Thing 15- Library 2.0

Two observations to start out- The same few names seemed to be linked to most of the articles, and I noticed the Technorati tags at the bottom of some of the blogs, which I would not have noticed or paid attention to before Thing 14. I understand Library 2.0 to be about making the library relevant in the current cyberspace environment, particularly the millenials- meaning making library space, real and virtual, more interactive and collaborative, driven by user needs and recognizing that the IT needs to make this happen will make that piece of the public library world more influential than just tech support. I liked the concept of icebergs being the things that get in the way of achieving these goals. I feel that our library system has made great strides in adopting the goals of Librarian 2.0: being more user-centered, changing the culture of the institution to respect and embrace Web 2.0 offerings- becoming a trend spotter. I was particularly struck by the urging that library users should be able to use library resources to do their own mash-ups and remixes of information garnered from our in-person and virtual services. I think an under-appreciated part of changing our in-house culture, however, comes from the the realities we are now facing from severe budget challenges. We have users who are more and more expecting the types of services offered through a library 2.0 perspective, but who have no notion of the costs needed to achieve this transformation-- these same users who take for granted a lot of free information on the web, who have no notion that all this content came from somewhere and got there somehow, with no notion of costs attached or any idea that privacy, authoritative accuracy, rights of authors or artists or newspapers as content providers play any role. The various articles mention the role of libarians in removing barriers to the public in accessing the various content available, but I wonder if part of our role also is to educate people that it's not all about entitlement to information, that there is also some responsibility that goes along with its use (like acknowledging the rights of others in the above-mentioned areas)-
Every exciting opportunity comes with corresponding responsibility, and I ponder what role the library community has in making this connection. My husband and I were both entranced with the Library 4.0 vision of the library as Knowledge spa- we hope that is part of our retirement experience of the library.