Steven Bell – It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad Web 2.0 World : Hidden Treasure or Just More Pressure? (Powerpoint) (Handout)
The title is adapted from It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, the “epic comedy” film from 1963. He likened our (libraries) search for “Library 2.0” to the frantic search for the “big W” in the film, even showing a couple of clips.
He recommended a Wired magazine article by Chris Anderson called People Power.
A manifestation of the second-generation web is User Generated Content (which strikes me as a good summation of the change taking place).
Business Week’s June 11, 2007 issue of Inside Innovation has an incredible set of charts showing demographics of those using and generating content.
He recommended an article from the v.25#2 issue of Library Hi-Tech called Taking the information to the public through Library 2.0 (abstract only; sounds like an ILL opportunity).
He pointed out a blog post by David Lee King called How Can We Change the Unchangeable, or David’s Rant.
He showed several video clips of library staff scenarios (think of those training movies you see with acted examples):
- Library Director/Admin reacting to a librarian’s blogging
- Co-workers discussing the possibilities of a Wiki
- Instant Messaging as a library tool
His main points were to try out new technology, be open-minded about staff using technology, and recognize that much of Library 2.0 technology involves a time investment, but is otherwise low-risk (and low-cost).
His caveats were to focus on identifying problems needing solutions, find technology with the potential to solve those problems, learn about the technology, and practice.
He referred to an article in the April 2004 American Libraries titled A Dozen Solutions to all Library Problems (which makes some great points with a dose of humor).
Design thinking – libraries approaching problems like designers approaching problems
Stages for implementing change:
- Reflect, analyze, diagnose and design
- Imagine and visualize
- Model plan and prototype
- Implement
He used an interesting prop to illustrate increased tension associated with technology: a block of wood with a bolt partly screwed into it… he uses a ratchet to tighten the bolt… increasing the tension.
“Reverse the Technology Ratchet”
- consider the opportunity costs
- Balance experimentation and investment of time
- pick your edge – leading or trail
- identify your compassionate pioneers
- reverse mentoring (relatively new library people training established people on newer methods)
- make a plan and let it guide (but there are exceptions)
Website: Steven Bell’s Keeping Up Website
We must learn to evolve
Example: Change. Deal with It. (a.k.a. Jim Carroll’s squirrel experiment)
He concluded with a quote from David Bishop, Charles Deering McCormick University Librarian at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois:
Notes: This was essentially a keynote, and did not go in-depth on any topic. It hit many points, and used a great deal of humor to do so. It was a great start for the conference, and the end quote sets the tone for one of the later sessions.
