Conclusions on Chad and Miller's Library 2.0 Article

For class I recently did a critical assessment of Ken Chad and Paul Miller's "Do Libraries Matter? The Rise of Library 2.0. Here are my conclusions.

In Do Libraries Matter? Ken Chad and Paul Miller tackle their subject matter in a clear and concise way that not only educates readers on particular issues, but gives them solutions for how these issues might be overcome. Although certain points may be uncorroborated and use of language overly dramatic, the value of the article is that it recognizes there are problems with the situation of libraries that must be addressed. Value is also found in the utility of Chad and Miller’s work. Chad and Miller not only highlight the issues, but offer solutions for library professionals about how libraries could, and should operate in the future. Some may contend however that the utility of these ideas is limited as library 2.0 is still a concept; Chad and Miller’s principles have yet to be fully implemented. Furthermore, do Chad and Miller’s principles speak enough to the practicality of implementing library 2.0? Although seemingly useful, library 2.0 appears as if it would be a very large undertaking. So even though this article reads like a solution, it lacks the guidelines for accomplishing that solution. To some extent however, Chad and Miller can be forgiven for these drawbacks. Its possible that providing all the steps and how-tos might be too monolithic an undertaking at this point in time. With this article, Chad and Miller have hemmed out a lot of important issues and made them accessible to any interested party. Chad and Miller should also be commended for taking the first step in dealing with these issues, opening it up to a wider audience and encouraging that audience to do something to make libraries matter. For these reasons Chad and Miller’s work is not only valuable but also utilizable for current, and future information professionals.