Having just read 3 of the OCLC aricles on the topic of Web 2.0, and given that the branch library at which I work has just closed for a major redevelopment, I feel I have already reached a "...temporary place in time." We are being asked to embrace change as "...development cycle over the traditional notion of upgrades" and to rework library services "to meet the users in their space, as opposed to ours."
Rick Anderson's article Away from the "icebergs" certainly issues a challenge to "...throw our core principles and values overboard" as we "...row our library boat into the web 2.0 environment." He is advocating that libraries embrace major physical and mindset changes to make their services more user-centric. Hence, the icebergs we need to avoid are; relying on just in case print collections; relying on user education rather than easy to use programs with one-button commands; expecting our customers to come to us instead of integrating our library services in their preferred user environment, i.e. the Web.
Tom Storey asks us to consider how libraries will "...fit and thrive in the second coming of the web?" Since embarking on Learning 2.0, we have seen first-hand the "...simplicity, rich iteractivity, user intelligence, self-service, novel and remixed content" on offer via FlicKr, Blogger, Del.icio.us, YouTube etc. So, with apologies to my former lecturers and tutors in Library and Information Studies, we can't get hung up on libraries having to have authoritative control over catalogues. Our main aim should be to improve access for our users and if, for example, encouraging them to create tags on our catalogue achieves this then we should run with it.
I loved the quote from George Bishop: "Empowering the patrons will empower your library."
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1 comment:
Great comments...we now have to learn to "let go" and pass control over to the community.
Keep up the good work
Lynette
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