From the suggested readings I gleened some thoughtful ideas. I loved the Librarian's 2.0 Manifesto, a vision of what a librarian's attitude should be. A couple of ideas I believe are very important are:
- Enjoy the excitement and fun of positive change and convey this to colleagues and users.
- Don't wait until something is perfect before releasing it, but rather modify it based on user feedback.
Michael Stephens, in his article in the OCLC Newsletter of Web 2.0, makes some excellent suggestions for 2.0 librarians:
- Librarians should not buy technology for technology's sake, but must be sure any purchases meet the users needs and create a useful service.
- Librarians must make wise, expedient decisions concerning library services to meet an ever changing library.
Dr. Wendy Schultz, in "To a Temporty Place in Time", writes of libraries in the future beyond Library 2.0, progressing to 3.0 and finally 4.0. Library 4.0 will be for the "dream society" which will need libraries for very different things: as mind labs and idea labs. But society will still need storage for collections, data retrieval, and commentary and annotations from librarians. Society will still need a retreat, a "pampered experience with information", comfortable seating, a quiet place to settle in -- it will still need a library... a physical place. That's a comforting thought for me.
What does Library 2.0 mean to me? It means changing, adapting, being flexible, open to new ways of gathering and sharing information. It's the willingness to put in the time to learn new approaches and ideas. It means not being afraid to change yourself.
What does it mean for school libraries in the future? School districts must understand the value of libraries and be willing to fund these changes. It must also be wise in hiring a director for their libraries who can lead school librarians through the changes it must make.
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