Week 6, Thing 15, Perspectives on Web 2.0

I read through the first two perspectives "Away from Icebergs" by Rick Anderson and "Into a new world of librarianship" by Michael Stephens. I found the first article very intriguing. I really like how Anderson related the libraries to boats, and discussed the various obstacles that libraries are currently facing. The world is rapidly changing because of technology and more and more people are turning to the internet rather than a book for reading material, whether it be for research or pleasure in our fast past world it's easier for the majority of people to get online than it is to get to the local library.

What he said about there no longer being a need for "the 'just in case' collection" really struck me. My last year of college I worked as a helper in the library and I spent the majority of my time clearing out the "just in case" material that had been stored for years. Unfortunately, not all material made it to the recycle bin and much of it landed in a closet "just in case" someone needed that outdated article on hearing devices from 50 years ago.

I must agree that if libraries are going to make it in this new technology driven world, they need to change "one little boat-at a time". They need to find a way to keep up with the needs of their patrons. One thing that many of my local libraries are doing is making many of their resources available to patrons via the internet.