highlights of day 1 IL2008: opening remarks

I twittered through much of the day but now I ought to process a bit of what I learned today. I enjoyed Howard Rheingold’s opening talk; I see that a lot of what we’re trying to do in libraries, especially Contra Costa County where our mission is “bringing people and ideas together,” is about providing a platform for participation. We know very well that our users are into leveraged self-interest, that is, creating something for themselves that others can use and build on. Our users have a very personal interest in their library and an emotional connection. If we don’t provide people with an opportunity to interact with us, we cease to become relevant.

I get that.