Shhhhhh....Library 2.0 is trying to study

Dr. Paul Miller offers a compelling editorial in regards to Library 2.0 in the April issue of DLib magazine. What I find most interesting about the concept (and his take on it) is the dramatic shift in thinking and procedure that full implementation would require from professional librarians.

I see Miller's stance here as one of Lib 2.0 cheerleader, and his point is to offer up the advantages of the idea with glittery pomp-pomps and dramatic basket tosses. The reality of the library profession (as I have experienced it) makes me scratch my head and wonder who among us is capable, or even interested in, initiating these sorts of tech-heavy processes.

I certainly don't know very much about writing JavaScript or Greasemonkey code and I am also pretty certain that none of the librarians I know do either. If I did-or had any interest in knowing about it-I certainly wouldn'’t be going into the library profession. I could find much more lucrative opportunities in IM or computer programming.

This is the point that I am making, most librarians are interested in the library as a place with old books and old ways of doing things (the best way in their opinions), they are interested in keeping old traditions alive and I think there is much to be said for the pursuit of this ideal. I can tell you that my training in library school has never focused on these sorts of activities. The idea seems to be that we as librarians need to know the theories of information retrieval, user behavior, information architecture etc, but not the actual hands-on technical work processes. As if we will always be on a team with people with these skills and don't need to know it.

The truth of the matter is that in libraries we almost always have limited budgets and you find yourself working with a bunch of people all of whom know practically nothing about how to implement the sorts of processes that Lib 2.0 seems to require. From my vantage point the profession is being led in two different directions and there is friction and conflict as a result. In my own personal career circumstances I see this conflict everyday, don't we all know a colleague or two who frown upon innovative Lib-2.0-esque ideas? I do.