Architecture of Participation: Librarians and Users on the Development of Information Services

Abstract

The emergence of information technology in the library sector has developed new ways of communication between users and librarians, while promoting the transit from “user-consumer” to “user-creator.” This new technique of acting is based on the concept of architecture of participation, which derives from the 2.0 philosophy, and generates the user’s active involvement in the creation and organization of content. The increase of information flow, from the user to the library, allows constantly the updating and re-evaluation of library services to best meet the information needs of the user community. The article deals with the challenges and opportunities that this context presents in today’s information services. It also describes the practical experience of a service model developed according to this perspective.