Western Massachusetts Library Advocates Semi-Annual Meeting

Save the date on Wednesday, October 5 at 10 am for the Semi-Annual Meeting of the Western Massachusetts Library Advocates. We will be electing new officers and voting to finalize the merger between the Friends of WMRLS and the Western Massachusetts Library Club.

Following the business meeting at 10, we are very excited that Tom Corbett of Cushing Academy will be our keynote speaker at approximately 11:15. Here is a brief description of his discussion:


Tom Corbett will discuss an alternative future fore getting reading materials into the hands of our users outside of the traditional print paradigm (and systems such as Overdrive that are grounded in that tradition). This future is possible and even, to some extent, already here at Cushing Academy. However, we have a ways to go to before this new paradigm can fit well within other library environments. The biggest obstacles are not necessarily technological or monetary in nature, but, rather, organizational--even psychological. This future requires not only new approaches and ways of thinking about librarians and their institutions, but--perhaps more importantly--the publishing industry itself. Tom will argue that it is time to start thinking seriously about how best to deliver to our users the words and ideas of our best authors and thinkers and not stay so narrowly focused on delivering (and controlling) the physical manifestations of that writing: printed books.


Please join us for what is certain to be a timely, topical, and exciting discussion!