Web 2.0 and Libraries

7

Meeting the challenge

Liz Hart

Introduction

This chapter will provide a brief overview of the technological changes and developments that have enabled Web 2.0 to happen and, more importantly, some of the individual and social changes that have come about as a result. The general impact of Web 2.0 will be evaluated mainly in the context of the role of libraries and the information professional.

There is frequently little agreement about what Web 2.0 constitutes even though it has been around for five years. Arguably, the most definitive paper appeared in 2005 from Tim O’Reilly (2005). In ‘What is Web 2.0?’ he postulates commencement of Web 2.0 from the bursting of the dot.com bubble in 2001. In a conference brainstorming session in 2003 ...