Thing 2 - Library 2.0 - Senior Computing Klatch

In some of the L2.0 reading, one of the suggestions was to sponsor teen computer gaming nights at the library. But I think it would be a good idea to have a daily senior computer time - maybe weekdays for 2 hours in the morning that is dedicated to seniors, part social, part learning. Provide coffee and a person to facilitate computer use. Encourage users to bring treats. Make it the new McDonalds morning meeting place. Get people playing Solitare to learn how to use a mouse. Set two folks up next to each other to play Battleship or Scrabble on-line with each other. Show users who are ready for new things things they are interested in. Help with e-mail, get them communicating with their grandkids and others. Show them library features -- booklists, magazine articles, Chilton's car repair. Show them their neighbor's property taxes on-line. Just look for stuff that they are interested in that will motivate them to keep learning in a friendly and fun environment at their own pace.

Thing 2 -- Library 2.0

As I read and watched all of the material on L2.0, I had a little trouble wrapping my head around it all. It often seemed a little too abstract -- and as I came to understand it more, I have to say, needlessly so. I can think of it more easily in terms of staying up-to-date with emerging technologies, finding ways to incorporate technology, Web 2.0 if you will, and merging these technologies with what we do. The goal is to always be able to offer as much relevant material as is affordable in as many ways as are convenient to the end-user. While doing this, budgets have to be considered, longevity of the technology has to be considered, and broadness of applicability has to be considered. But above all, in order for new offerings in new technologies to be successful, the audience has to be receptive. In order to be receptive, they have to be interested, capable and end up satisfied. So we have to offer services and materials that there is demand for, that clientele can access; we have to let it be known that we have these things, and we have to be able to provide some kind of education for new users.

Also, as I went through the L2.0 materials, I increasingly felt that it was important to not only meet the future, but also not to let the past languish, left behind in favor of technology. When we talk about engaging the future and meeting "the users in their space," I wonder if too much emphasis is being put on the future at the expense of those we are still trying to serve, those who still exist in the technological past. We cannot offer the new services to people who are not "plugged in."

Getting people who were not exposed to computers early on and are now hesitant to use them is an existing issue that will only continue to grow as we offer more and more computer-based information and services and move away from older familiar things like card catalogs and physical copies of information. Engaging these people so as not to alienate them as library users seems like an important step. Once again, in order to have a successful technological experience, the user has to be receptive, has to be interested, has to become more capable, and has to end up satisfied.