Web environments that provide users with the means to organize, describe, and share their resources (web bookmarks, books, and photographs) with others. Sites such as Del.icio.us, LibraryThing, and Flickr are examples.
Published in Chapter:
Social Software Use in Public Libraries
June Abbas (University of Oklahoma, USA)
Copyright: © 2010
|Pages: 11
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60566-368-5.ch040
Abstract
With the emergence of Web 2.0, libraries have started employing social software applications (such as blogs, tagging, social networking, and wikis) to engage readers, encourage user-contributed content, and connect with user populations in novel ways. However, little research has been conducted on the applications of Web 2.0 technologies within public libraries. This chapter focuses on the applicability of social software in a library setting and examines the use of such innovative techniques as live tagging, social cataloging, and social bookmarking. The chapter evaluates the potential of social software tools for facilitating collaboration between librarians and library patrons; it addresses the concerns expressed by the library and information science community related to the issues of trust, authority, accuracy, responsibility, and ethics in the context of the Library 2.0.