WebJunction

Thanks for starting this topic. I read the scan last spring and found it fascinating. Many of the things in the scan resonated with me because they relate directly back to the stuff we're working on at WebJunction. To name a few:

-much of the research for the report was done without using traditional, library-based, abstracting and indexing services. this calls the "authority" that is so closely linked with our work as librarians to question in the same way that webjunction can, i think.

-people of all age groups are online doing things for themselves. Amen.

-consumers are, by and large, satisfied with the quality of the information they find on the Web. Amen again. There is such a thing as a good enough answer. Think about how often reference questions answered by an in-person library are "correct" (McClure said 55%, I think, unless there is more recent research). Besides, the Web is faster - and (evermore) just as personal.

-satisfied customers do not change brands. Quite honestly, I think we could do a much better job on this item for ourselves as an online community. Our search needs to improve, as does our navigation - the actual content is not as important as the context within which you interact with it, as long as it's "good enough." (Wow!!) For us, I think that means: did you solve a problem with a solution that you're reasonably satisfied with??

-the librarian's role is to facilitate self-learning, not to act as a teacher. Libraries are more and more about building their own communities, and making sure that they are not only connecting people to information, but also to each other. Starting conversations, making connections, creating relationships - are all what make a library thrive, especially in difficult financial times, and with the formats of our information shifting so dramatically. I believe that the more that librarians can focus on (or remember that we're) building relationships with patrons, actually serving them (the reasons why we store, archive, organize, catalog, and create access to information in the first place) the easier it will be to navigate this extremely volatile "landscape."

Ok, enough out of me. I'm cloistered to the virtual world. I - like George - would love to hear from folks about how the ideas in the scan are affecting the work that library staff are doing in physical libraries.