Embracing Web 2.0: Challenges and Opportunities for Librarians

1. Web 2.0 Opportunities and challenges Phil Bradley http://www.philb.com

2. Personal Experiences of Web 2.0 • Who am I? • ‘Freelance librarian’ AKA Internet Consultant • Trainer • Writer • Speaker • ‘One man band’

3. I need… • To keep up to date with news • Explore new resources as they come out • Communicate the best of these to a wider audience • Store, use and make content available to clients and delegates on courses • Promote what I do • Stay at the forefront

4. My Start/Home page

5. Library Pageflakes

7. Home page - opportunities • Quick and easy to create • Share content with groups/world • Content is on the web • Multiple authors • No technical knowledge is required

8. Home page - challenges • Not ‘badged’ content • Who is responsible for the upkeep? • Investment of time and energy • Promoting the existence of the page(s)

9. Checking my news feeds

10. Feed hub

11. RSS feeds - opportunities • Almost instant information • A lot of information • Tailored to exactly what I want • Always available

12. RSS feeds - challenges • A lot of information – requirement to change reading/filtering habits • Always available • Always being updated

13. Checking del.icio.us

14. Libraries using delicious

15. Bookmarking - opportunities • Current awareness • Informing a community with one click • No reinventing the wheel • Add to webpages to increase currency

16. Bookmarking - challenges • Serendipity • No controlled vocabulary • Install links on to browsers • Limited to basic content (URL, tags etc)

17. Catching up with Twitter

18. Instant Messaging - opportunities • Saves time • Easy to use • Current information • Personal • Nothing to install • Outreach

19. Instant Messaging - challenges • No record of discussion (usually) • Concern over security • Are you really there?

20. Reading the news

21. Updating my weblog

22. Other library weblogs

23. Blogging - opportunities • Quick, easy, non-technical • Wide audience • Immediacy • Archival aspect • Promoting a ‘voice’ • A good way to communicate

24. Blogging - challenges • Difficult to control • Concern over comments • Immediacy • Taking information out of some hands

25. Using wikis and collaborative sites

26. Library example

27. Wikis - opportunities • Work ‘across borders’ • No technical knowledge required • Inclusive in nature • Create and amend content quickly and easily

28. Wikis - challenges • No badged or official content • Danger of inappropriate editing • Responsibility • Authority • Accuracy

29. Social Networking

30. Social Networking - opportunities • Speed • Informality • Creation of groups/content is easy • Not technical • New applications • Promotion of groups/organizations/individuals

31. Social networking - challenges • Vampires! • Drain on time and resources • Limited control • Little authority • Informal

32. More opportunities • Who needs technical support? • Little cost involved • Mistakes are not costly • Greater control in the hands of the librarian • Focus on the end user • Activity, not tool oriented • Different ways of working (eg. Filtering)

33. More challenges • External hosting • Connectivity problems • Scary • Changing the culture • Anarchy • Re-inventing the wheel • Different ways of doing things (eg query answering)

34. What is the way forward? • Ignore Web 2.0 • Look at activities • Look at resources • Look at applications • Take a blended approach • Change the culture • Take control!

35. Thank you! • Email: philb@philb.com • Website: http://www.philb.com • Weblog: http://www.philbradley.typepad.com • Weblog: http://www.philbradley.typepad.com/i_want_to • Twitter: http://twitter.com/Philbradley • Presentations http://www.slideshare.net/Philbradley/