LIBRARY 2.0

THING #15

I read all of the perspectives.

I agreed with much of Michael Stephens' perspective about sharpening specific skills of the librarian 2.0. These skills include: library planning and proposals being based on library user needs and wants; embracing web 2.0 tools; controlling technolust ("technoworship" does not exist here), buying technology only if it meets the users' needs in a new/improved way; making good yet fast decisions; seeking out and reading information/news about technology/business that might impact future library services; and finally, understanding that the future of libraries will be guided by how users access, consume and create content, therefore it is very important that librarians get feedback from other library staff and library users when planning and learns from past successes and failures.

My own thoughts on Library 2.0 are that libraries and their librarians need to keep up with the latest web technology and accessory technology. We need to keep our library environment relevant; if we cannot offer the library user of all ages what they need (and want)(hopefully it's affordable), we could become obsolete. It is essential we can show the library is valuable to the user in these changing times, constantly changing with new technologies.

I see three major ways the library can remain relevant and keep attracting customers:
(1) Meet the basic needs of customers (students, elderly, and others who may not own or cannot afford computers, internet cable service or the software they need.
(2) Librarians/library staff gather information about technology and business trends that can impact library users/local community/our culture. They also need to get feedback from staff and library users about users' needs and wants and what's working and not working well.
(3) Librarians need to inform and educate the public about web tools they can use from a practical standpoint, learning stance as well as having fun on the internet. This builds good and fun relationships with the customer and will ultimately bring the customer back to our library over another library or institution/environment. This also means the librarian needs to stay informed and trained, hopefully, supported by the librarian administration. I believe training the library staff (just as Howard County has done with Library 2.0) is essential and is an excellent investment; without it the librarians and the library can be perceived by the public as unhelpful, uncaring, and unknowledgeable.