"Library 2.0 simply means making your library’s space (virtual and physical) more interactive, collaborative, and driven by community needs. Examples of where to start include blogs, gaming nights for teens, and collaborative photo sites. The basic drive is to get people back into the library by making the library relevant to what they want and need in their daily lives…to make the library a destination and not an afterthought.”At first glance it appears a simple definition that appears to be the pop culture rally cry of libraries today. Are we just jumping on the bandwagon to join in on the current trend? One of my colleagues in a school library wonders about the use of Library 2.0 tools in academia, especially school libraries. With so many of the sites blocked or restricted, it is hard to embrace these fabulous interactive tools. To many it seems that public libraries are able to make much easier use of such tools.
However, I would argue with her to a small point and consider what Joyce Valenza and her work at her school library. Joyce regularly used Wikis with her high school classes to enable their class research and projects. She's got audio and video files as pathfinder tutorials. Could not a book review blog be useful in a school setting? I am excited to discover new ideas to use these tools throughout the learning process of 23 Things on a Stick.
I am excited about 23 Things on a Stick because it urges the library community (all library communities) to learn about our society and current social and technology trends. These are not bandwagons to jump on and ride for the time. I truly believe that our culture is shifting and we need to understand these changes. To relate to, to adapt to and to change our ideas of what library service is will enable us to stay relevant in the culture of America for decades to come.
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