LIBRARY 2.0 - OPPORTUNITIES FOR LIBRARIES

Library 2.0 simply means "making your library's space (virtual & physical) more interactive, collaborative and driven by community needs.
The basic drive is to get people back into the library by making it relevant to what they want and need in their daily lives....to make the library a destination and not an afterthought".... Sarah Houghton ( Lib).

The key principles of Library 2.0 are not just about access to books and information.

Library 2.0 is about innovation, about people, and about community building, enabled through the participation that social computing brings.
It achieves this through trust and encouraging users to share ideas through writing, rating, and commenting against everything in the library's collection.

I stand just to the right on the Library 2.0 spectrum.

Completing Library2.0 has increased my awareness and interest in the vast array of social networking tools available and has motivated me to explore further.

I believe Sutherland Library utilises aspects of Library2.0 very effectively in that they use Blogs, RSS feeds and Flickr and about to provide downloadable audio.
I can see where Podcasts/Vodcasts on tutorials, guest speaker talks, guided tours, childrens' activities would enable users the flexibility to view at their leisure.

Myspace/Facebook would be a good medium to post a newsletter to teens/young adults or appeal to different interest groups. This tool would require high maintenance by very dedicated staff to keep it current.

IT staff would need to be supportive of Library 2.0 in all aspects to continue to make it a viable and ongoing proposition.

I believe , in the 21st century, library professionals will encounter a world where playing with a new tool, experiencing things without fear of failure and spending time trendspotting and keeping and eye on emergent technologies will be built into our jobs.

We'll be expected to play. We'll be expected to be connected. We'll be expected to collaborate with each other and our users.

To be successful, we'll need to understand how social networks impact our libraries and our profession.

The most effective libraries of the future will be those that seek to make a personal and emotional connection with users.

MY SPACE, FACEBOOK & SOCIAL NETWORKS

Myspace and Facebook being Social Networks are online communities that provide a place for people to connect with friends, meet new friends, plan their social lives, discover new music, trends or interests, and express themselves creatively.

Myspace profiles at some American Public Library's clearly target a teen audience, such as Denvers'... eVolver ...advertising tutor help, teen survey results, music reviews by teens, heroes & music.

Hennepin and Topeka & Shawnee County Libraries appear to target a wider audience...teens to adults. Advertising includes... book group events, book reviews, new books & DVD's, job vacancies and author visits.

These sites allow users to obtain information and explore their community. They allow members to see who is connected to whom.

Myspace & Facebook are high traffic sites... popular with the Internet generation. They are engaging as they create community, share content and collaborate with others ... which libraries are doing.

Myspaces' home page, showing...Browse, Search, Invite, Favourites, Forum, Groups, Events, Blog, Games & Music... shows alignment with what libraries are presently doing... virtually and physically.

One way for Librarians' to be present on Facebook without intruding on the personal connection of "friending" students/patrons is by creating groups and posting information to the groups. Students can use Facebook to collaborate on class projects for instance.

Our library could have a Myspace profile as member profiles are publicly available. It would need to be maintained and edited regularly by committed staff members for currency of information.

It could include : new additions to collection, reading lists, book reviews, author visits, study groups, book clubs , community feedback.

We could aim to "friend"... other libraries, authors, professional groups, students, teachers.

Best thing I've seen other libraries do on Myspace : placing "Interest Groups" on profile( by category), which connects like-minded people with each other.

SUMMARY

According to Assoc. Prof. Edward Castronova, Indiana Uni." When a library selects a social network and utilises it, it results in better services and communications with their users." Users are given a new way to be involved and participate in the library.

Never before has the technology been available to so connect questions with answers, patrons with libraries.

If libraries act on their heritage as places for intellectual improvement, social interaction and cultural cohesion there is a great future for them.