Week Six, Thing 15

First off, I should probably say that I think Web 2.0 is a buzzword. I think the same of Library 2.0. Why? Well, it's because (IMO) these aren't clear steps of change or upgrades to the world; it's a more progressive shift. To me, to have a 2.0 means that there has to be a 1.0. Ya know, clear steps of change - a timeline. Anyway, it's natural to expect that as the world gets more used to technology and the Web, we will expect more from it and abandon some of our old ways. The same can be said of libraries. It's not that I don't believe in these shifts in behavior and expectations. It's obvious that the world, the Web, and libraries are changing to accomodate these shifts. It's just the buzzword thing that gets me.

Sooooo, I like the article Away From Icebergs. The idea of ditching our "just in case" collection was fascinating. Somehow I don't think we're quite ready to pitch all the books into the Dumpster, but it's interesting to see a smidge of this already happening. Reference collection? Puh-leez! How much do we even use those books anymore? We certainly don't buy nearly as many as we used to. It will be really interesting to see what happens with printing-on-demand and electronic books. It will be a little while before technology catches up and then users catch on to the technology. I also liked the idea of seeking out our customers. We did used to be the only game in town. Now so many people have Internet access and therefore access to information. Let's face it - I can Google and so can everyone else. Sure, you could say that my library experience makes me a better Googler. How long will that be true? I guess we'll be personal Googlers for those that don't care to or can't do it themselves. :)

In the article To Better Bibliographic Services, there was a really cool mention of making catalogs more like Amazon. It would rock to have users add their own online reviews of materials. I really take those comments into consideration when purchasing a product. The downside is that you'd have to have full-time moderators to be sure that the comments were suitable for prime time.

So there you have it. The world isn't doing anything different from any other time. Concepts evolve, people evolve. It's just happening really fast, so it's harder to keep up, let alone stay one step ahead.