That the web is evolving and that libraries evolve as a corollary activity is a given for those of us in the field. If you are reading this in a library building, look around. How many people do you see at computers? How many people are reading something in a print format? My own count: 3 people reading, and all 23 of our public computers in use. Customers routinely use the phrase "can you look in your computer and find out . . . ". Strictly speaking, if I looked into my computer, I would find circuits, boards, and other tangible objects. I will not find information. For that I need to USE the computer. I need to avail myself of the software written by others much more technologically savvy than myself. Using the computer, taking advantage of the many technological advances about which we have been learning, I can play (love that bookworm game), find out something I need to know (what time does the Howard County Pow-wow start on Saturday?), or just explore (hmm, what's this?). As what is available expands, so will my horizons.
One of the commentaries I read said ". . . our patrons will expect access to everything – digital collections of journals, books, blogs, podcasts, etc.". That same commentary also indicated that print collections need to be stringently evaluated to determine if they are cost-effective. Does this migration to electronic methods of receiving information herald the death knell for libraries? As another commentary said ". . . libraries have always been 2.0: collaborative, customer friendly and welcoming." As long as that continues, and I expect it to be a long time, libraries will be relevant. If our customers had the technology at home, they'd probably be there. At least 23 of my customers don't have access to a computer elsewhere that suits their needs. Since I started writing this blog post, I've helped 8 people find the right path to get where they wanted to go using a computer. Web 2.0/Library 2.0, here we go.
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