Web 2.0 helps us to think of the library as part of a social network: librarians, colleagues, students, and other interested parties linked by a common interest in information. Web 2.0 gives us the tools to interact in new ways away from traditional spaces. As we disclose and share our common interests we come to learn from others' experience. In the past, the "other" has been the librarian.; now the the possibilities are less predictable. In a way, we are all pathfinders. I expect that from time to time we will also be fellow travelers, at least until our paths of interest diverge.
Web 2.0 also seems to offer the possibility of offering information as both a medium and a message. The medium offers ways to emphasize important points, generate interest, improve mental retention. Not only must we now evaluate a message's veracity, we must also pay attention to the medium. Print on a page in a single font is a neutral medium; add sounds or images, and the reader becomes influenced by more than the words on the page.
These are some of my first impressions--based on what I have read about 2.0. We will see how my impressions change as I become more familiar with the toolls themselves.
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I heard libraries described as Facilitators of Conversation at TLA this year, and I heartily agree with that. Without conversation, there really is no learning, and 2.0 leads us toward some interesting tools to facilitate those conversations more easily. You've got a great picture of how it can help librarians, keep up the good work.
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