Best Bets Archives

Administration

Assessment and Evaluation

Assistive Technologies

Associations and Organizations

Free Information Sources

Innovative Technologies

Instructional Resources

Laws and Legislation

Student Support Services

Current Issue of BEEP

Past Issues of BEEP
  Printable Versions

Best Bets Archive

Project Eagle

• Administration
• Research

For a subscription to BEEP, contact the Project Manager: lechnerj@spcollege.edu

This Month's Best Bets
	Free Information Sources		Innovative Technologies

The Changing Academic Library,
Web 2.0, and Putting the Two Together

"Web 2.0 + Library = Library 2.0?"
Paul Miller, "Web 2.0: Building the New Library," Ariadne, October 2005

It can be argued that no support service in higher education has been transformed more by the Internet than the academic library. This issue first takes a look at the revolutionary changes the Internet has already brought to library services, as well as what the future may hold. Then it examines the somewhat controversial concept of Web 2.0, with a final look at how libraries’ delivery of information may be altered even more dramatically, but more positively, by the use of Web 2.0’s interactive offerings.

Academic Libraries Present and Future

Background and Theory

• "Always a River, Sometimes a Library." Program notes of a Soaring to Excellence Teleconference, 2/3/06, presentation by Rick Anderson, University of Nevada. Recommends libraries adopt a new mindset of adjustment to rather than control of users’ research methods.
• "Changing a Cultural Icon: The Academic Library As a Virtual Destination."  In-depth article by Jerry D. Campbell in EDUCAUSE Review (41:1), 1-2/06, on the accepted obsolescence of the traditional academic library, with suggestions for an electronic future.
• "The Future of Libraries: Beginning the Great Transformation." Undated article by Thomas Frey on the DaVinci Institute website that includes ten key trends affecting the development of the next generation library.
• "The Future of Academic Libraries." Informal collection of notes from a program offered at an American Libraries Association conference in May 2004. It summarizes the comments of various academic library administrators about the enormous changes facing academic libraries.
• "People, Networks, Books: New Strategies for University Academic Information and Service Delivery." Paper by Eric Wainwright, James Cook University (Australia) presented at an ALIA (Australian Library and Information Association) conference, 2004. Concludes that libraries are defining their roles too narrowly and continuing to focus on traditional resources and services.
• "Visions: The Academic Library in 2012." Article by James W. Marcum, Fairleigh Dickinson University (NJ), in D-Lib Magazine (9:5), May 2003, summarizing some ideas about the future of libraries submitted in a contest sponsored by the university and the Association of College and Research Libraries.

Examples

• "Academic Libraries Empty Stacks for Online Centers." Article by Kris Axtman in The Christian Science Monitor, 8/23/05, about the removal of all books from the collections of a growing number of college, university and even public school libraries. See also "Packing Up the Books," by Katherine S. Mangan in the Chronicle of Higher Education, 7/1/05, about the University of Texas’ decision to relocate all 90,000 volumes from its undergraduate library in Austin and replace them with computers and 24-hour technical support
• "Digital Library Initiatives." Article by Mark Villano in Campus Technology, 2/1/06, on the efforts of various academic institutions to digitize portions of their print collections.
• "Paper to Pixels: Envisioning the Library of the Future." Article by Diane Krieger in the University of Southern California Trojan Magazine, Winter 2005. Futuristic look at the academic library in the year 2050, with the comments of the director of the USC libraries and a look at the digital projects, both planned and underway, at the university.

Web 2.0

Background and Theory

• "The New Wisdom of the Web." Comprehensive cover story in Newsweek, 4/3/06, on the development of Web 2.0 and its implications for all aspects of society.
• Web 2.0. Entry in the Wikipedia that defines Web 2.0 as a service that let users "collaborate and share information online…closer to desktop applications than the traditional static Web pages."
• "Web 2.0: A New Wave of Innovation for Teaching and Learning?" Article by Bryan Alexander in EDUCAUSE Review (41:2), 3-4/06, that examines the concept, projects, and practices of Web 2.0 and their "powerful implications for higher education."
• Web 2.0 and Education. Lists of Web 2.0 education-related links collected by Graeme Daniel.
• "What Is Web 2.0? Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software." Clarification of the term Web 2.0 by guru Tim O’Reilly, the father of the concept. For a look at the controversy surrounding the legitimacy of the Web 2.0 concept, see "The Hype and Hullabaloo of Web 2.0" by Ellyssa Kroski in InfoTangle, 1/06.

Examples

• Dion Hinchcliffe’s Web 2.0 Blog. Two postings from a Web 2.0-dedicated blog on the SOAWebServices Journal website that offer exhaustive lists of examples: The Best Web 2.0 Software of 2005 and More Great Web 2.0 Software. Also contains list of Web 2.0-related links.
• Google Goes Web 2.0 with New Products. Announcement, 5/10/06, of three new products, Co-op, Desktop 4, and Notebook, added to the arsenal of other Web 2.0 applications listed. See also "Yahoo’s Web 2.0 Overhaul" by Wade Roush in Technology Review, 5/17/06, for its new look.
• Webnote. Educational Web 2.0 tool that lets users create a workspace for saving/sharing notes.

The Web 2.0 / Library Connection

• "Do Libraries Matter? The Rise of Library 2.0." Paper by Ken Chad and Paul Miller, 11/05, for Talis (Tasmania) on why libraries should use technology to make information available wherever and whenever needed. See also Web 2.0: Building the New Library, an article by Paul Miller in Aridane (45), 10/05, that explores what Web 2.0 means for libraries and related organizations.
• "Web 2.0, Library 2.0, and Librarian 2.0: Preparing for the 2.0 World." Article by Stephen Abram In SyrsiDynix One Source (2:1) 1/06, on the transformational changes in library services by the high interactivity level of Web 2.0 components.

BEEP’s Best Bets

Free Information Sources

• "The Open Education Movement Is Gaining Speed, But Potential Roadblocks Lie Ahead." Article by Richard G. Baraniuk in Campus Technology, 5/17/06, about the growing use of free e-learning materials, and the problems that might impede further development.
• "UCLA Egyptologists to Launch New E-encylopedia." Posting, 5/2/06, on Hypography website, about the creation of the world’s first online, peer-reviewed encyclopedia on ancient Egypt. First 500 entries will appear in 2008, with an estimated 4000 entries when complete.

Innovative Technologies

• "Calif. Regulators OK Broadband over Power Line Test." First practical application of the use of power lines to provide high-speed Internet service.
• "Ultrafast Network Will Get Speedier in 2007." Associated Press release, 4/27/06, on Internet2 transmission, using colors of light, becoming at least 10 times faster before 2008.

The contents of BEEP were developed under a grant from the U. S. Department of Education (DOE). However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the DOE, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.