Introductory Reading

“Library 2.0 Theory: Web 2.0 and Its Implications for Libraries” (one of our introductory readings) is simply the best article on this topic I have read to date. And I don’t say this because I instantly agreed with everything Maness says (sometimes, when I read Web 2.0 articles I feel like the converted being preached to). This is what makes this article so great – it is challenging and thought-provoking. I instantly disagreed with several of Maness’ statements only to be convinced to accept the ambiguity and possibility of all his comments.

Particularly gobsmacking were his suggestions: “While Librarian 2.0 might act as a facilitator and provide support, he or she is not necessarily primarily responsible for the creation of the content”, and “(blogs) are nonetheless integral productions of a body of knowledge, and the absence of them in a library collection could soon become unthinkable.” Will we see such changes to our roles? It seems that in Library 2.0, we are expected to facilitate discovery, not evaluate, approve, and direct users to good sources. In our 2.0 roles, we will need to foster critical thinking, since “no information is inherently authoritative and valid”. This is the most eye-opening article I’ve read and I’d love to hear other people’s comments.