Technology and School Librarians

When I think about the enormous changes that have occurred just in my lifetime in the fields of technology and information gathering, it is not surprising that the questions of copyright law and plagiarism have become increasingly complex as well. How will these issues evolve and change in the future, and how will school librarians deal with helping students and teachers avoid issues of plagiarism and understand copyright laws as they become (possibly) more complex? New technology tools are being created so rapidly and as the tools we use change, we have to adapt our "rules" for what is acceptable use accordingly. It will be a challenging job for librarians to help their school communities stay in step with the changes. I think that having very clear rules for what is acceptable practice, even if those rules change periodically, is, and will continue to be, very important for school communities. Librarians who inform users about copyright laws and who can proactively help users stay within set boundaries are going to be priceless in this increasingly technology-minded world.