Thing 2: What is Web 2.0

.......and Why Should I Care?

Searching through various websites, blogs and articles on Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 I came across an article written a couple of years ago in Library Journal that seemed to answer this question for me and hopefully will help explain it to the skeptics out there in library land that can't understand why a library would need to incorporate this type of technology.

"While not required, technology can help libraries create a customer-driven, 2.0 environment. Web 2.0 technologies have played a significant role in our ability to keep up with the changing needs of library users. Technological advances in the past several years have enabled libraries to create new services that before were not possible, such as virtual reference, personalized OPAC interfaces, or downloadable media that library customers can use in the comfort of their own homes. This increase in available technologies gives libraries the ability to offer improved, customer-driven service opportunities." (Library Journal, 2006)

To read the entire article go to http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6365200.html

Web 2.0 has changed how we understand and relate to information profoundly and permanently. We can’t close our eyes or ignore the technology and think that libraries will remain unaffected by it. Rather, it presents us with the opportunity to reach non-library users on their turf (or PC). This technology should be the moving force for us to reevaluate how we do business in what is certain to be a dramatically different information landscape.