Monday, November 26, 2007

#15 Perspectives on Library 2.0

Perhaps it's my youth and geekiness showing, but most of what I've read about web 2.0 so far are things I'd already gotten used to on my own, and these opinions on library 2.0 only make me thing 'well, yeah...obviously'. Like in Rick Anderson's 'away from icebergs' article, I don't find the idea that there won't be such a need for a 'just in case' collection of reference materials in the future very crazy or shocking. I myself haven't picked up an encyclopedia in years (well, except when I'm shelving one). I always search in a database or something. So I've always expected there to be a day in the future when I might work in a library with no hardbound encyclopedia at all - we just have to wait for a day when most patrons know that databases exists and are comfortable with searching them instead of using a print version. And as for making services as user friendly and intuitive as possible so teaching isn't required, and giving access to them on the Internet - again, obviously!

The other perspective I read was Dr. Schultz's 'To a Temporary Place in Time'. I rather like her point that things are always changing. What I get from this is that perhaps we should less be saying 'web/library 2.0 - This is the future!' to just saying 'this is the path we seem to be taking to...well, wherever it leads us'. I think the Internet and quick to instant access of information has already changed libraries drastically (hey, I'm not so young I don't know what a card catalog was!) in the last few years, and will change them even more drastically in the future. I think the key to being comfortable in all this change is to be adaptable, and not be too shaken up by the fact that things will change almost as fast as one can learn them. To, instead of being flustered by this, see it all as kind of fun.

I do kind of wonder what she's going on about with this 3D library 3.0 stuff, though. Book avatars talking to us! I do like the idea of being represented by an avatar rather than having to go to work, but I don't quite believe that will happen. Maybe we can have AI versions of the authors talking to us too. 'Well if you liked my book, you might also like...'

1 comment:

Mel Hiers said...

Computerized authors doing their own readers' advisory. This is very cool!