The Prevalence and Use of Web 2.0 in Libraries

Libraries all over the world are undergoing fundamental paradigm shifts in the way they see their users and in how they offer their services. The thrust is on exploiting the Internet, and in particular Web 2.0 applications, to engage users not only in developing new library services but also building a community. This paper investigates the prevalence and use of Web 2.0 applications of 90 websites of libraries from North America, Europe and Asia. The findings reveal that all three categories of Web 2.0 applications, namely, those that support information push/pull, retrieval, and exchange, have been adopted in libraries across the three regions, with libraries in North America leading their European and Asian counterparts. The ways in which individual Web 2.0 applications have been used are also detailed.