Library 2.0 and Uk Academic Libraries: Drivers and Impacts

At a time that the term ‘Library 2.0’ has attracted attention in the professional and academic press of library and information science, there appears to be a lack of consensus as to what this nomenclature actually means. At one extreme Library 2.0 is purported to be primarily concerned with the implementation of web-based tools, and thus supports the view that its drivers are intimately related to technology. However, it has also been suggested that Library 2.0 is not solely about technology. Rather, the concept also incorporates changing the physical activities and services delivered by libraries, that is, Library 2.0 is services driven. Another perspective is that libraries have always had a history of adopting technology and user-centred improvements to services, and thus Library 2.0 may not even be anything new. This article reports on a research project which assessed the perceptions of Library 2.0, and the extent of its adoption, in the UK academic library sector. The main finding of the study is that Library 2.0 is predominantly viewed as the selective application of Web 2.0 tools and techniques with user services at the heart of any implementation. Although Library 2.0 does not present a new paradigm, its effects are felt in services delivery. Of particular interest are changes in the relationships between those who provide information services and the different generations of the end-users that they serve.