Thing 2

If this was a movie, we would now see a montage of seasons changing and time passing. It is at least one year later and I am finally finding the time to continue this program. I guess according to Mr. Abram, I haven't made it a priority! Now, however, I've been transferred to a different library branch and I think I'll be able to squeeze it in.

More and more these days, I find myself thinking about the future of libraries and my career in them. Things have changed dramatically even since I began my career 10 or 12 years ago. I can't help but agree with much of the literature on Library 2.0. We need to get with the program and embrace new technologies or we will be left behind. I agree with Mr. Abram that it is not enough to simply know what Twitter is. In order to really understand what is happening with new technologies, we need to experience them for ourselves. This may seem like a waste of time to some people, but think back to before you had a cell phone. Didn't it seem unnecessary? Yet now everyone from your 12 year old niece to your 90 grandmother has one and couldn't live without it. Technology is the way things are headed and there is no stopping it.

When I walk through the library and glance at the public computer screens, everyone is on Facebook, Match.com, or some other social media type of website. To be honest, I don't see a lot of research happening at the library. What does this mean for the Reference Librarian? What will our role be in the future? I have no idea, but I'm pretty sure that it's never going to be what it used to be. We need to stop doing things a certain way just because "that's the way we've always done it." Many libraries have a strict hierarchy and detailed rules and regulations. We need to learn to be more flexible and consider different ideas.

I hope that libraries can continue to be an important part of the community, but in order for that to happen, I think we need to be more open to new ideas and new ways of doing things. We might make a few mistakes or follow a few fads along the way, but let's at least start the journey.