Thing 2. What is Library 2.0?

Abram talks about a lot of topics in his video, but probably the most interesting is one of his first statements. He says that in order to really understand some of this new technology he must use it. For example, to understand blogs, you must have your own, and be able to use it and post on it. Hands on experience is the most important tool in your arsenal, in my opinion.

In the blog posting I read, I found that the statement "libraries need to work together" to be only a half truth. Realistically, librarians, more specifically staff members need to work together. During my 7 years of work in several different library settings, I have found that lots of staff members don't always get along, and end up trying to play power games with each other. This really helps no one, and in the end, the patron is the one who suffers. If we don't work together to understand this new, and exciting, but also challenging technology, it will be very hard to succeed in making libraries stand out in this new technology age.

Lastly is the article about the "Ongoing Web Revolution", I really thought the equation given was interesting. It is: Library 2.0 = (books 'n stuff + people + radical trust) x participation . That really takes you back to your days of high school algebra, doesn't it! Anyway, I like the whole idea of multiplying it by participation. Trying to get the patron involved in these new aspects of technology really makes them more comfortable in trying to find the information that they need. I try to live by that old quote about giving a man a fish vs. teaching him to fish. Teaching always seems better than giving.