Thing #15 Library 2.0

I have to agree with these articles that the libraries need and must move with new technologies if we expect to stay in the business. What worries me most though is the disparity of information that will occur between the "haves" and "have nots". What I am talking about are those people who don't have access to a computer at home. I know at many libraries in MCPL this is not as much of an issue as it is at others. At my library we have people waiting for the doors to open so they can access the computers and they are there till we close at night. During this time of economic hardships many are looking for jobs and now it is imperative that people apply for these jobs online even for the most basic jobs available. So many of these people do not have the most basic of computer skills and I am not just talking about senior citizens but thirty somethings who have never really used a computer. The first article "Away from Icebergs" talked about the insufficient staff available to educate users and that technology should be easy enough for everyone to access without significant user education. Unfortunately for some - their basic education has not provided them with the means of knowing things like "I'll just google that"...many kids that come into the library have much better basic skills than their parents. These are the clients that we are challenged to serve at my library - insufficient staffing does not allow us to spend a great deal of time with each customer nor to provide much in the way of computer education. It is obviously a need and it worries me more than being able to provide others with access to our databases or information from home or outside the library building. I would like to see more articles addressing these customers' needs and what the libraries can do to help them.