Sunday, October 3, 2010

#21 On Library 2.0...

The first brief I read was Rick Anderson's "Away from the 'Icebergs.'"  I found this brief to be somewhat confusing.  The icebergs that Anderson brings up are regarding: 1.)Spending on the print collection 2.)User-education and reasons why we should focus more on simplicity than on educating 3.)The so called "come to us" model of libraries.  If libraries were to spend less on print, were to make things completely simple, and did not require patrons to come to them physically or virtually then what would a librarians role be exactly?  Instead of furthering our field it almost sounds like Anderson is picturing the complete demise of it.  Print resources are still necessary there are some items that work best in print and might not digitize well.  And I prefer books anyway.

The next brief I read was Michael Stephens's brief "Into a New World of Librarianship" was much more positive compared to Anderson's, and, I believe, much more interesting.  Stephens proposes a technologically efficient library where the librarian still has a place as an assistant and a member of the community rather than someone in some position of power.  In Stephens's vision of future libraries the librarians and users work together and openly discuss what new features would best assist the user.  The librarians are not merely passive though they must also be trend spotters and stay on top of tech news to introduce their users to the latest technologies.  This is a vision I could subscribe to.

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