23 Things #2

As usual with anything new, there arises much conversation about the relevance or the need for whatever the new thing is. There seems to be very definite advocates and naysayers concerning the idea of Web or Library 2.0. I cannot imagine the concept of a library only existing in a cyberworld environment, but I would not want to go back to the days of card catalogs and having available only the books that one finds on the shelf. What would we do without the wonderful content available with our electronic resources? How could any adequate research be done without the use of interlibrary loans? On the other hand, I cannot imagine curling up with a blanket in front of the fire on a cold winter day with an ebook in my hands. Downloadable books are great if one is spending large amounts of time in a car or other means of transportation, but there is nothing more satisfying than actually reading the written word and holding that book.

As far as the relevance of libraries today, we do need to incorporate new technology. We need to reach out to patrons with sites like Facebook. We need to make available the content of the world of information online, but we as librarians need to be the guides. How can we do this without first learning as much of the new and various ways of presenting this information? A challenge lies ahead, but we must we face it with eagerness!