Item 15 - Library 2.0 views and visions

I enjoyed reading the varying views of what Library 2.0 shoulda/woulda/coulda become. Rick Anderson's 3 ice bergs article struck a note with me. I disagree with two of his three points. I think many of the people who are writing the technology articles are writing them without taking into account the overall population. Not everyone spends time on the computer. Not everyone has access to a computer. Many people go through their day without interacting on the internet (and they don't even miss it). Some people have no desire to become computer literate. I know that may sound amazing, but it's true. For some people this is a matter of choice, for others it might be a lack of knowledge, opportunity, life circumstances, or other situations.

I think there will always be a strong need for the "just in case" collection. Simply visiting a library to examine all the possibilities and soak up the atmosphere is a pleasure to many. Parents have been bringing their children to libraries for a long time. The tactile experience of handling a book, browsing through a collection of books upon the shelf, perusing a page, lingering to appreciate the artwork, reading a book jacket and skimming the pages, sharing a story with another, are actions many treasure. An analogy might be to say that all shopping should take place online because it's faster, more convenient, more efficient, provides more information and choices, etc. There are many people who would still prefer to go and shop in person, even if they are only window shopping!

Anderson's second ice berg I agreed with. We need to try and make the library services and resources available for patron use without the need for any additional or special training. At the very least, we need to make the services and information available in a more "user friendly" fashion. It is unrealistic to expect the library staff to be able to help each patron on an individual basis. Asking for help, waiting for help, feeling "lost" or admitting ignorance is not a pleasant experience. We need to make libraries and the technology in them simple to use and as nonthreatening as possible. Just as we have patrons who read at all different levels and with different areas of interest, our patrons have technology backgrounds that vary even more.

His third ice berg, I also dispute. The web is not the preferred medium of library users. Where in the world did that belief come from? An internet survey? I think it would be good for some of the technology experts to take a month long sabbatical from all technology gadgets - cell phones, blackberries, computers, the internet, mp3 players, video games, gps tools, etc. It might help them to balance their perspective.