Next generation library services in context of Web 2.0
(Views shared at the Symposium on "Next generation libraries: opportunities and challenges" organized by KALA (Karnataka Library Association), at City Central Library, West Zone, Bangalore, INDIA, on October 29, 2010)
The experience with the literatures and implementation of web based services at SDMIMD I feel that the heart of Library 2.0 is user-centered change. At its most basic level, the Library 2.0 model gives library users a participatory role in the services offered and the way the services are used.
The Library 2.0 model seeks to harness our user’s knowledge to supplement and improve library services. This allows them to comment, write reviews, create their own tags and ratings, and sharing them with others through a more versatile OPAC interface. Ultimately, this creates a more informative product for subsequent users. Users want to know what their neighbors are reading, listening to, and watching.
Some examples of the Library 2.0 services which may be considered for this discussion are:
• Email and Q&A Chat reference; Facebook pages
• Text-based tutorials Streaming media tutorials with interactive databases
• Email lists Blogs, Wikis, RSS Feeds
An important development that will undoubtedly influence the future course, not only of open source ILS, but also commercial vendor offerings, is the OLE Project (www.oleproject.org), led by the Duke University with funding from the Andrew Mellon Foundation. The Project is expected to define a next-generation technology environment based on a thoroughly re-examined model of library operations, based on service-oriented architectures and workflows that facilitate the reuse of modules in an ILS, and to connect to other enterprise technology systems such as Learning Management Systems, ERPs, subject portals, e-Journal publishers database, etc., this greater degree of interoperability is based on Open Standards and permit access to winder information base and to avoid unnecessary duplication of similar data across applications. This is a small example in which the contemporary library technology projects are in place to bring the Web 2.0 features in library services. The other projects of the similar line are eXtensible Catalogue Project, Recommendations of the Digital Library Foundation, National Information Standard Organizations (NISO) and OCLS’s project to move web-spaced platform using cloud computing.
Libraries have a tendency to plan, implement, and forget. Parallel to this, no matter how hard we try, many of the services we offer are not being used by a majority of our population. So, before jumping into conclusion please ask yourself - is your library ready for this type of shift? – When I asked several librarians, overwhelmingly, the answer is NO. This is because launching such Library 2.0 features often brings unique challenges to librarians, administrators, and patrons. These include: technological constraints, issues of accessibility and diversity, staffing, cost, copyright concerns, privacy and the overall impact on the nature and culture of the library itself.
Coming to the Library 2.0 services, I opine that any service, physical or virtual, that successfully reaches users, that can be evaluated frequently, and makes use of user input is a Library 2.0 service. Even older, traditional services can be Library 2.0 if criteria are met. Similarly, being new is not enough to make a service Library 2.0.
Many current library OPACs tied to the ILS vendor are librarian-centric do not provide the discovery experience that users are accustomed to in collateral systems such as Amazon.com, eBay, Google, LibraryThing and other social networking applications. User centric OPAC is the gateway for the Library 2.0 services. If we keep our content locked up on in our own web sites and don't get it out there for people to use as they want to use it, then our content will fall by the wayside.
To meet the needs of information users of SDMIMD, the library has the following initiatives in action –
• Blog – Blogspot (http://sdmimd.blogspot.com/)
• Open Journal System – SDM Journal of Management
• Learning Management System - Moodle
• OS Integrated library system – NewGenLib (http://opac.sdmimd.ac.in)
• Content Management System – Drupal (www.sdmimd.ac.in)
• Instant Messaging
Coming to today’s panel discussion, I think the goal of the panel is to help the information professionals to navigate this terrain technology to foster the creation of innovative Library 2.0 services for their users, and reveal areas that require further attention by the profession and academia alike.
The experience with the literatures and implementation of web based services at SDMIMD I feel that the heart of Library 2.0 is user-centered change. At its most basic level, the Library 2.0 model gives library users a participatory role in the services offered and the way the services are used.
The Library 2.0 model seeks to harness our user’s knowledge to supplement and improve library services. This allows them to comment, write reviews, create their own tags and ratings, and sharing them with others through a more versatile OPAC interface. Ultimately, this creates a more informative product for subsequent users. Users want to know what their neighbors are reading, listening to, and watching.
Some examples of the Library 2.0 services which may be considered for this discussion are:
• Email and Q&A Chat reference; Facebook pages
• Text-based tutorials Streaming media tutorials with interactive databases
• Email lists Blogs, Wikis, RSS Feeds
An important development that will undoubtedly influence the future course, not only of open source ILS, but also commercial vendor offerings, is the OLE Project (www.oleproject.org), led by the Duke University with funding from the Andrew Mellon Foundation. The Project is expected to define a next-generation technology environment based on a thoroughly re-examined model of library operations, based on service-oriented architectures and workflows that facilitate the reuse of modules in an ILS, and to connect to other enterprise technology systems such as Learning Management Systems, ERPs, subject portals, e-Journal publishers database, etc., this greater degree of interoperability is based on Open Standards and permit access to winder information base and to avoid unnecessary duplication of similar data across applications. This is a small example in which the contemporary library technology projects are in place to bring the Web 2.0 features in library services. The other projects of the similar line are eXtensible Catalogue Project, Recommendations of the Digital Library Foundation, National Information Standard Organizations (NISO) and OCLS’s project to move web-spaced platform using cloud computing.
Libraries have a tendency to plan, implement, and forget. Parallel to this, no matter how hard we try, many of the services we offer are not being used by a majority of our population. So, before jumping into conclusion please ask yourself - is your library ready for this type of shift? – When I asked several librarians, overwhelmingly, the answer is NO. This is because launching such Library 2.0 features often brings unique challenges to librarians, administrators, and patrons. These include: technological constraints, issues of accessibility and diversity, staffing, cost, copyright concerns, privacy and the overall impact on the nature and culture of the library itself.
Coming to the Library 2.0 services, I opine that any service, physical or virtual, that successfully reaches users, that can be evaluated frequently, and makes use of user input is a Library 2.0 service. Even older, traditional services can be Library 2.0 if criteria are met. Similarly, being new is not enough to make a service Library 2.0.
Many current library OPACs tied to the ILS vendor are librarian-centric do not provide the discovery experience that users are accustomed to in collateral systems such as Amazon.com, eBay, Google, LibraryThing and other social networking applications. User centric OPAC is the gateway for the Library 2.0 services. If we keep our content locked up on in our own web sites and don't get it out there for people to use as they want to use it, then our content will fall by the wayside.
To meet the needs of information users of SDMIMD, the library has the following initiatives in action –
• Blog – Blogspot (http://sdmimd.blogspot.com/)
• Open Journal System – SDM Journal of Management
• Learning Management System - Moodle
• OS Integrated library system – NewGenLib (http://opac.sdmimd.ac.in)
• Content Management System – Drupal (www.sdmimd.ac.in)
• Instant Messaging
Coming to today’s panel discussion, I think the goal of the panel is to help the information professionals to navigate this terrain technology to foster the creation of innovative Library 2.0 services for their users, and reveal areas that require further attention by the profession and academia alike.
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