Why Old Technologies Are Still Kicking

Why Old Technologies Are Still Kicking: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/technology/23digi.html?ex=1221883200&en=6282d3c9731ebd9c&ei=5087&WT.mc_id=TE-D-I-NYT-MOD-MOD-M038-OP-0308-L1&WT.mc_ev=click&mkt=TE-D-I-NYT-MOD-MOD-M038-OP-0308-L1



I came across this item in the New York Times. The fact that it speaks of the premise that I espouse incessantly, of course made it alluring for me. I itch to pass it on to all those out there who are doomsayers or want to reinvent (and you spend), reinvent (you spend) like a snake oil merchant.

Here are snippets:

"The weight of legacy is underestimated, according to John Staudenmaier, editor of the journal Technology and Culture, because innovation is so often portrayed as a bold break with the past. A few stories of technological achievement fit that mold, like the Manhattan Project, but they are rare indeed."


"…But the old technology or business often finds a sustainable, profitable life. Television, for example, was supposed to kill radio, and movies, for that matter. Cars, trucks and planes spelled the death of railways. A current death-knell forecast is that the Web will kill print media."

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I think the points made are worth bearing in mind as we consider our strategies for our library future. It is the business of conducting our library operations that is paramount, not the latest technology and who is using or not using what.