How will the technological trends...

...change the information environment and user behaviours? And how can libraries meet the challenges?

One of the main changes which Web 2.0 brings is the ability to be interactive, which gives the user more say. This can be both a positive and negative thing - the concern over the reliability of information becomes greater and the possibility of vandalism is increased. However, being able to provide/receive feedback can be very useful and it tends to engage people more if they feel they are making a contribution.

Libraries need to try to keep abreast of the new technologies so that they are in a position to introduce them to their users and explain the benefits/drawbacks. It is an enormous challenge - the speed of change is so rapid that it's very easy to fall behind. There are also so many different tools providing the same service and they all work slightly differently - it would be impossible to be familiar with them all. All the same there is a great opportunity for training here if a programme could be devised which wasn't too general, but introduced users to the different technologies with examples and provided opportunities for hands-on experience. I also think a regular column in our library newsletter highlighting a different technology or service each time would help to make more people aware of what's available.

It's important to remember that not everyone has the latest hardware/software and not everyone is technically minded. To be inclusive, libraries need to make sure that they don't make things too complex.

I liked the idea of using blogging software to create a library catalogue - allowing each entry to be individually indexed, which provides an audit trail and lets users post comments. Users can also build up their own personal collections and share them with others.

There will need to be even more emphasis on critical appraisal skills. I find the idea of users being able to change the content of a library website quite scary.