But is it what they want?

Kudos to Meredith Farkas for pointing out that what we provide for our patrons, no matter how well-intentioned, may not be what they want. University library patrons are not the same as public library patrons; rural library patrons are not the same as urban library patrons. Many times I have had patrons come into my branch and just ask to be shown how to use email or do a simple search on the Internet. Other patrons, especially teens, live on MySpace, MSN Chat, etc. How many libraries have created blogs that no one uses?

Granted, our demographics are changing and we need to be constantly scanning the horizon for how best to accommodate those changes. Which brings us to another point: Meredith wrote extensively about assessment. I would add to that we need to: ASSESS what our patrons really want, ASSESS if what we’re planning to offer will address that need or a perceived future need, and finally, ASSESS how well did we perform in meeting that need. One of the needs I’ve seen with our rural patrons is to have access to technology that they feel comfortable with and understand. That would explain why books on CDs are still more popular than Download Library.

Michael Stephens, “Into a New world of Librarianship”, notes that Librarians 2.0 plan for their users, while controlling technolust. I also like his observation that Librarians 2.0 watch for the impact of technology AND recognize the need for honest, human conversations. Of course, librarians themselves are also consumers of Library 2.0, not just purveyors. Chip Nilges and John Riemer point out the exciting aspects of metadata and the collective intelligence of tagging that should have most librarians panting with excitement.

Library 2.0, for me, is a tool. True, it is a new (for now) and exciting tool, but it is still simply just that: a tool. If I am interested in connecting and collaborating with other groups and people, then it becomes a social tool. If I am interested in a quick, seamless gathering of data (RSS feeds, etc) then it becomes a strategy. If I am interested in the efficient storage and retrieval of data (Delicious, LibraryThing, Flickr), then it is an organizational tool.

But, at the end of the day, I really don’t care what it’s called so long as it makes my life easier. And, I'm guessing that perspective is the same whether we are the librarian or the patron.