November 9, 2006

I will become an active participant in moving my library forward

A great manifesto by Laura Cohen over at Library 2.0: An Academic's Perspective. As Walt notes, what's refreshingly different is that the points are positive and affirming rather than snide or sneering.

Great stuff. A couple of hightlights:


  • I will recognize that libraries change slowly, and will work with my colleagues to expedite our responsiveness to change.
  • I will be courageous about proposing new services and new ways of providing services, even though some of my colleagues will be resistant.
  • I will not fear Google or related services, but rather will take advantage of these services to benefit users while also providing excellent library services that users need.
  • I will validate, through my actions, librarians' vital and relevant professional role in any type of information culture that evolves.

What would be cool would be if that we could all turn this into one of those deranged memes, and all add one or two affirmations of our own.

So, my 2 cents in a typically cautionary vein:

  • I will recognize the diversity in technological aptitudes, curiousity and interests in my users and try to make sure products and services are delivered flexibly enough to meet them where they are, not where I would like them to be.
  • I will understand that not everyone sees change the way I do, nor do they want it to happen as quickly and that resistence can come from unexpected places.

What percentage of librarians have never even heard of Library 2.0? What percentage don't read any blogs at all or really know what a wiki or a podcast is? These may be higher than we think.

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