Emerging technologies changing our service delivery models.

This article “aims to explore the range of free and inexpensive technologies that are available and have been simply implemented with practical and immediate benefits both for library staff and clients.” Kajewski has achieved this by identifying:
• The relevant key technologies (blogs, wikis, RSS, podcasts, vodcasts, web conferencing and instant messaging)
• How/why they can be applied in the library environment
• Examples of libraries (many of them Australian) actually implementing these technologies
It is important to note that Kajewski’s article is an in-depth look at the benefits of these emergent technologies that characterise Web2.0, rather than the technologies themselves. This would help explain the sometimes awkward definitions, for example, Kajewski’s initial description of a blog was “...a particular category of web site where the content is presented in a continuing sequence of dated entries”, her second attempt was better “Blogs are web sites that contain brief entries displayed in reverse chronological order”. Also the author’s discussion on wikis appears a little misleading, by stating that “Anyone with a web browser can insert new, include new content to existing pages, or delete existing information”, Kajewski is neglecting to inform the reader that this not true of all wikis, many wikis can only be edited by registered members. The section on vodcasts seems incomplete due to the absence of any mention of youtube – the largest player in this technology.
Interestingly there is no mention of the term Web 2.0 in her article and therefore no discussion as to ‘why’ these technologies are dominating the Internet.
Despite these shortcomings, Kajewski offers important insight as to how libraries can harness these technologies. Where other authors have simply advocated the use of blogs because they’re ubiquitous, Kajewski has actually identified that “There are four major ways blogs can be use in the library: as an information service, as a library service, as [a] feedback tool, and as a professional awareness service.” Information such as this can be of immense benefit to libraries when drafting management plans/policies prior to adopting emergent technologies.
Kajewski’s article has many examples of her ability to identify Web2.0 applications in libraries, as illustrated by some of the sub-headings used by the author:
• Wikis for librarians
• Wikis for library users
• RSS feeds for library users
• How can public libraries use podcasts
All of the technologies chosen by Kajewski still remain relevant today. It is interesting to note that at the time of writing, the use of instant messaging (IM) in reference work was considered to be controversial, today it is considered a practical and useful tool and is almost common place. It is not unusual to see tools such as Meebo on a library’s web site.
Kajewski’s section on “staff buy-in” identifies one of the keys to success that may be overlooked by libraries. Training will give staff the confidence to work with new technologies and promote them to users. Staff acceptance is essential to successful implementation and ongoing use.
In conclusion, Kajeski has delivered a very useful document for libraries. By identifying key technologies and associated library uses, libraries have here a document that will facilitate policy formulation, selection of appropriate tools and successful implementation.