What is "2.0?"

It seems like this would be the place to begin. Here's a clever introduction to Web 2.0 I found on YouTube.



It seems everywhere I look these days I see “2.0” this and “2.0” that. I can almost understand the application of 2.0 to Web as it’s a relatively new concept itself that has been at the forefront of modern day buzzword creation. But does applying “2.0” to long-established concepts such as “library” and “business” make any sense? If one thinks about all the changes libraries have experienced over the years, shouldn’t we be discussing Library 42.0 instead of Library 2.0? Have we given ourselves a demotion in order to identify with something that could potentially be a fad? “Hey look at us, we can be hip too, II, 2, 2.0.” While I pose the questions, I’m not sure if there are answers. For that reason, I felt it important to explore the concepts of Web 2.0 and how they contribute to the premise of Library 2.0.

In order to define Web 2.0, I choose to go to a source about which I’m normally a skeptic but it is nevertheless one of the prime examples of the success of Web 2.0. According to Wikipedia, Web 2.0 is a phrase coined by O’Reilly media which “refers to a perceived second-generation of Web-based services—such as social networking sites, wikis, communication tools, and folksonomies—that emphasize online collaboration and sharing among users.” (Wikipedia.) The characteristics common to Web 2.0 are that they are user centered, socially rich, multimedia enabled and communally innovative. (Maness, 2006) Tim O’Reilly and Dale Dougherty also point these characteristics can be found in the services and technologies that survived the Dot-com bubble burst. (Maness, 2006) While many felt it proved the Web was over hyped, in reality it was the beginning of Web 2.0’s ascension. (O’Reilly, 2005) The web was no longer solely about providing information but allowing its users to interact with it.

As the concept of Web 2.0 began to take root, it spilled over into other areas where interactive information would be valued. On his blog, LibraryCrunch, Michael Casey coined the term Library 2.0. Library 2.0, in essence, brings the principles of Web 2.0 into the library to better serve its users. (Curran & Murray, 2006) Library 2.0 isn’t about replacing common aspects of Library 1.0 such as reference services and information collecting, but instead can be used to promote and enhance those core services. (Huwe, 2007) By using the technology available to us from the Web 2.0 wave, we are able to create a virtual library experience containing the interactive aspects that were once restricted to the actual library building. The barriers of place are torn down and we can not only reach our customers in person but wherever they are in cyberspace.

Library 2.0 technologies change the way we deliver information to users and allow users to play a part in how that is done. Here are some of the technologies linked to Library 2.0 that could make their way into academic libraries in the future.

• Interactive OPACs: Given the success of Amazon.com, libraries could choose to remodel their OPACs to “smart” models that recognize a user and allow for customized portals providing information that best suits their interests. (Maness, 2006)
• Instant Messaging: “Chat reference” is already employed in many libraries but it could be taken a step further. With the permission of the user, a chat window could pop-up and offer help if the computer notices a user experiencing an unsuccessful search. (Maness, 2006) It seems similar to the online shopping experiences I had when I bought a phone online. Periodically, a window would pop up allowing me to enter a chat session where a Verizon representative would be available to answer any of my questions. Many of these technologies also allow for simultaneous browsing. A librarian could not only perform the search for a user but show him or her how it is being done.
• Wikis: According to one of the largest wikis on the net, a wiki is “a website that allows visitors to add, remove, edit and change content, typically without the need for registration. It also allows for linking among any number of pages. This ease of interaction and operation makes a wiki an effective tool for mass collaborative authoring.” (Wikipedia) Basically wikis allow for library staff to collaborate on projects and certain sites can be opened to library users. One never knows what kind of expertise a user might be willing to provide when given the space.
• RSS: Known as Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication allows libraries to publish blog content onto their website as well as export content to subscribers. (Maness, 2006) The librarians at the College of New Jersey has even experimented with integrating RSS feeds about new books into the College Course Management System. (Corrado and Moulaison, 2006)
• Tagging or Folksonomy: Tagging or folksonomy allows users to add their own tags to books, journal articles, websites...etc. Perhaps one day we will even look at such sites such as Library Thing to see which keywords people apply to books they have read and incorporate them into our cataloging. (Bates, 2006)
• Blogs: Short for weblog, a blogs, according to Merriam Webster Online is “a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer.” (Merriam Webster) Merriam Webster fails to include one of the most important aspects of blogs that turn it from a Web 1.0 concept into a Web 2.0 concept and that is the ability for readers to comment on what is written.
• Mashups: Mashups bring us back to Interactive OPACs. Mashups are aggregators that bring things of interest to the user into one place like MyYahoo and Google’s personalized home pages.

I’ll have to admit to being overwhelmed with the amount of information out there in cyberspace about Web 2.0 and its numerous applications in an academic setting. While some of the ideas like social tagging in cataloging are truly innovative in ways they can shape the library, other aspects, such as soliciting feedback, seem less revolutionary. Doing it in a virtual environment may be new but the concept of working with users to improve our services isn’t. That's why I found myself changing my second post from more discussion of specific applications and focusing on how the discussion of Library 2.0 is effecting the culture of librarianship.

For me, research wasn’t the only goal of this project. I didn’t simply want to learn about Web and Library 2.0, I felt I should practice it. So in addition to cited blog posts, I may include shorter posts as well update the hyperlink list on the left. With this introduction behind me, I will open up this entry to comments, suggestions, responses or whatever bits of wisdom you’d like to share.

Works Cited:

Bates, Mary Ellen. (2006) Info pro on the edge. Econtent, 29(10), p. 17. Retrieved from Library Literature on March 27, 2007.

Corrado, Edward M. & Moulaison, Heather L. (2006). Integrating RSS feeds of new books into the campus course management system. Computers in libraries. Retrieved on April 3, 2007 from http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/oct06/Corrado_Moulaison.shtml#top

Curran, Kevin and Murray, Michelle. (2006). Library 2.0-Bringing the library to the user. Multimedia Information Technology, 32(4), p. 103-105. Retrieved from Library Literature on March 26, 2007.

Huwe, Terrence K. (2007) Surfing the library 2.0 wave. Computer Library, 27(1), p. 36-38. Retrieved from Library Literature on March 27, 2007.

Maness, Jack M. (2006) Library 2.0: The next generation of Web-based library services. Logos, 17(3), p. 139-145. Retrieved on Library Literature on March 26, 2007.

"Blog." Merriam Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved on April 3, 2007 from http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/blog

Netscape. What is a mash-up and why are they good? Netscape Gadgets & Tech. Retrieved on on April 3, 2007 from http://tech.netscape.com/story/2006/08/16/what-is-a-mashup-and-why-they-are-good

O’Reilly, Tim. (2005). What is web 2.0? Design patterns and business models for the next generation of software. Retrieved on April 4, 2007 from http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html%20on%20April%201,

Wikipedia. Web 2.0. Retrieved on March 29, 2007
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0

Wikipedia. Wikis. Retrieved from on March 29, 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikis%20on%20March%2030