Advancing Technologies and Libraries
Okay, so technology changes almost daily now, right? Call phones get tiny and all of these technological gadgets that we have grown attached to are breeding and creating new species, such as phones with cameras and MP3 players. GPS is literally everywhere (pun totally intended) and computers are smaller and more portable then ever before. Not only are the devices changing, but the services that they help provide change too.
Going through some old floppies that I found a few weeks ago, I found a sign that someone had saved ten years ago that they had to print for our library. It read: “Please limit internet use to one hour per person…this is only fair since we only have the internet on one computer.” I laughed and laughed, and then I realized how cool this must have been ten years ago. We actually let students in the library use the internet for a whole hour! On a computer none-the-less!
I just wonder what those students would think of our little library now. We have 22 computers, all networked and internet ready. We have our own website. We have an online catalog, we are doing interlibrary loans, and we use email for overdue notices and exciting library news. We have come a long, long way, but are we using all of the technology available to libraries today?
We could do so much more. We aren’t quite ready for all of it that is out there, but we are taking baby steps. What I want to learn more about is this Library 2.0.
A new term enters the library scene: Library 2.0. Needs and wants of library users are changing right along with all of these technology upgrades I mentioned above. Libraries are attempting to meet these changing needs and wants using the technology of Web 2.0. Library 2.0 borrows from Web 2.0’s technologies and philosophies to aid in changing the way that users access library services. Library 2.0 is about innovation, people, and community building, made possible by social computing. Using social computing encourages users to write, rate, and comment about or on anything in the library’s collection. This is something that works a lot like customer ratings and comments on Amazon.com. All of these things help make the library more user driven.
My Opinions (from my Foundations Class Final)
I think that library 2.0 consists of many valuable and practical ideas. Libraries do need to advance along with technology and stay up-to-date in order to keep track of the current and upcoming generations of library users. I feel that these advanced ideas do more to enhance traditional library services then to threaten them. Traditional library services aren’t going any where yet. The need for assistance due to computer illiteracy and the past generations of library users who are still attached to their visions of library services are still going to need the library as a place and the helpful librarians who keep these services alive. However, the upcoming generations who are computer “spoiled” want and need access to information and materials in new formats. Ken Chad states in his article, “Do Libraries Matter? The Rise of Library 2.0,” that “the concept of Library 2.0 builds upon all that has been best about libraries to date, harnesses technology potential and community capability in order to deliver valuable, valued and world-class services directly to those who stand to benefit from them, whether they (ever) physically enter a library building or not.”
My library is taking baby steps toward becoming a 2.0 library. We have been working just this week on adding library blogs for each individual staff member and talking about using a library-wide blog for news and events, much like the Odum Library page. We are not much of a 2.0 library when it comes to any other aspect of the services that we provide. We of course have an online catalog, and we have online forms for interlibrary loan and for other various services. For our small library, I really do not know where we would start when it comes to further changes and enhancements. We are moving toward an era of increased interest in our online learning programs and we use the Blackboard system for online course content delivery. I would be most interested in establishing a stronger link between library services and the Blackboard courses. I think that using the course interface protects library sources that are intended for use by enrolled students only from outside users, for things such as Galileo password delivery and perhaps access to some of our online journals.
I agree with Paul Miller’s view on the fact that the need for a physical library will continue to exist for some time. In his article, “Library 2.0: The Challenge of Disruptive Innovation,” he states, “the idea of the library remains important to people” and “the continued role of the physical library space should not be underestimated.” He also goes on to say that “information consumers, whether Internet users or not, make use of libraries for a wide range of purposes, from borrowing or otherwise interacting with books, journals, music or film, through to engaging with library staff and others in a safe and accessible social space.” Our library is building and developing a larger presence on campus simply by providing better traditional services. I can only imagine the online presence that we could create within our student user population if we move toward the capabilities and ideas of Library 2.0.
So, the more I learn on this topic, the more I will share and the more I will attempt to have implemented here in the Thomas University Library!
