Awareness of Library 2.0 Applications among Library and Information Science Professionals at Annamalai University, India

With the widespread embracement of Web 2.0 technologies, pervasiveness of handheld devices, and the advent of Library 2.0, libraries have to grapple and manage the changing use patterns and expectations of its varied clientele. How do librarians, new and old be trained and be prepared for the new age libraries, where the demarcations between the physical and digital library spaces and services are not as clear as before, where library customers demand for services that they can get using their handheld gadgets round the clock, from anywhere in the world, and where the roles of librarians and libraries, customers of libraries, internet and internet content producers and service providers are becoming less clear than ever before? The paper has investigated the level of awareness of Library 2.0 applications among library and Information science professionals at Annamalai University, India. The paper also identified perceived factors and problems that could influence successful implementation of Library 2.0. The findings showed that there was moderate awareness among the LIS professionals with Library 2.0 applications. The findings also indicated that there was high level of computer expertise among the respondents in terms of web browsers and search engines, in addition to high level of utilization in some of the Web 2.0 applications. In addition, the study observed high rates of using blogs and Wikipedia among the librarians.