The Changing Academic Libraries

This last article I read was an interview with academic librarians under the age of 40 in which they discussed different issues that academic libraries are facing. This made me think of my last trip to an academic library, which was interesting and certainly different from my experiences in my undergraduate years. I went to college from 1996-2000. For the most part, this was before widespread cell phone use, affordable laptops and IPods. When you walked into the library, it still felt like a library. People were usually huddled over piles of books and papers. Some might be socializing, but it was nothing like my last trip into USF's library. Books and studying felt like the last priority. I saw almost every student with a laptop, cell phone, MP3 player and various other pieces of technology. I felt like I was in Best Buy. It was a very strange experience, so different from the ones in my memory. I am not saying that it is wrong for students to have all of this technology; I am just wondering why it all has to be at the library at the same time. Can they not leave some of these things at home? Is it impossible for today's college students to part with their IPOD's for even an hour? How do they get any work or studying in with all the interruptions technology offers?
I always like to think of myself as a technology literate person who uses it to her advantage. I am only 29 years old. But the more I am exposed to how huge technology has become in the younger generations, the more I find myself pulling away. In the article, it says that, "The academic library in the future is going to be a continuation of what we see now, with more multimedia integration. It won't be limited to just providing access to materials but also providing access to the creation of different types of materials...maybe providing access to video cameras or DVD burners in order to make digital storytelling, or maybe going so far as to provide games or immersive environments in virtual worlds" (Carlson, 2007). I know that is supposed to sound like a really great future for the library, but that sounds horrible to me! I guess it is old-fashioned of me to want my library to feel like a library and not like a Best Buy. I feel like maybe there is another place for all of that technology to be used. Academic libraries have changed a lot in the last 10 years..it is up to you to decide if it is for the better.
Carlson, S. (2007). Young librarians, talkin' 'bout their generation. Chronicle of Higher Education, 54 (8).