Library 2.0

By Michiel Rovers on 10 October 2010

When I was younger than I am today I went to the library many times. The main reason I came to the library was to search for summaries of the books we had to read for our exam. But it was also a place where it was nice and quiet, where you could smell the books and where you could escape the turbulent life of school. Strange enough these visits stopped after I was graduated. All the literature I needed could be found in the library at my university, and therefore it wasn’t necessary to go to the public library anymore.

Unfortunately I’m not the only one who isn’t coming to the library anymore. Research by SCP explains why libraries won’t exist in the year 2020. One of the main reasons is the different use of media these days. Innovations in media first of all were implemented in commercial organizations. The public library had no benefit from these innovations. Consumers increased their use of other media instead of using the books from the libraries. Mainly young people don’t come to the library anymore. Summaries of books or information for presentations are collected from the internet. In this case, young people don’t have a reason to come to the library. How do the young people return?

To survive, the public library has to choose a new path. The SCP-report identifies six key issues to come to the library 2.0:
1. Change from a limited supply and limited access to information with wide access and supply
2. Change from analogue to digital media and information
3. Change from public to private operation of the media and information market
4. Change from a focus on the general public to a focus on the individualized service
5. Change from a use of printed and audiovisual media to digital
6. Change from allocution and consultation to conversation

The library has bigger chances to reach the young people by making its content digital. The library must try to deliver information by this target group. However, the information should be presented in a way that it appeals to the young people. Because of the central position of the library in every town, it is the ideal setting to bring people together. The library must not operate alone. One has to cooperate with schools, welfare, sport, entertainment and other organizations working with young people. Also young people have to cooperate themselves. The mixture between these organizations and the youth can easily be combined within the central position of the library.

All these changes bring a major culture shock within the library. The librarians who have worked there for years, are going to perform other activities than they’re used to. They’ll have to bring the organizations together, motivate the young people to cooperate and be responsible for the content. These changes in activities ask for drastic measures (training of employees, new information-systems but also learn to live with the new situation). But these measures can lead to the return of the young people, social cohesion but also the rescue of the library.

tagged with: digital information, library, young people

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