The newspaper industry is scrambling to find its footing these days amid surging online readership, slowly declining print circulation and a sense that at least some valued readers are getting restless.

We are asking questions that go to the core of who we are and what we've devoted our careers to doing.

Do readers still want journalists to "objectively" cover an array of events for them and then use traditional journalistic measures to present the important news of the day?

Would today's readers rather pick and choose what news they read, what perspectives they value?

Do they want to contribute themselves, to be part of the news report and not just consumers of it?

We are realizing the answer to all these questions is "yes."

One trend emerging from this soul-searching has two labels -- the less than accurate "citizen journalism" and the clunky "user-generated content."

The theory behind this trend goes like this: By submitting content to hometown newspapers and their Web sites, including short articles, photos and opinion columns, readers will feel more connected and more "heard." Other readers might join in. The interaction among them could be vibrant and even intense. What better place for dialogue and debate like that than at a daily newspaper or news Web site?

There are three things you should know about the concept: The content provided can be quite good. We're going to be publishing more of it at the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel (and online). And the idea is far from new.

In recent weeks, we've advertised for local experts to write columns for our Religion and Business pages. We've felt both areas of the newspaper offered local content inconsistently, yet the 23 reporters on our News, Sports and Features staffs have a lot of territory to cover already.

Two people -- and we appreciate their courage -- offered to go first: The Rev. Louis J. Phillips of Augusta, a Catholic priest also known as "Father Lou," and Dick Dyer, a Winthrop public-relations consultant who is well-known in the region.

Father Lou's first column ran on the Religion page in both newspapers Saturday. Phillips deftly used an example from his personal life to make a spiritual point. He was overdue for his routine health examination and, in making the appointment, realized he'd delayed his eye exam, too. Even his dog's checkup was due.

These are important things, Phillips realized, but so too is spirituality. He asked our readers Saturday if they were overdue for a spiritual checkup. It was a nice point during this season of Lent, gently but provocatively made.

We expect to publish more columns like this. Two other local clergy have said they also have columns to share. We are working with them.

We want expert columns on our Business pages to fill a different need. Local consultants, leaders, experts and officials at state agencies can help people in business become more effective with tips about leadership, customer service, marketing, coping with regulation and spotting economic trends.

Dyer's first column offers a new approach to problem-solving and marketing. It will appear on our Business page Tuesday, and we hope to have more writers contribute.

This is new user-generated content for us, to be sure. But newspapers have a good track record of offering it.

Letters to the editor are the most popular form, but op-ed columns, first-person articles and even short stories and poetry are well-represented in our industry's history. Reader posts at our Web sites -- when readers put short comments at the end of articles online -- are the latest embodiment of this.

Let me know what you think about this change to our newspapers. Or, if you have the expertise -- and the courage of Father Lou, and Dick Dyer -- talk to me about writing something yourself.

Eric Conrad is the executive editor at the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel. His e-mail address is econrad@centralmaine.com.