I am a boomer, although I admit that I've never felt like a boomer. Despite the fact that during the summer of love the only "be-in" I was a part of was "be in the house when your mother calls you for supper", a birth-date in 1958 definitely qualifies me for membership in that infamous demographic known as the baby boom. I've never felt like a boomer, that is, before last Thursday. That's when I had the epiphany.
I was sitting at a computer when I rapidly got my knickers in a twist jumping in to try yet another new technology. And then it hit me. I am not an experiential learner. Forget Ms. Frizzle's Magic School Bus mantra of "take chances, get messy, make mistakes!" - I just don't learn well that way. I like lectures. I like written material (on paper!). I like to take notes that can be reviewed and reflected upon. I read manuals and mark them up with marginalia. When shown how to use a new piece of technology, I take notes, file them carefully, and refer to them often.
So what does this epiphany have to do with boomers? I have 2 kids in university, and they deal with technology very differently from me. Library 2.0 is right in line with their needs as digital natives, but what about the boomers, the digital immigrants? There are a lot of people like me, and if history is an indicator of the future, the boomers aren't going to fade away quietly. As the most educated generation in history jogs toward retirement, the library could be perfectly positioned to fill many of the needs of these future senior citizens. Already built for accessibility, the library can keep minds active to ward off Altzheimer's, run special interest programs, and act as a social forum, just to name a few possibities.
Although I'm not heading to my rocking chair any time soon (after all, I'm here on campus in my skinny jeans and ballet flats!), I think I may pursue this as a theme as I continue this blog.
I was sitting at a computer when I rapidly got my knickers in a twist jumping in to try yet another new technology. And then it hit me. I am not an experiential learner. Forget Ms. Frizzle's Magic School Bus mantra of "take chances, get messy, make mistakes!" - I just don't learn well that way. I like lectures. I like written material (on paper!). I like to take notes that can be reviewed and reflected upon. I read manuals and mark them up with marginalia. When shown how to use a new piece of technology, I take notes, file them carefully, and refer to them often.
So what does this epiphany have to do with boomers? I have 2 kids in university, and they deal with technology very differently from me. Library 2.0 is right in line with their needs as digital natives, but what about the boomers, the digital immigrants? There are a lot of people like me, and if history is an indicator of the future, the boomers aren't going to fade away quietly. As the most educated generation in history jogs toward retirement, the library could be perfectly positioned to fill many of the needs of these future senior citizens. Already built for accessibility, the library can keep minds active to ward off Altzheimer's, run special interest programs, and act as a social forum, just to name a few possibities.
Although I'm not heading to my rocking chair any time soon (after all, I'm here on campus in my skinny jeans and ballet flats!), I think I may pursue this as a theme as I continue this blog.
