In many ways, it's a fine time for anybody who, like myself, has a bit of an Inner Nerd. The relaunch of 52 new DC comic books has brought about record-breaking sales, Star Wars is coming out on Blu-ray, and we've even got a new Lord of the Rings (well, actually, it's The Hobbit) coming out next year. Not to mention what a great summer Pittsburgh has had ...
(Speaking of The New 52, I'm excited to say that Monroeville Public Library has added some of the new issues to our collection! Be sure to stop by the Magazine Room or Teen Area at the Library to check them out.)
And yet, despite all the excitement, not all of us sci-fi and superhero fans are happy. Because much of this excitement hinges not on something new, but rather on something old being changed. And there is a bit of a stereotype about sci-fi fans and their dislike of change to their favorite stories. This accusation is not always completely without merit -- as the brouhaha over, for instance, Wonder Woman's new pants goes to show.
Or take the upcoming Star Wars Blu-ray set (874 customer reviews on Amazon.com, most of them negative, and the discs hasn't even come out yet). You may wonder about the pessimism; surely Star Wars fans should be excited to have all six movies coming out in crisp Blu-ray release? But fans are already up in arms about the more-than-a-few changes that George Lucas has inserted into the set. It's certainly not the first time Lucas has used modern computer effects to tinker with his original low-budget sci-fi stories. (Remember, if you can, a time when a Star Wars movie could actually be considered low budget?) Fans have generally decried each and every tweak, however -- and, while some of these newest additions (blinking Ewok eyes) don't sound particularly heinous, others (Darth Vader crying "NOOOO!" as he steps in to save Luke from the Emperor) are less promising.
You'd think, from some of the subject headings to various Amazon.com reviews ("For shame" -- "Please make it stop"), that people were posting about the economy, the job crisis, or any one of the other political issues currently affecting the country. Which makes it easy to take pot shots at the overreacting fanboys and fangirls who are getting worked up about a DVD release. C'mon, people, you find yourself thinking as you read through the internet vitriol. It's just a movie ... just a comic book character ... just fiction. What's the big deal?
But I found myself reflecting, while scrolling through negative review after negative review of the new Star Wars, that it's unfair to think this is a geek-only sort of problem. Because whether you enjoy science fiction and fantasy films or not, odds are pretty good that you're simply not a big fan of change.
The odds are good for this because most people aren't particularly wild about change. Human beings are good at adapting, but that doesn't mean we enjoy it. And it often doesn't matter if the changes take place in our politics, our jobs, our home lives, or even our fiction -- where change happens, somebody somewhere is not going to approve.
The nature of and need for change are topics particular relevant to libraries in this day and age, as changing technology and shifting culture affect what it is people need and expect from their libraries. From the introduction of ebooks (which we've got here!) to "virtual" librarians and reference texting, the face of the modern library is changing along with its services.
And change is tricky, not only because of the adjustment time but because it's hard to know what changes to embrace and what changes may merely be a passing fad. Do we, for instance, start a virtual online "chat" reference service when text messaging seems to be almost completely replacing instant messaging? Should we continue MPL's Facebook Page or jump on the Google+ bandwagon? What's here to stay and what isn't?
In a world changing as rapidly as ours, that's a question even the best of reference librarians may be stymied in trying to find an answer to. And so the answer, to me, seems to be the same sort of advice I'd give to anybody facing a change, whether in libraries, politics, or even a new sci-fi film release:
Give the new stuff a chance. And if it doesn't work out, well ... you can always change it again. Change, as they say, really is the only true constant.
Even in Star Wars.
(By the way, you get bonus Nerd Points if you recognize where my subject quote is from.)
-- Post by Ms. B
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