Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Liberry 2.0
I enjoyed reading the article A Ripple Effect and the article by Dr. Wendy Schultz BUT this whole Library 2.0 thing is horrible. It makes me think of Joe and the Volcano but without Tom Hanks overcoming his fear of leaving his house. Are we all going to become people who sit in front of computers all day and have no interaction with people face to face? Libraries have always been magical places to me and I love everything about them. What joy is to be found reading a book online? What about actually digging through lots of books to find THE ONE? I know we have to change with the times and meet our patrons needs but there is no mystery in logging on to a computer at home. One memory that remains clear to me is the 1st time I went into Hunter Library at WCU. I was in heaven. Three levels packed with books and I could read any of them I wanted. Hunter Library is not beautiful or even really comforting but at the time I didn't know a library could be sooo big and have so much to read right at my fingertips. The craftsmanship of books is already nonexistant, what happens when they aren't made at all? This makes me think of All That's Wrong In The World Today....as library people we need to be passionate about libraries, about books, about the quest for the best book ever, about the magic that is libraries. Think about a library staffed with people only interested in technology and how to get answers Right Now. That is so unbeliveably sad. I would rather be in the past with the adventure of not knowing what book was around the corner. I love learning all these new things and I know they are important but nothing will beat handing a kid an awesome book you've tracked down together and being a part of their life even if it's just for a little while. It's all about helping people but is it a crime to want to help people that have to interact with you in person instead of the phone or computer? I could go on and on about this but it comes down to this-I am passionate about books and that's why I'm here. What's your passion? If this isn't it what are you doing here? Be awesome and love what you are doing. That my friends is what it's all about.
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3 comments:
ith Popcorn (not her birth name)predicted a trend she called cocooning, where most people would work and play from their computers without having to leave their homes. Now with wi-fi a person can go to a coffee house or library with their computor, blackbury or mobile phone cocoon in the midst of a crowd. We have reached the age of instant communication as well grafication.
Stephen
That should be Faith Popcorn!
Wow! How glad I am that there are different kinds of people making libraries work! I think it is fabulous that we have those like you who are passionate about books in their print form. I, too, enjoy a print book, but I also treasure the instant and portable technology that allows me to include books in my travels. I am an on-the-go person frequently out in nature or on the road. That kind of a life can be hard on a print book, but an audiobook or MP3 audiobook is just right for it. And with nationwide WiFi, I can see what others are reading and enjoying (or hating) and connect with people not just here in my one little spot but globally. I believe in meeting and befriending a wide range of people, and without the means (yet!) to go all over the world, I am glad for the technology that opens up the world from wherever I am, and I'm glad libraries are a part of it. :)
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