Library 2.0 and Web 2.0 will go hand and hand into the future or the library as a place will have no future. Web 1.0 was just an information source. Web 2.0 is the participatory web. The folksonomy of flickr and del.icio.us are pulling users into the web to become manipulators and creators of data and information. The web is now a place for social networking through facebook and myspace. Users collaborate with other users via the web to share and build knowledge.
Where does Library 2.0 come in? Many libraries are still in the 1.0 stage—information sources. In order to compete with Web 2.0, the library of the future must utilize Web 2.0. Only in this way can it retain relevance in our information-glutted society. Librarians must take the role of information/technology leaders in order to guide patrons to the information they seek. They need to be teachers of the new technology, not of the Dewey Decimal System.
Libraries must become user friendly by following the examples of such Web 2.0 sources as Amazon.com and Google. Library webpages need to allow patrons to interact with its elements. Access to flickr, del.icio.us, and LibraryThing will help patrons share and learn from each other.
Another way for libraries to stay relevant is to offer reference service 24/7 just like the Web. This can be done through live chat. In addition, the use of YouTube is another way for libraries to make themselves visible in their communities by advertising their offerings: classes, programs, seminars, movies, etc.
Libraries will always exist, but not to store knowledge. Rather they will be information centers where patrons and librarians can interact, share, and create knowledge.
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