Library 2.0

Having read various explanations of Library 2.0, I think "user-centered change" is something that has always been a necessary part of Libraries. I realise that 'technology' is central to the concept' but that is only because that is the latest innovation to implement connectivity with the user isn't it? Of course the idea that a user can configure the display of an online library catalog much more easily than a card one is obvious, but the philosophy that the service responds to customer needs has always been part of the ethos of any library I have worked in. The idea that there is no point in collecting something if no-one can find it, that if customers want it, we should have it, and that there is not much need for a librarian if they are not helpful, surely, is not a new concept in libraries.

Michael Casey and Laura Savastinuk in their article 'LIBRARY 2.0 ; SERVICE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION LIBRARY' write that "At its most basic level, the Library 2.0 model gives library users a participatory role in the services libraries offer and the way they are used." Shouldn't this be central to any area of customer service.

The idea of commenting on Library 2.0 proved a stumbling block for me in completing the 23 tasks. What insightful and thought provoking comments could I make? It has caused me to think how much the rest of the world is doing the opposite eg. the experience of shopping/retailing for example. So much of what is on offer is preselected for us by the retailer with very little regard to the preferences of the customer eg. bookshops which stock the same generic stock of authors. Shopping centres where the same 40 or so shops appear, with the same window display and the same stock in each, no matter that they are in Glenferrie Rd,Torquay or Melbourne Central. A couple of experiences over the summer break for instance - going into the Birkenstock shop in the city and asking, specifically, for clogs, in December, to be told that they only stock sandals because NO-ONE wants clogs in summer. Recently in the Medicare office I was told how to rearrange my family's behaviour to cope with the fact that Medicare will only allow 2 cards per household, despite the fact that the household consists of 3 adults. Can we look forward to Retailing 2.0, or do we already have it, which is why online shopping is such a satisfying experience.

Mmmm.. the rantings of an ageing librarian.