Voyage of the Paradigm Ship

I am a latecomer to Laura Cohen’s blog, Library 2.0: An academic’s perspective. Curious that I should discover it almost exactly one year after it ceased publication! Laura Cohen was Web Support Librarian at University at Albany (SUNY). On February 5, 2008, she wrote her final post announcing her retirement. In that post she also wrote: “My dean has promised that this blog will remain available for at least the next year. Some of my entries are still being discovered by new readers…”

Indeed! And seeing that the year may be about up, I am scampering to glean interesting bits from the year and a half run of Laura’s blog. Of special note, and of enduring value in the rapidly evolving library environment and librarian profession, is “A Librarian’s 2.0 Manifesto,” which she posted on November 8, 2006. I am re-posting it here in its entirely: 

I will recognize that the universe of information culture is changing fast and that libraries need to respond positively to these changes to provide resources and services that users need and want.

I will educate myself about the information culture of my users and look for ways to incorporate what I learn into library services.

I will not be defensive about my library, but will look clearly at its situation and make an honest assessment about what can be accomplished.

I will become an active participant in moving my library forward.

I will recognize that libraries change slowly, and will work with my colleagues to expedite our responsiveness to change.

I will be courageous about proposing new services and new ways of providing services, even though some of my colleagues will be resistant.

I will enjoy the excitement and fun of positive change and will convey this to colleagues and users.

I will let go of previous practices if there is a better way to do things now, even if these practices once seemed so great.

I will take an experimental approach to change and be willing to make mistakes.

I will not wait until something is perfect before I release it, and I’ll modify it based on user feedback.

I will not fear Google or related services, but rather will take advantage of these services to benefit users while also providing excellent library services that users need.

I will avoid requiring users to see things in librarians’ terms but rather will shape services to reflect users’ preferences and expectations.

I will be willing to go where users are, both online and in physical spaces, to practice my profession.

I will create open Web sites that allow users to join with librarians to contribute content in order to enhance their learning experience and provide assistance to their peers.

I will lobby for an open catalog that provides personalized, interactive features that users expect in online information environments.

I will encourage my library’s administration to blog.

I will validate, through my actions, librarians’ vital and relevant professional role in any type of information culture that evolves.

Incidentally, I found this nice video slideshow mashup on YouTube of Laura Cohen’s “A Librarian’s 2.0 Manifesto” by Soren Johannessen, of Copenhagen, Denmark: