WEB 2.0 TECHNOLOGIES AND ITS APPLICATIONS FOR THE PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM
Mr. B. Jeyapragash Assistant Librarian, DLIS, Bharathidasan University, Trichy -24 [email protected] Mr. R. Prabu Research Scholar, Dept. of Library & Information Science, Bharathidasan University Dr. S. Srinivasaragavan Librarian & Head, DLIS, Bharathidasan University, Trichy-24.
Abstract
Web 2.0 is commonly associated with web applications that facilitate interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web. In the present scenario the public libraries should implement the web 2.0 technologies to meet the present and future requirements of user community. In this view this paper highlights the impact of web 2.0 technologies in public library system for the benefit of library professionals and the entire user communities. This paper also explains the applications of web 2.0 in public library systems.
INTRODUCTION The public library system is the major system to cover the entire public as a user community in India. Public library exists and spread all over the Nation and is considered an essential part of having an educated and literate population. The future of public libraries lies in building and strengthening relationships with the communities they serve. In this view the public library should take some initiatives to serve the user communities in a newer way of technologies. The present and future user community is looking for the services in enhanced way. Hence the public library can adopt the web 2.0 technologies to serve the user community in a better way.
WEB 2.0 The Web 2.0 can be summarized as the natural evolution of the Web, with its foundations in the development of services that focus on users and their active participation. We are not discussing a parallel or alternative Web; we are discussing new functions that allow for greater interactivity and connections between users (O'Reilly, 2005).
Some characteristics that define the Web 2.0 include:
1. The web as a platform; many services have stopped using closed applications and now offer them online so that they can be used from any location. 2. The web as an expression of collective intelligence; users edit and publish contents that are linked from other users, creating an interlinked network. 3. The web as participative architecture; the web does not depend on large organisations to have contents, but on the user collective. A clear example is Wikipedia, which is now a competitor of other prestigious encyclopaedias like Britannica Online. 4. The web as a decentralised system, to make room for the majority of users (Long Tail) that use very specific services and websites. Collaborative management of the information allows one to access not only the contents with the greatest repercussion, but also the many contents with a smaller audience. 5. Standards provide an essential platform for Web 2.0. Common interfaces for accessing content and applications are the glue that allows integration across the many elements of the emergent web. 6. User Control: A primary direction of Web 2.0 is for users to control the content they create, the data captured about their web activities, and their identity. This powerful trend is driven by the clear desires of participants. WEB 2.0 TECHNOLOGIES AND ITS APPLICATIONS
OPAC 2.0 Of all online services offered by the library, the catalogue is what generates the most visits to the website, and possibly what requires the most investment in time and money. OPAC 2.0 tries to take advantage of the users' potential to enrich their contributions and thus increase the catalogue’s value. The different functions of OPAC 2.0 may be grouped into the following points: ● Information architecture. Allows for more than just the traditional information usually included in catalogues, like the covers, the index and a summary. It also includes the organisation of the information by facets and groups. ● Personalisation. Each user can personalise the way they view the OPAC: Organise their registries in folders and assign tags, configure the searches that they perform regularly and subscribe to a RSS to get any news on the topic. ● Interaction between users It enables the creation of groups of users with similar interests, allowing for different levels of relationships between them by establishing different levels of privacy. ● Interoperability and the syndication of contents. It allows for the link to external services, for example with bibliographical reference managers, purchasing books, etc. There is also the option of predefining RSS channels to disseminate the user’s contents: news, topics, authors. ● Analyse the use of information. With this the system can recommend other books that a user may be interested in, as established from other similar users' search and loan information. It is also worth noting the registries relative to the popularity by being able to see if they have been marked as favourites, or if they have been loaned or downloaded often by other users.
Social Networks The use of Social networks has shown a great increase in recent years. They can be classified following different criteria in accordance to their audience and purpose. The many existing networks make it difficult to maintain an updated the profile in each of them, and this is why the libraries usually choose just one. Myspace allows organizations to create their own profiles, pages and can be used by libraries. But Facebook allows individual librarians to create profiles. The use that the public library may make of them varies; below we cite some examples: ● Libraries can create a page to reach to new users ● Social networking could enable librarians and patrons not only to interact, but to share and change resources dynamically in an electronic medium. ● For building network among the interested group in discussing the common interest. ● User content can be added to the library catalogue, including users book reviews or other comments Blogs Blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability of readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs.
Some possibilities include in public library: ● Blogs serve as a platform where the users can file their concerns, queries and suggestions regarding the services and activities of the library, ● Blogs can also be used for the collection development where the users request the resources, ● Blogs can be used tools for marketing of the information as well as the library, ● Can be used as tool for posting Minutes of the Meetings for necessary actions, ● Blogs can serve as discussion forum. WIKIs A web site that can be edited by any reader. Wikis offer the opportunity to share knowledge and information, but they are not usually considered “authoritative” or “scholarly.” Because people can invent facts or pass off ideas as facts on a wiki, they contain a lot of suspect information. Although some larger wikis (like Wikipedia) make the effort to verify information or cite sources, these sites are still not considered reliable or trustworthy. If you find information on a wiki, you should verify that data by checking it against the information in another source, such as an encyclopedia, dictionary, or index.
Some potential uses of Wikis in public libraries include: ● Wikis can be used for social interaction and discussions among the librarians & users as well. ● Promotimg professional development with the creation of forums to exchange ideas on specific areas. ● An internal communication medium for sharing information amongst the library’s staff. ● Wikis can also be used by the users to share information and enhance the content, and a record of these transactions is archived for future reference. ● Document the activities held. ● Reference resources wiki can be built. SOCIAL BOOKMARKS Social bookmarking is a method for Internet users to share, organize, search, and manage bookmarks of web resources. Unlike file sharing, the resources themselves aren't shared, merely bookmarks that reference them.
The success of social software may also be transferred to public libraries via different formats: ● Simplifying bibliographic distribution lists, users can describe them by providing specialised knowledge. ● Elaborating link services recommended from specific fields of knowledge. ● Sharing resources with other users who are using them for research. ● Promoting participation and interactive with users. RSS (Really Simple Syndication)
RSS is a structured XML-based metadata schema used to distribute news items, primarily through a web medium. The contents of the news items are organized into a set of standardized xml elements: title, link (URL), pubDate (date of publication), description, language, webmaster, copyright, and several others. These elements are being captured for two reasons: a) they are commonly included in RSS feed items, and provide an impression of item content (ie. what, when, where and how), and b) these items will allow users to evaluate information relevance, based on the above criteria.
Some potential uses of RSS in public libraries include: ● Announcement of the availability of new books and other resources in a given subject area. ● Librarians can subscribe to RSS from the sources for compiling their customized alerts. ● Promote events organized in the library for Library Users. ● Enhance Library Instruction for different Web 2.0, Library 2.0, Blogs, Wikis, RSS, Tagging, Podcasting, IM programs/courses by integrating appropriate resources. ● Announce availability of new research and learning opportunities in various academic/ research ● Integrating library services through RSS feeds.
Instant Messaging (IM): IM is a form of real- time communication between two or more people based on typed text, images etc. IM has become increasingly popular due to its quick response time, its ease of use, and possibility of multitasking. It is estimated that there are several millions of IM users, using for various purposes viz: simple requests and responses, scheduling face to face meetings, or just to check the availability of colleagues and friends. Applications of Instant Messaging in Public Libraries: ● Instant clarifications for the Questions from users and vice versa. ● Online meetings ● For providing virtual reference services.
PODCASTING A podcast is a series of audio or video digital-media files which is distributed over the Internet by syndicated download, through Web feeds, to portable media players and personal computers. Though the same content may also be made available by direct download or streaming, a podcast is distinguished from other digital-media formats by its ability to be syndicated, subscribed to, and downloaded automatically when new content is added. Some potential uses of podcasting in public libraries include: ● The library that works hard to produce audio content such as recordings of programs or library tours, podcasting can be an effective means of making that content more widely available. ● Podcast highlights about new resources ● Podcasts enable librarians to share information with anyone at any time. ● Podcasting can be a publishing tool for users and librarians’ oral presentations. TAGGING: A tag is a keyword that is added to a digital object (e.g. a website, picture or video clip) to describe it, but not as part of a formal classification system. The concept of tagging has been widened far beyond website bookmarking, and services like Flickr (Photos), YouTube (video) and Audio (podcasts) allow a variety of digital artifacts to be socially tagged. Applications of tagging in public libraries: ● Tagging can be applied to the LMS for editing the subject headings from the user point of view and there by enhancing the indexing and relevancy of the searches, making the collection more dynamic. ● Tagging would greatly facilitate the lateral searching. BENEFITS OF WEB 2.0
Following are the benefits observed by implementing Web 2.0:
● Faster time to market- The information environment within which libraries are functioning today is changing faster than ever before. Library 2.0 is a concept of a library service intended towards meeting the needs and expectations of library users faster through its tools such as RSS, Blogs, Social networks etc. Libraries are required to go beyond the needs, wants, and demands of their customers and should try to fulfill them by anticipating them as far as possible. ● Closer relationship with customers- Library 2.0 is a user-centered virtual community. Users interact with one another and with the librarians and create more & more content in less time. User participation in the library activities builds a relationship with the users of the library. Relationship is built during the information flow from the user back to the library like comments and questions on library blogs, users uploading their own historical photos to Flickr to create community photo archives and allowing users to review and rate books in the library’s catalogue. ● Increased responsiveness- Increased responses are because publishing is easy; so you can focus on content delivery. You can create, update, and publish information on a blog from any computer that’s connected to the Internet. Weblog encourages readers to comment. The content can be entered in plain text – and design templates are available. There is no need to have special servers or software installed on your computer.
CONLCUSION
Historically libraries have been repositories of information. Today nearly everyone involved in the world of public libraries and understands that they are as much about sharing information and opening opportunities for learning, community engagement and social capital building. In India public libraries to realize the irresistible pull of technologies that enhance the ability to communicate and share the resources. In a need of an hour all the public libraries to participate in this revolution to achieve the building of good relationships with the communities they serve.
Reference: 1. Casey, M., Savastinuk, L. (2006). "Library 2.0". Library Journal, vol.131, no.14, pp. 40-42.
3. O’Reilly, Tim (2005): What is Web 2.0? Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software Online: http:// www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/ 2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html, retrieved: 12.03.2010.
4. Web 2.0, Library 2.0, and Librarian 2.0: Preparing for the 2.0 World by Stephen Abram, h t t p : / / w w w. i m a k e n e w s . c o m / s i r s i / e_article000505688.cfm?x=b11,0 retrieved on 13/03/2010.