As you know, technology is changing at a blistering pace, and libraries are striving to keep up—not only to take advantage of technological advances but to stay connected with their younger users. Some of the latest gadgets, techniques, and strategies were the subject of a workshop Arlene and I recently attended: “Emerging Technologies: Near Future Trends.”
The presenter was Mickey Boyd, a self-described futurist and video game enthusiast from FSU. He spoke of the exponential growth of technology and energetically took the audience through a host of areas of current technological growth, including
- New search applications such as Google Squared and Wolfram Alpha
- New devices such as tiny computers and credit cards with constantly changing PINs
- The latest enhancements and uses of Web 2.0 tools such as Second Life, “del.icio.us,” and RSS feeds
A common thread throughout his talk, however, was that libraries and librarians must realize and take advantage of the power of social networking tools and techniques. This “human goo”—as he humorously referred to it—is what we all crave, whether it’s experienced directly or through a computer. The libraries that survive, he says, will do so by integrating this component into as many services as they can—by having, as he called it, a “Library 2.0 frame of mind.”
We didn’t get much in the way of handouts, but if you’d like to see the outline of his PowerPoint presentation, talk to Arlene or me.
–Mark
Rachel said
I regret having missed this: sounds like something right up my alley (except maybe the “human goo” part
. I just looked Wolfram Alpha up – WOW! It’s so cool!!! Thanks for sharing.