Thoughts on Library 2.0 (#15)

I was asked on the train last night what I thought of online books. The question came in the context of a discussion of the love of reading; we were talking about how we inveigle our children into reading. I know what she was expecting; a staunch support of traditional books. But I'd stayed up until midnight the previous evening reading the first chapter of Patricia Brigg's forthcoming book on her website. And every Wednesday I visit the Liad site to get the latest chapter of Fledgling. And when someone mentions a book or an author I generally head to a computer so I can check it out.
And the people who mention books to me these days live all over the planet. For the last ten years or so I have belonged to a Listserv which has brought together people who have an interest in children's books. It is seldom that a week goes by without me noting down another book to follow up on.
In these last few weeks I have discovered uses for rss feeds and bloglines, and have come to some understanding of the huge mass of information to be found in blogs. All these things enhance my enjoyment of reading from the first instance of "what can I read next?' to the last instance of "who can I talk to about this book I have just finished."
So I told my train companion that I loved the availability of books online and why. I also told her however that I saw all the advantages of the web as being a welcome addition to traditional books, not a substitute.
I think Web 2.0 functionality will do the same for libraries; enhance what we do without crowding out what we already do. And much of what the articles on Library 2.0 talk about we already do, things like getting our users to add value. Web 2.0 tools and toys will enable us to do them better, to reach a wider audience, to offer a library service 24 hours a day, seven days a weeks.