Always On

"The position of the library as a functionally integrated, discrete presence, whether on the Web or as a physical place, becomes diffused through various manifestations (a physical place to meet, a toolbar, a set of services in the course management system, a Facebook application, a set of RSS feeds, office hours in a school or department, and so on)."

I feel like this quote best summed up what I took out of Dempsey's article. The way in which we access and retrieve information depends so much on the technologies we are using - whether it's a computer, a gaming device, a tablet, a smartphone, etc. The library, formerly known, perhaps, as a physical place, must now transform into a largely mobile entity. Libraries now have their own web pages, blogs, twitter accounts, facebook pages - all with links to online databases, e-journals, e-books, and so on. Although libraries remain physical spaces, their purpose and services in this regard are also changing. We are starting to see the library as more of a meeting place for people to discuss information obtained, more than likely, someplace other than the shelves around them. Or it has become another place to access the Web and computers in general.