Thing #15 - Library 2.0

I found these articles interesting and was glad to see that a movement is being established to upgrade what a library was and should now be. The video establishes how learning has changed and the time involved is so much lengthier. We have to become a nation of multitaskers to be able to keep up with the ever growing demands placed on us. The days of picking up a book and giving a report are all but passe. Students need libraries where they can access more than just books, but to get all sorts of input that might not readily be available to them from a home computer.

Not available to them on a home computer? Yes, this puts a high demand on libraries to keep value and purpose. Virtually everything is available on the internet now from blogs to wikis to content databases and mainly, interactive information acquisition. If we can do this all from home, why do we even need libraries? Simple, guidance and expertise. With a myriad of sources available, doing a Google search is no longer feesible with millions of links per topic available. Librarians need to offer and guide the learner to the information needed and to help the learner join in on the global information acquisition by offering commentary and relevance to the topic at hand. A good library needs to offer these tools to students as well as have expertise on how to use them.

Library 2.0 will help metamorphasize and transition the libraries of the past. Books and periodicals are such a minute element in today's expectations of student presentations. Incorporating all the sensory elements of speech, video, and sound now serve the basic structure of completing many assignments. Learners are expected to draw in and present information in a manner that will capture an audience much larger than just the teacher. Learning is now a collaboration in society which grows and develops. Just as in the video, an entire class can contribute and create a presentation which garners much more insight than that of a sole author.

Afterall, if what students are preparing for now will be obsolete by the time they graduate, they need the knowledge and skills to be able to adapt to the evergrowing changes that our society faces. When they join the work force, they need to be able take on the expectations given them and know how to use the tools to create the new things yet to come. Better yet, they will be designing the tools for younger generations to rely on.