All over the United States local phone companies have been removing public phone booths. Why? Because there is much less use of them now that so many people have mobile phones. No longer do we need to hunt for a phone booth, find the right amount of change (is it 25c, 35c, 50c?), and hope that the phone is working. Now we can call anytime, anywhere, without hassle or inconvenience. Of course, there are some sentimental losses, such as Superman no longer having a place to change into his super-uniform, but I'm sure even he has adjusted.

What do phone booths have to do with libraries?

Just like the phone booth, libraries have also been going digital. Now you can read a book, newspaper, or magazine online. Now you can complete in-depth research through thousands of sources online that were once only available in print. Now you can collaborate with team members, sharing your documents online. And you can learn through online resources and training opportunities. None of this is particularly new since this change has been occurring for the last 50 years. It's just that the shift from our dependence on physical to digital has accelerated in the last 5 years.

What does that mean for SunLibrary? We've also been undergoing a transformation. Since 1995 our strategic plan has been to create an information environment that supports Sun employees to be info-self-sufficient. And we've been accomplishing this goal by going digital as fast as we can. Last year we estimated that our services and resources were already 90-95% digital. This year we're pleased to announce that we're 100% digital and we have a new name, Digital Libraries & Research, to reflect this change.

As part of Sun Learning Services (SLS), we are now integrated into SLS's Learning Technology team. We are working on making external and internal content even more immediately available to Sun employees – always at their fingertips, whenever they need answers to their questions. With the power of SLS's newly launched MyLearning portal, they can learn just-in-time and just in the way they want. And whenever Sun employees want more information or would like to investigate a topic more deeply, they can work with our librarians and information specialists to get just what they need.

Where are all the phone booths? Where is the library? Just check the web – we've gone digital!

Sun employees - you can find us from the SunWeb Key Links drop down box: Digital Libraries & Research and MyLearning.