Oh my. There are a lot of issues raised in the debates on Library 2.0. Among them are:
- the importance of studying and consulting our users
- intelligent implementation of technology
- keeping up with change & staying relevant in the face of “competition” from the Web
On one hand, I do find the trendiness of certain ideas within the library profession a little odd and off-putting. Do we really have to discuss the same things over and over again at every conference and on every blog? Maybe other fields are this way too? There does seem to be a certain level of desperation to the Library 2.0 thing. I think someone called it a “life-preserver” on one of the blog posts, but now I can’t remember which. I really don’t think we need to be so fearful. Our jobs may change, but we’ll adapt. Libraries will change, but information is not going anywhere!
On the other hand, I can also see that this label, as Meredith Farkas calls it, can be useful in summing up some important themes that libraries are considering at this particular point in time. So in that way, it serves a purpose – to get us thinking about wider trends in the creation, organization, and consumption of information, and where we fit into all of that. It’s a good discussion to have.
