InfoTech Column

Information Outlook, December 2005 Issue

Web 2.0 – Huh?! Library 2.0, Librarian 2.0

Recently I was asked if some software applications I was involved in were Web
2.0 compliant. This was amusing and distressing on so many levels. It’s
amusing because what is being called Web 2.0 isn’t a ‘standard’ in almost any
sense of the word. It’s distressing because it shows how quickly a conversation
becomes an expectation in today’s world. This is a perfect example of the power
of the 95 theses of the Cluetrain Manifesto. You can remind yourself about these
at http://www.cluetrain.com/. The major thesis is number one – “Markets are
conversations.” Anyway, I thought it might be useful to devote this month’s
column to a little information on Web 2.0 and its newborn babies, Library 2.0 and
Librarian 2.0. And why should you read this column? You’ve heard it all before
but in a few years these Web. 2.0 conversations have the power to drive huge
transformations in our media landscape and therefore our life, work, and play
environments. Sigh.

Web 2.0

According to some sources, the term Web 2.0 has been around since about
October 2004. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (gotta love the price) it is
defined as:

“Web 2.0 is a term often applied to a perceived ongoing transition of the

World Wide Web from a collection of websites to a full-fledged computing
platform serving web applications to end users. Ultimately Web 2.0
services are expected to replace desktop computing applications for many
purposes. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0)”

I think Web 2.0 goes much further than this, actually beyond an application focus.
It’s really about the ‘hot’ web. I am talking here about ‘hot’ in the McLuhanesque
sense of the hot and cold or warm and cool aspects of technology. What makes
the web warmer or hotter? Interactivity. Of course the web is already interactive
in a cooler sense. You can click and get results. You can send e-mail and get
responses. You can go to websites and surf. The old World Wide Web was
based on the "Web 1.0" paradigm of websites, email, search engines and
surfing. Web 2.0 is about the more human aspects of interactivity. It’s about
conversations, interpersonal networking, personalization, and individualism. In
the special library world this has relevance not just to the public web but also to
intranets and the imperative for greater social cohesiveness in virtual teams and
global content engagement. Plain intranets and plain websites are fast becoming
old stuff, just so last century. The emerging modern user needs the experience
of the web, and not just content, to learn and succeed. Context is the word of the
day here. Such technologies as are listed below serve as the emerging
foundation for Web. 2.0:

• RSS (really simple syndication)

• Wiki
• New and revised programming methods like AJAX and API’s
• Blogs and blogging
• Commentary and comments functionality
• Personalization and “My Profile” features
• Podcasting and MP3 files
• Streaming media audio and video formats
• Reviews and user driven ratings
• Personalized Alerts
• Web Services
• Instant messaging and virtual reference including co-browsing.
• Folksonomies, Tagging and tag clouds
• Photos (e.g. Flickr, Picasa)
• Social networking software
• Open Access, Open Source, Open Content
• Socially driven content
• Social bookmarking

The technology infrastructure of Web 2.0 is complex, constantly in flux and really
in a Renaissance mode. It includes server software, content syndication,
messaging protocols, standards-based browsers, and various client applications.
This is fundamentally about a transition of the website and e-mail-centric world
from one that is mostly about information (and largely text information) to one
where the content is combined with functionality and targeted applications. Web
2.0 could be seen as the web becoming a computing platform for serving up web
applications to end users but I believe that this is a too geek-centric point of view.
It’s primarily about a much higher level of interactivity and deeper user
experiences which are enabled by the recent advances in web software
combined with insights into the transformational aspects of the Internet. Web 2.0
is ultimately about a social phenomenon - not just about networked social
experiences but about the distribution and creation of Web content itself,
“characterized by open communication, decentralization of authority, freedom to
share and re-use, and the market as a conversation.” To enable this new world
we will see a more organized web with a plethora of new modalities of
categorized content and more developed deeplinking web architecture and a
greater variety of web display modes like visualization. Ultimately this will result
in another shift in economic value of the web, potentially equalling that of the
dotcom boom and, probably driving an even higher level of social, political,
institutional, and economic disruption.

What is truly exciting is that Web 2.0 is just the title of a conversation. There is
no standard (at least not just a single one). We can all participate. To the detail
oriented this conversation may be too high in the stratosphere with enough
concrete recommendations, and to the theoretically inclined it may remain too
visionary for real implementation. Among all of us, it is worth following. Web 2.0
is probably the series title of the most important conversation of our age and one
whose impacts will likely be truly transformational on a global scale.

Web 3.0

There is even discussion and dreaming about a 'Web 3.0'. One could speculate
that the Google / Sun Microsystems alliance to create a web-based operating
system for applications like word processing and spreadsheets is an early
indicator of this trend. Perhaps it’s something like the Croquet Project which is
very exciting and worth looking reviewing (http://www.opencroquet.org/). It is a
potential scenario of what Web 3.0 might look like. Web 3.0 will probably be
even more distributed in form than web 2.0 and maybe some of the Web 2.0
applications will disappear or merge with a new integrated whole. Web Services
or the emerging semantic web may replace such things as social networking
sites and repositories.

Library 2.0

In the special library and information professional world, we generally deal with a
savvier audience of users relative to the general consumer, and, indeed, an
easier to name and identify target. This means that what our most critical users
don’t know about or use, we can inform them and train them in the newest
technologies that can have an impact on their success. For those users who can
quickly become comfortable using technologies such as wikis, RSS, instant
messaging, news aggregators and blogs, we can help them to leverage these in
making a difference in reaching their goals and your institutional or enterprise
goals.

Library 2.0 is another ‘conversation’. This narrative is around the concept of how
to use the Web 2.0 opportunities in a library environment. It’s an exciting
concept and one which can create a conversation that creates the next
generation of library websites, databases, OPACs, intranets and portals in a way
that is allows the end user to thrive and survive (and libraries along with them!).

Clearly every one of the technologies listed in Web 2.0 above – RSS, Wikis,
blogging, personalization, podcasting, streaming media, ratings, alerts,
folksonomies, tagging, social networking software and the rest – could be useful
in an enterprise environment and could be driven or introduced by the library.
Yes, I know that many of these are used individually in many of your
environments. The beauty of Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 is the level of integration
and interoperability that is designed into the interface through your portal or
intranet. That’s where the real power to enhance the user experience is. In
order to take advantage of the concepts inherent in Library 2.0 is the imperative
to not shy away from adding advanced functionality and features directly into the
content. This would provide the context and workflow-oriented features that
users will demand or are demanding already. Recently there has been a blog-
based discussion about the need for renewed functionality in the ILS (integrated
library system) and the OPAC. John Blyberg, has promulgated an ILS Customer
Bill of Rights which asks for four things:
1. Open, read-only, direct access to the database.
2. A full-blown, W3C standards-based API to all read-write functions
3. The option to run the ILS on hardware of our choosing, on servers that we
administer
4. High security standards
While this list is largely focused on the systems librarian needs list it does provide
a foundation for Library 2.0 for end-users as long as we have Librarian 2.0 in
place. Many of the requested aspects of Library 2.0 are already available in the
ILS interfaces for those who choose to update to current versions. It just requires
Librarian 2.0 to happen!

Librarian 2.0

Librarian 2.0 is the guru of the information age. Librarian 2.0 strives to

• Understand the power of the Web 2.0 opportunities.

• Learns the major tools of Web 2.0 and Library 2.0.
• Combines e-resources and print formats and is container and format
agnostic.
 • Is device independent and uses and delivers to everything from laptops to
PDAs to iPods.
• Develops targeted federated search and adopts the OpenURL standard.
• Connects people and technology and information in context.
• Doesn’t shy away from non-traditional cataloguing and classification and
chooses tagging, folksonomies and user-driven content descriptions
where appropriate.
• Embraces non-textual information and the power of pictures, moving
images, sight and sound.
• Understands the ‘long tail’ and leverages the power of old and new
content.
• Sees the potential in using content sources like the Open Content
Alliance, Google Print and OpenWorldCat.
• Connects users up to expert discussions, conversations and communities
of practice and participates there as well.
• Uses and develops advanced social networks to enterprise advantage.
• Connects with everyone using their communication mode of choice –
telephone, Skype, IM, SMS, e-mail, virtual reference, etc.
• Encourages user driven metadata and user developed content and
commentary.
• Understands the wisdom of crowds and the real roles and impacts of the
blogosphere, web syndicasphere and wikisphere.

First and foremost, Librarian 2.0 understands their users at a deep level – not
just as pointers and clickers. Librarian 2.0 understands end users deeply in
terms of their goals and aspirations, workflows, and social and content needs,
and more. Librarian 2.0 is where the user is, when the user is there. This is an
immersion environment that special librarians are eminently qualified to
contribute to. SLA, with our CLICK University, should be well prepared to help
our members to acquire and improve these skills and competencies.

It is essential that we start preparing to become Librarian 2.0 now. The Web 2.0
movement is laying the groundwork for exponential business growth and another
major shift in the way our users live, work and play. We have the ability, insight
and knowledge to influence the creation of this new dynamic – and guarantee the
future of our profession. Librarian 2.0 – now.

Stephen Abram, MLS is Vice President, Innovation for SirsiDynix. He is an SLA

Fellow and the past president of the Ontario Library Association and the
immediate past president of the Canadian Library Association. In June 2003 he
was awarded SLA’s John Cotton Dana Award. This column contains Stephen's
personal perspectives and does not necessarily represent the opinions or
positions of SirsiDynix. Stephen would love to hear from you at
[email protected].