Thing 15.0

As for Libraries 2.0, let me take issue with one idea presented in Rick Anderson's Away from the Icebergs. He says, "In the post-print era, libraries no longer have the monopoly power that they had in the days before the Internet." He has a point. However, even in a wealthy area of the country, my library is the only place some of my customers have access to the internet. Do we have to adapt to this new 2.0 world? Sure. Should we assume everyone has broadband and prefers online help? No.

But I don't really want to get into a 2.0 debate. Let me instead give a positive example of how I figure I fit into the library 2.0 world. About a year ago, I read on the blog of a very creative librarian in another state, whom I've never met, how she had her young bookclub members act out a new picture book. She even had photos. I check out her review of the new book and a few others online. I love what I see, request that my library purchase the book, and it does. By just a few months later, I've used the book successfully in a storytime and it has circulated several time. Then one day a customer comes up to the desk to ask about books her young preschool class can act out. I hand her the book, still on the 'new books' shelf, telling her how I know it has been done with this story. The customer is so excited to have her needs met so perfectly that she thanks me about 10 times.

I didn't, but I could have linked to the blog of that creative librarian when I mentioned it above. I'm sure she would have come over and read this post, wondering why I linked to her. Maybe we could have struck up a conversation in the comments to this post. To me, that's real 2.0.