Intrepid librarian/blogger/tech mentor/Bethel resident Jessamyn West delivers an impassioned rebuttal to some librarian bloggers who argue that libraries are becoming irrelevant in the digital age. Jessamyn wants us to invest in libraries, and use them as tools to bridge the digital divide.

She hits the nail on the head with this observation, though it's somewhat off topic: I chose to live and work in Vermont specifically because people like meare a dime a dozen in Seattle, and in San Francisco, and probably inBrooklyn, but out here, my level of expertise is unusual, and it helpspeople.

I think every time I see Jessamyn, I ask her, in a panic, if she's moving. I hope she sticks around, and brings more of her tech-savvy friends here. Probably no one who reads this blog will be surprised by the fact that every time I talk to techie people here for a story, they casually mention — as if it's common knowledge — that Vermont is far behind most parts of the country in the technological arena. We need all the help we can get.