Thing #15: Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the Future of Libraries

These articles contain a lot of thoughtful, well planned information. I have mixed feelings about some of the Library 2.0 ideas. In reference to the series of articles from OCLC, for me they are both exciting and frightening. I agree that we must embrace Web 2.0 tools (Michael Stephens). The ideas expressed by Dr. Wendy Schultz are still "way out there" to me, but maybe when Web 3.0 and 4.0 become a reality, I will be able to understand them more easily.

However, there are a couple of things that concern me. Most of us work in real world libraries where we see patrons (students, in my case) who do not care about contributing or participating in their own education. To them, having access to many of these Web 2.0 tools would only mean chatting with their friends to plan their Saturday night activities or cheating on an assignment. I do not see these students as being an asset to a "user adds value" concept or the idea of "collective intelligence" (Chip Nilges). How do you embrace the good and resist the bad (in schools, especially)? I realize many of you have worked through these issues and I would be interested in hearing your solutions to these types of problems.

Regarding my above comments, I agree with Techbrarian Talk when she says: "We are letting young people drive how we approach teaching & learning and I'm not sure they are experienced enough to know what is best. So....I think we should adapt these new technologies as they are proven to really be teaching something worth learning. There is still a need to study the past and learn from past mistakes. There is a need for old-fashioned values and stability. Somehow, we've got to update and upgrade without crashing the existing system." Well said, Techbrarian.

All that being said, I am not opposed to Web 2.0 and I know it is something we must learn and use in order to keep our libraries viable in the technoworld we live in. I think we must proceed with caution, considering these concerns and others, and try to find a level where we can provide the necessary services without letting obstacles like those mentioned above get in the way.

BTW, I really liked John J. Riemer's ideas in his article, "To Better Bibliographic Services" especially as they apply to relevancy rankings and streamlining metadata creation.

I know this is way too long. Is there any type of blog etiquette that tells how long a blog post should be?