Sitting smack bang in the middle of a massive library change at this very moment - I find the discussion about Library 2.0 very pertinent. This week we closed our library doors - for nine months of renovations. A huge adjustment for staff, the organisation, our patrons and the community. Our planned renovation/re-structure is a perfect opportunity for us to plan for the future - to embrace technological change and be very brave and bold. Only time will tell if we have made the right choices - but given the endless possibilities, I hope we have.
This also ties in with a recurring theme throughout the recommended reading for this exercise.
All commentators seem to be very pro embracing and running with technology in our libraries.
Yes, we all agree wholeheartedly. Bring it on!
There is a tendency to advocate the minimisation of hard copies of collections in favour of on-line versions. But to do this, we must ensure we have the resources/knowledge/space/know-how/time to adopt this stance.
It's all very well to advocate on-line databases, downloads/podcasts/etc.. but the library needs state of the art technological tools, savvy tutors,time and MOST IMPORTANTLY - receptive patrons to access and fully appreciate these changes.
One commentator infers we should lose the "just in case" collections - because just about everything is online now. Although good in theory, I envisage problems with this approach. Before any bold sweeping changes are made, we must ensure that we have the technological tools in place to replace the collections we have removed. I guess it's all about balance - but the one thing I don't want to see happen is that the socially disadvantaged, the less fortunate, the less educated or those in a minority will be left behind in the bubble of excitement over Libraries 2.0.
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Hi Grandma Poss,
I totally agree and will be working to introduce web 2.0, but not at the cost of the print collection. Hardware is still a major issue for us.
Janelle.
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