Thing 2 - Library 2.0

Wow! It's been a long time since my last post! Things have been busy, and I've been trying to do reading on Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 topics beyond the "assignment" for Thing 2. I still have a lot to do, but thought it time to finally get working on this post and moving on to other venues.

I just finished reading a short snippet on a small midwestern school district that was ahead of it's time back in 1992. The last line of the article really struck me as embodying the library of the future.

Empowering the patrons will empower your library.

In an of itself, it's not a concept that's foreign to most librarians, at least I imagine it's not foreign. The question is how do you do it to keep current with patron expectations and technology? And isn't that what 23 Things on a Stick is all about? Teaching us more about what people are using and asking for and expecting us to provide? Sure, a lot of it is new, and it's up to us to be innovative and creative. But I guess I have never really seen the librarians I've known to be uncreative. And probably the most positive aspect I've noticed is helpfulness and a real desire to be of service. So if we can embrace learning about the technologies that are out there and continue to be developed, and if we can reinvest ourselves to making the library an active and participatory part of our patrons lives, I think we have a bright future! And I find the process of learning these new things very exciting!