Thing # 15: Library 2.0

I like so many of us feel conflicted about the idea of library 2.0. I love the traditional, nostalgic image of the library. I love books--the real tangible kind made of bound paper. And there are still many people in our area that come to us for just that. No one I know of wants to turn our backs on those people or that library. But there is a whole new generation of people who require a whole new kind of library. Why not be prepared to serve them as well? After all, we are in the business of providing people with information and the tools with which to acquire that information. Some of those tools are changing. Just because the majority of our patrons don't seem to need those tools right now doesn't mean they won't in the future. Eventually we'll have to catch up and integrate these two kinds of libraries, or we'll have a lot of empty chairs.