[Speed Gibson,
Saturday July 17, 2004 at 10:49pm]
What's In a Name?
I think we all know what a library is. And we all remember using the school library, from elementary school to high school and beyond. But over the past 10 or more years, many enlightened public schools have replaced their venerable old Library with something called a Media Center.
It looks the same, but educators point out that Media Center better comprehends the wide range of, well, media. There's much more than books and magazines, you see. They have videos, both tape and DVD. They have audio, both cassette and CD. And they have computers, connected to the Internet.
However, our community libraries have continually added new media types. They added LP records, 16 mm films and so on throughout the post-WWII era. The term Library is more than sufficient, as it's core concept is time-sharing of intellectual resources, not simply the amassment of them. The latter is simply an Archive.
So why change from the clearly understood and not at all limiting term Library to this fuzy concept of Media Center? Because it sounds more important! A person with a degree in Library Science must have a more important function and title than Librarian. And gullible parents happily tell their friends about the wonderful Media Center at their child's school.
Rubbish. It's old books on new shelves.
It looks the same, but educators point out that Media Center better comprehends the wide range of, well, media. There's much more than books and magazines, you see. They have videos, both tape and DVD. They have audio, both cassette and CD. And they have computers, connected to the Internet.
However, our community libraries have continually added new media types. They added LP records, 16 mm films and so on throughout the post-WWII era. The term Library is more than sufficient, as it's core concept is time-sharing of intellectual resources, not simply the amassment of them. The latter is simply an Archive.
So why change from the clearly understood and not at all limiting term Library to this fuzy concept of Media Center? Because it sounds more important! A person with a degree in Library Science must have a more important function and title than Librarian. And gullible parents happily tell their friends about the wonderful Media Center at their child's school.
Rubbish. It's old books on new shelves.