Comments on: library as conversation

By: genevieve

genevieve — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 01:07:31 +0000

Bear in mind, however, that it is a draft document and your feedback is welcomed – so it is initiating a conversation around these issues.
I think all the comments here are most valuable, and it’s a Web 2.0 drafting process that’s at work here – Lanke’s work is surely not definitive at this stage. Proselytising, perhaps, but certainly not set in concrete. The digital divide, as always, puts a big question mark over all Web conducted ‘conversations’, and of course public librarians will take that on board very seriously. As they should.
Hope you enjoyed Oz, Jessamyn.

By: John Gehner

John Gehner — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 16:18:52 +0000

Nothing in the authors’ work adequately addresses the biases and barriers that already prevent libraries from “facilitating conversation” for all community members equally.

The authors state: “Libraries seek to create rich environments for knowledge, and have taken the stance, that they are not in the job of arbitrating the conversations that occur, or the ‘appropriateness’ of the information used to inform those conversations.”

In fact, libraries *do* arbitrate through the policy decisions they make (e.g. collection development, fees, fines) and by the degree to which they communicate and collaborate with the entire community.

On the surface, I don’t see anything inherently transformative about this project. The Segway Scooter was supposed to radically change the way we work and live. Of course, access to this amazing (and now recalled) device was fraught with limiters — not least of which was income level. At some point, the reality of exclusion must be confronted here.

By: Heather

Heather — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 14:02:54 +0000

You don’t have to be invited to join LiveJournal! What a nimrod! All you have to do is sign on for an account! You can do the same with Deadjournal, Blogger, TypePad, etc. Thanks, Jessamyn, for getting my ire up. You so totally rock!

By: Kathleen de la Peña McCook

Kathleen de la Peña McCook — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 18:41:32 +0000

I was most troubled about the lack of documentation as well. I think it vital that people post observations.

Also, check this comment by John Buschman at the forum.

http://iis.syr.edu/projects/forum/forum_entry.php?id=17

By: walt

walt — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 16:45:38 +0000

Excellent post (well, maybe you’re just hitting my hot buttons!). “Extreme local nature of libraries” – something that needs to be said more often. Questioning the “library as conversation” idea: I’m with you here (and yes, I’ve commented back to the writers).

One aspect of any movement for all libraries is that it has to translate into individual movements that are slightly different in each of 12,000 public libraries, each of X,000 academic libraries, each of… Which is no easy task. Since I regard the “extreme local nature” as a great strength of America’s public library system, it’s a task that can’t be overlooked.