Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the Future

It's an exciting time for libraries. I've been in the business for 35 years and I've seen many changes. I remember filing and removing cards from the card catalog and how cumbersome and inaccurate that tool was, how frustrating it was to try to find the information you needed. When the computer replaced it, there were the inevitable computer crashes that left us severely handicapped, and even when it was working we were still only able to provide the information and materials contained within the 4 walls of our particular library. With the dawn of the internet, branch libraries and small rural libraries were able to offer amazing services to their patrons. For example, patrons could read newspapers from around the world. That was a fantastic jump in information access! But of course there were always the foot draggers, the nay-sayers and the doom predictors. Those of us who entered the field because of a deep seated love of books, and I include myself in this, are likely to fall into the trap of defending the "just in case" collection that Rick Anderson talks about, and it's difficult not subscribe to the "come to us" model of library service, but I think that we've made a big step in the right direction. Self education I think has put us on the right path and helped us embrace the amazing tools available to meet the needs of library users in new and improved ways. I look forward to seeing what comes down the pike for the City Library the next few years.