So, after my whining and ranting it occurred to me...fight the flow. Obviously, many people are lonely or at least want more social contact. This is why all these web things have the emphasis on "social" --networking, bookmarking, photo-sharing, creating groups/communities/networks/relationships, etc.
I am well aware how hard it is to make friends as an adult, especially if you move/change jobs (which is more the norm than it used to be and I know I've done plenty of it). It ain't like when you're a kid and you meet other kids and it's kind of a given that you just play together and become friends(although kids can also be total jerks, so sometimes it doesn't work--but you get the idea). People want to have social interaction and there aren't always easy forums to meet others, especially those you actually might have some things in common with and want to talk to.
Here's what I'm thinking...DRUMROLL PLEASE....
The library as a place for people to meet and interact...IN PERSON...I know it's a shocking suggestion.
The popularity of the chess night at Downtown Bremerton only proves people want to interact with PEOPLE. You know people can play chess on the computer against the computer or against others online....and yet people are coming in to play in person on a weeknight. Maybe it's just more satisfying to face your actual opponent (it certainly is more fun to trash-talk a person than a computer monitor, I mean "in your screen" just isn't the same as "in your face").
So that's my brilliant suggestion. Learn all this 2.0 stuff and use it some--it's important to stay current. BUT...in this ever-digitizing world...create a space and opportunities for actual human interaction and socializing...AT THE LIBRARY!!!
Now that I've dazzled you with innovation...back in the hole.
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2 comments:
i agree that the library could be, maybe is, a place that many people gather for social contact -- around books, around chess, some of the YP things that go on. i don't see any of the 2.0 stuff as replacing those things-- i would certainly hope not.
but they can be an alternative to face-to-face for some who don't, or can't get to the library. we sometimes automatically think of youth when we think of the web, but i know several people in my father's generation who have outlived many of their friends, for whom mobility is getting more and more difficult, but are still very much alert and alive. they all have active online social networks that keep them connected. i think we can also provide something for them if we can help them connect with other's in similar circumstances -- around books or other interests. i try to keep the 2.0 stuff in the perspective of an addition to, not a replacement for _____ (fill in the blank).
bc
Definitely, it's gotta be a combo--vibrant web pages are great, but they'll never replace library events. (Kind of like reader comments on Amazon may be interesting--or they may not--either way they won't be replacing book groups any time soon.) Imagine, it would be like if all your leadership communications at work came via email or web postings, and you never talked to your coworkers or bosses. There would be a lot of dropped communication and miscommunication if that happened...
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