Collaborative Technologies in

Libraries: Moving Toward Web 2.0

Presented by:
Heidi E. Hansen
LIS 7430
April 23, 2007
 What is Web 2.0?

“Web 2.0 is the next incarnation of the World Wide

Web, where digital tools allow users to create, change,
and publish dynamic content of all kinds.”
- Stephens, M. (2006). Exploring Web 2.0 and
Libraries. Library Technology Reports , 42 (4), 8-14.
Web 2.0 is Interactive
Peer Production and Collaboration are at the heart of
Web 2.0
“Open Source Goes Mainstream”
Web 2.0 is a Buzzword
 Web 2.0 Glossary
 AJAX: An acronym for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML; a building block of Web 2.0
Web sites that imbeds features into the pages.
 API: Application Programming Interface; the means in which various platforms and
databases can interact.
 Blogosphere: The online world of Weblogs, more commonly referred to as blogs.
 Commenting: Commenting in blogs allows readers to type responses to the original posts
and publish them to the blog.
 Folksonomy: Signifies a set of keywords or tags assigned not by librarians or knowledge
workers but by everyday people, tagging their own content online.
 The Long Tail: The idea, coined by Chris Anderson in Wired, that niche markets
outweigh the biggest bestseller.
 Mash Ups: Remixing and reusing content to make something new, such as a mash up of
Google maps and library locations, programmed via APIs
 Tag Cloud: a graphical representation of tags and the number of uses of each tag for a
blog.
 Tagging: Assigning keywords or subject to a blog post, Flickr image, etc.
- Stephens, M. (2006). Exploring Web 2.0 and Libraries. Library Technology Reports , 42 (4),
8-14.
 Peer Production

Concept in Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration

Changes Everything
Peer Production already exists in Open Source
Open Source Grows Up
 Not Just for Geeks Anymore
 Usable
 Reliable

 Novell Linux Commercial

 The “Prosumers”

 Term first Introduced in 1980 in Alvin Toffler’s book The Third Wave
 Prosumer is a “Mashup”
 Combination of Consumers and Producers

 “Prosumers [treat] the world as a place for creation, not consumption.

This new way of learning and interacting means they will treat the
world as a stage for their own innovations.”
- Tapscott, D., & Williams, A. D. (2006). Wikinomics: How Mass
Collaboration Changes Everything. New York: Portfolio/Penguin
Group.
 Web 2.0 is moving offline, participants expect more from commercial
products
 Hacking PSP, iPods, and Mobile Phones
 Personalization of Consumer Products
 Will not settle for products they cannot “tinker” with
 Expect interaction at every level
 Collaboration & Open Source in Libraries

 Library 2.0
 Similar to how Web 2.0 harnesses the collective participation of users, Library 2.0
encourages patron feedback and participation
 Library 2.0 extends Web 2.0 offline; focus on community participation and
improved library services
 Robust Open Source Solutions Help Librarians Innovate
 Low cost or free software
 Unlimited Licenses
 Easier to Use ‘Out of the Box’

 Examples of Open Source Alternatives

 Firefox (Web Browser)
 The Gimp (Image Editing)
 OpenOffice (Office Suite)
 Linux (Operating System)
- Gordon, R. S., & Stephens, M. (2006). Free Finds for Frugal Librarians. Computers
in Libraries , 26 (3), 44-45.
 Real World Library Wikis
 “A wiki is a server-based collaborative tool that allows any authorized users
to edit web pages and create new ones using nothing more than a Web
browser and a text entry form on a Web page.”
- Chawner, B., & Lewis, P. H. (2006). WikiWikiWebs: New Ways to
Communicate in a Web Environment. Information Technology and
Libraries , 25 (1), 33-43.
 Choosing a Wiki
 WikiMatrix: www.wikimatrix.org
 Subject Guides
 St. Joseph County Public Library (Media Wiki): http://
www.libraryforlife.org/subjectguides/index.php/Main_Page
 Special Interests
 Princeton Public Library Book Lovers Wiki (PBWiki): http://
booklovers.pbwiki.com/Princeton%20Public%20Library
 Instruction
 University of Conneticut Library Staff Wiki: http://wiki.lib.uconn.edu/wiki/Main_Page
 Community Information
 ArborWiki (MediaWikiwith Custom Theme): http://arborwiki.org/city/Main_Page
 Wiki Prayer

Please, grant me the serenity to accept the

pages I cannot edit,
The courage to edit the pages I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference