Library 2.0

One of the best introductions to Library 2.0 that I've found is Library Journal's article "Library 2.0: Service for the next-generation library." It explains,

The heart of Library 2.0 is user-centered change. It is a model for library service that encourages constant and purposeful change, inviting user participation in the creation of both the physical and the virtual services they want, supported by consistently evaluating services. It also attempts to reach new users and better serve current ones through improved customer-driven offerings.

The article also mentions one of my favorite books from the last couple of years, The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More by Chris Anderson. In a nutshell, Anderson describes how "as the costs of production and distribution fall, especially online, there is now less need to lump products and consumers into one-size-fits-all containers. In an era without the constraints of physical shelf space and other bottlenecks of distribution, narrowly-targeted goods and services can be as economically attractive as mainstream fare."

An example of this for libraries might be service hours. Most public library patrons don't have critical library needs at 2 o'clock in the morning. So, libraries wisely close their physical sites overnight and save money by not staffing a facility that will be grossly underutilized in the wee hours of the morning. But because it doesn't cost any more to have our virtual library open 24/7, we can offer access to the library's catalog and online resources through our web site and serve that procrastinating student, 2nd shift worker or sleep-deprived parent at his or her convenience. Those "long tail" users would have been out of luck 20 years ago, but now we can serve small numbers of nontraditional users at no additional cost.

For more information on Libraries and The Long Tail, check out:
Libraries and the Long Tail: Some Thoughts about Libraries in a Network Age by Lorcan Dempsey
The Long Tail and Libraries by Tom Storey
The Long Tail Wags the Dog by Tom Peters