I read all five articles of "Web 2.0: Where will the next generation of the web take libraries?" from OCLC Next Space Newsletter and thank God I did. As I read one through four ("Away from Icebergs", "Into a new world of librarianship", "To more powerful ways to cooperate", and "To better bibliographic services") it became harder and harder to slog through the technospeak. I was almost blinded by all the shiny bright ideas but not the least bit intrigued.
And I noticed that the authors of these guesses, these resurrectors of today's version of the 'new math', are all men. So I finally had an "aha" moment...of course they're men. They work in an industry overwhelmingly staffed by women so they rise to the top and become the 'experts'. And, stereotypically, men like their shiny new gadgets, the newest toys in a world choking on technology, these answers to all our needs. The library as a sterile experience.
Then I read the fifth article, "To a temporary place in time...On the way to the library experience of the future" by Dr. Wendy Schultz. Dr. Schultz suggests "as more information becomes more accessible, people will still need experienced tour guides" and "focussed expertise", that "the avalanche of material available will put a premium on service, on tailoring information to needs, and on developing participatory relationships with customers. So while books may get in your...face all by themselves, people will prefer personal introductions".
In the past "Librarians were stewards, trainers, intimate with the knowledge base and the minds who produced it. Librarians today are not just inventory management biobots: they are people with a unique understanding of the documents they compile and catalog, and the relationships among those documents." My hero!!!!
"With Library 3D, we have strayed far into virtual reality in the flight from bricks and mortar into software. Yet many businesses are demonstrating that storefronts can still draw customers, if they offer a compelling experience: a clearly defined environment that is authentic (true and good); humane (emotional, irrational); experiential (designed, theatrical); impassioned; relevant (understandable, timely); and participatory (open, lived, shared). What would Library 4.0 be like? It will completely connect the digital and the sensual".
Dr. Schultz further posits that her vision of the library of the future, "Library 4.0, the neo-library...will be the library for the aesthetic economy, the dream society, which will need libraries as mind gyms; libraries as idea labs; libraries as art salons. But let’s be clear: Library 4.0 will not replace Libraries 1.0 through 3.0; it will absorb them. The library as aesthetic experience will have space for all the library’s incarnations: storage (archives, treasures); data retrieval (networks—reference rooms); and commentary and annotation (salon)....But Library 4.0 will add a new mode, knowledge spa: meditation, relaxation, immersion in a luxury of ideas and thought....a WiFREE space, a retreat from technohustle, with comfortable chairs, quiet, good light, coffee and single malt. You know, the library."
Oh my God, couldn't you just die? Who wouldn't want to spend time in this paradise? A place that nurtures the intellect, that encourages discussion and supports discovery through choice (variety). A home to thought, to jumping off the treadmill, to spending hours browsing for treasures. I don't need an introduction to bestsellers, I want access to titles I've never heard of - those are the treasures.
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