THING #2 Learning 2.0
Pardon me while a voice a somewhat negative view here for a second. I see the biggest obstacle for library’s adaption of Library 2.0 to be the librarians themselves.
Historically librarians have been taught to value those things that have static and unchanging properties: standards, authority records, peer-reviewed sources, call numbers, etc. Before, it had always been in the best interest of the librarian to use the same tools that have stood the test of time. Many librarians’ entire work load consists of archiving and conserving. Also librarians have always been told that we are the gatekeepers; we are Prometheus bringing fire and knowledge to the people.
Unfortunately these are exactly the wrong set of values with which to implement Library 2.0. The whole “bottom-up” “grass-roots” system where the people bring knowledge to the librarians and where resources and knowledge is a dynamic ever-changing process is anathema to historic role of the librarian. It goes against the grain of many of the core values imparted by Library Schools of the 20th Century.
The very fact that a program like 23 Things exists says a lot about the mindset of the Baby Boomer and Gen-X generations of librarians. Many of the younger generation don’t need to be told about these tools; they are already using them. It’s the kids that are in library school now or those that will be graduating in the next 10 years that will drive the change in core values of librarians in the future. It is those generations that fully and truly embrace the new values and new tools.
Hopefully with a project like Texas23 some of those tools will be in place when they get here.
THING #3 Flickr
OK confession time…
I have never owned a camera of any sort. I think I can count the number of times I’ve taken a picture throughout my life on one hand. Heck I can count the number of times I’ve had my picture taken in the last 10 years on one hand.
That being said I have scanned, phototouched and indexed next to 10,000 of my father’s digital pictures in the last 5 years. I guess the next step is to ask him if he wants me to put any of them up on Flickr.
Here’s a pretty pic from a place just down the road from me.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/d2cool/2034509638/
THING #4 Flickr mashups
Heh,
I keep seeing this sort of thing A LOT
Most folks response has been “Well then try and do the assignments from home.”
OK time for a second confession…
Until a couple weeks ago I didn’t have internet connection at my house. And it’s the first time I’ve ever had any internet connection at home. That probably doesn’t shock any readers out there as much as it shocks my co-workers as I’ve been the site master for our libraries webpage and the e-mail and chat-line contact for any library questions.
It’s probably genetic. Until they retired my father was a systems engineer who wrote the guidance programs for missiles and the auto-pilot systems for military fighters and my mother telecommuted to work for a telecommunications company that was located over a thousand miles away.
To this day they don’t have any internet connection either.
But I guess I should try and do the assignment from home.
EDIT: Jeffery Bond pointed out that I didn't have a Mashup listed here
I guess
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