While reading my local newspaper (The Barrie Advance) on the weekend, I was pleased to observe one and a half pages totally dedicated to libraries. Some comments I found particularly interesting were "...libraries across the country celebrate their commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Canadians" (Barrie Advance, Friday, Oct.19, 2007, p.8).
"Libraries are where new Canadians study for citizenship tests, parents learn songs and stories, students learn critical thinking and evaluation skills, businesses research the competition, avid readers pick up the latest bestsellers, and children learn to love reading...They are networked partners with organizations and government, and provide information and services to meet community needs both locally and as gateways to libraries of the world" (Barrie Advance, Friday, Oct.19, 2007, p.8).
The authors stress the importance of the library as the centre of the community; it serves as a gateway to other sources of information but also in itself is vital to the community.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Comments on "Do libraries matter? The rise of Library 2.0" A white paper by Chad, K. and Miller, P. (2005)
Yes, yes, yes - Libraries do matter!
Chad and Miller’s view of Library 2.0 is an interesting one but presents a number of issues. Firstly, there are questions raised by many professionals in the library field as to the actual definition of Library 2.0 (Crawford, W.). Many librarians believe that the concept is not new and describes a philosophy which has been part of libraries for the past one hundred years. Secondly, the concept of Chad and Miller’s Library 2.0 cannot be universally applied to all libraries. Each library community is unique and must be treated as such. The focus of each library should be on the needs of its community - the library users and available infrastructure. It is also important to consider that Chad and Miller work for the business Talis and therefore would profit financially from the adaptation of their Library 2.0 technology.
Chad and Miller’s view of Library 2.0 is an interesting one but presents a number of issues. Firstly, there are questions raised by many professionals in the library field as to the actual definition of Library 2.0 (Crawford, W.). Many librarians believe that the concept is not new and describes a philosophy which has been part of libraries for the past one hundred years. Secondly, the concept of Chad and Miller’s Library 2.0 cannot be universally applied to all libraries. Each library community is unique and must be treated as such. The focus of each library should be on the needs of its community - the library users and available infrastructure. It is also important to consider that Chad and Miller work for the business Talis and therefore would profit financially from the adaptation of their Library 2.0 technology.
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