What, or where, is the library coming to? It seems clear that THE LIBRARY is not the same as it once was--an ideal of quiet, respectable, organized information carefully doled out by the powers that were. Some weeks ago, I found a link about the library that grew up around the OCCUPY protests, was destroyed by the police, and was started again. You can find the story of The People's Library in their blog.
Now, I am not a terribly political person, but I have to say: this is wonderful stuff. Library 2.0 indeed. Encouraging people, who may or may not already have IDEAS to read more, talk more, be more thoughtful, out there, in the world, in public? Whoa. Is America ready?
And to think, a library, right there in the middle of the resistance. Who says libraries and librarians are relics of the past? Something had to be powerful enough for the authorities to want to close it down, destroy the books, and take away the on-the-fly intellectual community that was developing. For me, Library 2.0 is about giving more people great library experiences, like the ones I have had; where you go from feeling small and lonely, to finding a place to sit and think, and maybe, just maybe raise a thoughtful voice.
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