1. It takes a village--people learn from people
- One person usually does not know everything, but many people have a collective knowledge to keep things up and running
- Individuals in isolation often cannot do it all
- Collaboration is often a way of getting things done
- People in different roles possess different knowledge
- Peer groups provide support
2. New technology is a good thing--it compliments not replaces old technology
3. Making and maintaining worthwhile web pages is demanding
4. Network environments are costly and cost is often underestimated
Overall, businesses thought that working from home was a positive ("Put a computer in people's homes," Toffler insists, "and they no longer need to huddle," p. 79) yet Brown and Duguid discussed the concept of how this was not necessarily true. They discussed how people in different roles have different knowledge and this collective knowledge can be very helpful to others.
This information can help both the library and the librarian by realizing that people need to reach out to others for information, but not necessarily in person. This proves that a good, interactive website would be a plus. It is also a good argument for implementing IM/chat reference and librarian blogging. Creating these interactive websites, although often costly and demanding, would benefit not only the library but the user as well. Many people, not only the people that work from home, look for easy access to information on the Internet. A good library website can provide such information making the cost and demanding maintenance of a good website worthwhile.
Librarians are still a good source of information for people. Not only for reference, but also strengthening the argument for quality programming including programs that educate on new technology. Brown and Duguid discuss Internet designers and how often "most system development serves the interests of such dedicated users. In so doing, it ignores the demands such development places on ordinary users." (p. 81) These ordinary users would benefit from programs geared towards them, taught by librarians. Such programs could include the benefits of new technology complimenting the old, not necessarily replacing it. They also stated that peer groups provide a good support system, again indicating that such programming among peers would be beneficial.
Brown, J., & Duguid, P. (2002). The Social Life of Information. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Press.
2 comments:
Lisa-
What a great response! Great references to the text! I think your opening statement says it best...it really does take a village!
It seems to me that when this book was written back in the early 2000s the vision of working from home was no actual office, everyone being autonomous. I think we are still a long way off. I work from home about once (sometimes twice) a week, and it's the greatest thing ever. But my job would not be complete if I did not get into the office those other days, and deal with stuff that you just can't deal with behind a computer. Similarly, while the technology has greatly improved since this book was written, there are always little things here or there, that never quite work they way they do when you're in the office. Even though I have a high speed connection at home, it still takes longer to do things like connect to our intranet, transfer files etc. Technology has come a long way, but we're not robots, so business can't expect machines to assist us as such.
You write, "New technology is a good thing--it compliments not replaces old technology." How true...I fear completely jumping ahead and replacing things will only serve to turn away some of the patron population.
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