Lesson #14: Library 2.0 & Related:

I skimmed through all of the 5 OCLC articles, found Rick Anderson's article Away from the "icebergs" the most helpful to my frame of reference. Then I checked out the article following A Temporary Place, & found that to be actually the most helpful because it discussed actual ways in which these concepts were being realized at the local library level. That article, A Ripple Effect, also offered examples of ways in which libraries can assist customers who may not be technologically up to speed &/or may not have adequate access to computers & the Internet ( a subject near & dear to me since my old computer is not sea-worthy enough for web action). I also liked the fact that Starbuck's coffee was available (something I enjoyed at the Main Library in Portland, Oregon).

Here are some of the quotes & concepts that caught my attention:

1. "No profession can survive if it throws its core principles and values overboard in response to every shift in the zeitgeist." Rick Anderson, Away from the "icebergs."
2. Other services offered to our students and faculty include:
   A multitude of electronic databases and 23,000 cataloged eBooks
   MP3 players available for patron checkout with a new downloadable audiobook program in place for this fall
   Training on how and when to use Google™ versus other electronic sources
   52 computers on the technology island
   30 wireless laptop computers
   Digital motion and still cameras for student checkout
   Laptops for student checkout
   22 TVs that feature news and weather programs
   Cyber café with food and beverages (including Starbucks® coffee)
   Meetings with faculty each summer to review the library’s offerings
   Teacher-required usage of books, eBooks, ILL materials, databases and other library materials in courses. George Bishop, A Ripple Effect.