Although something of a contentious buzzword, "Web 2.0" generally denotes the use of pre-existing Internet technologies to build tools that leverage the interactive capabilities of the Web. Web 2.0 is marked by the spirit of flexibility and improvisation inherent in creating mashups in a state of perpetual beta. For librarians, becoming experts in these open source tools may become the most important legacy of the open access movement.
Health sciences librarians are historically well placed to maximize the potential of Web 2.0. Perhaps "Library 2.0"--harnessing the energy of Web 2.0 to foster "user-centered change" in libraries--is just another buzzword. But whether it's trite or revolutionary, Library 2.0 reinforces the reality that librarians must possess technological dexterity. In his Master's paper "Toward Academic Library 2.0", Michael Habib offers an extremely comprehensive examination of our emerging professional landscape.
