Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Thing 15 - Library 2.0

The Library 2.0 thing...
I reviewed all the Library 2.0 discovery resources from the exercise. I think that Rick Anderson is right on track with his iceberg analogy. His "just in case" collection comments are right on track, I think. The public library would be much better served by relying on the digital versions of most research materials and saving the print budget for popular fiction, non-fiction and children's books. I think it is important to maintain print collections and for children to have access to books. Books have always been a huge part of my life and I think I will always be a book reader. That is an experience that should be preserved in our society and libraries should continue to be a part of that.

I must emphasize that it is important for a library to have sound collection development policies and guidelines for weeding. I was recently at the PLA Spring Symposium and one of the presenters at the customer service workshop was emphasizing the importance of weeding. She was searching a library catalog to see what they had on international adoption and found books from the 1980s!

But I digress...

Library 2.0 is, of course, a vital part of our future and will help guide us to further success. Public libraries need to continue to be information portals for all customers.

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