I agree with certain parts of all the perspectives on Library 2.0. From the more social, tech-savvy perspective, I do see the role of libraries and librarians changing and shifting to accommodate their patron base. There is a certain elite satisfaction in being THE source for information, as libraries once were, but the world has changed; the users have changed. The overall goal is now to at least get the users INTO the library and to use it for their research, and to do this, librarians should be flexible enough to adapt their teaching and techniques to the current resources and technologies available.
I also agree that we should do as much as we can to make resources available electronically, since that's where the world seems to be going. Improving online resources, as OCLC is doing, and increasing the amount and quality of metadata for items will be a crucial step in keeping libraries in the information loop.
I don't think "traditional" libraries will be replaced by virtual ones altogether. These are two groups of resources that can effectively augment each other, not entirely replace one another. Of course, this perspective may be ifluenced by my years of experience in a department that focuses on retaining and preserving original materials, items and collections, but archives aside, I think that people will always want to have "real" books around... with a slightly more modern packaging. ^_^
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
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I think you are right about this. Extremes, in my opinion, often miss the larger point. I think there are many things we can integrate or use to enhance existing tools. There will always be things we want/need to preserve and keep accessible, the how of that will be the thing we need to play and experiment with.
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