Library 2.0

As a child, the library is a place to go hear a lady in funny socks read a story and to eat goldfish crackers with your friends.

In your teen years, the library begins to disappear into nothing but a place to find the most basic information for a school project.

In college it is a quiet place to study and a way to get out of the cubical like dorm rooms.

For some, college is the last time they'll ever step in a library, and that's unfortunate. The new system of Library 2.0 seems to be trying to reach out to the community instead of waiting for them to come to us. It makes the library into a place of connection, not just to information but to your community as well. Library programs for children not only entertain the kids, but can create opportunities for moms to get together and have some adult conversation. Gaming systems and cafe like atmospheres give teens a place to hang out where they are safe and might stumble into something edifying. The library, through blog pages and diverse programs can be a catalyst for community togetherness, bringing together people with common interests and thus enriching their community. Library blogs and websites might allow for user reviews and recommendations coming from within your library community, which might lead someone to a book besides the one she heard about on Oprah. All in all, a new, more boisterous, more user friendly library might bring some life back into the system.

On the other hand, there are those who prize their library as a quiet place and resent the noise and bustling. In cases like this, it is a blessing to have a building (like at Cashiers) with a quiet reading room that is somewhat out of the way. Also, all this user generated information (on the internet and so on) can create a lot of confusion, perpetuating false facts parading as reliable information.

As with any change there are the ups and the downs, but if the library system does not start to change with the society it is meant to serve, how useful can it be?