In Awe of the Stacks

(Comparing Twitter to the Library Shelves)

Tweets are serendipitous and I am reminded of walking through the library stacks as a young girl.

What is all of this?  How amazing!

COLLECTIONS

 

But there is a difference-    

The library stalks were part of a carefully selected collection….curated (planted by a trained gardener and carefully weeded).             

Things have changed. The gardener or “the gatekeeper” no longer keeps out the weeds and pests.

beautiful-backyard-garden-820x455

There are tons of weeds and pests online. It is increasingly difficult to find the cream of the crop- the authentic, aesthetically pleasing, accurate information that helps individuals learn and grow toward knowledge and wisdom in the 21st century.

I am not in awe of these stacks.

Cress_keyboard-3_sprouting_other_side

But, I know I can still learn and be in awe of the people in my PLN.  Yes, just like the stacks…tweets are serendipitous.  Those I follow will lead toward what I need to learn.

I must learn to garden for myself.

Photos labeled for reuse with creativecommons licensing.

2 thoughts on “In Awe of the Stacks

  1. So very true. The public library and the school library at 8 years old. Just opening a book and thinking about all the other readers of it. I think I knew I had to just be part of it.
    Now the curator just cannot weed the internet fields. We must give the skill to every student, every reader to weed the path they navigate.
    I have dipped into your site for about four years and always found my enthusiasm refreshed.
    Congratulations on your retirement but I will miss your humour, and focus.

    • Thanks, Peter
      I have been considering continuing my blog post-retirement. Leaving my school library doesn’t mean I am no longer a librarian- particularly in global digital participatory culture. Best, Valibrarian

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