Both Web 2.0 and the movement of the Baby Boomer generation into retirement represent big changes in our society and most certainly in our libraries but are the two phenomenons more intricately connected to each other? In my paper, I discuss the possibilities that Web 2.0 presents for serving the new senior citizens and whether or not this technology should be the ultimate focus of that service.
Boomers are more active and plan on keeping up with their faster-pace lifestyle both physically and mentally (Dempsey 39, 2007). They will have more leisure time and more money which they will want to spend on travel and other leisure activities.
Also, because boomers want to keep their brains active and are already quite familiar with technology having had to work with computers in their careers, they will want to be able to put their skills to work through new jobs or volunteering. In short, the research shows that Boomers want to work, play, connect, and contribute. My paper states that to meet those demands, we will have to rethink everything from collection development to outreach to basic human interaction and so the answer cannot be as simple as one resource or one technique. Web 2.0, though, can be our right-hand man through it all if we know which ways to apply it.
My paper defines specific Web 2.0 applications such as flickr.com, social networking sites such as eons.com, and user contributed sites such as youtube.com and matches them up with the needs Boomers will have to work, play and contribute.
In a Parade newspaper I found lying on the table during my break at work, the cover showed actor Drew Carey surrounded by gadgets and headlines about how to use technology to manage different parts of your life, for instance, how to meet friends online. The most interesting article, though, was called “You Have the Power” and led the reader through tips on how to influence the political climate and opinions through technology. The advice was pretty old hat: email you Senator! start a blog!; but I did find it interesting that they promoted making your own video or political commercial and posting it through sites such as YouTube. The article stated that a homemade video posted for free could potentially be viewed more times than a paid television ad. Can we say viral? Can we say “Obama Girl”? This is an intriguing concept and something to think about. Will a few videos garner much attention and change minds, soften hardened hearts this presidential election season? Or will the web be flooded with home-videos either mud-slinging or praising candidates? More than that, will it actually change anything? In this day where there is so much content that anyone who believes in anything can find a website that agrees with them, will a Republican sit down to watch a Democratic YouTube debate with the intention of actually reconsidering their stances? Will a left-winger read a right-sing blog and suspend judgment for 200 words? Time will tell. In the meantime, look out for more bikini-clad women lip-synching about their favorite presidential hopeful.
Usually I am a fan of the old fashioned game. I like me some cards on a table. I never liked video games because it was the only toy that I could not pull my brother’s attention from when I was little (or my mother for that matter, when Tetris was on the screen).
It’s for this reason that I think the new games that are coming out are terrific. When my boyfriend brought the Wii into the house, I rolled my eyes. But I found that it actually has so many features that encourage interacting with other people rather than the screen. And what’s more is that everyone can play it and there are games that everyone will be interested in. A biased video-game hater ruined by the harsh childhood trauma of being ignored (mua) can actually win at a Wii boxing once in a while without having had years of gaming experience. My father, a 60 year old man with advanced arthritis that does not allow him much mobility, found a new way to get physical activity or to play the sports he can no longer play virtually.
The other games, which I experienced during our game night last week, have interactive elements as well. I played tetris on a handheld but against two other people. I played a guitar although I had no actual guitar skills. And although I remain a big proponent of children getting outside of the virtual world and literally outside, I think that DDR is a good way to at least get them moving if they are going to be in front of a TV all day.
I think that these games could do a lot to bring people into the library. And not just teens. Think of the family nights, especially for those who cannot afford these appliances at home. No more Trivial Pursuit or Gin Rummy? I hope that’s not the case, but I think that these games will be a healthy addition to game night among libraries and households.
I thought that Stephanie Mills’ lecture on the future of our ecosystem was both informative and insightful. She was right in saying that global warming and our overuse of natural resources is something that everyone needs to be aware of. I especially enjoyed her conversational tone. That being said, I did not see how much the lecture had to do with libraries.
As I said in class, I felt as if Ms. Mills had the lecture already prepared and tacked on the bit about libraries. If anyone is aware of how to conserve and protect, I feel, its libraries. I wished that she would have spoke more about how libraries can inform the public of these future (and some present) crises.
Specifically, I had problems with a few of the analogies (is this the right word?) that she made such as when she said buying a book on Amazon was like burning a lump of coal or that embracing digital technology was like marrying a drunk and giving him the checkbook. She also talked about “Dewey serendipity” which she explained as walking through the aisle to find one book and stumbling across another one that was of interest. Ms. Mills talked about that with a bit of melancholy and I wanted to tell her that “digital serendipity” is 10 times that feeling. Online, you can find things even libraries may not be shelving because they are too “niche”.
In the end, I found the lecture did teach me some things that I didn’t know earlier about the effect of technology on the environment. From a library perspective, though, I didn’t find the link as easily as I would have hoped.
Did Maricopa really rock the world of libraries? Seriously? I think that changing and evolving according to patron needs should be procedure and I reee-aly don’t see what all of the hub-bub is about.
It is surprising because librarians, I think, are kind of radical by principal. Public libraries are “the people’s universities”, people being the key word here. It was surprising to hear that librarians were upset about the abandonment of Dewey when it has proved itself less than perfect in the past (space devoted to Western European history and Rest-of-the-World history anyone?). As the director said in his NPR interview, sometimes a book might be in two or three places within the Dewey system. It’s still early, but if this new BISAC system is user-friendly and less complicated for users, if circ is up, and patrons are happy, I don’t think we should be complaining, I think we should be gettin’ with times, folks. Bandwagons a’comin’. Hop on.
The only argument I would have is if we began to have the opposite problem and the reference and history books were all lumped together instead of the popular fiction. I must admit that seeing self-help books in the “Psychology” section at Barnes and Nobles had me shaking my head. But if that is where the majority of the community thinks to look, maybe that is where it should stay. I think this is a good system at getting the patrons in and “giving them what they want”. Perhaps after they are in the doors, we can lead them to other items they may need as well.
