Week 1, Thing 1: About this Program

This blog was created for the Maryland Libraries Learning 2.0 ("23 Things") program. I'll try to stick to the topic at hand for each week, but, like my peers, I have a tendency to stray into other realms ;).

I cannot remember life without a computer. My dad was obsessed with technology, and so we got our first little Apple when I was 5. We had the Prodigy internet service as soon as it came out, and later switched to AOL. My brother and I were among the first of our friends asking others for their "screen names." When I was in middle school, my mom sent my dad out for a gallon of milk and he came back with a CD-ROM drive (he forgot all about the milk). He had a laptop and a cell phone for work when cell phones were still the size (and relative weight) of bricks. In high school, I had my own computer in my room (in the late 90s, this was a HUGE deal). My college experience was vastly different from that of my parents. I almost never physically entered the library (I know, I know, it's shocking but true) because everything I needed was available electronically. My friends and I hardly ever talked on the phone because everyone was on IM and/or Facebook at all times.

Not much has changed since then- we've added blogging as a way to keep in touch (most of us have started families at this point) but that's the only difference. You want to reach me? Email is still the fastest way (or just IM me). Of course, my cell phone is internet capable, and has bluetooth, and a camera, and I send a lot of text/pic messages.

So, what I'm trying to say here is that I'm no stranger to emerging technologies, and I'd like to keep it that way. I'm excited about this program, because I think libraries need to stay on top of the digital world. After all, how can we organize information if we're unaware that it exists? And how will we reach our customers if we can't find them in the digital universe?