oktober 23, 2007 • 2:38 pm
Michael Stephens wrote about the “culture of no” and how it stops innovation and development. Today at a seminar for librarians I was in a foul mood and sat observing my fellow librarians as they discussed the future of libraries and librarians. The one thing that jarred my nerves the whole day was the prevalent culture of nice. Everybody was nice, libraries are nice, they don´t want to make too much fuss, don´t want to upset the boat etc. I was frigging mad when I left and felt a great need to vent my feelings lest they ruin the rest of my day. I´m in a mood where I´m about to give up on librarians. At least the norwegian version. They are so averse to conflict and so hesitant about development that I despair of any real development and a chance for the libraries in the 21st century. Right now libraries have all the characteristics of the Dodo. Fat, complacent and resisting change even when it comes in the form of a club to the head.
Right now I believe that few libraries will survive the next seven years. (thank Dawkins I´m usually mistaken when I predict the future). The libraries that adapt and change with the times and their users will fare well and have a bright future. The rest, well its a organization eat organization world out there, and most will dissapear in a cloud of Google.
I am dissapointed in my fellow librarians who totally ignores their professional duty to actually explore and understand the information universe their users live in. Business as usual is not a good way to handle kids who can find the information they need elsewhere and free wi-fi is no longer a selling point.
I´m getting depressed thinking about the way most librarians reject any idea that challenges the status quo and demands professional development. Just the discussion on Library 2.0 in Norway is enough to make me want to change business. What the H**L is wrong with librarians that make them discuss the frigging NAME and how a “majority” prefer to perfect Library 1.0 before moving on (after they take retirement) to 2.0. GET REAL!
I´m dissapointed and depressed and sad. Better get home to the kids.
Filed under: Hype or Hope?, Librarian 2.0, Library 2.0, Norway, Users
A very useful visialization of the development of understanding of new technologies:
From Information Visualization blog
UPDATE: One thing that struck me when I looked at this was the placement of blogs. I would say that blogs are further along the curve that web 2.0. Blogs have certainly entered the mainstream, and I believe that the usefulness seems to be recognized by a growing number of people.
Filed under: Hype or Hope?, Web 2.0
UPDATE April 6, 2006.
Thanks to all you who have given me suggestions on what to add to the list. I include them in this post.
What should I include in this chaper?
Here is my list of things I should write about (inspired by Think Big:
Blogs – with comments enabled
Wikis – with discussion tabs
RSS
IM/Chat
Social tagging/folksonomies – del.icio.us, cite.u.like
Social networks – LibraryThing, Flickr, Orkut, friendster, myspace, spray,
Podcasting/videocasting/vlogging/video podcasting
Massive Multiplayer Online Games (MMPOG), Network worlds and games – World of Warcraft, Anarchy Online, Halo, runescape
Mashups
Filed under: Hype or Hope?
Library 2.0 is a new concept and although a lot has been written about it, it has generally been in the biblioblogosphere and has not reached a wider audience of librarians and library workers. For a concept to have any chance of becoming mainstream it has to reach a majority of the target group it concerns. In my opinion the target group for a discussion of Library 2.0 is both librarians, anybody who works in a library and anybody who uses a library. I would also like to add all those who have any power over libraries, library owners, public officials, and the general public.
This book is an attempt to spread knowledge about the concept of Library 2.0 and what opportunities it offers libraries in increased reach, a greater relevance to its users and better communications with the world around the library.
Library 2.0 is about change. Michael Casey, who coined the term Library 2.0, writes that one thing librarians have to get used to is constant change. Change is uncomfortable, especially in institutions that usually change very slowly. This has been to the advantage for libraries. Libraries has been viewed as institutions of weight and gravity, towers of knowledge and learning. Today this has changed, as the population in the industrialized countries grows more and more accustomed to rapid access to information and a constantly changing universe of information, and where information is less trustworthy than before, libraries lose their role as centres of knowledge and information and becomes just one more node in an ever growing network. The discussion we can call Library 2.0 is an attempt to both respond to a rapidly changing environment and an understanding that new tools will give the library new opportunities for fulfilling the mission better.
Magnus Enger says it this way:
My tentative conclusion then, is that Library 2.0 is all about librarians trying to come to terms with the changes that are evident all around us, and beginning to think about how our own documents (secondary and systemic), and the services connected with them, should and could adapt to the demands from, and opportunities offered by, the new environment surrounding us.
The main goal for this book is to help the reader comes to terms with the changes around us and to start to think about how new tools will affect, and improve the services libraries provide in order to fulfil our mission.
Filed under: Hype or Hope?
I have started writing the manuscript for "Library 2.0 – hype or hope?" on Writely. The manuscript will be in norwegian, but as stated before, the main points will occur here first:-)
In true 2.0 spirit the manuscript will be open and public throughout the whole process.
Filed under: Hype or Hope?
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