Web 2.0 technologies have been seen by many information professionals as critical to the future development of library services. This has led to the use of the term Library 2.0 to denote the kind of service that is envisaged. There has been considerable debate about what Library 2.0 might encompass, but, in the context of information literacy, it can be described as the application of interactive, collaborative, and multimedia technologies to web-based library services and collections.

These developments challenge librarians involved in information literacy with more complex and diverse web content, a range of exciting new tools with which to teach, and a steep learning curve to adjust to the constant change of the Web 2.0 world.

Of course my passion in this scenario is trying to understand what this all means for schools and school libraries.

So in case you haven’t heard Facet have recently published a new book, to which I contributed the School Library 2.0 chapter!

Godwin, P. and Parker, J. (eds) (2008) Information Literacy meets Library 2.0. London: Facet. ISBN 978-1-85604-637-4.

I have my own copy now, and the various chapters are jam packed with fantastic information for anyone involved in Library Services. It’s a fantastic roundup and the editors Peter Godwin and Jo Parker are to be congratulated on this excellent compilation.

“This edited collection from an international team of experts provides a practically-based overview of emerging Library 2.0 tools and technologies for information literacy practitioners; addresses the impact of the adoption of these technologies on information literacy teaching; provides case study exemplars for practitioners to help inform their practice; and examines the implications of Library 2.0 for the training of information literacy professionals.

Key topics include:

• School Library 2.0: new skills and knowledge for the future
• information literacy, Web 2.0 and public libraries
• the blog as an assessment tool
• using Wikipedia to eavesdrop on the scholarly conversation
• information literacy and RSS feeds
• library instruction on the go: podcasting
• sparking Flickrs of insight into controlled vocabularies and subject searching
• joining the YouTube conversation to teach information literacy
• going beyond Google
• teaching information literacy through digital games.”

It’s available from the Facet book shop and all good retailers.

Better still, the book is being updated via the Information Literacy meets Library 2.0 blog.

Buy the book and grab the RSS feed to stay in the conversation.

Thanks to Jo Parker and Peter Godwin for all the work they put into getting the book together

Photo: Earth from Sky