Trekking through the wilderness

From time to time we all take journeys through the wilderness.  Sometimes these journeys are figurative, sometimes they are literal and sometimes they are both.  This past week I took a little time off and with parts of my family, I took a literal journey through the wilderness:

This is, of course, the Grand Canyon.  A place so massive it defies description; in places so remote you could walk off the trail and never be found again.  The trail shown in this picture is one of the most popular trails in the canyon, the Bright Angel.  Thousands of people use it every year to travel to or from the south rim and the Colorado river.  While we were hiking along through 30+ miles of this place, I did some thinking, not really about libraries but about choosing paths.  I found out that our trip - south rim to north rim and back again - is a rare occurrence, comparatively speaking.  Most people (90% of all visitors) descend and return at the south rim.  So, where will the library go on its journey?

What is my point with this entry?  The picture above is the sort of place that libraries and library services are negotiating in a figurative way.  As media have changed and services shift from the own-and-share to the buy- or pay-as-you-go, relevance for libraries has come into question.  The Hutchinson Public Library is on a hike through the wilderness right now and we need all the information we can get.  Soon we will begin purchasing ebook content in earnest.  The State Library is doing a pilot project with 3M, our contract is up for renewal with OverDrive.  The bottom line is that things WILL change here and ahead of that we will ask for your input.  Please help us by participating in any upcoming surveys.  Your input will influence our decisions.  You have the opportunity to hike with us through the wilderness and help keep the Hutchinson Public Library a relevant and USEFUL service in our community for years to come!