One of the most thoughtful library bloggers, Rory Litwin recently wrote on his blog, Library Juice:These days, when reading the library literature or a conference program it’s hard to find much that is not about the Library 2.0 idea. It…

To begin with, the “essential facets of librarianship — skills, roles, services, problems” don’t describe fundamental characteristics of our profession, IMHO. Those things can be listed for just about any profession. Instead, I would characterize librarianship as a combination of collection, organization, preservation, and dissemination of data, information, and knowledge. Moreover, I assert the processes are always done for the good of some over-arching group. None of these processes are ends unto themselves. They are always done with some sort of patron or constituency in mind. School libraries work for schools. Academic libraries work for colleges and universities. Public libraries work for municipalities. Consequently, user-centered design should play a prominent role in what and how we do our work.

The word “replace” is used a number of times in the commentary. “Replacing our services and expertise… not replaceable by user-centered tools”. A better word might be “supplement”. Change takes time. There are a mixture of expectations. Web 2.0 (and therefore Library 2.0) is all about exploiting the network to achieve our fundamental goals. It is about doing things differently, not about doing different things. The goal is to build collections, organize them in to useful piles, archive them for future generations, and re-disseminate them to the people in the here and now. In the past this was done with books and buildings. Increasingly our patrons and constituents expect this to be done with bytes and computers, and if we don’t satisfy the needs of our patrons and constituents, then who will fund libraries? While it is not all about computers, they can supplement the processes of librarianship. A rising tide floats all boats. All we have to do is put our ship in the water.

Tools and sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, Delicious, LinkedIn, wikis, blogs, etc. are all examples of social networking applications. They take advantage of the flat nature of the Internet. They allow the “wisdom of the crowds” be the driving force in decision-making, importance, and relevance. They work and are popular because everybody has an voice equal. They are the closest things we have to a democracy. (Even our own United States is not a democracy. It is a republic.) This loosely coupled type of organization is a difficult thing for any institution to understand or embrace. Librarianship is no exception. Librarians have made livings out of collecting authoritative works, describing things with authoritative subject headings, and giving authoritative answers. These things will not go away nor will their importance diminish, but with the Internet there is an additional (not replacement) way of making decisions. Think of Wikipedia. Pretty good, and when there are corrections to be made, they can be made almost instantly. Not so with the authoritative Encyclopedia Britannica.

Again, and finally, Library 2.0 is not about changing the what of librarianship but the how. Collection is a good thing. Considering the nature of data and information these days, consider systematically collecting open access content. Archive entire websites. Collect digital data as well as books and formally published materials. Description and cataloging is good. It makes it easier for people to find things. Instead of MARC, use XML not because it is “new and kewl” but because it is the language used by everybody else’s computer system. Let other experts help with the cataloging, and let’s call the process tagging. Answering reference questions and improving information literacy is a good thing. Since people increasingly expect to get their information through the computer, then let’s index a greater amount of content. Make full-text searchable those open access journals. Since fewer people are physically visiting libraries to ask reference questions, let’s supplement our information systems with the expertise of librarians. “I know that you are a freshman in this class, therefore you might be interested in this resource. Hello, back again? Need something more advanced? Try this.”

Yes, there are many things to keep in mind, but the 2.0 is not a craze. It is a trend. It is an evolution. It is yet another opportunity to achieve our goals but in a different environment and in a different manner.

The following three books describe in greater detail how and why the Internet is changing the way we do things and leading us towards Web 2.0:

* The Wisdom of the Crowds by James Surowiecki
* The long tail by Chris Anderson
* Everything is miscellaneous by David Weinberger

–
Eric Lease Morgan
University Libraries of Notre Dame

January 15, 2008

Through my classes and the few conferences I have attended this past year, I really feel that Web 2.0 has caused many librarians to feel “un-cool” in a world of new communication toys. It seems to me that there is a need amongst librarians to desperately try to appeal to the users and their gradually diminishing attention spans when we should be (I believe) emphasizing information literacy skills and vocalizing our significance to society.

I am far from being a Luddite and I feel it is important for librarians to explore and experiment with new technologies – as they can come to add value to our service. The key concept there is ‘add’ value. Technology should add value to our profession, not embody it.

Thanks again