Thing #15: Library 2.0

I have a confession to make: I really, really hate readig or listening to discussions about Library 2.0. They so often have a smug, hysterical "This is the soul of civilization that we're fighting for here!" quality that drives me right up the wall. I like some Web 2.0 applications (blogs, delicious) and am indifferent to others (LibraryThing, Technorati). I think that, on balance, the Web and Web 2.0 technologies have allowed me to become a better informed person than I otherwise would have been, but I also think that sitting in front of a computer screen reading stuff does eventually reach a point of diminishing returns. The whole idea of people spending vast amounts of their time communicating with each other online often sounds very narcissistic and unappealing to me - until I remember that I like to spend a portion of my time reading those communications and benefit as a result. Librarians should have at least a passing familiarity with Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 tools, and libraries should adopt at least some of those tools, but no one should expect a golden age to dawn or a dark age to descend.