Library 2.0

One of the comments in the "away from icebergs" article really struck a chord with me, "We need to focus our efforts not on teaching research skills but on eliminating the barriers that exist between patrons and the information they need, so they can spend as little time as possible wrestling with lousy search interfaces and as much time as possible actually reading and learning". I think that the general perception of librarians by many people is still the charicature that we see in TV shows and movies. Often the librarian is shown as a crabby old woman and I can't recall ever really seeing male librarians on tv or in a movie. I don't know if anyone ever watched the show "All That" on Nickelodean (if not, think something like SNL for kids. It had skits and a musical guest at the end). There was one recurring skit set in a library where this librarian would scream "SHHH! This is a Liiibrraaary" and sound an air horn every time she heard someone talking or if someone tried to ask her a question. Though that might be a little dramatic, I do think that this is one way many people see the library--as a place for quiet study where you'll get in trouble if you talk too loudly or ask a question. Oftentimes, the library isn't seen as a place to discuss, to discover, a place where it's ok if you don't know the answer to the question. I think that with libraries adopting Web 2.0 technologies and other things, that this perception is beginning to change, but I do think that there is a lot of work to be done to change the general public's idea of what a librarian and a library is.