Keynote address: Bill Richardson

posted by Carol Cooke @ 10:41 AM

Speech making is easy; speech listening is tough.

Speech listening is not so tough when you are listening to Bill Richardson (author, librarian and Winnipegger). I now firmly believe that every conference should start off with a little toilet humour. Bill led the audience on a mad romp through many stories of how libraries have influenced him and his work.

He talked about how his writing is about listening and in particular this struck me as being appropriate when you are at a conference.

“When something detaches itself from the words that surround us and settles on us then this is a beginning of something.” It’s a moment where the future opens in front of you and then you step through and the door closes behind you and a decision is made.

Libraries are changing, and technology is frequently driving that change but Bill emphasized the need to keep things in perspective and realize that there is more to libraries than statistics and access.

“Statistics can’t really be used as a true measure of a library’s value. Libraries allow for self-exploration and learning that can influence our lives in unthought-of of ways. “It happens because of what occurs in a room when the work of many minds is brought together and put on a shelf. It is alive.”

A lot can happen in a library when all these books are brought together. Bill is not a luddite but is concerned about the future of the book. The book is important for all kinds of reasons. Technology has it’s place and value but technology in libraries can prevent the unanticipated from happening. “What you’re looking for is not in the book you want, it’s in the book beside it.” What happens if you are not allowed the freedom of browsing, perhaps the more important question is what doesn’t happen? Sense of discovery happens when you can browse. Lives change, history changes and things happen because of libraries.

Don’t worry Bill we won’t “defrock” you today.