#15 Web 2.0 and Library 2.0

This has made me think of all those conversations I have had with people at social gatherings saying that the internet is killing libraries and books. Well fooey to all them, the internet is creating challenges that most of us had not known existed before starting this training package, I for one was one of them!

We have just added an extra 4 internet PC's at my branch this week, to a total of 9, and to my amazement, as the technician was literally plugging them in, we were booking them out. I had never realised just how many people we were turning away from using our resources as there were an inadequate amount available. An here is some of our bookstock on the shelves, with only 9% of the collection being used.

Some challenges that we as libraries will be possibly trying to overcome is training our users. In this web 2.0 world, we should not just be creating meeting rooms, we need learning rooms with banks of PC's and whiteboards at the ready for sessions on how to create blogs both for the public and individuals, using RSS feeds for both study and recreation etc.

These tools are not just for recreation, but they are integral business and study resources, and we should be sharing this knowledge now and in the future, not how to understand dated Dewey!.

Maybe this is what we will be doing with our remaining books in the future? Who really knows...

#14 Technorati

Technorati Profile
All is good, this is a nifty web site once I have time to play more with other blogs once I have finished this training. Looks like my day will include the usual checking email - personal, work, realestate.com.au, bloglines (all of this done through my blog or del.icio.us link), maybe check for new recipes via rollyo, and finding out what has been happening with mates on technorati... then it should be time to start work!

#13 Del.icio.us

Another eye opening net thingo, and something I would avidly use. Signed in, another thing on my toolbar - at least I know what this one does! I must say, the best explanation of this was the Youtube video, I found this the most valuable, and I liked the fact we have all this technology, yet they used paper cut outs to make the point!