Why is Advocacy from a Librarian so Special?

(Shhhh! It's no big secret!)

When detractors criticize the physical "brick and mortar" libraries for being antiquated relics of the past, they often forget that librarians, whether public or academic, are also advocates for the communities that they service. If you ask a digital "librarian" when was the last time they talked to one of their patrons face to face, especially since a lot of their patrons may very well be on the other side of the continent (or the planet)?

Living, breathing (preferably) librarians that talk to you in person are the ones that understand what are your needs, especially if you are from an underrepresented group. Although a large part of the job of the 21st century librarian is to provide information, we often forget that their job also is to listen to what people have to say. And after librarians understand the needs of their patrons then their job is to figure out how to meet those needs while fending off detractors of the library.

Advocacy cannot be stored on the "cloud." Interactivity is the key.

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