Week 6, Thing #15 Copyright, Creative Commons, What's Coming Down the Web 2.0 Road

I understand the importance of copyright. It does get confusing though wondering when it is ok to use something and when it is not. The Creative Commons copyright license sounds like a good way to allow some uses while still allowing the creator to retain some rights. Having the creator decide whether or not to get a Creative Commons copyright license still allows the creator to have control over the copyright decisions.

It was interesting reading about the perspectives on Library 2.0 especially since I grew up without the internet. Before starting my graduate studies, I had no idea how important technology and the internet was becoming to education and to the library. I will take a moment to reflect upon Michael Stephens' perspective in his article "Into a new world of librarianship" found at www.oclc.org/nextspace/002/3.htm. Talking about a Librarian 2.0, Michael Stephens says "This librarian bases all planning and proposals for services, materials and outreach on user needs and wants." To me it makes sense that everything to do with the library revolves around the library user. Now with the technology available it is easier to find out from the library users exactly what those needs and wants are. Michael Stephens mentions librarians using Instant Messaging, Wikis, Weblogs, and/or MySpace profiles to connect with their users online. Since I am just beginning to explore the possibilities of the internet and I have not grown up using these tools, it probably would not have occurred to me to consider connecting to library users using these tools. Michael Stephens brought up a good point about the librarian needing to make fast decisions since technology is changing at a rapid pace.

Library 2.0 means more to me than just incorporating technology into the library. It means involving the library users by listening to what the library users want from their library. With Library 2.0 I think there will be opportunity for constant dialogue between the library and its users. While I think libraries have always revolved around the user, it is even more important now to involve the user. With all the new and rapidly changing technology and all the information out there, it is more difficult to predict what library users want from their libraries. Even the library users may not be able to predict what their wants and needs may be a few years from now. Therefore it is essential to keep up with an ongoing dialogue between the library and its users.

Schools and school libraries should also be embracing Library 2.0. Schools cannot ignore the fact that technology is changing the way students find information and even the way they live their lives. School libraries need to be having a dialogue with their students to find out what they want from their library. The school libraries should also include administrators (since they make decisions that affect the library), teachers, parents, and even the community in this dialogue.