With the development of such technology as smart phones and web 2.0, people can access information more easily than ever. Use of the web 2.0 features in library services is not limited to the library system, but provides the service for outreach education, electronic commerce, etc. Web 2.0 has provided an infrastructure within which users can participate, and when given the chance they have done so enthusiastically” (Gazan, 2008). For example, the library webpage links to Google Books and online book stores like Amazon and Library Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) so that users can search for, buy, and check out books from a nearby library or even from other states using the Interlibrary Loan Service. Also, even outside of the library, people can get information via iPhone at any time or from any place using Social Q&A sites like Yahoo! Answers (Dempsey, 2009). This flexibility, which is a huge strength of Social Q&As, can make up for weaknesses in traditional education, such as limited time and the need to be physically present in libraries or schools to access information. In order to solve the problems of time and physical presence, libraries should adapt the strengths of the virtual world through Social Q&A sites. Dempsey recommends that library staffs solve the problem with increased availability: “As users interact with services on the network, library staff needs to be more visible. This is partly a matter of being accessible in the variety of ways that people communicate (e–mail, texting, etc.).” The first screen shot shows that Memorial Hall Library in Northeast Massachusetts provides 24/7 reference service via email and instant message to local residents. Providing 24/7 virtual reference service allows users access to reliable information from librarians or information experts.
Social Q&As are not based on one-to-one communication, but one-to-multiple-user communication; whereas when people go to libraries or schools, they ask questions to one teacher or reference librarian. The strengths of one-to-multiple-user communication lead to an increase in the quantity of the information and to social annotation, which “refers to uncontrolled user comments and interactions around a digital resource, to distinguish it from more formal senses of content annotation” (Gazan, 2008). Libraries should also encourage people’s participation, for example by allowing users to edit and delete contents, as in Yahoo! Answers and to communicate with librarians, web technicians, and other users. The second screen shot shows that Ann Arbor District Library in Michigan allows users to leave reviews; thus, users are not only content consumers but also content creators. In a library setting, users create book reviews, book covers, and videos related to the material. Unlike AADL, to which only residents can contribute, it would be good to have a digital library without regional or language barriers, so that anyone in the world can access reliable information.
In Social Q &A sites, you can ask questions that are difficult to find through a web search or ready references, for example "Why does the stomach make funny noises when we’re hungry?" and "How do stoplights sense a car?" You can ask for advice and local knowledge, like restaurant recommendations (Leibenluft, 2007), which you can’t really ask a librarian or teacher. The strengths of traditional education can also help the weaknesses of Social Q&As. For example, the difficulty of controlling contents in Social Q&As, such as same-question repetition and spam comments, could be solved by allowing users to report to a web moderator and flag inappropriate contents (Gazan, 2008). Also, librarians and teachers are more likely to teach you how to find reliable information than just to give you an answer. Yahoo! Answers is not only a Social Q&A but also social networking site where people have discussions and build online relationship. Social Q&As are less reliable than traditional education because the information is provided anonymously and even by non experts. Duguid explains that Social Q&A sites are based on peer production and the laws of quality: “Peer production projects constantly change. What is flawed today may be flawless tomorrow”. Therefore, in order to improve the quality of Yahoo! Answers, the web moderator creates features that prevent users from submitting an answer without citation of a reliable source.
References
Duguid, Paul (2006). Limits of Self-Organization: Peer Production and "Laws of QualityÓ. First Monday 11(10). http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/1405/1323
Leibenluft, Jacob (2007). A Librarian's Worst Nightmare: Yahoo! Answers, where 120 million users can be wrong. Slate, 7 December 2007. http://www.slate.com/id/2179393/fr/rss/
Gazan, Rich (2008). Social Annotations in Digital Library Collections. D-Lib 14(11/12). http://www.dlib.org/dlib/november08/gazan/11gazan.html
Dempsey, Lorcan (2009). Always On: Libraries in a World of Permanent Connectivity. First Monday 14(1). http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2291/2070
