To the Library...And Beyond! (Library 2.0)

It is interesting to read the various articles relating to Library 2.0. I often claim to be a visionary person, always seeing things in a long-range sort of way; but when it comes to technology and future trends, I am boxed in by shortsightedness. Not only that, I have trouble comprehending the ideas of others in ways that are practical and directly relate to my life. (In other words, science fiction is no bother...space ships and robots are much too abstract to be a problem for me. But give me articles about what libraries will look like in 20-100 years, and I am completely stumped.)

What is this phenomenon of incomprehension from which I suffer? I don't know. I guess it's just hard to imagine such drastic changes in something that is so familiar. It's sort of like playing the "what if" game. "What if you break both of your arms...how will you feed yourself?" "What if Pikes Peak were to become an active volcano, what would you do?" "What if libraries become entirely computerized, forever removing the need for actual, human librarians?"

It just isn't a game I play well. (Maybe that's why I work with kids. They are very much "here and now" type people!)

But, all that aside, I did find the articles compelling. It is obvious, no matter how I feel about it :), that libraries are changing. In a recent tour of several libraries, I noticed that many areas, especially those for teens and children, have a "Barnes and Noble" type set up. Things are very visually friendly and consumer-centric. The world as a whole is much more visual and designed to be instantly gratifying. Everything is "easy" and independant. People just want to be left alone to do what they need to do. They'd rather not interact with another human at all if they can help it. To me, these individualist trends foreshadow a time when everything about libraries will become so computerized that human librarians will be entirely unnecessary. Sounds convenient...and yet heartbreaking.

Who wants to live in a world that doesn't need people? It's what I call "Ipod Syndrome." People use technology to completely block out the rest of the world. They are in their own zone. Places that used to be hotbeds for interpersonal interaction (ie. cafes, street corners, long bus rides) are now segregated by technology, such as Ipods, that allows us to withdraw into our own universe. Perhaps this frightening trend will invade even our libraries, shutting us (the librarians) out forever. Who knows.

I like what Dr. Shultz said about libraries: "they are communities." I think this is true...as of today, anyway. I only hope will will continue to hold on to our identity as a community of people and resist becoming an entirely virtual community.