Library 2.0 – Participation & Redesign
Technology plays such a central role in the discussion of Library 2.0 and is such a powerful impetus for the evolution of libraries in the modern world. So I find it very refreshing to come across accounts of the recent changes made by the Maricopa County Library District. (Schneider, 2007) None of the changes made in Maricopa involved significant technological advances; indeed, switching from the Dewey Decimal System to BISAC can be accomplished on the same OPAC software that libraries have been using for the last couple of decades. Yet these changes are deeply L2 – they make the library a more user-focused space, they improve library services, and they directly respond to user needs and incorporate user suggestions. Within the professional library community, one of the primary sources of resistance to the ideas of L2 is the technophobia of many librarians. Examples like Maricopa are essential to show that not all L2 improvements necessitate creating a sci-fi futuristic techno-utopia. This fact is further illustrated in the NPR interview of Marshall Shore from the Maricopa County Library District. Mr. Shore mentions that they rearranged the shelving at the Gilbert Library, “[s]o there’s all these low shelving at the front – then towards the back, it gets taller,” – the result being that, “[w]hen you walk in the front doors of the library, you can actually see the entire collection from the front door.” (Shore, 2007) Along with their “one-desk” set up (Shore, 2007), these simple changes make the Gilbert Library in the Maricopa County District Library system more friendly and welcoming. Video from the Aarhus Public Library further illustrates how much can be accomplished by making library space more versatile. (Aarhus, n.d.)
Another interesting aspect of the L2 movement is its response to competition from private companies. “Libraries should not (unless they are) be run as businesses, but we do need to realize that [there] [sic] is probably more competition in our ‘segment’ than there has been before.” (Harris, 2006) It’s no wonder that libraries are turning to Web 2.0 tools to try and meet this competition. Web 2.0 technologies are built to open up the world of information and enable virtually anyone to harness, manipulate, and use its tools at very little cost. Libraries can use open-source software to create new tools that substantially improve and expand library services – consider the WordPress blog-based OPAC discussed in Jenny Levine’s article (2006) – and make libraries relevant to users’ information needs without breaking the budget. The Web 2.0 ideals of freedom of information and user participation are very much in accord with what I believe are some of the oldest values of libraries themselves, and the central values of Library 2.0. (For a discussion on the core values of Library 2.0, see Michael Stephens’ article, “Into a New World of Librarianship.” (2006))
Sources Cited:
Aarhus Public Library. n.d. “Transformation lab – prototyping the future.” YouTube video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpFO_L_jA1c [accessed January 29, 2010]
Harris, Christopher. 2006. SL2.0: Synthesis 2.0. Infomancy. http://schoolof.info/infomancy/?p=129 [accessed January 29, 2010]
Levine, Jenny. 2006. Library 2.0 in the real world. ALA TechSource. American Library Association. http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2006/01/library-20-in-the-real-world.html [accessed January 29, 2010]
Schneider, Karen G. 2007. Raising arizona. ALA TechSource. American Library Association. http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2007/07/raising-arizona.html [accessed January 29, 2010]
Shore, Marshall. 2007. Arizona library shuns dewey system. Interview with Marshall Shore conducted by John Ydstie. NPR. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11131877 [accessed January 29, 2010]
Stephens, Michael. 2006. Into a new world of librarianship. Next Space. OCLC. http://www.oclc.org/nextspace/002/3.htm [accessed January 29, 2010]
(Citations courtesy of Michael Stephens at http://classes.tametheweb.com/768/module-assignments/library-20-participation-redesign/)