Cloud 9?

Reading Michael Stephens’ ‘Tame the web: ten trends & technologies for 2009’ http://tametheweb.com/2009/01/12/ten-trends-technologies-for-2009/ leaves me both humbled and excited by the communications technology I neither know, love nor use. I’m not sure I need to turn my life over to the “cloud” just yet, but the “cloud” may just overtake me whether I like it or not. Michael Stephens sees technology turning back to humanity with the latest ability to tap into your neighbours’ (near or far) opinions and knowledge via iPhone social networking applications … I am still more likely to ask a real person in the locality for the whereabouts of a vegetarian restaurant than turn to an application … in this case he quotes UrbanSpoon. I also think I am unlikely to spend time tracking down other Twitter users via Twinkle, but I may just not understand the fun these applications represent for his “C generation” and other users.
On the other hand, I do take Stephens point about tapping into the “cloud”, utilizing “converged devices” and most importantly for libraries, “nurturing” the client. Stephens emphasizes sharing in all digital respects. Sharing more information digitally and opening up opportunities for client collaboration and evaluation, sharing decisions with the client particularly where decisions rest on financial constraint, seeking client opinion so that library decisions and spaces (“physical or virtual”) are owned by the client as much as by library administration. Let the library become the creative “commons” “where each person adds more value” (Stephens quotes Dr Carol M Rose). Stephens is particularly critical of the rules culture that still discourages the “wholly digital native” and “digital immigrant” client. Deal with user behaviour not user devices is his advice. What is the point of banning the mobile phone he asks? Rather, harness its use to allow the client increased information independence.
And what of information literacy education in this land of the long white information “cloud”? Stephens advocates classes that concentrate on “usability and design” and the “purpose” behind products; that explain the many uses for “Amazon and Facebook”, blogs, wikis and every succeeding application; that explain the value of ”unfettered access to the cloud” and its potential as “a valuable information resource”.
Next is to follow up Liz Wilkinson’s thinking quoted by Stephens from ‘Seven ways to think about information literacy’:
1. Literacy beyond text
2. Student centered, not library centered
3. Outside experts
4. Involve students
5. Use students’ environments
6. Learning by doing
7. Make students feel at home
The above is a recipe for success. Use it for planning. Investigate what it means to “offer a space that feels like “home” where access and information is unimpeded.”
What can we enable? NOT, what should we block?