Kevin Kelly on the next 5,000 days of the web (http://blog.ted.com/2008/07/29/the_first_5000/) stated that the first lesson to be learned from the first 5,000 days is to believe in the impossible. He believes that by 2040, the processing power of the sum of all of the computers on the web will exceed the brain power of all of humanity. This statement is somewhat frightening. As a librarian, I wonder, how will we manage all of the data that is being created and amassed? Can so much information be organized? Or is organization at the levels we're used to even necessary, as long as the data is logically linked? How can we provide the proper access for effective retrieval?
Another concern for librarians will be privacy. Kelly states that you have to be OK with sharing your data, while many of us have spent years protecting our patrons' privacy. Can we protect the privacy of our patrons and still serve them as they expect to be served? Patrons from the "born digital" generation expect totally customized services and have no use for privacy. Kelly says that total personalization requires total transparency. Younger generations are OK with that, but it will be a long while before those of us born in the 1950s and 60s have that kind of comfort level with sharing our private information with the world.
Believe in the impossible. There's a good chance that the next 5,000 days will change the way we all work and live.
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