Has Web 1.0 Had It?

There are several problems with the assumption that Web 1.0 - i.e. destination-based website - are no longer useful or relevant to libraries. Firstly, there is the question of accessibility and resources. Although many libraries have home pages, these are often poorly laid out and have limited functionality. According to Breeding (2006), this can happen even at medium-sized libraries in non-rural areas. In short, while libraries can benefit from social networking and interactive web applications, they first have a need to provide the basic information required for those sites in an accessible and error-free manner. Although there are many free Web 2.0 interfaces available, libraries must often choose between using free services offered by an outside entity or paying for dedicated services in their own domain.

Another problem with assuming Web 1.0 is defunct is that of the basic structure of information systems at most libraries. Virtually all innovations in library systems, from automated to integrated systems or from card catalogs to computers, are designed to facilitate a process that at its heart remains essentially unchanged. To assume that Web 1.0 is no longer relevant, particularly in a library or information science setting, presupposes that Web 2.0 is a radical departure from the way libraries operated in the past, rather than a technical improvement on services that libraries have offered all along (Kwanya, Stilwell & Underwood, 2009). Wikis, RSS feeds, blogs, and other Web 2.0 applications, when used by libraries, are introduced to further the same mission they have always had: to provide patrons with the information they need.

In conclusion, Web 2.0 is best used by libraries to complement either pre-existing Web 1.0 content, or whatever other informational systems they already have in place. However, in order to do that, these libraries must have well-organized, syntactically correct, and relevant content already in place as a scaffold upon which to build Web 2.0 innovations.

References

Breeding, M. (2006). Web 2.0? let's get to web 1.0 first. Computers in Libraries, 26(5), 30-33. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lih&AN=20666044&site=ehost-live
 
Kwanya, T., Stilwell, C., & Underwood, P. G. (2009). Library 2.0: Revolution or evolution? South African Journal of Library & Information Science, 75(1), 70-75. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lih&AN=48594293&site=ehost-live