Week 6 # 15 Library 2.0

It's slow so I'm attempting to do this at the circ. desk. Hopefully I can keep my thoughts straight because an interruption or 5 is likely.


Library 2.0... First impressions. I have always been extremely customer oriented. Often, the amount of time I will spend with a customer to ensure they have not "an answer" but the "right answer" annoys and frustrates my coworkers. Anything that makes it easier for me (us) to give the customer what they need quickly is a good, no, is a great thing.

I'm concerned that the line between my job and my personal life may disappear if I jump too enthusiastically into the world of reference MySpace pages and librarian avatars. I don't particularly wish to be collected as a resource and I already have trouble leaving my job at "the office".

Giving up "just in case" collection development terrifies me. Maybe I should have been an archivist.

I'm all for implementing the Web 2.0 concepts delineated by Tom Storey: simplicity, rich interactivity, user participation, collective intelligence, self-service, novel and remixed content. I believe the most important of these is simplicity. I also believe simplicity is the concept which is most easily overlooked when people or organizations allow themselves to get caught in the grip of what Michael Stephens calls technolust.

I also fear a tendency to patronize (in the condescending sense) the patron. Just as adults, without checking with children first, will design or buy toys they believe children should like... I'm concerned libraries are spending resources to implement technologies and trends that they believe patrons should want and need without a thorough understanding of the actual needs of the local community. This can lead to frustrated patrons as well as wasted time and money.

Of course, providing services for a diverse community requires balancing the needs of the elderly with the needs of the young and driven... balancing the needs of the wealthy with the needs of the impoverished, etc. It's hard. It's very hard. Perfectionists like, well me, need to avoid getting stuck because of our fear of screwing up.

I like the idea of content as conversation, the concept of permanent beta, and the belief that patrons should have a big role in determining new directions for their community libraries.

So, I'm afraid of bad changes and wrong guesses but I approve of the core values of Library 2.0