – Change & Information Organizations
Student’s Name
Institution
Report – Change & Information Organizations
Author’s arguments
In his essay, Wilkin (2015) seeks to show the reader how the role and function of the library over time has remained the same in its commitment to sustain culture despite the changes in environment. The author elaborates on the meaning of the library through four complementary pillars: curation, engagement with research and learning, publishing, and creation of spaces for users and collections. The author argues that a library’s collection is owned by the society and culture that collected it and not by the library alone. Therefore, given that the library’s collection is owned as a culture, it must be attended to as a culture.
Of the four pillars that define the library function, the author devotes a lot of attention to curation. While print collections dominated the curatorial discussions in the past, the modern discussion is characterized by not only Big Data but also video and audio recordings. It is the argument of the author that information professionals ought to get the print record right in order to ease the work in developing digital areas. It is important for information professionals to devise a clear path that would make it possible to shift from one resource to another. The author recognizes that the shift of resources from print to digital is one of the major challenges facing libraries today and argues that there exist a need to find better ways of managing print so that attention can be directed to other library work areas such as publishing and creation of space for collections and users. The author points out that there is a need to find solutions to the cost of duplicated collections that comes with the challenge of shifting to the digital platform.
The author examines the challenges to the four pillars that define the library function and offers a solution in the form of “work at scale.” Wilkin (2015) argues that despite the diminishing resources, rising demand, and flat budget libraries are presented with an opportunity to adapt in regards to how they operate. With university presses being moved into libraries due to diminishing sales, the author argues that the complex interplay of the four pillars is what “the library” in today’s world means. Through work at scale, the problem of curating can be shared with other institutions in a collaboratory arrangement. Technological advancement offers an opportunity for libraries to make their operations easier and more sustainable. Not only can they share costs, but they can also direct more resources to engaging users in learning and research without compromising other pillars.
Reflection
I found the arguments presented by Wilkin (2015) compelling and convincing. Not only does the essay offer solutions to the problems libraries are facing today, but it also provides a framework through which they can ensure progress and sustainability into the future. The author does well to convince the reader that technology presents an opportunity for libraries to improve on the four pillars that define their identity. Through the essay, libraries can find a way to continually adapt to th...