Chris Schoenherr is emerging technologies librarian at the Lake Forest Library, where he’s worked since January 2015.
Q. Which came first – wanting to be a librarian or your interest in technology?
A. I was a technology and electronics hobbyist when I was 8. I used to build toy robots when I was a kid, and later took apart and fixed computers. I started working in a library when I was 15.
Q. What are your main responsibilities as an emerging technologies librarian?
A. My job is basically to connect our users with the technology we offer. Our media lab, our databases, our e-books and streaming video. Giving them one-on-one help and training staff. Much of my job is staying on top of new trends and seeing if they are relevant for us or our patrons.
Q. What are the challenges of your job?
A. It’s evaluating technology to see if it is worth your time and funds. Also, technology is far from perfect. I teach technology classes. I have to think on my feet a lot as things happen. Imagine you’re in the middle of class and something happens to your computer. Also marketing. We can pay thousands for a resource, but if people don’t know about it…
Q. From a technology perspective, how have libraries changed over the last 10 years?
A. More and more resources are moving to digital. At the same time, we see steady circulation in print resources. And there is a more tech-savvy audience. It’s a balance all public libraries have to strike – traditional print resources versus electronic resources.
Q. What do you think libraries could look like in 100 years?
A. I think traditional print material will still exist. A book is a perfect technology. You can drop it down the stairs and by the time it gets to the bottom, it’s still a book. An iPad gets dropped, and it becomes a $600 paperweight.
Q. What else?
A. The actual buildings will need to innovate to handle technology. The big trend now is media labs and maker-space. I think libraries will become more and more of a collaborative environment, as compared to the traditional view of sit down and stay quiet.
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