How to Use Web 2.0 in Your Library

Citation

Buxton, A. (2008), "How to Use Web 2.0 in Your Library", Program: electronic library and information systems, Vol. 42 No. 1, pp. 80-81. https://doi.org/10.1108/00330330810851645

A first glance at the index of this book revealed many strange and bizarre names – Ajaxilicious, Blogtronix, ChaCha, Doggdot, Eskobo, etc. However, in the preface the writer thanks his wife for bringing cups of tea, which seems a nice homely and reassuring touch. In fact this was a fair indication of the book overall – many new and strange services, but always treated in a human‐centred, down‐to‐earth manner. Sometimes he slips in a little philosophy, e.g. the need to move from a situation where “good enough” becomes more important than “perfect”, and the fact that a community is going to have different ideas and interests from those of the original designer is just “the way of the world”.

The ether is buzzing with news and discussion of Web 2.0 and I looked particularly for relevance to libraries as a distinguishing feature. I was not disappointed: every chapter included a section on library applications. Two have “interviews” with librarians who have implemented the technologies – from the Johnson County Library in Kansas on Flickr and San Mateo County Library in California on instant messaging. There is an excellent chapter on implementing Web 2.0 including how to involve colleagues, technical support and management as well as expectations, promotion (of the service) and how to keep current. The criteria for including a resource are that the author uses it himself, thinks it is useful for other librarians, or knows other librarians who have used it.

There can be few librarians or information specialists who would not benefit from reading this book, wherever they are in the use of Web technologies. It is frustrating to read it away from a network connection because you will keep coming across new things to try out, though there are quite a few screenshots – which help. Bradley always takes a pragmatic, practical and personal approach, and is at pains to clarify new concepts by comparing and contrasting, e.g. weblogs and traditional websites, or lenses, portals and wikis. The instant messaging (IM) chapter is one of the best. After explaining what IM is he considers how to choose which system, depending on your level of experience, precautions to take, dos and don'ts, concerns about dealing with the volume of requests, what to offer and to whom, the infrastructure, and then the interview (by IM?) referred to above.

Inevitably, this is a book that will soon age, as services change, appear and disappear. The cut‐off date is 31 December 2006. However, the author has set up a companion website at www.zimbio.com/portal/How+to+use+Web+2.0+in+your+library using some of the resources mentioned to allow readers to update themselves, but also (in the spirit of Web 2.0) to notify other readers of new discoveries.

It is hard to think of any serious criticisms. Maybe the book would be better as a website, so that links can be followed instantly and accurately (some are quite complicated) and material can be updated. But then those who are not constantly online would not be able to dip in so easily. There are lists of URLs at the end of each chapter, which seem superfluous in the book as they add nothing to the text. There is little mention of copyright and only a passing mention of Creative Commons licences, which may not be familiar to all readers. One could argue about what should be included in Web 2.0, and no precise definition is offered. The “miscellaneous” chapter has a section on e‐mail services, which is old technology. It also shows the results of a catalogue card generator service, which brings us full circle!

Overall, this is essential reading for any librarians who want to keep their library relevant in the twenty‐first century.