Thing # 15

Everything changes, yet everything stays the same. We encounter the same problems, but in different formats. Settlers in the 1800s had to wait weeks to hear how their family members were doing. Mothers in the 1970s worried when their teenagers went out and had to wait for them to get to a telephone to check in. We live in an age where if we have a question we cannot wait to have an answer. The common denominator is communication. Library 2.0 provides a means of keeping up with the ever-changing needs of the world. Now that horses and land lines are insufficiently slow in providing answers, we rely on the latest technology for immediate responses. In the posting, "Into a New World of Librarianship," Michael Stephens discusses the need of librarians to keep current with improvements in accessing information. Dr. Wendy Schultz agrees and adds that the library will continue to morph into new configurations until eventually it becomes a virtual place where information can be sought and retrieved, and communication is embedded. I believe that the library will grow and change to fit the needs of its patrons. If a librarian does not grow and change with it, he or she will be left behind.