Back to Thing #2 Library 2.0 comments

I recently read a Library Journal article about 2.0. It was written with a different perspective--that 2.o could actually be dumbing down our patrons. (I am ducking now from all the tomatoes and eggs you are throwing at me--but don't shoot the messenger).

I know how in another blog I mentioned that young people are forced to read and write because they are in social networks and are blogging etc. But sometimes the reverse is true as well--emails are full of little signs instead of words, shortened phrases, typos (cu, ttyl, ;o), etc.)--kind of a shorthand, and maybe it's making us all more lazy.

But that wasn't what the article was about--I digress.

Oops--have to go to work. bbs.

Ok I'm back. The article was in the December 15, 2007 Library Journal under Carol Tenopir's column. She was talking about Andrew Keen, " former Internet entrepreneur" and his book "The Cult of the Amateur: How Today's Internet Is Killing Our Culture."

Although she doesn't agree with his entire premise, she does tell us that there are little kernels of truth in it--and some warnings. She notes that "special interest groups (hate groups, political action committees, etc.) can convey their message without revealing their true identity." She says that Mr. Keen warns that when advertising and public relations are disguised as news, the line beteen fact and fiction becomes blurred.

The gist of it is that in the past patrons had to try to distinguish between reliable, current and accurate sources and junk, and now they have an even harder time doing that. Many think that everything on the Internet and on Social Networking sites is true. Keen says that "instead of more community, knowledge, or culture, all that Web 2.0 really delivers is more dubious content from anonymous sources."

What this means to librarians of course is that we are needed even more to help patrons find the stuff they need and want. We can continue to teach them not to believe everything they read whether it is from print sources or online sources. Of course we can't really explain that to them when they are using their computers in their own homes, and it's hard for them to tell if they are getting information from experts in the field or just some smart aleck who likes to rant in a blog.

But we certainly can't help them if we don't keep up with 2.0 ourselves.

If you want to read the rest of the article, here is the link: http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6510681.html