Thing 2 - What is Library 2.0?

Where will I find the time to do 23 things?
I will consider the 23 things part of the time I invest in professional development and reading the professional literature.

Why am I participating in 23 Things On a Stick?
I am participating because I want to go through the process with my colleagues and participate in the discussion of Web 2.0/Library 2.0 and how it could apply to our library.

What do I hope to learn?
I hope this will be a review of some of the things I learned in library school at the University of Western Ontario, particularly in the class LIS 525 Managing Internet Information Resources. I hope to learn about how other libraries are using Web 2.0 tools, and in particular how their patrons are responding to and using these tools.

How has the Internet and the vast resource it can be affected your use of time at work and/or at home?
So much of what I do involves the Internet, and I could be doing so much more with it. More shopping, more banking, more social networking, more research, etc.

Where are you in your knowledge and use of Web 2.0 tools?
I've kept various blogs for various purposes over the past few years, such as a blog to keep in touch with family and friends while I was at library school and another blog to keep in touch with library school friends now that we're all away from library school. I use Bloglines to keep up on the news related to libraries and higher education. I have Facebook accounts to keep in touch with friends and connect with students. I do not have a Flickr account because I do not own a digital camera or camera phone. I created a wiki for the reference staff here at the library, and I hope it will become an effective knowledge management tool for us. I started a Library Thing account and catalogued some of my books with it. I currently listen to podcasts and watch YouTube videos, but I have not created original podcast or YouTube video content.

What are you looking forward to in 23 Things On a Stick?
I am looking forward to learning about the the kinds of results these "Library 2.0" libraries are experiencing since incorporating Web 2.0 tools into their environment. (I find it interesting that the term "Library 2.0" was coined by Michael Casey in September of 2005, just as I was starting library school. Incidentally, he was referring to a group that started at my library school, Librarians Without Borders.) I want to know how things have changed for these libraries in the few years since they started implementing these tools.