Practical uses for Web 2.0 in
your organisation
Phil Bradley, Freelance Librarian and
Internet Consultant.
http://www.philb.com

Libraries and Web 2.0
• It’s not about the tools
• It’s about the mindset
• It’s about the activity
• It’s about freeing up time
• It’s about taking control

So!
• What is it that libraries and librarians do
again?

Communication - weblogs

Minimum expectations

But how about...?

Flickr

But expand the use!

Wordle.net

Bookmarks/Favo(u)rites
• Share resources
• Network with colleagues
• Take a feed and place it onto an appropriate
page
• Use it as a search engine

Del.icio.us

Google RSS reader to share
content

Wallwisher

Nik Peachey’s Wallwisher

Glogster

Home/Start Pages
• Netvibes
• Pageflakes
• Virtual library pages or portals
• Ease of updating
• Interactive

Social networking

Ning

Google groups

Wikis
• Self created websites
• Single/multi authored
• Public/private
• Quick and dirty/Very professional
• Short term task
• Long term project

PBworks

Disposable web pages

Google docs

Xmarks

Google Custom Search

Search with RSS

Instant chat

Ask a librarian!

Twitter

Add a Twitter feed to your blog

Yammer or Shoutem

Screentoaster

Instructional videos

Slideshare.net

Embed presentations

WizIQ

Mash-ups

Podcasting

Audacity recording software

Multimedia

VoiceThread

‘One trick ponies’
• They do one thing, very well.

LibraryThing

Bookseer

Drop.io

And then...
• Blend it all together
• Web sites are now of different importance
• Everything should link to everything else

In summary
• ITANTTS
– (It’s the activity, not the tool, stupid!)
• If a tool only does one thing, drop it
• Forget loyalty
• Try it and see what happens; understand what
you want to achieve
• Combine and blend
• Take control!

Thanks to:
• http://uklibraryblogs.pbworks.com/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/plymouthlibraries/3638349056/
• http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Se2CEhZjQyo/SZ60IsJ9HmI/AAAAAAAAAeY/1ExtNzF_Pec/s1600-h/librarian%5B1%5D.jpg (For
the ask a librarian cartoon)
• http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/teachersweb20