K nowledge is created through conversation. Libraries are in the knowledge business. Therefore, libraries are in the conversation business. Some of those conversations span millennia, while others only span a few seconds. Some of these conversations happen in real time. In some conversations, there is a broadcast of ideas from one author to multiple audiences. Some conversa tions are sparked by a book, a video, or a Web page. Some of these conversations are as trivial as directing someone to the bathroom. Other conversations center on the foun dations of ourselves and our humanity.It may be odd to start a technology brief with such seemingly abstract comments. Yet, without this firm, if theoretical, footing, the advent of Web 2.0, social net working, Library 2.0, and participatory networks seems a clutter of new terminology, tools, and acronyms. In fact, as will be discussed, without this conceptual footing, many library functions can seem disconnected, and the field that serves lawyers, doctors, single mothers, and eightyear olds (among others) fragmented.The scale of this technology brief is limited; it is to present library decisionmakers with the opportunities and challenges of participatory networks. It is only a single piece of a much larger puzzle that seeks to pres ent a cohesive framework for libraries. This framework not only will fit tools such as blogs and wikis into their offerings (where appropriate), but also will show how a more participatory, conversational approach to libraries in general can help libraries better integrate current and future functions. Think of this document as an overview or introduction to participatory librarianship. Readers will find plenty of examples and definitions of Web 2.0 and social networking later in this article. However, to jump right into the technology without a larger frame work invites the rightful skepticism of a library organiza tion that feels constantly buffeted by new technological advances. In any environment with no larger conceptual founding, to measure the importance of an advance in technology or practice selection of any one technology or practice is nearly arbitrary. Without a framework, the field becomes open to the influence of personalities and trendy technology. Therefore, it is vital to ground any technological, social, or policy conversation into a larger, rooted concept. As Susser said, "to practice without theory is to sail an uncharted sea; theory without practice is not to set sail at all."1 For this paper, the chart will be conversation theory.The core of this article is in four sections: It is recommended that the reader follow this order to get the big picture; however, the second section should be a useful primer on the language and concepts of partici patory networks. ■ Library as a facilitator of conversationLet us return to the concept that knowledge is created through conversation. This notion stretches back to Socrates and the Socratic method. However, the specific foundation for this statement comes from conversation theory, a...

An essential guide to a librarianship based not on books and artifacts but on knowledge and learning. Libraries have existed for millennia, but today the library field is searching for solid footing in an increasingly fragmented (and increasingly digital) information environment. What is librarianship when it is unmoored from cataloging, books, buildings, and committees? In The Atlas of New Librarianship, R. David Lankes offers a guide to this new landscape for practitioners. He describes a new librarianship based not on books and artifacts but on knowledge and learning; and he suggests a new mission for librarians: to improve society through facilitating knowledge creation in their communities. The vision for a new librarianship must go beyond finding library-related uses for information technology and the Internet; it must provide a durable foundation for the field. Lankes recasts librarianship and library practice using the fundamental concept that knowledge is created though conversation. New librarians approach their work as facilitators of conversation; they seek to enrich, capture, store, and disseminate the conversations of their communities. To help librarians navigate this new terrain, Lankes offers a map, a visual representation of the field that can guide explorations of it; more than 140 Agreements, statements about librarianship that range from relevant theories to examples of practice; and Threads, arrangements of Agreements to explain key ideas, covering such topics as conceptual foundations and skills and values. Agreement Supplements at the end of the book offer expanded discussions. Although it touches on theory as well as practice, the Atlas is meant to be a tool: textbook, conversation guide, platform for social networking, and call to action. Copublished with the Association of College & Research Libraries.

Purpose -This paper seeks to understand how users determine credibility in the internet environment from a conceptual level and the implications of these new methods of credibility determination on internet tools (primarily software) and services. Design/methodology/approach -The author first examines the underlying reasons for increased dependence on the internet for information, using electronic commerce as a starting point. The central concept of "information self-sufficiency" is introduced and then examined through the lens of the internet and conversation theory. Findings -The author finds that users are shifting from more traditional "authority" methods of credibility determination, where users cede determinations to trusted third parties, to a "reliability" approach where users seek commonalities and coherence among multiple information sources. This has led to an increased pressure for participation and openness at all levels of the internet. Research limitations/implications -Studies on users and credibility must better account for often invisible technical factors. Practical implications -Libraries must take into account a greater need for participation and technical fluency when dealing with patrons, particularly in information literacy programs and instruction. Originality/value -This paper presents a large-scale conceptual approach to credibility on the internet. It seeks to inform current approaches to the subject nested in communications and instruction with the unique technical environment of the internet.Keywords Internet, Trust, User studies, Library users, Information science Paper type Research paperIntroduction: running out of stones It has been said that the Stone Age did not end because man ran out of stones. Instead, Stone Age technology was superceded by new tools and capabilities. At some point in history, it simply became more advantageous to adopt new methods and tools rather than trying to solve problems inherent in older methods. Society may soon be at this inflection point in terms of how people identify credible information, abandoning traditional methods of determining credibility for digital tools and new network approaches. Far from being a negative development, these new methods of determining credibility, and the associated tools, will reflect a more distributed and open approach than in the past. Such an approach has important implications for how libraries function, how we educate our youth, how we set policy, and how we build future information systems.

A research agenda for the study of digital reference is presented. The agenda stems from a research symposium held at Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts in August 2002. The agenda defines digital reference as "the use of human intermediation to answer questions in a digital environment." The agenda also proposes the central research question in digital reference: "How can human expertise be effectively and efficiently incorporated into information systems to answer user questions?" The definition and question are used to outline a research agenda centered on how the exploration of digital reference relates to other fields of inquiry.

This paper describes a study conducted to determine the paths digital reference services take through a general process model of asynchronous digital reference. A survey based on the general process model was conducted; each decision point in this model provided the basis for at least one question. Common, uncommon, and wished-for practices are identified, as well as correlations between characteristics of services and the practices employed by those services. Identification of such trends has implications for the development of software tools for digital reference. This study presents a snapshot of the state of the art in digital reference as of late 2001-early 2002, and validates the general process model of asynchronous digital reference.