Thing 2

I'm uncertain if I should blog about our Library 2.0 forays here or on the Metronet blog. I'll start here and inquire later.



I opine the visionaries have overlooked a major lane change that the library profession has made since it drove onto the Information Highway. (Remember that quaint term? I have not heard it in a lonnnnng time. I certainly did not coin it but I was present at the creation. Just a side note to indicate my historical perspective)



I attended library school (another quaint term. Sounds kinda like "high school," doesn't it?) in 1978. In reference, we learned to provide the the several appropriate knowledge level resources available. If materials were inconsistent, we were not to give an opinion regarding which resource was the "best source" or "most reliable." The materials had already, after all, gone through a vetting process that began with reliable publishers and reviewers.



That was during a period (epoch?) when the amount of information easily available was finite, usually contained within the four walls and on the book stacks. Now, the amount of information is, essentially infinite and much of it available via the WWW. The library user is overloaded with the information resources. Consequently, reference librarians must now, to help the library user access information, must act as screeners and opinion givers of what we retrieve for the person.