Library 2.0 for L&P

I've been fascinated by what computers and technology can do for libraries since I started work back in the mid-1980's, when I dragged my Brother WP into work to use instead of that stupid electric typewriter. Am I embracing Lib 2.0? I did, and am incredibly excited that our library system has recognized the necessity. M. Stephen's statement of making the library a social and emotionally engaging center for learning and experience is just so right, and that we should be trendspotters "reading outside the profession and watching for the impact of technology on users and new thinking on business." Right on, brother! (Preaching to the choir) People in the library profession have for so long held the belief that it was we, really, who knew what people needed. It was difficult for so many librarians to switch to the "give'em what they want" idea in the early 90's, and many are probably reviling the need to move so quickly into the future and respond so quickly to what we anticipate our customers will use. It's a good time for those librarians to retire, and tell stories of the good ol' days. We know that those old fashioned libraries had to change, that we had to really redefine our concept of what a library is. Funding problems emphasized that. A library is not just a building with a collection of books, or other media. It is simply (or not) a concept of the exploration and access to human knowledge and information. The easier it is to access and spread knowledge, the better we've done our job.

I was afraid of this....Library Thing

For several years now, in my wanderings around the web, I have found many, many references to how cool Library Thing was. I was afraid to explore it, because...and let's be honest...I love books! I love books and reading in ways I sometimes think aren't normal. You don't think I became a librarian because I was in love with sensible shoes, do you? No, it was because I would be surrounded by books, and (having a key to the building) I would never, ever be without something to read.

I also love the look, feel and smell of books, and could be considered being just this side of a bibliomaniac. I don't even attend Friends of the Library booksales anymore, because of that certain corner of my house that is filled with bookshelves and stacked with books. And the wall-to-wall bookcase in my bedroom that's full, and the pile of books next to my bed, and next to the couch, and under the windowseat in the kitchen... I've given up trying to keep up with reading the professional book reviews because I've got reading lists pages long already, and my reserve que for my library card is full, and I'm at my library card limit, too. Oh, and did I mention the books on cd in my car?

So one can list one's books on Library Thing, which is great for people who like lists - but better yet - it groups books by subject by tags! Heaven on earth! So when I enter one of my all time favorite books - Pride and Prejudice - it gives me other books I might like to try also. Like books about Mr. Darcy - ooooh; or what happened after they were married - haven't you always wondered? And on, and on, and on....

So now Library Thing will help feed my obsession, and my poor husband and daughter will have to arrange some type of intercession to bring me back to the real world.

Conjugate Blog: I blog, you blog, s/he blogs....

Ok, a quick and dirty search on the Internet tells me that common knowledge says the word 'blog' came from shortening the words 'web log'. (Hey, I really didn't know that!) Hmmm. I don't suppose you wouldn't be surprised to know that in the many blogs I've scanned, very few are interesting or readable. Some are down right strange and weird. I can say that I've enjoyed reading the group of blogs for this Learn & Play exercise. Perhaps because these bloggers are my immediate contemporaries - we've sat through many of the same training workshops and meetings, I suppose. Brothers/Sisters-in-Arms as it where.

I've been reading library-related blogs for quite a while, or at least since it's become such a sensation. I read them mostly to try to stay in touch with the evolution of the library concept, or at least to try and understand where this institution may be going. I've been in the library field for a long time, and I started my career in a small town library under the tutelage of a woman who was a fantastic, dedicated librarian - Marie Knudson. She knew her collection inside-out, upside down and sideways. When the introduction of the Internet created such an explosive impact on traditional library work, I didn't want to be left behind.

I particularly like to read the blogs that don't agree with common thought. The Annoyed Librarian has been entertaining and thought provoking. Not surprising that the AL has been asked by Library Journal to become one of their professional bloggers, and only their lawyers know who s/he may be. The AL promises not to give in to The Man! now that she has become part of the corporation. I regularly follow the Free Range Librarian and the Shifted Librarian, and a handful of others.

But you know, what I find more entertaining and interesting really is PubLib postings. Discussion is more off-the-cuff, and any subject at all can come up and often does. I see how my library stacks up again a lot of others, and I've learned that sometimes I have it really good here. There are honest discussions about the trials and tribulations of adding new technologies, and lots of very helpful advice in adapting to new technologies. And on Fridays, they can get a little silly. A regular PubLib contributor, Joe Schallan, has given some wonderful, laugh out loud types of posts. He says he's going to try to invest more time in his blog, and I hope so.