Review of: All that Glisters is not Gold: Web 2.0 and the Librarian

‘All that Glisters is not Gold,’ is written by Paul Anderson, a technology writer and the technical editor of JISC Technology and Standards Watch. The article is a brief, yet informative piece of writing based around the affect Web 2.0 is slowly undertaking on librarians and the general running of libraries. Anderson writes this article to inform others of the changes that are beginning to take place due to the rise of Web 2.0. His main analysis is based around the effect Web 2.0 is having on libraries and how libraries must continue to modify themselves in order to keep up with these changes and stay relevant in a constantly changing society.
This article is written as an editorial, taking a brief look at the history of Web 2.0 before moving on to looking at the implications of Web 2.0 services and outlining some of the areas in which ‘librarians are positioned to provide a unique contribution to the further development of these services.’ (Anderson, 2007, p.195)
When studying this article in regards to Web 2.0 (or ‘Library 2.0) the audience can see that it makes a variety of valid points on how these new technologies are influencing the way libraries are run. Anderson takes a brief look at how libraries should be performing today and how Web 2.0 is influencing these performances.
One main area Anderson focuses on in this article is the constraints a library can often place on itself when being compared to the interactive world of Web 2.0. Anderson discusses the fact that some libraries are not embracing this new world of Web 2.0 and are therefore being held back. They are not accessible to a younger generation who only know the interactive world of Web 2.0 and therefore are becoming a thing of a past. The main argument Anderson puts forward is the focus that libraries have to place on becoming relevant to this younger generation, perhaps embracing things such as blogs and interactive websites.
It is often easy to find articles based around ‘Library 2.0’ that are pessimistic on the role librarians may have as we move into this Web 2.0 based world. Anderson takes a lighter look at the growing roles librarians can now enjoy thanks to Web 2.0. ‘As new technologies and services start to show their limitations in terms of respect for privacy and copyright, the librarians’ public sector ethos could be a valuable constituent in building the technologies of the future.’ (Anderson, 2007, p.196) Anderson is able to put a more positive spin on the role of librarians and is therefore able to embrace the growing relationship between Web 2.0 and the librarian.
A new area that Anderson touches on is in how he demonstrates the growing relationship between librarians and Web 2.0 when he looks at the variety of ideas that power Web 2.0 that Tim O’Reilly has produced and how a librarian’s role can influence and match up with these principles. This again provides a positive look, which has rarely been touched, into the role of the librarian and the ever increasing relationship they now have with Web 2.0.
Although this article is a brief editorial, Anderson is able to put forward a variety of note worthy points in regards to the librarian and Web 2.0. Through this article the audience is able to gain a greater understanding of how this relationship is changing and how the librarian’s job is changing. Anderson takes careful note to cover a variety of areas, placing a positive slant on this changing role, which is often over-looked in place for the harder constraints that may be placed on the librarian over the next few years.
Anderson, P. (2007). All that Glisters is Not Gold: Web 2.0 and the Librarian. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 39(4), 195-197. Doi: 10.1177/0961000607083210