Thing 15: Future of Libraries & Web 2.0

First, I do not consider my background or experience such that I can offer up the kinds of comments in any of the articles suggested in Thing 15. However, I do have my questions and concerns regarding the blogs, interviews and comments. Michael Stephens in his OCLC newsletter article states that "libraries of the guided by how users access, consume and create content". Libraries and librarians have always based their services on their end users. Now this "evidence and rationale.. is provided by people through its online communities" as stated by the wikipedia article on Library 2.0. The problems lie in "radical trust" or the willingness of our clientele towork with us in developing the libraries of the future. The student library users I interact with do not value the development of libraries. They want accurate succinct information quickly where and when they need it. We must reach out to our student clientele and as Rick Anderson states work to "eliminate the barriers that exist between patrons and the information they need". That I see as our challenge and if we succeed we will survive in this constantly changing information age.