Well I will probably be tarred and feathered for this one – or at the very least lose brownie points, however, I really do not see what the hype is about with Library 2.0. Let’s take a look at a quote that Mr. Blyberg says he likes and what best describes Library 2.0
“Library 2.0 simply means making your library’s space (virtual and physical) more interactive, collaborative, and driven by community needs. Examples of where to start include blogs, gaming nights for teens, and collaborative photo sites. The basic drive is to get people back into the library by making the library relevant to what they want and need in their daily lives…to make the library a destination and not an afterthought.”
“Library 2.0 simply means making your library’s space (virtual and physical) more interactive, collaborative, and driven by community needs. Examples of where to start include blogs, gaming nights for teens, and collaborative photo sites. “
Hmmm. Gaming nights for teens?? Collaborative photo sites? Are you kidding me? The majority of people have computers in their own homes for that. Also, do we really think the teens will come into the library for gaming nights? Most of the teen gamers I know want to order pizza and pop, get rowdy and loud and play “First Person Shooters”. Do we want that in the libraries? I don’t in my library. What happens when little Billy goes over the edge after playing a “First Person Shooters” at the local library? Can we say lawsuit?
“The basic drive is to get people back into the library by making the library relevant to what they want and need in their daily lives…to make the library a destination and not an afterthought.”
Okay, the above quote I like and agree with. The question is how do we go about doing this? I think the library itself does not need to evolve into something other than what it already is. Do we want to increase the patronage and relevance of libraries? Why not concentrate on digitizing the library books that we have and make them easier to obtain? As an example: I have ordered a book through the ILL program – that was almost 2 months ago. If I am a student trying to do a report - forget it – the report is already past due. Why not digitize the book and make them accessible to the patrons? We do this already with white papers, magazines and e-books. I should be able to log on to my library’s website and if they do not have a copy of the e-book they should be able to connect me to a library that does have it and I would have the information at my fingertips instantly.
No, I am sorry I have not heard anything that convinces me that Library 2.0 is the way to go or that it will revolutionize the way we do things. I did not see one example of how they would implement technology in Library 2.0 with regards to the libraries either. What I do see is a lot of rhetoric telling us this is the way to go and that it is unstoppable. - Darin
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