Impact of Web 2.0 technologies on academic libraries: a survey of ARL libraries

Purpose – The paper aims to present the results of a survey of academic libraries about the adoption and perceived impact of Web 2.0 technologies. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 67 US academic libraries participated among the members of the Association of Research Libraries. Findings – It was found that each library was using some form of technology, such as RSS, blogs, social networking sites, wikis and instant messaging. On a Likert-type scale the participant librarians significantly preferred the advantages of Web 2.0 over its disadvantages. There was a significant positive correlation between the extent of Web 2.0 adoption in libraries and librarians’ opinion about their advantages. Originality/value – The paper is useful for future planning of the use of Web 2.0 technologies in academic libraries.