2.0 Thoughts

I don't know enough about the history of libraries to say this for sure, but it seems to me that there's something to the idea that public libraries have been 2.0 since their inception. If they haven't been, then they've betrayed the whole concept of a public library.



In this day and age, libraries need to embrace the ideas of 2.0. They need to be open to user input, to social and networking ideas, and to change. The retail and service industries have all turned to a "want it now, get it now" format, and customers are starting to expect that level of service. I envision a time when physical libraries give way to giant databases, where librarians are all but replaced with "search" softwares, and where the public is well enough educated and informed to utilize such a database. While I don't (can't bring myself to) believe that the physical aspect of libraries (buildings, bookshelves full of printed material, live librarians, heavy books with paper pages, etc) will ever be completely usurped, I think that users will more and more want to simply utilize the library through their computer: uploading text, audio and visual material, chatting with librarians for answers and assistance, accessing reference information online. And if that's what the public wants, public libraries shall have to adapt to provide.