Access - Physical v Intellectual

I've had to think long and hard to write this blog, between what our library is and what I would like it to be.  As you may have picked up on earlier blogs, I work in a small, special members only, library.  Our members are on the older side (but not elderly - there is a difference!).  They seem to be stuck in old ways and do not embrace modern technology easily. It is hard to get change through the various levels of management and then to our clients.  Our library users enjoy the library and use it not only for borrowing books, CDs, & DVDs but a place where they can read papers plug in their computers and in general enjoy the ambience of a library.  Parking is easy and in some cases they are able to park underground for free.  Looking at our library, access is definitely very important.  They are not that bothered with electronic gadgets (as they put it).  Even with e-books and e-audios they are not welcomed and used as much as we thought they would be.

We try to make our library a comfortable and welcoming place and they seem to appreciate this.  They mostly cope with the catalogue but when we changed to a different OPAC they became rather disoriented and it has taken a while to get them used to it. We offer a post out of library books so if they have problems in getting into the library this is an option they prefer to take up. 

If we do take a step towards the new technologies I would suggest the QR (quick response) codes.  This is because, though they are not technically savvy, they have the latest up-to-date phones, ipads etc .and  amuse themselves with their different "apps". Everyone has seen those boxes with squiggles which seem to appear everywhere you look, newspapers, advertisements, shops and anywhere there is a boarding, hoarding etc., I even saw one on a board selling a house.  I suspect that it would not be too hard to gradually teach our users  the benefit of locking into the QR codes.  I would like the library to have one on our catalogue and home page.  This would educate them on the library times, borrowings, book reviews, and other information, but it must be introduced slowly so that they do not feel in anyway belittled.through lack of knowledge. Once they are used to scanning QRs I am sure we can use these in  the library in many ways.

There is much more I would like to see the library involved with and one is to have a regular libary blog.  This would contain a virtual tour of the library, review of new books, interesting snippits about the library staff, and up to date list of events and courses the Institute is holding. 

There has been talk about us having our own "app" (a new word for our language).  This has yet to happen and the talk has stopped. Unfortunately this is what happens - new ideas emerge and get carried along but seem to reach a point where they just die.  Innovation just becomes a word to be banded about! 

So you can see that it is an up hill battle to get any web 2.0 technology into our library.