The whole nature of information is changing. Once it was something that could only be conveyed person to person verbally. Then the document (in its many permutations) allowed for a piece of information to be preserved from generation to generation, and information could be conveyed from one person to another over physical distance without the two ever physical meeting. Now the web allows for a multitude of user to access and create information simultaneous. Greater accessibility to massive volumes of material. The process of discovery become less one of searching and more one of refining.... less a situation of information poverty and more one of information affluenza and fast food diets. The library ceases to be a collection and becomes a portal. Librarians cease to be collection managers of limited physical collections and become porters pointing to the gates of the more reputable avenues of enquiry.
Digitizing collections is value in terms of presevationa and access and even promotion. Creating a virtual library undoubtably does assist those suffering geographic disadvantage and providing an new entrance point to our collections.
Libraries help people to educate and entertain themselves and have always provided the tools to do so. In the past most of these were physical objects and so encouraged a certain solitary intimacy... and tend to encourage a quite, almost passively linear, absorption....But now the tools are not bound by such restrictions: they are networked and they are interactive. It is only logically that the libary should adopt these new tools.
I suppose I am what they call a digital immigrant. Things like Facebook and Blogs about nothing really seem narcisstic to me. I don't embrace technology but accept it as a tool rather than a toy. If there is a problem I will look for the right tool to fix it... rather than pick up a toy, play with it, and them work out some innovative thing to do with it. I suppose thats just me. Consequently a lot of the web 2.0 program seemed more a chore than "fun" exploration.... a lot of twee exercises without much personal relevance or context. I suppose it has the value of providing me with a basic vocabularly and idea of the tools out there... but really I don't think I'm ever likely to need to do a Mash Up or record something on YouTube.
END HOMEWORK.... CAPUT.
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