Library 2.0

In Jack M Maness’ paper "Library 2.0 Theory: Web 2.0 and Its Implications For Libraries", the concept of Web 2.0 and the newer theory of a Library 2.0 concept are examined. By their very name, these are seen to be upgrades or improvements of both the Web and Library practice, and involve a rethinking of the structure of both the web and web based information accessed by libraries. The paper suggests, that the term "Web 2.0" made popular in 2004 by Tim O'Reilly and Dale Dougherty of O'Reilly Media, refers to those web based technologies that are more user involved, in that the user helps to create and disseminate the information as well as consume it. A perfect example of a Web 2.0 site is Wikipedia, where the users of this online encyclopedia are also able to create entries and edit existing entries. Maness defines Library 2.0 as "a user-centered virtual community" or "a Web manifestation of the library as place".

The main aspect of Library 2.0 theory is the inclusion of users in the process, the sense of an increased amount of communication between not only within the groups of users and from librarian to user but also the reverse, user to librarian. A "family feel" if you will.
Library 2.0’s key elements are therefore a sense of interactivity and increasing the level of authority of the user. For example, Wikipedia’s ability to be edited by all users. Sarah Houghton, on her blog Librarian In Black, defines Library 2.0 by saying

"Library 2.0 simply means making your library’s space (virtual and physical) more interactive, collaborative, and driven by community needs. Examples of where to start include blogs, gaming nights for teens, and collaborative photo sites. The basic drive is to get people back into the library by making the library relevant to what they want and need in their daily lives…to make the library a destination and not an afterthought."

This definition has been claimed by many of the writers of Library 2.0 as a working definition, although there is still many debates on the concept. I prefer the definition by Houghton as it stresses what I see as the primary feature of Library 2.0, those of interactive communication and collaboration of librarians and users, the focus on offering relevant content based on a community’s needs, and the sense Library 2.0 gives of being unlimited in its potential.