Thing 2 - The Library that Lets

After reading about Library 2.0, I wanted to find Library 0.3. I was successful:

Heh heh...now to the serious stuff...

Two ideas really resonated with me as I read the blogs and other site materials:

The Library that Lets. This sentence comes from the Wikipedia entry on Library 2.0. Wikipedia seems to me to be the very model of the Library 2.0 philosophy; it's wide open, changeable, and user-driven.

Rigidity breeds failure. I am often disappointed in the way my school library is run. It is so old-school; every kid walking in the door is grilled before admittance, only a few students at a time are allowed from every class, no more than one class is allowed in at a time, kids with overdue books can’t check anything out, etc. Because I am not free to do the day-to-day running (big school = big technical demands) it tends to be very rule-driven and somewhat oppressive. I blame myself for letting a problematic secretary have so much control. I walked into a situation which called for change, but I wanted to be the "nice" boss, rather than the "demanding" boss. Although I was able to loosen some of the policies (the whining was sometimes ear-splitting) I still struggle with my secretary’s tendency to say NO before she says YES.

The situation will right itself next year, and I am excited about being able to make some sweeping changes. I've only begun to consider some of the things I can do. The online articles are inspiring, but overwhelming, in some ways. The Library 2.0 feels like an Apple Store to me; wandering around and using all kinds of technology. If students and teachers could freely use everything in the library, and the library was well-supplied with useful technology, THAT would be Library 2.0-nirvana.

I rarely go to our local public library, but I would go there if I knew I didn't have to sign my life away to use a computer with rules posted all over it, or if I could edit a video, or access some copyright-free music, or checkout an e-book on a Kindle-like contraption. I imagine the disappointment I feel at the public library is similar to how our students feel in my school’s library. It’s difficult to change a paradigm but I want the library to be user-friendly, and not require a lot of training. This issue is at the forefront of my thinking when I am going through each of the 23 things. I’m finding that it’s not the technology that’s inspiring me as much as brainstorming about implementation, and what it will take to reach that “nirvana”. My school library currently teeters on the Rigidity breed failure edge. I'll hang onto The Library that Lets because that drives my thinking to possibilities.

Another library video, but definitely from Library 2.0: