New Beginnings

This is the first post of my new blog, Library Junkie. I have wanted to blog more for awhile but there has been a few things stopping me. When I saw I had the opportunity to take part in SLQ's Licence 2 Test Drive I thought it was the perfect opportunity to begin my new blogging adventure.

I am a huge advocate of the library profession learning about Web 2.0. A colleague and I even created our own Web 2.0 program (Web 2.0: what health libraries need to know) for our library staff last year which you can read all about in the paper we presented at last years New Librarians Symposium. So you may wonder why then I am doing SLQ's Licence 2 Test Drive if I have already created my own Learning 2.0 program. Firstly, as I mentioned above, I want to start blogging more and see this as a great way to get me going; secondly, the 2 programs are different, although both are based on the original Learning 2.0 program created by the wonderful Helene Blowers the program my colleague Amanda and I created was specifically health-focused and looked at different tools; and thirdly, creating a program and particpating in one are totally different things. Although we had to try most of our activities when we created our step-by-step instructions, time restrictions meant we didn't have too much to actually play with the tools, and that is what I am really looking forward to now. My favourite quote regarding learning about Web 2.0 and technology in general is by Meredith Farkas. She says ‘people need to learn how to learn about new technologies without having to ask other people for help all the time’. I think this is one of the main stumbling blocks when it comes to Web 2.0 in libraries. Some people just don't see playing as learning.