Maybe it’s because the concept of Library 2.0 have been around since I was in Library School, but I just don’t get what the big deal is. Any successful organization or company adapts to the available technology and needs of the users, don’t they? Libraries have been around for a looong time and they have always changed and adapted. Where did this idea come from that libraries, or more specifically: Librarians, are a bunch of unyielding ludites?
Most of the librarians I know adapt to technological innovation as best they can. Maybe they don’t jump on every bandwagon to pass through town, but they do cherrypick the things that will work best for them.
I think we sometimes confuse the wants of the customers with the needs. They might want journal articles to be available free online through google, but what they need to is to be taught how to find them in the databases. Is that forcing them to conform to my old fashioned ways? I don’t thinks so. It’s about me showing them how to use the best technology in a given situation. In this case, database searching is a better use of technology than a search engine.
Now, excuse me while I go telegraph holiday wishes to my friends.
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