Information technologies (ICTs) have changed the manner in which people communicate. These technologies have allowed individuals, local communities and interest group to be connected to the wider world. The new communication possibilities brought about by ICTs have also improved the methods that can be utilised to store and manage information. Although better connectivity and information storage capabilities excite librarians and other information professionals, they are also increasingly challenging librarians in terms of the best ways to describe records, create awareness of their existence and in making them accessible when they are needed. In addition to these challenges ICTs have increased the need for information literacy skills to empower users in understanding the significance of the records, in establishing their authority and determining the existence of other records that could contradict the content of known records.
The same challenges librarians face in organising and making information accessible also seem to challenge the effectiveness of social media technologies. According to Titangos, the concept “social media” refers to “methods of allowing any user to publish content online”. These technologies include web-based and mobile technologies, such as blogs, music, image or video sharing sites, Internet posting, instant messaging and Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP). The goal of these social media technologies is to share information and to create online communities through collaboration and trust. In her new book Titagnos discusses how libraries can become centres within local communities where social media are utilised and community information is shared.
The book is subdivided into five parts in which she shares the experiences of Santa Cruz County in California in bringing a local community to the world. In the first part she focuses on individuals’ early efforts in recording the history and other relevant information in Santa Cruz County. Titagnos then continues the description by sharing the Santa Cruz Public Library's experiences of becoming a community on the web in the era of Library 1.0. Thereafter follows a discussion of different libraries’ learning experiences in using Library 2.0. These include the Santa Cruz Public Library, the digital projects embarked on by Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Oslo Public Library's Pode Project. The fourth part looks at the possible uses that can be made of the different social media technologies such as blogs, YouTube, RSS feeds, Pinterest pinboard, Twitter, Weibo and Facebook.
Two questions now remains. Has Web 2.0 realised its full potential, and why do librarians need to prepare for Web 3.0? These are the focus of the last part, where the implications Web/Library 3.0 are addressed. These include discussions on librarians’ roles as information managers, as teachers, as leaders and as innovators.
The value of Local Community in the Era of Social Media Technologies lies in its main key feature: the sharing of practical experiences of presenting local information to the world. It is intended for persons interested in embracing Web 2.0 technologies to improve the services they render to their individual communities.
