I read all of the persepectives regarding 2.0, just to get a better understanding of everything. I had read bits and pieces in the past, but thought more information wasn't really going to hurt!
I have to decided to focus on Away from Icebergs. I was surprised to see that his library had a 55% drop in circ - WOW! At our library we haven't seen a decrease. We have steadily seen an increase in usage. Our library hasn't done away with a lot of our 'just in case' collection. We hold on to fiction as space and usage allows. However, we have done away with reference materials that have the same information we can find on databases, etc.
After the training we have had with the 23 things, I think we will be even better at helping our patrons learn about new technology. Although some of the technology won't be used a lot, we can point them in to the right direction.
I am excited to say our library is pretty progressive and we try to continue to find methods of making library usage easier for our users. Users that have internet services at home have access to our catalog with options such as looking at their account, placing items on hold and renewing titles. They can also log on to a number of our databases. Those without internet at home, but own laptops, can come to the library to use our wireless services. I enjoy seeing people outside in their cars in the winter after hours using our wireless service. It carries quite a distance. The IT staff can run reports on activity/usage for us. There is only a small window of time when the internet isn't being used by someone. We also have many options for our readers. The library isn't just a home for print resources. The cd books are very popular with our patrons and the downloadable books are really catching on.
In general, I think the higher percentage of our 2.0 type users are younger people, but I see more and more older people using facebook, my space, etc at the library. What a different world. It makes you wonder what is to come?
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