Library 2.0 - using the power of Web 2.0 in libraries

So, how can we use these wonderful applications in today's public libraries. If you think of the Internet as a tool and not a means onto itself, we can see a way. Web 2.0 offers a way to centralize the institutional knoweldge that is lost when staff retire or leave. Wiki's are an important tool to integrate into many aspects of library work. Wether it is a reference wiki for tracking things once kept in rolodexes or a policy wiki for ILL guidelines and proceedures.

Blogs! blogs! blogs! I can't think of a single best and free way for a library to promote itself online. By blogging about what you do (and what you do best) the public will learn about all the services you have to offer. Blogs, once they take off, can be your number one way to market yourself.

My Space - want teens to use your library? Create a myspace account. It is the biggest social networking site out there and teens use it for everything. Put information of interest to teens on myspace and experiment with what happens.

Experiement with new tools. What new productivity tools are out there (either free or fee based) that will allow you to better collaborate within your branches or departments? www.protopage.com is one such example, but there are many more.

In the end, the library that embraces Library 2.0 will promote itself, offer the user the information when and where he needs it (IM Reference for instance) and provide value added content that only we librarians do best.

-Martin