Web 2.0

In order to come to a clearer picture of what is meant by Library 2.0, it is important to explore the principles associated with Web 2.0 as they form the foundation for the Library 2.0 concept.

Coined by Tim O'Reilly, Web 2.0 began as a discussion of the attributes of companies that survived the dot-com crash of the 1990s (O'Reilly, 2005). O'Reilly and others noted that successful Web companies tended to involve user-participation where there is no clear line between content producers and consumers. To take an example, amazon.com's user-rating system and perhaps even more importantly, its user reviews helped to establish it as a leading company. Users find value in amazon.com's business because they help to make it what it is through its product reviews. Furthermore, amazon.com is able to make recommendations to users based on their past purchases and the purchasing habits of like users, further personalizing the experience.

O'Reilly describes Web 2.0 as follows:

Web 2.0 is the network as platform, spanning all connected devices; Web 2.0 applications are those that make the most of the intrinsic advantages of that platform: delivering software as a continually-updated service that gets better the more people use it, consuming and remixing data from multiple sources, including individual users, while providing their own data and services in a form that allows remixing by others, creating network effects through an "architecture of participation," and going beyond the page metaphor of Web 1.0 to deliver rich user experiences. (O'Reilly, T. 2005, "Web 2.0: Compact Definition?")

Take another look at the image on the front page of this site. You will recognize many of the names in this virtual world. What is particularly notable here is the Web 2.0 concept of the mashup whereby users are appropriating new technologies and web platforms and using them in ways the original creators and not predicted or intended and creating something new. This is a key tenant of the participatory 2.0 universe. Interestingly, the image may also reveal some criticism towards the some of the players in this universe.