(This article reprinted from New England Libraries, Vol. 2, No. 4: May, 2006.)
Library 2.0
by Cheryl Bryan
Library 2.0 is a model for library service that reflects a transition within the library world in the way in which services are delivered to library users. Sarah Houghton (Librarian In Black) defines Library 2.0 this way:
Library 2.0 simply means making your library's space (virtual and physical) more interactive, collaborative, and driven by community needs. Examples of where to start include blogs, gaming nights for teens, and collaborative photo sites. The basic drive is to get people back into the library by making the library relevant to what they want and need in their daily lives…to make the library a destination and not an afterthought.
This redirection will be especially evident in electronic offerings such as OPAC configuration, online library services, and an increased flow of information from the user back to the library. With Library 2.0, library services are constantly updated and reevaluated to best serve library users. Library 2.0 also attempts to harness the library user in the design and implementation of library services by encouraging feedback and participation.
The concept of Library 2.0 borrows from that of Web 2.0, (the interactive, hot spot web) and follows some of the same philosophies underpinning that concept. Proponents of this concept expect that ultimately the Library 2.0 model for service will replace outdated, one-directional service offerings that have characterized libraries for centuries.
Additional resources:
- "Do Libraries Matter", by Ken Chad and Paul Miller of Talis
- Excellent list of references from a Paul Miller article
- ALA Techsource comment on Chad and Miller's blog entry (fascinating thread of comments at the bottom)
- Steven M. Cohen's "Library Stuff" blog entry
- Sarah Houghton's Librarian In Black blog
- Wikipedia entry for "Library 2.0"