Learning 2.0 Adventures

This is my first post as a very new member of the State Library of NSW Learning 2.0 troops. I have been inspired by colleagues’ blogs and reflections on the Learning 2.0 process. As mentioned in my previous post I gravitated towards the idea of “lifelong learning” because it transforms the learning process into something that is accessible to everyone, no matter what their stage in life.

For library users I think lifelong learning is important as it promotes the exchange between the librarian and the library user as a two way learning process. It could even be said that user participation in library education is increased.

For example, in the State Reference Library a few weeks ago a client asked me if he would be able to view one of our collection videos on YouTube. The answer was “no” but the possibility is endless. This alerted me to the fact that many of our clients are more technosavvy than we are. They will frequently use Learning 2.0 technologies as second nature.

In another example it occurred to me (after I’d terminated the call) that as well as using our PICMAN/Mitchell Library collection to answer a telephone inquiry on pictures of Manly Beach I could be using Web 2.0 tools more effectively. One way of doing this would be searching online picture databases such as PictureAustralia and Flickr to answer inquiries about photographs.

So this said, I’ve had a quick look at some of the blogs suggested by the Learning 2.0 team here at the State Library of NSW. I liked the British Museum Sacred Exhibitions blog as it allows the experience of the exhibition to be vicariously available to anyone through the blogsphere. As other colleagues have mentioned, I can see this type of blog working for our exhibitions here at the State Library. It would be a great way to share clients lived experiences of the Library and understand more about what they take away from their visits to our galleries.

My first introduction to blogs was last year just before a trip to New York when I was researching reviews on the film “The Hours”. I found a lovely blog (I’ve since not been able to locate) which was written by an American woman who I think was living in New York. She wrote of how the movie had lifted her spirits and inspired her to buy flowers for herself, just as Mrs Dalloway might have (had she not been required to entertain so many guests!). What I like about blogs is their similarity to travel memoirs and personal narratives, they’re like a mini biography or journal online and, from a library perspective, they can encourage clients to provide feedback in more inventive ways ie. through text, image and video.

I’m looking forward to continuing the Learning 2.0 program and to finally figuring out how to add pictures and video to my blog! Until next week…