#15 (WEEK 6) What I think about Library 2.0

Still thinking. . . .

After thinking, I agree with Walt Crawford:

"My own suggestions for librarians and other library
people reading this and thinking about Library 2.0:
Relax. Take a deep breath.
If you’re an ALA Midwinter person, enjoy San
Antonio. As you’re touring exhibits and participating
in discussion and interest groups, pay attention to
new service possibilities that rely on “Web 2.0”
tools—and think about how such tools might be used
to create your own new services.
When you get back and have a few minutes free,
take a look at Ann Arbor District Library, St. Joseph
County Public Library, Metropolitan Library System
(Illinois), Kansas City Public Library, and some of the
many other innovative public and academic libraries.
See if what they’re doing makes sense in your envi-
ronment—or if they bring other possibilities to mind.
You’ll hear about these and other ideas at your
state conference and during ALA Annual; I can pretty
well bet on that.
Some of the tools and concepts can be used with
little or no monetary investment and expertise.
Some of them won’t work out for you; some will.
If you’re not already doing so, read some of the
blogs and articles by librarians who are doing these
things—some mentioned here, some not.
Don’t worry about doing it all—you can’t.
Do keep an open mind to ideas and tools that
started outside the library field—if you haven’t al-
ready been doing so.
Consider the benefits of change, but don’t assume
that all change is inherently good.
Do all this, and you’ll probably build better li-
braries and enjoy your work more in the process.
Finally, don’t worry too much about “Library
2.0”: it’s just a name.
The name does matter
I’m biased. I care about semantics, and would think
that every librarian should have a respect for lan-
guage. I believe names do matter. I’m a touch over
thirty. I’ve been involved in change throughout my
five-decade career, and I resent being told that no
change has occurred. I’m not a revolutionary and I
believe that “evolution” has worked remarkably well.
For me, “Library 2.0” is a rallying cry that carries
too much baggage. I don’t believe the term adds value
to the concepts and tools—and I believe it’s possible
that “Library 2.0” gets in the way of Library 2.0. You
may disagree."