Apr
6
Library 2.0 / Librarian 2.0
April 6, 2007 | | Leave a Comment
The more we talk about Web 2.0, the more teacher-librarians think about Library 2.0. It is a reality that is slowly taking shape as we adjust to our changing roles in this new technology-driven world. Increasingly, students are turning to the Internet and electronic sources for information. How does this change our role as teacher-librarian? What is our role in the school of the future?
Some doomsayers predict the end of libraries, certainly school libraries. Who needs libraries when you have access to the Internet? That image frightens me, but I am comforted by reading an article from the ALA – 10 Reasons Why the Internet is No Substitute for the Library. My favourite quote from this article is “The Internet is marvelous, but to claim, as some now do, that it’s making libraries obsolete is as silly as saying shoes have made feet unnecessary.” Although written in 2001, the article cites reasons that continue to be valid to this day, such as:
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- ** Not Everything is on the Internet
- ** The Needle (your search) in the Haystack (the Web)
- ** Quality Control Doesn’t Exist
The list goes on, but I have singled out these 3 points because they also add to the definition of our changing role as teacher-librarians. Admittedly, students from this generation feel most at home when searching for information on the Internet. With this in mind, our roles in Library 2.0 need to include:
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- ** Continuing to teach basic research and literacy skills (how to use a catalogue, how to find information in a resource, how to find the main points and supporting evidence, how to take notes and organize your thoughts, how to properly cite information)
- ** Teach tools and strategies for effectively searching on the Web
- ** Teach how to critically evaluate websites
In Library 2.0, you need to have a 2.0 Librarian, and it turns out this may be one of the greatest careers in 2007! In an article on Kiplinger, I found a description of our changing role:
Librarian. Forget about the image of librarian as mousy bookworm. Today’s librarian is a high-tech information sleuth, a master of mining cool databases (well beyond Google) to unearth the desired nuggets.
Someone once asked me if I see a future without books. Personally, I don’t. Although the Internet is a valuable tool, the benefits of books should not be understated.
Will people abandon books for the Internet? Certainly not for personal reading – I don’t know anyone that wants to curl up on the couch with their monitor for some reading. In schools, I still can’t imagine a library without books. In any given day, I see students around the atlas, looking through World Book, curled up with a magazine or book, some reading together, some reading alone. Personally, I experience a fatigue from staring at a computer screen for prolonged periods that I don’t experience when working with books.
But never say never (unfortunately)… the “School of the Future” which is conveniently sponsored by Microsoft, has no books, papers, or pencils. Everything is on the computer. It makes you wonder – what would happen if there was an energy crisis in the future, and we found ourselves without electricity to meet the needs of our overwhelming population? Society would be scrambling madly (try to think of everything you use in a day and what needs electricity) and where would I be?
Curled up with a book.
