Library 2.0 Seminar

I had the opportunity to attend a two-day seminar hosted by the Ohio State University Libraries last week on the theme of "Library 2.0." The Library 2.o concept addresses how libraries--and librarians!--can incorporate Web 2.0 technologies into the services they provide to their users.

Web 2.0 technologies include such things as blogs (like Marginal Notes!), wikis (like Wikipedia), social networking sites (like MySpace and Facebook), photosharing sites (like flickr), video sharing sites (like YouTube), and many others.....all which utilize user-generated content in some fashion. A cool video portraying the concept of Web 2.o can be found on YouTube: Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us.

I find this topic to be an exciting part of what is currently going on in the library field right now. The opening keynote speaker, Steven Bell, used a phrase in his presentation that really struck me: "compassionate pioneers." He used it in the context of designating within your library staff who the compassionate pioneers might be before introducing new, unfamiliar technologies into the library. Immediately I felt an affinity for the title of compassionate pioneer--and thought this was a concept I could directly incorporate into my ever-shaping identity as a future librarian. Surely I was born to be a compassionate pioneer: someone who can be a leader in learning new technologies and applying them to the library context as well as a compassionate, gentle teacher who shepherds other staff members and library users into this brand new territory.

It's an exciting image...one that fits with my earlier post regarding reinventing myself!