Library 2.0

At some point in the too-near future, I will have to start interviewing for jobs. At some point during these interviews I will have to discuss up-and-coming issues librarianship in a somewhat intelligent manner.

This worries me.

While I feel I have a cursory understanding of various library-related issues, as yet I don’t quite qualify as a library guru. I think, or at least I hope, that my current knowledge of library issues falls somewhere above library quackery. However, when I start interviewing for jobs I should sound like I have the potential to be a library guru, even if I am pitiably far from being one now.

This all rolled through my mind when I saw “Web 2.0” and “Library 2.0” being discussed and mulled over in most of the recent issues of Library Journal and American Libraries. While skimming through all this, I began envisioning an uncomfortable interview in which an employer asks me to discuss implementation strategies for Library 2.0, and the only answer I can come up with is “ummmm…something with the Internet?” In her Library 2.0: A Librarian’s Perspective blog, Laura Cohen writes:

"So is knowledge of Library 2.0 a litmus test? For me, yes. I'm not saying we should hire only true believers. But I'm looking for awareness, knowledge and well-articulated opinions. This can spill over into other areas - openness to new ideas, willingness to keep up with change, interest in learning new skills, ability to weigh options and priorities, curiosity about the future of the profession, and more. Of course, knowledge of 2.0 is not the only indication of all these things. But it's a very good one."

Which means that I and other job seekers need to start studying. Here’s what I’ve come up with thus far:

Old-school libraries and the old-school Internet (Library 1.0 and Web 1.0, if you will) are characterized by content creation and dissemination. During the 1990s the Web was used to post information. In the past libraries have often been (but perhaps should not have been?) keepers and purveyors of information.

The Library 2.0 model is one which strives for more interaction and collaboration between libraries and their patrons, both in person and online.

Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 do not refer to a specific technology, but rather are a shift in the philosophy, mindset and/or mode of service in libraries and on the Web. The Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 models focus on user interactivity and collaboration, rather than simple content creation and dissemination. Think of blogs, wikis, tagging, social networking sites, and other Web interfaces and technologies which promote online collaboration. How can these and other Web-based resources be used to promote the library and encourage patron interaction? What can libraries do “off-line” to support the principles of Library 2.0?

So what can libraries do to be “more 2.0”?

They can actively seek out patrons comments and suggestions for improving library services, and then follow through on those suggestions

They can take the library to where the patrons are: senior centers, university dorms, shopping centers (the Genessee District Library has a branch at the Genesee Valley mall in Flint, Michigan), MySpace, and in patrons’ Second Life.

They can adopt or borrow ideas from the Web which work.

They can turn their static Web pages into blogs. They are (in my opinion) easier for staff to quickly update, and offer the opportunity for patrons to post comments and participate in their libraries. The Ann Arbor District Library web site (http://www.aadl.org/) is frequently mentioned in Library 2.0 literature, as well it should be. In addition to all the regular functions, the AADL catalog features tagging (user-generated subjects) and audio, video, and book blogs. My favorite feature in the catalog, which I first read about in the September 1, 2006 issue of Library Journal, is that on each record there is a link to a “virtual” catalog card. Users can make notes and comments (such as “this books sucks!” or “if you like this, try reading…”) on the virtual catalog cards (there are varying styles of cards and handwriting).


They can bring their book clubs into the 2.0 world by creating online discussion forums on their Web site. This would extend the libraries events to those who cannot make it to the physical book club, and would also keep patrons coming back to the library’s Web site.

Feeling the thrill or trepidation of Library 2.0? Learn more by exploring these resources:

Articles
Anderson, C. (2004). The long tail. Wired Magazine. Retrieved on May 20, 2007 from http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.10/tail.html

Casey, M. E. & Savastinuk, L. C. (2006). Library 2.0. Library Journal, 131 (14), (pp?).

Huwe, T. K. (2007). Surfing the Library 2.0 wave. Computers in Libraries, 27 (1), 36-38.

O’Reilly, T. (2005). What is Web 2.0: Design patterns and business models for the next generation of software. Retrieved May 20, 2007 from http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html

Stephens, M. (2006). Exploring Web 2.0 and libraries. Library Technology Reports, 42 (4), 8-14.

Blogs
ALA Techsource: http://www.techsource.ala.org/
Library 2.0: An Academic’s Perspective: http://liblogs.albany.edu/library20/
Library Crunch: http://www.librarycrunch.com/
The Shifted Librarian: http://www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/
Tame the Web: http://www.tametheweb.com/
TechCrunch: http://www.techcrunch.com/

Books
Page 41 of the April 2007 issue of Information Today provides a bounty of books of books the company is selling which are applicable to Library 2.0. A few of the more interesting titles are:

Casey, M. E. & Savastinuk, L. C. (2007). Library 2.0: a guide to participatory library service. Medford, N.J.: Information Today.

Farkas, M. (2007). Social software in libraries: Building collaboration, communication, and community online. Medford, N.J.: Information Today.

Block, M. (2007). The thriving library: Successful strategies for challenging times. Medford, N.J.: Information Today.