Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Thing #15-- Library 2.0

The perspectives given on Library 2.0 were extremely thought-provoking. I found the "Away from Icebergs" article extra-ordinary in that it made me questions my own views of what a library should be. Libraries have been many things to me throughout my educational career. In grade school they were used for research papers, checking out books, and "free days" in the classroom. As an undergraduate, I spent most of my time studying there studying individually with classmates but did use it for the occasional research paper. Finally, in my graduate studies, I can honestly say that in the 6 months it took me to research and write my thesis, I think I may have spent a cumulative 3 hours inside the actual library and instead, spent the majority of my time using it's online resources and the resources of other libraries across the world.

This experience has pushed me to agree with Mr. Anderson's labeling of the icebergs... especially in questioning the necessity of print material or the "just-in-case" collection and the idea that libraries are only buildings that people must come to in order to use the materials.

Now as an educator, my experience with school libraries will certainly change. Our school library has done a fantastic job of providing online resources for students and I can't help but wonder what the actual library will look like in twenty years? Will it have any printed materials at all?

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