learning lifestyle

While reading Jenny Levine this morning I was pointed to this, which made me stop and think again about what I learned in college.

“I’m not saying that my schooling was worthless, nor that there aren’t things that need to be taught. Absolutely not. I’m just saying that education’s job, in the 1950s and ’60s [and 70's], was to prepare students for a future that was static and predictable. “

This hit me square between the eyes, as I have been thinking about what I learned in Library School. I have to be perfectly honest and say that my nearly 3 years at the White Hen Pantry convenience store and Big Lots as a manager, stocker and cashier helped me more than the textbook on print government documents (they weren’t on line then) and the AACR2 Chapter 6 (that chapter was ready but the whole AACR2 wasn’t ready yet in 1977) ever did.

I like the term “learning lifestyle” and fortunately I am equipped with part of that. I love learning and doing new and different things. I have a relatively short attention span however, so I know a little about a lot. Just enough to be dangerous, in fact. I also have a really crappy memory, so what I know is often suspect. I have to recheck facts on a regular basis, so Google and Wikipedia are a blessing. I wish I had them implanted in my brain.