General information

LITA 2.0

This past spring, I was fortunate to participate in the ALA Library2.0 Bootcamp sponsored by ALA. This was a wonderful learning opportunity and testing ground for how ALA could use Web2.0 concepts and tools to incorporate into the member experience of ALA. The group of people were about 50% ALA staff and 50% members. ALA retained The Otter Group and Kathleen Gilroy to facilitate the process. Michael Stevens and Jenny Levine served as the faculty. The group was divided into 10 teams, each with their own topic. I served on Team 9 with our own LITA Blog Guru, Michelle Boule, Mary Taylor (LITA Executive Director), and Sherry Vanyek, (ALA Director of ITTS). Our topic was Integrating Library Services Into Search Engines. We used our topic as the first to appear on the new LITA Wiki which can be found at http://wikis.ala.org/LITALibrary2.0/index.php/Main_Page .

There is no concensus on the use of the Library 2.0 name. The 2.0 nomenclature aside, I am excited by the concepts behind Library 2.0:

• Flexibility and nimbleness to enable rapid change
• Commitment to continuous improvement based on assessment
• Interactive and collaborative services driven by users needs
• Taking the library to the users AND making the library a destination
• Embracing radical trust
• Use of new technological tools to accomplish the above

Team 2 of the ALA Library 2.0 Bootcamp dealt with the topic of how associations can use Web 2.0 concepts and tools, Association 2.0. You can read their conclusions at http://alabootcamp.pbwiki.com/ . I challenge LITA members to help create a blueprint for LITA2.0 embracing the concepts above of making LITA more interactive and responsive to its members. Comment here on the blog or add your ideas to the LITA Wiki. With your input, we can take LITA to the next level.