Library 2.ooooh

(This is a picture of my hand that I put in this post to make it more light hearted)

The first time I remember hearing about Library 2.0 was in a library management class in January 2006. My classmates and I passionately wrote about and discussed the changes that Library 2.0 would bring about in libraries. We spoke of how the library catalog could become more user-friendly. We discussed the idea of automated material check-out. We spoke of the idea of roving librarians who would just walk around the library and be freely available to customers. We debated whether we should refer to patrons as customers or vice versa. We read blogs of Jenny Levine, Michael Stephens, Walt Crawford, and Stephen Abrams. We spoke of how the identity of the library was shifting. The libraries of the future seemed to be part traditional library, part information commons, and even part community center.

After I finished library school and got a job at the Chester County Library I had an opportunity to see Thomas Frey Senior Futurist at the DaVinci Institute speak about the future of libraries. His talk about how libraries needed to change with our culture or risk becoming irrelevant excited me.

Here is what I think about Library 2.0: I like social networking and am glad that libraries are starting to adapt its technologies. I like the focus of customer service that seems to be at the core of Library 2.0. I love the idea of making the webpac more user-friendly. I think all of these things and they seem to be part of how business in general is changing. My thought is that if Lands End can provide chat customer service, it great that we are doing chat reference.
So mostly I have positive feelings about Library 2.0. I mostly like what it means. However, I also get a feeling in the pit of my stomach every time somebody brings up Library 2.0. It makes me groan a little because it is such a buzz word. It almost feels like a cliché to me. I don’t know if it is all the discussion it has generated or the fact that some of the discussion feels like discussion for the sake of discussion, but some of the power of the term has been drained from its meaning for me.

In any case, I vow to put Library 2.0 practices in place in my everyday work life. I will continue to contribute content and administer the Young Adult blog for the Chester County Library. I will continue to practice good customer service and I will continue to answer questions on AskHere PA. I do not feel that the library could ever become irrelevant especially if the economy continues to behave the way it has been behaving lately.