Week 14: Changing Collections

Once again as with all new things there are those who are for it and those who shy away or are negative towards it. There are pros and cons to all things. J Esposito would have us think that we are to be swallowed up by this new technology, that it will overtake and ruin all that has been established, a bit of a fatalistic outlook. Willinsky on the other hand is totally supportive and all for the new thing taking its place in the academic world. After reading these articles I always turn to basic understanding that in the end there will always be good and bad, and what matters is how you deal with it that counts. I feel that anything that gives us the opportunity to open up knowledge and resources and increase access to perhaps previously unattainable resources is in the end a good thing as Willinsky quotes, "To do more to extend the circulation of knowledge, and to increase participation in a global exchange around that knowledge, than print has been able to achieve." Will it be an easy and smooth road to get there, probably not, but that is where the challenge lies. We use what we have available to us and we strive to continue to make it better. We use our professional judgement and make decisions accordingly, all in the interest of providing the best learning opportunities for our students.