Exploration 9: What's Next and Looking Ahead

Well, the explorations are at an end, but when you think about it, they really aren't. Don' t think of that as a bad thing. It's not.

I went back and watched "The Machine is Us/ing Us" video and experienced several "Hey, I can do that now!" moments. The concepts and ideas expressed there and in our explorations really aren't as intimidating as they once seemed when we started this project several months ago.

The Web 2.0 Award Winners from 2007 is a great site, one I could spend hours exploring (and probably will). I wonder, though, how many of these sites will be supplanted by other more up-to-date pages that are faster, more user-friendly and more comprehensive. If our Web 2.0 explorations have taught us anything, it's that technology changes in the blink of an eye. I wouldn't be surprised to see future Web 2.0 Award Winners lists posted quarterly instead of annually.

So are the lessons we've learned going to benefit patrons? Without a doubt. But the knowledge we've gained here will also carry plenty of potential frustration. It's difficult evaluating each patron's computer/Internet skills levels in order to bridge the gap between where they are and where they want to be without a lengthy tutorial. I think it is essential that we become able to quickly determine where patrons are in their levels of tech and identify the steps needed to take them where they want to go. Classroom teachers have been doing this for decades (if not generations). As a former teacher, I can attest that this isn't an easy skill to develop. It takes time and won't happen in a ten-minute interview at the info desk, especially when other patrons are waiting.

So what do we do about that? I think you'll see more libraries offering expanded and more frequent learning environments (either in classroom/lab situations or one-on-one tutorials) that will help bring patrons into the world of Web 2.0 and beyond. They already look to us for so many answers and I suspect they always will, but that doesn't lessen the need for giving them as much instruction as possible. Again, I see this as a positive. Our job is, after all, the dissemination of information. We need to be flexible and willing to go beyond our comfort zones.

So will I keep this blog going? Absolutely. Why not? Nothing's going to stand still. So why should we?