Away from theIcebergs by Rick Anderson
Into a new world of librarianship by Michael Stephens and
To a temporary place in time... Dr. Wendy Schultz.
After spending several weeks learning about and playing with all of the neat "techie tools", with assignment 7, I was faced with thinking until my brain was hurting. Actually, I spent many hours reading, thinking, pondering, formulating, reflecting and finally blogging.
Meredith has obviously been at this Web 2.0, Learning 2.0 and Library 2.0 thing for a number of years.
For me, Meredith is saying that we have to spend time finding out what the patrons want from the library and from library staff. We also have to keep abreast of the technologies that are out there and review the uses of these tools and how they adapt to our roll as information providers.
We have to have time to learn about, work with, apply and then re-tool the use of these technologies. But all the time, we have to focus on the purpose for everything we do - the library patron (not ourselves).
Meredith Farkas, as well as John Blyberg in his article Library 2.0 Bebased, emphasize that:
"when we use technology, it should be transparent, intuitive, and a natural extension of the patron experience. If it can’t be transparent, then it should be so overwhelmingly beneficial to the user that it is canonized not by the techies, but the users themselves."
Meredith continues:
"Basically, they wanted to be self-sufficient and not to have to deal with us."
Meredith's theme is to get to know the patron needs through assessment and then determine which technological tools can best serve those need. Being on the cutting edge as some libraries have, will mean making mistakes, failing, learning from our failures and then modifying. It may be prudent not to be on the cutting edge but rather observe the trials of others before adopting change.
Icebergs...
Rick Anderson states that libraries no longer have a monopoly of information sources as they did a few short years ago. We have moved from a print era of information to a electronic one.
Rick also challenges us to rethink the concept of maintaining a collection of non fiction books. What patrons want libraries to provide is the most current, authoritative information and they want it now.
Rick feels that libraries are poorly equipped and insufficiently staffed for teaching patrons about these new technologies.
"We need to focus our efforts not on teaching research skills but on eliminating the barriers that exist between patrons and the information they need, so they can spend as little time as possible wrestling with lousy search interfaces and as much time as possible actually reading and learning ."
He says that we must "find new ways to bring our services to patrons rather than insisting that they come to us—whether physically or virtually. At a minimum, this means placing library services and content in the user’s preferred environment (i.e., the Web); even better, it means integrating our services into their daily patterns of work, study and play"
The New World...
Michael Stephens moves for Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 to Librarian 2.0. He gives his vision of what that person would do and behaviours a patron would see.
His vision of Librarian 2.0 is a person who:
- assesses patron needs and plans for those needs using technologies that provides transparent access for patrons;
- utilizes technology to create and enhance communication with patrons
- uses the patron's needs as "filter" to determine a particular technology or application will work
- makes timely decisions based upon assessment, statistics, research and patron needs
- maintains professional reading and stays current
- listens to staff and users when planning, tells the stories of successes and failures, learns from both, celebrates those successes, allows staff time to play and learn, and never stops dreaming about the best library services
Dr Wendy Schultz provides some insight into where we have been Library 1.0, Where we are Library 2.0 and where we are headed, Library 3.0 and yes, 4.0. From a book centered library to a community of web searchers and bloggers, where majority rules and the expertise of the author is suspect. This will drive, she says, Library 3.0 There, we will strive to be librarian “superstars” based on buzz and customer ratings. People will collect "librarians rather than books—the ability not just to organise, but also to annotate and compare books and other information sources, from a variety of useful perspectives."
And finally, in a 4.0 world, my St. Jacobs library remains as "a country house library, and renovates it: from a retreat, a sanctuary, a pampered experience with information—subtle thoughts, fine words, exquisite brandy, smooth coffee, aromatic cigar, smell of leather, rustle of pages—to the dream economy’s library, the LIBRARY: a WiFREE space, a retreat from technohustle, with comfortable chairs, quiet, good light, coffee and single malt. You know, the library." (no smoking please!!!!)
Some may think that her vision through 4.0 glasses is sci fi. I have a different view. I taught computer science in the 70's 80's and 90's. My futurist "talk" to teachers, parents and others in the early 80's focused on a cashless society; with visual communications with those we talk to any where in the world; computers that will be hand-held devices rather than filling a room; and microchips in every device in the home. Of course we have surpassed all of those predictions with the blink of a eye.
Our task as librarians will be to manage the information in what ever form it takes and keep it authentic and relevant for our patrons.
Well, I'm off to a Buffalo Bills - New York Jets football weekend so I will be having even more fun!
