Saturday, October 29, 2011

Learning 2.0 Activity #9 - Learn about Library 2.0


After reading the five perspectives on where the future of libraries are heading (Library 2.0), my perspective falls somewhere among a mashup of Schultz’s To a temporary place in time,  Anderson’s Away from icebergs,  and Stephen’s Into a new world of librarianship, because they focus on the transformation of libraries that include not just a physical transformation of space, but also a re-imagination of how people interact with information.  Stephen’s focus on the librarian is particularly relevant, because in order to see significant progress, the people at the forefront of that change must be change agents themselves.  You could add all the physical upgrades (computers, software programs, e-books, coffee shops) but if the librarians aren’t upgrading their knowledge as well, then it is all for naught.  Yet it is not just about librarians learning the latest technology, it is about a full evolution in imagining what a library does and who the librarian is.  As Anderson points out, traditional modes of service and user education need to be re-evaluated to fit into Schultz’s libraries as communities model.  Although technology might appear to be the driving force of change, it is merely the tool which people utilize to  accomplish change.  The  more the way we interact with information is changing, the more tools there will be to support that change, and librarians can be successful in assisting users with the most effective tools for their needs, in whatever space that may be.

Here's a library in the UK that re-imagined itself as a "Discovery Center"  According to the video, it experienced:
46% increase in issues or books and content
500% increase in people signing up for a library card
in the first week of opening 13,428 people visited

It looks like it's located in a mall (a mall!), and the interior aesthetic is a mixture of gallery, bookstore, library, and performance space:




It is an exciting time to be in library and information studies!

1 comment:

  1. Nice find - I think I'd like to visit a discovery center. Yes, exciting indeed!

    ReplyDelete