Thing #14

I have been avoiding this "thing" for a couple of weeks now. Not so much avoiding, but really "mulling" it over in my thoughts. I knew it was going to be a reflective blog, one that made me think way to deeply. Just when I think I know what Web 2.0 is, I am thrown for another loop. Not a "caught on DuPont Circle in Washington, DC and can't get off" kind of loop, but a "roller coaster" loop, one that makes you feel slightly anxious, yet exhilarated enough to make you want to do it again.

My first reaction to answering what Web 2.0 is to me is to state that it is new technologies to bring our libraries more into the twenty-first century, and catch up with what our patrons are already utilizing. But after reading several blogs, I realized that Web 2.0 is so much more. According to Michael Casey at LibraryCrunch, Web 2.0 is about "continuous and purposeful changes" that will help us keep up with what our patrons want and need in terms of technology.

Now, with all this in mind, I do feel that I was way behind in the areas of current technology, and even my belief system about some of the new technologies. If that is the case, then I must play "catch-up" and learn all of these tools that my patrons are using in order to make those purposeful changes that need to be made within my library program.

Two words that stood out to me when reading various blogs about Web 2.0 were: active and empowered. I think the future of our libraries are in the hands of our patrons. They are going to take a more active role in the decisions that we make. Their collaboration will enable us to make those changes that makes our services vital, with the "avalanche" of information.

In Rick Anderson's blog Away from the Icebergs, there are several points made that I know I can work on to improve my library services. I do not think I have ever "really" considered my teacher to student ratio: 690:1 in regards to how effectively the library is utilized. I have spent a couple of years getting to know my patrons, teachers, and community, worked on my collection, "sort of" collaborated with students and teachers, and even moved into a new library. Now in my third year, I think it is time I start thinking more cognitively about changes I need to make in the library. I also want to work on staying current with my web page and bringing that content and information to my patrons, wherever they may be.

Lastly, I read Dr. Wendy Schultz's blog To a Temporary Place in Time. Just when I thought I had a grasp on Library 2.0, here comes Library 3.0 and Library 4.0. In reality, Library 4.0 "absorbs' all the others to give patrons the whole package. I love thinking of our libraries as "mind gyms, idea labs, and art salons." It reminds me of Walmart: Libraries are the Super Centers of information.