Thing 2

Libraries have been evolving since they were created. When libraries first started, people memorized long passages because the ability to mass produce information was non-existent. With the invention of the printing press, this need became less important. Now with the internet at our fingertips, we no longer need to memorize much of anything because we can look it up within seconds. I think we have to recognize Web 2.0 applications as another revolution in the way patrons will use libraries.

When we consider what Web 2.0 is, we have to consider that term encompasses many things. That doesn’t mean that everything Web 2.0 must be used in a library, but we must consider who our users are and what their preferences will be. Many library users today have never known a time when there wasn’t a computer. They have grown up using the Web 2.0 technology some tend to want to dismiss as unnecessary in our field. The reality is, when I take my kids to the library, my six year-old heads to the computer station first to play the latest Arthur game, and my 11 year-old checks out the computer software. Once that desire has been satisfied, they head to the books.

I believe that Web 2.0 technology incorporated into library services will draw in the younger, computer savvy users (who are, or will eventually be, taxpayers and voters). EBSCO’s new 2.0 interface is just one example. It makes research feel less intimidating when it blends a user friendly interface with the functions users expect for research.