Thing 14: Library 2.0--Wake Up and Answer the Question!

What is "Library 2.0" to me? Do I see this as the next greatest revolution in Library Science? Is Library 2.0 the wave of the future?

Um, no.

To me, Library 2.0 is just libraries discovering there are new ways to access information and get it to their patrons. Way back when, I'm sure papyrus was a new and rocking way to get information passed around. There were probably great debates in Alexandria about whether the librarians should be spending money on such an expensive way to expand our knowledge. What's wrong with just passing things on with our oral traditions? Well, you get my drift.

Yes, there are a lot of really cool tools out there at our fingertips now. I don't need to make a customer come in to pick up a copy of a magazine article--instead I can email it, maybe send it to his phone, or just tweet the key phrase he needed. Faxing is practically dead now and it was the hot new thing just a few years ago. There will always be something new popping up and saying, "Hey! Check me out! I can help deliver info this new way!" So what is a library to do?

Untwist your panties and give it a shot.

We don't need to have a 10-page policy and procedure written up to cover how we are to use some new technology. How about we give it a little research, find the best delivery system for the new product, and see how it works? Let's look at ways to try different ways to implement new technology. Face facts, there are some locations in our system working at a slower pace--visits are down, customers are more comfortable doing for themselves, whatever. Why not start a new service at one of these locations? Make sure they have back-up help if things get crazy. And most importantly TRAIN THE STAFF so they can competently use the new Thing. Then let 'er rip. So we have to tweak what we are doing after 2 weeks because the first model isn't working? Tweak it. Be ready to change mid-stream if you need to. Realize that you might need some extra staff for a bit dealing with the day-to-day stuff, while the beta-testing staff work through a launch. Think a Thing can be done while on the desk, but find out after a week that this is impossible? Okay--so see if you can make it work as an off-desk duty.

"Library 2.0" is a phrase that gives us permission to take risks--and sometimes fail. I looked at the definition of "risk". Nowhere does it say--"trying something that always leads to success in your venture". Most definitions talk about possible loss or injury or not succeeding. We need to acknowledge that sometimes when we risk trying a new thing, we might fail. So What? We also need to be able to say--"This didn't work. Let's quit doing it. Maybe something else will work instead." We don't need to keep beating a dead horse and hope it will be a phoenix instead and rise out of the ashes. If it's a dead horse, bury it and move on.

Um wow. That was quite a little soapbox I just climbed up on!

I think I had better stop for now since I am due to staff the desk. I think you see how I feel about Library 2.0. It's really just a new phrase for stuff we have been doing all along!