I have read all of the articles and had differing opinons on each.
In Away from the icebergs, Rick Anderson had many really good points to make about post-print era library collections and online access to indexes etc. But like in the print era any "library collection" including the content of the online searches they provide to their customers, is only as good their budget. Small library systems with small budgets cannot provide the same level of print or online material that a large system with a budget at least four or five times the size. This is especially true for country libraries compared with their city counterparts.
In A new world of librarianship I think that Michael Stephenson has shown that he has fully embraced the new techologies that are emerging each day. But I feel he has forgotten that lots of people, myself included, want a book rather than a computer to take to bed to read each night. Any many others don't wish to embrace the new techology or are scared of it. We as professional librarians or information providers still need to cater to these people as well as those wanting the new techology. Thus we need to be familar with the developing techologies to provide a variety of services to those wanting it, but we still need to know what the latest book by Ruth Rendell is or how to locate a book of knitting patterns on our libraries' shelves.
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