Libraries 2.1: Fusing Technology and Service

"Information professionals need to respond to the changes in our world with adaptability, creativity, flexibility, and resolve," (Rubin, pg. xi, 2004).

Look around you. Every household, every business, every industry is inundated with technology. Collaboration and user interaction have become necessary aspects of successful business. With technology taking a front seat throughout our lives, it falls to us as individuals to make use of the tools available. Libraries are no exception. With the advent of Web 2.0, libraries have begun to increasingly adopt new technologies in an attempt to stay current, attract new patrons, and increase the ease of use for existing patrons. Libraries are beginning to understand how important service is to maintaining a viable presence in the community.

Aspects of quality customer service that many libraries have begun adopting include longer operating hours, an increase in the number of community programs available, increased technology that enables patrons to check out books themselves and renew checked-out materials online, access to book lists and reviews for reader advisory, social networking groups on sites like Facebook.com and myspace.com, new medias outside of the traditional library offerings such as DVDs, direct downloads, comic books and manga, along with many others.

Libraries, especially in the public sector, are beginning to understand the importance of foregoing traditional methods in order to pursue paths that embrace the vast changes our world has encountered since the advent of the computer. Unfortunately, in the more recent past, our adoption of technology has been more centered around our own practices. Symbolic-interpretivism has introduced us to the idea of service as a better way of meeting our patrons' needs. As library professionals, we are beginning to apply our knowledge to a constantly changing environment, and recognize the obstacles that must be overcome to consistently provide good customer service.

As Hatch states, this "requires a qualitative change in organizational forms as well as the integration skills and leadership styles demanded of managers," (pg. 120, 2006). Library 2.0, while varied in its definitions, attempted to bring about this change in focus. Unfortunately, many libraries adopting this philosophy fell short of actually engaging users. For Library 2.1 to be effective, more emphasis must be placed on drawing in the community at large. Through this, we can instill desire for the benefits that libraries can provide. "Library 2.0 means a new way of using technology that allows average people to put out content and allows other people to easily see it and respond to it, making connections and creating a sense of community among people," (Boyd and Iovino, pg. 11, 2008). Library 2.1 wants to go beyond this to actually increase the effectiveness of library professionals in assisting patrons.

As a profession, we need "attempts to guide libraries in their efforts to win new users while, at the same time, acknowledging that our current service offerings are insufficient and inflexible," (Crawford, pg. 8, 2008). Many other emerging factors have created a strain on the library system. Depending on community resources, how do you choose what technologies to invest in? The advent of digital libraries and patrons, along with the increasingly 'hands-off' method of searching that many patrons use, makes online offerings vital to success. Additionally, many patrons feel they no longer need the assistance of the librarian. The traditional 'ask and you shall receive' user no longer exists. Most users prefer keyword searches through vast search engines, such as Google, and have no way of verifying the validity of their sources. This is where the change in attitude, to a more service-oriented model, is so important.

During the transition and turmoil that new technology can create, we must train our professionals and paraprofessionals to seek out the struggling patron and offer help. Libraries need to take a page from the retail industry and ask people what they can do to make their visit more pleasant and successful. "We cannot have these changes without some improvements in the capacity, competences, aptitudes, and attitudes of library workers," (Abram, pg. 21, 2008). It is up to us to make changes that will affect our own profession, and any who are influenced by our profession.

In his model on the organizational lifecycle, Larry Greiner discusses the evolution of organizations as they grow. One of the later stages of crises that a company can enter occurs because of a shift in movitation. This shift Greiner refers to as the "Renewal Crisis". We are beginning to "suffer from burnout and other forms of psychological fatigue due to the strains associated with temporary assignments, dual authority, and continuous experimentation," (Hatch, pg. 120, 2006). To combat this, we must embrace a more universal plan, one that encompasses continuing education for all core members of the staff, the need for strong leadership in managerial positions, and the need for a focus on technology that will enhance rather than complicate everyday tasks. We must recognize the importance of not getting so caught up in the technology that we forget why we are using it in the first place.

Greiner's Model of Organizational Life Cycles, Phase 5 represents the "Renewal Crisis"
Hart and Gregor, Figure 11.2

Libraries have fallen behind mainstream society in adopting technologies that will improve productivity and bring in new patrons. We are losing to the vast expanse that the internet provides. We must refresh our image in order to maintain a place in society. Using Web 2.0 tools like tagging, blogging, and social networking we can reach new generations and new audiences. Librarian 2.1 will embrace the service tradition with a technological flourish that will revolutionize how information is found. We will come out from behind our computer screens and engage in that aspect of interactivity that is so important. "Librarians have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invent a new future. Librarian 2.0 is the guru of the information age," (Abram, pg. 21, 2008).

Sources:

Abram, Stephen. (April 2008). "Social Libraries: The Librarian 2.0 Phenomenon." [Electronic Version]. Library Resources and Technical Services, 52, 19-22.

Boyd, Erin and Iovino, Allison. (Spring 2008). "Library 2.0: The Next Generation (of Librarians). [Electronic Version]. Mississippi Libraries, 72, 11-13.

Crawford, Walt. (Midwinter 2006). "Library 2.0 and 'Library 2.0'". [Electronic Version]. Cites and Insights: Crawford at Large, 6, 1-32. Retrieved on Nov. 1, 2008 from http://www.cites.boisestate.edu/civ6i2.pdf

Hatch, Mary Jo. (2006). Organization Theory (2nd Ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.

Eds. Hart, Dennis and Gregor, Shirley. (2005). Information Systems Foundations: Constructing and Criticizing. Australian National University E-Press. Retrieved on Nov. 16, 2008 from http://epress.anu.edu.au/info_systems/mobile_devices/index.html

Rubin, Richard. (2004). Foundations of Library and Information Science (2nd Ed.). New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers.