Interactive map byIsmael Pena Lopez

A Librarian’s 2.0 Manifesto

 

Laura Cohen delineated the major Library 2.0 concepts way back in 2006, in her video above, and most are still relevant today.

Definitions for Library 2.0 get a little nebulous, and we tend to think of it as just Web 2.0, in a library. This post tries to find a distinction between the two terms.

First, O’Reilly’s (2005) seven principles of Web 2.0:

(1) The Web as Platform; (2) Harnessing Creative Intelligence; (3) Data is the next Intel inside; (4) End of Software Release Cycle; (5) Lightweight software models; (6) Software above the level of a single device; and (7) Rich User Experience.

Is Library 2.0 just a made-up term, or does it really mean something? Maness (2006) thinks so. He feels that Library 2.0 is user-centric, has multimedia, is socially rich and communally innovative. But is it simply a subset of Web 2.0? Or are these just characteristics?

My (ideal) concept of Library 2.0 is that it’s a massive push to get the library beyond the one-dimensional, catalogued concept of information.

Library 2.0 uses the common Web 2.0 tools: wikis, blogs, streaming video, social networks, folksonomies, RSS, Twitter, and the inevitable mashups. Its aim is to enrich the way libraries present information to patrons. So I made up a list that summarizes Library 2.0’s implications, at least as I see them now. Hopefully my list will grow!

  • Tech-savy librarians take on tasks traditionally done by IT.
  • Creating blogs, websites, pathfinders, wikis are commonplace tasks.
  • Mobile devices will continue to proliferate and be used to access the library website/catalog.
  • Instant messaging continues to explode as a way to interact with librarians.
  • The blogosphere will be a continual challenge to sift through, qualify, judge…
  • On-line information will become (or already is) the norm.
  • Distance learning: information literacy classes will be on-line
  • e-books will proliferate – librarians must negotiate best terms for vendor contracts
  • Cloud Computing will compete with Open Source
  • There will always be Privacy concerns
  • Libraries will enrich OPAC records with with pictures, sound, articles, and reviews from various internet providers (see Scriblio, a WordPress plugin)
  • Librarians will create social networks (book clubs, interest groups, etc.)
  • The library home page itself will become a social network.