Web2.0 to Library2.0 - First thoughts
What defines a “21st-Century Library”? Post to the following “seed” questions - or on YOUR vision of a “next-gen” MS/HS library!
FIRST - and perhaps foremost?
- What part should PRINT collections play in a “next-gen” library?
- Do we NEED books (consider cost, environmental factors, rapid obsolescence, etc)?
- Is a facility without books a “library” or a “Virtuary”?
NEXT:
- What MATERIALS should be HOUSED in a “next-gen” MS/HS library?
- What levels of INFORMATION should be accessible through a “next-gen” library?
- How Prescriptive should Research Tools be in a MS/HS setting?
- e.g. Should we have subscription services AT ALL, or
- Should we rely on the vast body of “free” material on the open web for content to underpin the Research “Processes” we teach students?
Then:
- How many computers should a school library serving 1500 patrons have? Should they be LAN-based (wired) or Wireless?
- What other “computing machines” should be part of the information delivery infrastructure?
- desktop computers, laptops, tablets, phone/pda devices, ipods & mp3 players, game consoles and controls?)
And:
- What ACTIVITIES should be provided for in a “next-gen” library? (think Blade Runner, Minority Report, I Robot: How can/will users interact with computers?
- What kinds of SPACES are needed to provide for the above? (the tools, the activities, the social groupings of users/patrons)
- What level of ACCESS should users/patrons have in a “next-gen” library?
- think RFID item tagging and automated checkouts, wireless data delivery & exchange, encryption and virus implications, information access and creation strategies, social networking, virtual environments)
And Finally:
- Post YOUR vision of a “next-gen” MS/HS school library. What does it LOOK like?
- Thinking Assessment? check out the SIDEBARS at left.
That’s it! Get thinking - and POSTING your thoughts… -rjr-
i think very little people comment because this blog site is not well known in the ISB community. I just realized this blog from the International Magazine, that people rarely read word for word…so maybe promoting this website would be good?
Here are some answers to some of your questions but maybe you could try to put a poster up in the library or something so that more people know about this website and can answer your questions.
“Do we NEED books (consider cost, environmental factors, rapid obsolescence, etc)?”
Yes, books are very important; although it may be expensive to buy more and more books and possibly a waste of trees, they would definitely be important. Our generation is reading less than other generations before us with the new technology; therefore, we are acquiring less of the literacy skills that will make us more intellectual citizens. A library without books would discourage all of the sayings that promote reading; and thus prove that “library” doesn’t really live up to its name. Instead of books there would be technology? Well, the internet doesn’t contain all the information in the world. There is much information in books that isn’t put in the internet or incorporated into CD’s.
Anyway, considering the negative aspects for a library with books, here are some suggestions: books cost money, but with that money you are increasing the richness and relevancy of the library. Although books are made from trees and trees are important to the environment, don’t forget that those books are made anyways and if you don’t buy them, someone else will. It’s true that books are being used more rarely, but the library shouldn’t just work at changing he contents of the library entirely; what is much more important is teaching us how to appreciate and refer to books. For example, you could put up posters or maybe organize a fun library night and encourage people to read.
“Is a facility without books a “library” or a “Virtuary”?”
A facility without books would definitely not be a “library”.