Digitalist life in the library

Thoughts on CILIP, Twitter, Library School and Web2.0

Today, like a lot of other UK based librarians I participated in the CILIP Council Open Session on the use of Web2.0 via Twitter (tag #cilip2). The live session included presentations from Phil Bradley and Brian Kelly and a Q&A/discussion. It was also live blogged on the Library & Information Update blog.

My initial intention had been to just monitor the event just to keep up with what was happening. The experience however drew me in and at one point this morning (before the event started) I was up in the top 10 list of tweeters. If this event does nothing else it will have brought together a group of librarians professionally and geographically diverse.

I have high hopes however that something more will come out of it. I am not a member of CILIP and haven't been since I graduated from library school. My personal feeling is that CILIP doesn't engage me enough to warrant my membership fee. Depending on the outcome of today I may change my mind.

Anyway, what I really wanted to write about in this post were some thoughts I had on my cycle ride home as I was digesting the comments from the event. It's one thing to ask how CILIP are using web 2.0 tools and what their role is in leading the profession in their use but I also wonder how these tools are being used in teaching future professionals and whether they are being taught how these tools can be used in libraries and by librarians.

I graduated from library school nearly 3 years ago. We did a module called Hypermedia in which we had to create a website but there was no mention of the new technologies that were creeping on to the scene. My cohort were just beginning to use Facebook socially but there was no thought that it might have a place professionally. We used or perhaps it's better to say were forced to use Blackboard to communicate with the group and participate in group assignments. I wonder if today this is still the case or are people using tools like Ning to create social networks specific to their course?

Are future professionals being encouraged to experiment with new technologies and think of new ways to use them in libraries? Are they being asked to think about the potential drawbacks or legal issues? Are they being taught best practice? Are they debating where to draw the line between personal and professional or, if indeed there needs to be a line? Or are they teaching themselves?