29 Things

Wow, I finished. This has been an exceptionally valuable experience for me. I've learned so much and the terms "web 2.0", "library 2.0", "the long tail", as well as many others that were fuzzy to me before, are now much more in focus. I'm also very excited about the direction libraries are taking. I think that, at least, in the past 20 or so years we've tried to be user centered. New technologies have made it possible for more social collaboration and libraries are taking advantage of this. RSS feeds provide ways to have news of interest delivered to you without having to go look for it. Social bookmarking allows for trend spotting and the sharing of information with others. Wikis are knowledge sharing tools and MySpace is an interesting way to deliver information to a wide audience.

In his essay entitled "Into a New World of Librarianship" Michael Stephens writes: "One of the principles I would add to the Library 2.0 meme is that "the Library is human" because it make the library a social and emotionally engaging center for learning and experience." Our mission statement states that we do what we do in order to ". . .advance knowledge, foster creativity, encourage the exchange of ideas, strengthen community and enhance the quality of life." Library 2.0 is a powerful way to accomplish this.

I plan to continue with "Advanced Exploration or Build on Your Skills." I may not blog about it, but then again, who knows. Thanks to Debbie and the Library 2.0 committee. This has been amazing.