Library 2.0 Thing 4--what do I think Library 2.0 is?

Library 2.0 is the adaptation of libraries to the Web 2.0 environment...so what does that mean? My take on it is that in Web 2.0 content is user driven--designed for maximum user input. Users personalize their information feeds, provide input, and write/create content. When that information is shared with other users, it becomes a form of social networking. As a society we are still learning/experimenting with this content. Libraries are trying to recreate services and programs so that users can personalize them and share their experiences/thoughts with others.

One of my goals this fall/winter is to read Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software by Steven Johnson which is about the emergence of goup intelligence. I heard him talking on NPR this summer about how group intelligence can make better predictions than the individuals in the group. One example he cited is the guess the number of jelly beans in a jar contest. When the average guess is determined, it is frequently closer to correct than any individual guess. (This violated one of my core beliefs that mobs/groups always act more stupidly than most individuals. There is no thinking involved. ) Johnson goes on to draw connections between group think and the software that drives search engines. I will let you know what other nuggets I glean from this book and how it relates to Library 2.0.