On Library 2.0 & Web 2.0 ....

Reading the first three perspectives I agree with Dr Wendy Schultz that librarians are tour guides of the library because they have the knowledge and experience needed to find information required by users. However Michael Stephens view of Librarian 2.0 is more to my liking, he sees Librarian 2.0 as "strategy guides" which help users find information, gather knowledge and create content. As Rick Anderson rightly points out we library staff still need to help educate patrons, his focus is on teaching research skills to users so there is no barrier that exist between users and the information they seek. As libraries are thrust into the world of web2.0 users will expect access to digital collections of journals, books, blogs, podcasts and RSS feeds, so libraries have to become more user-centred and provide access to all this information. According to Michael Stephen's libraries have to find new ways to bring library services and content to the patron's preferred location - the web, Manukau Libraries have done this by offering the homework program called Any Questions, where the librarian help patrons online with their homework queries instead of meeting them face-to-face. According to Michael Stephens the question libraries should be asking themselves before implementing the new online technology is whether this new technology is meeting users needs in an new and improved way and does it create a useful service for putting users together with the information and experience they seek.