Thing # 15 Library 2.0

In the short time that I have attended my Library Science classes I have already discovered that the library I grew up with will soon be obsolete. The future holds a new opportunity for virtual libraries. Patrons will have a collaborative role in the development of the library and what it contains. They will be able to create, edit, or at the least participate in book talks, wiki pages, web pages, and discussion groups. Information will no longer be print content but electronic. In the article "Service for the Next-Generation Library"
by Michael E. Casey and Laura C. Savastinuk found in the Library Journal from 9/1/2006, the authors write about how the tide is changing in the libraries of the 21st century. As a future librarian I need to be in tune with these changing tides and accepting of the new virtual environment. Rick Anderson also writes about this change in his featured article titled "Away from the Icebergs". He writes about the "icebergs" that can cause problems for our future growth in libraries. We need to be prepared to teach students how to search and organize the information that they access on the web. Gone are the days of a print rich collection, now we need to embrace the access of information through other outlets such as Flickr and Google Reader. Our students will be able to pull up journals, books, web pages and other digital collections on the computer.Will the patrons always seek out the library? According to Rick Anderson the library needs to bring it's services to the patrons not the other way around.