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The challenge for librarians (from PVLD Director’s Blog found via Everything is Miscellaneous):

• A fundamental shortcoming of the library catalog is that it doesn’t (and as currently designed can’t) know the why for any given search.
• The folks at Bibliocommons understand this dilemma and are finding real, practical ways to harness social networking concepts to transform the catalog into a place where people can slice the information based on their individual “whys” and then share that learning with others whose “whys” might be similar – the social catalog.
• We have traditionally seen helping people find relevant information as one of our key roles. … So what happens when this role of helping people find the information that meets their particular needs is transferred from the librarian to the user community at large?

4 answers:

• Reinforcing the librarian’s role in developing the systems that underpin the social catalog.
• Providing a human interface to the digital world for those who need or want it – either through traditional tools such as the reference interview (whether conducted in person or online) or by providing training, coaching, and advice.
• Being one of the voices in the social web – sharing our knowledge through the creation of reviews, commentary, lists, etc. We will be just some voices among many, but as Beth Jefferson pointed out to me yesterday librarians should become among the most trusted of sources.
• Creating the programs and services that enhance the library’s role as a community hub. We should be the center of a rich network of physical and virtual connections within our communities, and the librarian can play a key role in building that network.