Thing #2

As someone who jumped into the library scene mostly through graduate study, I've been fully emersed in the world of Web 2.0. It is, afterall, the method by which I'm earning my degree. If it weren't for the wonders of the Web, my goal of earning a MLIS degree wouldn't come to fruition.

I think the change was needed, no matter what you call it. I also believe the majority of libraries who are convinced they've always been leaders in collaboration are mistaken. They are out of touch with how the general public perceives libraries and their staff. (Picture the scowl-faced, old school, stuffy librarian image here.) This is all a part of the change that is required for libraries to remain a vital part of the communities they serve.

Don't get me wrong, I love libraries! I am a life-long patron, promote the use of libraries, and respect those who've devoted their professional lives to the work of libraries. But we must remain current with information sharing. It goes way beyond the stack of newpapers that are shuffled through on a daily basis. The library user expects us to be knowledgeable so that places a heavy burden on the shoulders of those who work in the profession. We must not only promote life-long learning and literacy... we must set the example. If you're not willing to commit to that challenge, then perhaps life as a library staff member isn't the place for you.

So what the heck does this have to do with the topic of Thing #2? It has to do with acceptance of change. The technologies associated with Web 2.0/Library 2.0 invite us to collaborate and share information in a way that libraries have never seen! I'm excited by this change and am SO glad that I'm entering the field of librarianship now. I'd have never survived in the old school, stodgy, stuff shirt surroundings of libraries that existed when I first became a library user.

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.

- Charles Darwin