Exercise 10

Playing the 2O way -Gypsy Rose asks;
1) What does it mean to me?
2) What have I learnt so far?
3) How can I see it being used in our libraries?

1) At present 2O is a mind expanding exercise I am having to do massive feats of mental gymnastics to comprehend the boundlessness of cyberspace and how to grasp that which is relevant and utilise it. Both personally and professionally I am excited by the many usages both personally and professionally as this vast unknown space unfolds. Most importantly is the great sense of empowerment as I tap into a great wealth of co-operative knowledge (similar to Jung's concept of the 'collective consciousness').

2) So far ... I have learnt that there are many ways to access and organise information and that all have equal value in the learning process. Rather than the conventional rather one-sided way of collectng and collating information based on someone elses criteria, now a more holistic approach is possible yay even encouraged. What a way to make an informed choice! '

3) In Riemer's article 'Better Bibliographic Services', he talks about the need for libraries to embrace the 2O philosophy as to enhance the services to its patrons. He gives the example of encouraging user-initiated services where patrons take control of renewals, reserves and requests to purchase.

This means the handing over of the baton of knowledge and control from the 'institution' to individuals. I see this in action in NSL everyday as more patrons take control of their library accounts by using the library system to request their own items etc etc I get a real kick of seeing someone realsing that they aren't too old or too whatever - to learn new skills and more importantly that they hold a pivotal role in their learning process.

Looking at the NSL draft strategy I would say that we are already fullfilling the objectives of providing access to information and supporting learning for life initiatives through self-direction. And the strategy goes further to act as a safe place within the community where all it's members has access to library resources and guidance to utilise those beyond the four walls that make up the place we call 'our library'.
This leads on to the Nilges article titled'more powerful ways to co-operate' He talks of the key concepts of 2O especially that as a platform “to reach out to the entire web, to the edges and not just the center,” and that this "is critical for the success of the library community in a networked world"1. I look forard to a time when in my workspace that resource sharing networks and virtual refernce co-operatives will go beyond the catalogue we use and be intregal parts of my toolbox and that I can share in with those who visit our libraries.

I think the song goes 'yeah we're all in this together' ... so lets see where this goes!!

Bokt for now