Building a Library Web Site on the Pillars of Web 2.0

Title: Building a Library Web Site on the Pillars of Web 2.0
Author: Karen A. Coombs
Publisher: Information today, Inc.
URL: http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/jan07/Coombs.shtml


Abstract

Websites nowadays has become more interactive and drastically changing the face of communication. Past years updating websites will consume almost half day of your work and before the day ends another event needed to be updated. Now, technology and information science has taken its leap in managing, updating, controlling websites that would help people in the information science and technology make their work more interactive, creative and meaningful. Using Web 2.0 in building libraries is another way of transforming not only the life of the user but at the same time the designer into a life of open communication and interaction between the user and the designer.

Web 2.0 in the library enables the librarians to be more involve in the life of their users by personally putting their own inputs in the library’s website. The new system also enables the library to be connected with other web-based system like 2.0. The inclusion of podcast, weblogs and other 2.0 features helps the librarians to stay connected to the people they are serving.

Like other social networking sites, library websites with web 2.0 based applications literally involved their users by allowing them to be part of the contributing factor of information thru weblogs and other interactive features.

Communication is always been a two-way process, websites are means of communication. Using web 2.0 in the library’s website would really exemplify a tool in improving the communication of information resource.

Three things I learned

1. Web 2.0 is an important tool in not just making our websites cool and interactive, but also a way of hearing our user's opinion about our services.

2. Web 2.0 based library websites also helps its staff to be more interactive and dynamic in their  job

3. Web 2.0 can be use by any trained librarian even without much IT experience. 

Application/Implication of the new things I learned to my work/to me as a person

I believe as a librarian there is no excuse for us not to improve our services in the library. There are lots of innovation available when it comes to improving the quality of services we offer to our client, this means that we can now take a bigger step in reaching and hearing them out. 

Personally, I haven't use of this kind of technology in our website though I've been using this application, I wasn't aware that this application has greater impact in the resource information community. In the future, I will definitely try my best to be more knowledgeable in this application.