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Killing the old myths: Positioning an instructional technology center for a new era in higher education

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In conclusion, consider that the best directors, the most successful ones, the most powerful ones, do not direct; they orchestrate and conduct. The most common gestures in conducting are circular. A symphony conductor works on a piece of music written by someone else, but the richness comes from the interpretation. Knowing the music is not enough. A conductor must exact the best performance from each player and each instrument. In a symphony, there is no center, no autonomy, no competing forces, only a seamless whole.

How can you conduct your work to make your media center one player in the larger orchestra of your institution? How can you harmonize your role within the mission and needs of the university with the support of your clients and supervisors, create beautiful sounds together, get a solo once in a while, and hear a lot of applause?

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Notes

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This article is adapted from a keynote address at the Fall conference of the Consortium of College and University Media Centers, Honolulu, HI, October 1991.

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Wunsch, M.A. Killing the old myths: Positioning an instructional technology center for a new era in higher education. TECHTRENDS TECH TRENDS 37, 17–21 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02771319

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