Libraries are at the forefront of technology like a surfer on a wave. You can keep up with the “wave” and be in the middle of technology and use and enjoy the benefits- but sometimes the wave goes too fast for some with different lifestyles, opportunities or interests and it’s helpful to “get up to speed”. One way a library can use technology to enhance or replace a face to face service is to have on-line tutorials in their OPAC and Library web sites. Often overlooked, taken for granted or ignored, these tools are the silent heros of the library. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get a little impatient when a reference librarian gets off track, but I still have enough social skills to know that rude gets you nowhere. I love taking control of how fast or slow information is given and using a tutorial is a way I can concentrate and focus on the information I need. Online tutorials can help many people at once on any number of topics. For instance; identifying services the library provides, how to use the ILL, locating books on shelves, finding course reserves, using the library catalog and how to renew materials online; all these are things which have specific methods and goals. While a tutorial is great for getting procedures or training for a specific task - you want a real, live person to help with the intellectual angle of using the information from a library and a librarian is still best at “brain storming”. Things like focusing your search, finding good key words and evaluating and judging the reliability of on-line information- these are all the forte of these information experts. Think of your librarian on a solid gold surfboard on the information wave.
Now if the copy machine would only clear out its own jammed paper!
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Tutorials do have their limits but they can be replayed as often as needed. Some people find that comforting.
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