Library 2.0 thoughts

Just some responses to two of the Library 2.0 articles:
Away from the icebergs:
First of all, I agree in general with what he says in his "just in case" section. Patrons do want everything and we should provide as much of it as we can if we want to remain relevant to them. However, our situation is vastly different from his. Circulation is increasing here at CML, as are the general number of users. We can't simply get rid of our physical collection, and why should we? The inc. circ. number suggest that patrons do want it. Perhaps in a few more generations, long after I've gone to the library in the sky, people will prefer digital media, and that's fine. If that's what they want and what works best for the society, then so be it. But right now, this is not the case and so we shouldn't just throw the baby out with the bath water. Give it time.
I cannot disagree more with his "reliance on user education" section. This Learn and Play experience is a great example of how we are needed. So many of my coworkers have given up on this experience because it takes too long to learn about these programs. They are not as intuitive as he thinks, even for a Millenial like myself, much less for those older than me. There will always be a need to teach others, even people my age. We may have grown up with this, but we don't automatically understand everything, a fact which older people tend to forget. We need to be taught or at least have time to play around with things, too.
Finally, I agree totally with his "come to us" section. We really do need to reach out to customers if we want to get their attention. We aren't the only ones out there, even if we are the best. We just need to let them know it.

To better bibliographic services:
My focus was reference, not cataloging, but I have to say that I agree with what John Riemer is saying in this article. I love the idea of customers providing their own reviews of books that are viewable through the catalog. I personally look for reviews, both scholarly and not, of books I don't know about in order to help me choose whether or not to get it. I also like the idea of not just cataloging a place a book takes place in, but mapping it out and allowing customers to view it.
I don't know how much library administrators would like to do these things, but I'm all for them, both as a customer and a library employee.