WEB 2.0 FOR KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

Introduction

Thanks to everyone who showed an interest in this topic, I had not overly prepared, but was spurred on by the promotion of the unconferencewa as a place to share ideas about web 2.0. So I thought it would be good to see if there was other interest in Web 2.0 and Knowledge management as I would love the opportunity to share and exchange ideas on this topic with others.

Since presenting my very rough thoughts at the Unconference, the interest and feedback has encouraged me to explore it further ...... and I have set up my very first web-blog of my own to expand on my thoughts so I will try to keep it brief here and if you are interested please visit my blog http://librarysmorgasboard.wordpress.com/

Libraries, KM and Web 2.0

• The information and communication landscape is being transformed through take up of ICT and Web 2.0 technologies, providing the opportunity for libraries to extend on their role in ensuring equitable access to the world of information, ideas and knowledge.
• Web 2.0 and ICT is both changing the way we communicate and the way we learn with new technologies, such as concept mapping and knowledge management, helping students and organisations to organise and apply information.
• Information literacy, traditonally a key role of library professionals, is melding with educational pedagogies that support development of life long learning skills
• These developing IT and Web 2.0 tools present the possiblity for our key library institutions to organise and present information into bodies of knowledge to support social or community aspirations for learning.

Thinking on the Libraries Role

• The mass media has developed as the main and until recently exclusive means by which society as a whole is informed about important social issues and events.
• With the emergence of Web 1.0 and now Web 2.0 there is growing public commentary about news breaking issues as they occur, in some cases adding a unique and informative perspective in others adding misinformation.
• Can libraries act as a bridge between the transient nature of mass media coverage and the cacaphony of the WWW to provide entry points for societies need for more indepth knowledge and understanding of important social issues. Can they move beyond information gateways to knowledge gateways.

Showcasing Librarian's Skills

• Libraries have an image problem, perceived by users as loosley structured warehouses difficult to navigate and search within in comparison to their expectations from use of search engines. How do we make the extensive collections of libraries and their importance more evident?
• Besides the creation of information gateways to support users search strategies each individual must travel their own information seeking pathway to meet their information needs. In a corporate setting knowledge management tools and principles are used to gather together operational knowledge to support decision making.
• Librarians skills in collection development, information organisation, research and presentation could be showcased through the development of knowledge gateways - guided entry points a to topic or issue based areas of knowledge providing both a context for understanding and considered links to a range of information sources and resouces.

Visualising Knowledge Gateways

• Library based knowledge gateways should be specific - a entry point to particular social issue or topic of interest, and aim to showcase not just a range of pertinent information resource, but also the source, the authority of the source, and if possible the interests being represented.
• In development and presentation a library sponsored knowledge gateway should mimic the stages of the information seeking cycle and incorporate concept or argument mapping tools to both schematically represent the core ideas, concepts and considerations of an issue and to provide a first entry point.
• Knowledge management principles should be incorproated to inform the building of "information neighbourhoods" with the wiki based Web 2.0 technology providing the building platform from the concept overview.
• The library sponsored wiki would not be aiming to be the source, it's role would be to further elucidate on the facets and context pertinent to the topic area and to bring together a range of information sources and resource links about this topic.
• Library based knowledge gateways should make manifest the search strategies that were employed and how end users can build on these.

Linking Web 2.0 User Input

• Web 2.0 communication technology supports the final stages of the information seeking cycle; the intergrating, communicating and presenting of personal positions.
• An effective library sponsored knowledge gateway should generate debate and commentary and this should be facilitated through full integration with Web 2.0 technologies.
• Web 2.0 technologies should be used both as push and pull factors within a library knowledge gateway, linking back to meaningful content and being profiled on sites as meaningful.
• Benefits to library institutions include; direct feedback on usefulness of information resources and sources to a information need, collection development and relevance, and building of professional and community networks.

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