Reading a few perspectives

It does not matter whether Web 2.0 is a new concept or if it has been around for awhile. What really matters is how our libraries use it to help serve our library users. Michael Stephens feels that every library should use all the tools that Web 2.0 has to offer. He fees that “social networking” can bring the library everywhere. Yes, that can be true, as long as library users are looking for it on the web and not in their neighborhoods. We still need the library building. The place where library users can come in and enjoy a program, read a book, and browse the bookshelves. A place where they can “social network.”

Casey Bisson is presenting Web 2.0 as an evolution of all library services that can meet the needs of library users. Both Bisson and Stephens are so excited about this concept of Web 2.0 they have not taken a good look at what they can’t do for our libraries. Yes, having our own blogs & Wikis can be helpful and putting our programs on YouTube, tagging sites to help library users to find the information that they want. Map making and keeping up to date with RSS feeds is a good thing, but with all this new technology we can not forget that what is the most important in our libraries is the personal touch. We are one of the few institutions left that still offers individual attention.