Library 2.0 for School Libraries

This post is a response to an article in School Library Journal, written by Christopher Harris, called, SCHOOL LIBRARY 2.0: Say good-bye to your mother's school library. The Web is all about new possibilities.

Harris says that, “Blogs and the whole gamut of interactive, Web-based tools are redefining how we connect with people and content on the Internet.” These tools are known as Web 2.0 and can be used by multitudes of uses to interact in different ways.

Our mother’s library had books. Then came microfiche. Then computers came along. All of these items were marvelous, information packed and when they first came along they were exciting and innovative. They were also all in the library. Harris points out that today’s school libraries can’t be limited to within the physical space found in brick and mortar schools. Students should not have to come to the library. The library should be wherever the students are. This is possible through technology. Technology is what will keep schools up-to-date and relevant. Without it we will lose many of today’s tech-savy students who are already using these tools on their own to create their own information communities with such tools as Facebook, Myspace, LiveJournal and Gaia Online an online gaming community with 23 million registered users who are mostly teens.

Things have changed. As Harris says, “These tools will necessarily redefine the learning landscape as we know it. And school libraries--if they are to remain relevant--must undergo transformation as well.” Students want to communicate and they want to create their own content. To remain relevant, school libraries must tap into this natural interest.

A few tools that can be used by libraries include blogs where students weigh in on topics that are often chosen or directed by the teacher-librarian. If these topics are presented in a way that students perceive as relevant students will be engaged and excited to put in their two-cents worth. LibraryThing.com can be used as a place for students to catalog and discuss books they like. This gives them an opportunity to communicate concerning literature and encourages reading, both by them and by those who they interact with.

Using Library 2.0 tools is good for students and for teachers. These tools, especially if they include video, can be used to continue to instruct students when the teacher-librarian is not available.

One thing that I believe Harris does not intend is for teachers to think that technology can take the place of a teacher-librarians, or minimize the effectiveness of a teacher-librarian’s presence. It could be tempting to rely on technology to the point where a teacher-librarian takes his own personality out of the mix. Or to believe that face to face contact is no longer relevant. Or that technology can give the same personal touch as a physical being. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used a microphone to deliver his, I Have a Dream speech. His speech was also broadcast to millions and recorded so that millions more cold see it for generations to come. And now you can see his speech on the internet. These are all good and appropriate uses of technology. But technology should not be relied upon for technologies sake. Martin Luther King’s speech would not have been improved if he had given it using PowerPoint.

It’s important for teacher-librarians to learn what internet 2.0 tools are available and to learn how to use them appropriately. It’s also important that they pay attention to their best potential for use as relates to their own specific patrons’ needs. Without a knowledge of these tools then then might just as well not exist.