Library Revolution

Here is a great article on Wired techbiz. At the heart of the discussion is this quote from Tim O’Reilly:

One of the big changes at the heart of web 2.0 is the shift from the creation of software artifacts, which is what the PC revolution was about, to the creation of software services. These are services that ultimately, if they are successful, will require competencies of operation, of scale, and the like.

He goes on to talk about 2.0 really being about the control of data, not the interfaces, saying:

We’re still trying to move people toward really understanding what that new world looks like. I don’t think a lot of people are there. A lot of people still think, “Oh, it’s about social networking. It’s about blogging. It’s about wikis.” I think it’s about the data that’s created by those mechanisms, and the businesses that that data will make possible.

If that isn’t at the heart of the challenges libraries are facing in the attempt to adapt to a 2.0 world, then I don’t know what is.

When we talk about the challenges of implementing (and inventing!) this so-called Library 2.0, I think we need to put a lot of thought into what we’re really struggling to deal with. Is it the emergence of new technologies and interfaces or is it really the uses to which the technologies are put and the way we define, use, and control information?

Food for thought.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 20th, 2007 at 12:13 pm and is filed under Library Service, Library Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.