511 – The first class

jukkaraketti - by Mikko Levänen - Radical

When I first came to Syracuse University many months ago it was for an interview with the new Program Director of the MLIS program, Dr. R. David Lankes. At one point in the interview he looked, somewhat manically, straight into my eyes and said, “We are creating radical change agents of librarianship here at SU.” I wasn’t sure what he meant or the process used to develop said agents.

Now I have an idea about the process.

Barefoot and with much passion, Prof. Lankes delivered the first class of 511 and gave me an inkling of what to expect in the months ahead. He turned things upside down and forced us (or, at least, me) to rethink librarianship. This is why I’m so glad I enrolled at SU’s iSchool.

The lecture topics were far from a musty, recycled history of libraries, Dewey decimal, and circulation desks. This was about service, innovation and the human and participatory factors that will drive the next level of librarianship. What I found most refreshing and interesting was the repeated theme of service to the greater library community. Service (customer or otherwise) is almost non-existent these days and it’s arguably the most important part of any organization’s operations. Whether internal or external ‘customers’, you aren’t going to achieve much you cant connect with people. To build a successful and highly functioning library community, you need to listen to, and take care of, the issues and challenges your community presents.