Thing 15

The article that I found really useful in thinking about Web2.0 and Library 2.0 is—

“What is Web 2.0, Design patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software” by Tim O’Reilly Published on O’Reilly http://www.oreilly.com 09/30/2005
http://www.oreillynet.com/lpt/a/6228

Perhaps I needed to understand Web 2.0 first before I could think about Library 2.0. I am struck by the democratization of the information/research/publication/communication world that Web 2.0 represents and all the ways in which the public, the lay person and the non-expert are enabled and encouraged to participate. One of the seven principles that distinguish Web 2.0 from Web 1.0 that O’Reilly lists is the “Harnessing [of] Collective Intelligence—The central principle behind the success of the giants born in the Web 1.0 era who have survived to lead the Web 2.0 era appears to be this, that they have embraced the power of the web to harness collective intelligence.” Examples of this process include wikis, blogs, Amazon customer reviews and lists, data gathered as a customer uses an application whether they intentionally contribute information or not.
The article by Michael Stephens, “Into a new world of librarianship” begins with “Librarians 2.0 plan for their users…This librarian bases all planning and proposals for services, materials and outreach on user needs and wants…This involves users from the get go in planning and launching services based on their needs.” Stephen continues to list the ways in which Librarian 2.0 involves the user in planning and decision making-a process that makes the user a trusted collaborator. I wonder how LCPL might gather and use more public input from all of the diverse communities in Loudoun County.