Sure, you know how to use the Web (otherwise you wouldn’t be here!), but for years, just about everyone’s been talking about the Web 2.0 phenomenon. Trouble is, it’s not always clear what Web 2.0 is and how to use it. Tim O’Reilly and Dale Dougherty coined the term a few years ago to refer to Web sites that survived the dot-com bust of the late 1990s. Other people have come to understand that Web 2.0 means a certain type of interactive website. Rather than sending information one way — from the creator to the user — these sites allow people to share data and interact with one another.
Like with anything else related to technology, there’s a learning curve to Web 2.0. But librarians are curious people, and that’s why you’re here, isn’t it? In the spirit of Helene Blowers’ 23 Things, originally developed as a continuing education program for information professionals at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library in North Carolina, we’ve put together our own list of 23 things you can do to learn more about Web 2.0 and other emerging technologies that can help you create, share, learn, and play. The only trouble is, we had a couple extra things to add to the list. So the GPLS version has 25 things, instead of 23.
You don’t have to spend a lot of time learning about HTML and other technologies. But you will have to spend a few minutes trying out some of the most common Web 2.0 sites to see what all the fuss is about. You’ll be asked to complete 25 tasks along the way.
The program is designed to take 10 weeks. Each week, we’ll visit a couple of new websites and you can try them out for yourself. Don’t feel intimidated by the program — chances are good that you’ve already tried one or more of these sites. If you feel like you’re stuck, check out the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, or send us an e-mail.
Further Reading
Aharony, N. (2009). Web 2.0 use by librarians. Library & Information Science Research, 31(1), 29-37. doi:10.1016/j.lisr.2008.06.004
Ready to get started?
Great! Let’s go to the program interview.
