Nearly at the end. I read a few of the the Library2 pieces - David Lee King 'Library 2.0 ripples' and the OCLCnewsletter There are lots of clever observations but one thing that smacks you in the face is the zeal of these pieces. I was struck by the emotional quality of this writing as they outline an imminent information utopia of unfettered universal access, harmonious collaboration and the warmth of an online community that never sleeps, free of information poverty or disease. Cool, let's party! And what's with the "Hi I'm a mac" cutouts of librarian 2.0s holding cute props like oars. If you don't embrace it your get called names like "luddite" and warnings of being LEFT BEHIND!It's a bit odd actually because it's hard to believe anyone is reading these posts *except* librarian 2.0s. Zealots make me uncomfortable. There is definitely a particular mise en scene that accompanies the current web/learning 2.0 discussion. Still revolutions are bound to get people excited and an information revolution is no exception. I think the threat of being left behind is a little exaggerated tho. Revolutions aren't generally invitation only events. If you are there at the right place and time, you're in it dude.
I think declaring the death of print collections is a bit premature also. There is no doubt the balance in service provision in library is swinging rapidly toward the online environment but Wendy Schultz's model is persuasive. Library 2.0 should absorb or contain Library 1.0, and just plain library before that. It's not about rejecting the previous model it's about adapting the best of it, adding new stuff and keeping the some of stuff people don't want to lose even if you think its useless. You can find a whole archeology of knowledge living in our library at once and that's a good thing. Diversity is a good thing. It's very easy to be seduced by the virtual, but the physical remains important. In 2001 the Taliban destroyed the Buddhas of Bamiyan. I can google them and still see a picture of them in seconds but wouldn't it be better if they were still there?
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