Thing #15 - Library 2.0

I read all the articles, because I’m a geek like that. I thought Dr. Wendy Shultz’s article (temporary place) was really interesting, to imagine her predictions for libraries of the future. The article that resonated the most with me was Michael Stephens (new world) because that’s really how I see “Library 2.0.”

Though I disagree with some of the points Rick Anderson (icebergs) made, I think this comment really sums the topic up well: “There was a time, not very long ago, when libraries exercised something close to monopoly power in the information marketplace. … In the post-print era, libraries no longer have the monopoly power that they had in the days before the Internet.”

I’ve always thought of libraries (at least public libraries) as a center of the community: a place where everyone had equal access, no matter your wealth, to information and entertainment. And, right now, they still are. But we’re losing that edge. We’re all struggling to keep our circulation numbers up. As they are going down, our computer usage numbers are skyrocketing. And what of the people who no longer come to the library because they have Internet at home and through the Internet, they can find everything they need?

Most people do not think they need a guide in navigating the Internet. We can’t wait for them to come to us so we can show them all the lovely things we have to offer. We have to find a way to go to them. We need to meet them where they are. And that’s where I see the true benefit in using Web 2.0 tools. Just because a person doesn’t physically step foot into one of our library buildings doesn’t mean we should write them off as a library patron. We have to find ways to make it happen.

So my question is: What can we do once this program is over? How can we make use of the tools we have been playing with and learning about? How do we go out and reach our patrons? Who is going to help me do it? I hope to hear comments from some of you about this by the time we get to the end of the program.