Friday, February 8, 2008

Curiousity Got Me - AdSense

Well, this will be interesting. I have added AdSense to my site - I'm curious to see what will be advertised - what do they think librarians need? (Please, let it be more creative than Amazon.)

Library 2.0

"L2 requires a fundamental change in a library’s mission

It behooves us to look at our mission through an L2 lens . . . It’s possible to “Give them what they want” with ‘L1′, but then, how many is “they”? Is “they” the dwindling elderly population, the soon-to-retire baby-boomers? We can still provide the same level of service to that segment while drastically changing the role libraries play in the lives of our younger constituents . . . A fundamental change in what we think our purpose is is necessary to engage our future tax-payers." (From 11 Reasons Why Library 2.0 Exists and Matters by John Blyberg)


This idea was one of the most compelling ideas expressed by Blyberg, in my opinion. Technology has posed a threat for various traditional institutions and businesses. If libraries and staff can't find newer ways to interact with the changing needs of patrons and how they get their information and entertainment what kind of presence can we maintain in our communities? It's an interesting challenge that must be met head on with the expectation of change.

Librarian Begins Checking Out 23 Things on a Stick

I consider myself to be pretty savvy when it comes to technology. I guess it comes partly with being in my generation (I knew how to hook up a VCR when I was eight) and not having my mom's genetics when it comes to anything spatial. (Note: When I was a kid, my mom owned a video store and was unable to hook up VCRs back in the day when you would rent them out to customers.)

I have a love/hate relationship with technology. I shudder when I think about how kids in general are so dependent on it without having the appreciation for it; I've had the experience of having to know how to do things without it. For example, I've used a typewriter and know the pain of retyping a page just to correct an error.

I'm looking forward to picking up some more skills and just generally getting to know some more people in the library world.