it's great, but what's it for?

This was a fun week, as you may guess, I like to read. I read everything, my home is a paper collection, I can't walk by a pamphlet without grabbing it or a newspaper about anything. So, to have to read articles, that were short and interesting and distracting from Dora's Halloween was a great assignment.

I have very much enjoyed learning about all these tools and some of them are so cool. I can see them being used as staff to make our job easier and more efficient(like delicious). Knowledge is important to help our patrons do what they need to do, and some of them would love this stuff too.

I liked that the articles kept in mind that many of our patrons do not wish to go near a computer and only do so when they seem to have no choice(like printing off boarding passes for a flight or posting a picture to sell a truck). I spend so much time introducing people to a computer and how to use a mouse and what is GOOGLE? type questions, and while this is fun, often I am alone on the floor and the phone is ringing and the line up is starting and I am running back and forth and not doing a good teaching job. We have had some good computer workshops, but maybe we need a one hour workshop on how to use a computer, and perhaps in different German dialects as well. So many organizations, governments and businesses are saying to people, just check the website, well that's not good. You may as well tell a lot of people to just go away, they can't or won't check a website and who can blame them It's a new language and if someone told me I couldn't apply for a loan or a passport or whatever unless I could fill it out in Mandarin, I'd be sunk and frustrated. Small town and village life is different, we have patrons that don't have phones, either for financial or cultural reasons, to expect them to renew their books on line is far fetched when they are not on a high speed route and don't even have a telephone line. They love us because their holds are already on the counter when they come up..(Oh, I saw you walk in), or because we told them that the new Nora Roberts is coming out, (Can we add you to the list?)We can not be a great library and make it difficult for patrons who are not computer literate or even interested to use our services. That being said, a couple of the articles mentioned that good service to some people is being invisible. I understand that, I love self service(except at the grocery store), and younger users are used to being able to do things themselves. They are the ones that we need to change to suit while still keeping the integrity of our present services for our established clientele.

Lisa had a blog for summer reading, a perfect use of the technology and a way to keep the older kids intrigued. If we get them hooked now at 11 or 12, maybe we can keep them with a teen blog or online book club or something. One thing I have been thinking, is that with 10 branches, often one would be enough. There is not time or need for each branch to do this stuff. Either HQ staff or one children's librarian or another staff member with an interest and time could be responsible for a teen or tween or YA blog and keep it up to date and moving. Sure, other staff would contribute, but we don't have the time to put into this at every large or small branch. I know there are people in our organization who love young adult literature and would be thrilled to connect with them. Then when the blog takes off, a semi annual open house in various branches could let everyone meet. It could start with the Forest of Reading awards with the older kids and get people talking that way. Well, that was longer than I expected and I have so much more to rant about...

I would personally like a quick way to find out what's new, whether it be an adult blog and a juvenile blog with lists of new additions or some other 2.0 way of getting the word out that we have it! Some patrons want to be emailed with storytime registration information and a simple email newsletter might be a great way to start, it would come right to you without signing up for any new services.

A couple of days later...while we need to be aware of Library 2.0, we also need to be aware that people may not want us to use it. It is great for the pockets of people that want us to be current and part of the future, but we can't forget the large part of our demographic that loves the present or even prefers the past. Even answering machines scare them. My Old Order Mennonite friends who babysit my daughter have a memo sent out from their church on how to manage voice mail machines posted by their phone. My mother in law lives in fear of her debit card, scared some day she will be forced to use it. Even if a survey were to show that a majority of people are ready, there will be some for which Home Library Service, paperbacks and phone calls is their only comfort zone and they are our loyal patrons too.

I have felt that I have been complaining a lot in this blog and maybe I am just tired-since my husband and 3 year old are plotting against me so I don't get much sleep, but I don't mean too. All this stuff is so terrific and I feel privileged that I am able to understand some of it, use a lot of it and take advantage of so many great opportunities afforded to me. Still I need a place to keep track of what I've read, what I want to read, and a secret password/username box.