To me, the library has always been about connecting the users to the knowledge, and this does not change in the face of Library 2.0. Therefore, I agree with the idea that libraries have always been 2.0. The key ideas for me are the changes in the needs of our users, and the changes in the services we deliver.
The school library's job is to create successful learners. As this quote from David Warlick indicates, today's successful learners need different skills, which forces libraries to adapt to meet those needs:
This changes what it means to be literate. It changes what it means to be a learner. Today, being able to read and write and pass a test are not enough. They are not nearly enough. Today our students must become information artisans, able to learn, work, play, contribute, and prosper in a new and constantly changing and enriching information environment, and do so in a way that conserves the planet — rather than consum it. We can not do this today by scratching and printing on pulp-based paper. Teaching and learning must be digital. If you don’t want to do technology, if your not good at technology, then find another calling.- David Warlick, 2 c worth, July 16, 2009
Along with changes in the needs of our users, the way we deliver services must also change. Taking our services to where the users are is important in the concept of Library 2.0. As this quote indicates, however, enabling distance between our users and our libraries does not mean that we become impersonal.
We library professionals have continually sought to establish the media center as the central foundation of a school. We must persist in this effort. But in its 2.0 incarnation, the digitally re-shifted school library, as I call it, must transcend the physical space to bring services and programming to every student and teacher throughout the school wherever learning is taking place. Consequently, librarians, while still based in the media center, will interact more directly with students as well as their teacher peers in new spaces....
On the face of it, we’re talking about using blogs and podcasts. The heart of the concept, though, is not about the tools, but rather the communities and the conversations that they make possible.- Christopher Harris -- School Library Journal, 5/1/2006
As Christopher Harris says, what we do is still all about creating community and relationships, connecting the users to the knowledge.
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I enjoyed the quotes that you have included and I agree that the purpose or mission of the library and the librarian have not changed even as technology seems to change in a whirlwind. 2.0 tools can help us take our services to the user. As a university librarian, I appreciate the efforts of all you school librarians to help your students (our future students) to understand the relevance of library resources and librarian expertise in a world where they may not venture to a physical library. We can be where they are, and they can reach us from there. You have a wonderful blog, thanks!
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