Web 3.0, otherwise known as the “semantic web,” will revolutionize the way people search for information. With the implementation of new technology, search engines will become “smarter,” bringing electronic searches one step closer to actually consulting a librarian.
Appealing to the “information agnostic” NextGens, Google’s Universal Search is an “integrated search that brings back results no matter the medium” (Abram & Luther, para. 4; Evans, p. 13). While Google offers more comprehensive searches, other companies are improving the way search engines examine content. Searches of media such as images and video will improve the most dramatically. Current search technology only searches the filenames of these media. In contrast, new Web 3.0 technology will allow users to actually search the content of the image, video, or song (Evans, p. 14). Some of these new search engines are powered by new technology, while others are powered by humans. One example of a human-powered search is the Music Genome Project, or Pandora.com, a search engine that recognizes elements of music files such as vocalists and instrumentation. Machines are not yet able to do this (Evans, p. 14). Examples of computer-powered media searches are those developed by Mu Labs and eVision. These companies have developed “powerful visual analysis tools that let you compare images on the basis of color similarities, pixel by pixel” (Evans, p. 14). In the future, searching non-text media will depend much less on how the image has been tagged by a librarian or other human being and more on the quality of technology being used to analyze the features of the media in question.
Perhaps the most important innovation to accompany Web 3.0 is analysis of user intent. Newly developed search engines “use semantic processing to understand relationships between words, identify concepts on webpages, and then match query concepts to webpage concepts” (Fox, para. 5). A search engine like Google takes all words typed in as a query and looks for documents that contain those words. In contrast, newer search technology will analyze the user’s intent, generate similar words or questions, and include results based on the content or ideas in the webpage, not just matching words (Fox, para. 12). For example, if a user types in a search containing the word “bat,” the search engine will analyze the search to determine whether the user is seeking sporting equipment or information on an animal and it will deliver results accordingly. Once again, finding information will no longer depend on a textual tag that identifies the content of a document or file.
This will have a huge impact on librarians and patrons alike. While current library technology requires all media to carry textual descriptors, Web 3.0 search technology will eliminate this need. Librarians will no longer need to predict how users will search for media when cataloguing materials. Instead, technology will analyze the content and the user’s intent and match the patron with the materials he or she is seeking. On the one hand, this may lead to the elimination of library jobs as patrons become increasingly independent. However, many patrons may still require assistance using updated technology. Therefore, it is logical to predict that as Web 3.0 revolutionizes the search engine, the role of librarians will shift to helping patrons implement new technology and decide which technology will best lead them to the information they seek.
Links
The Music Genome Project
http://www.pandora.com/
eVision Visual Search
http://www.evisionglobal.com/
Discussion Questions
1.) As these new search engines become prevalent, in what ways do you think librarians will still be necessary to help patrons find materials? How do you see our role changing?
2.) How do you think NextGen patrons, who are accustomed to keyword searches like Google, will adapt to Web 3.0? Will it be a smooth transition, or will even seasoned NextGen patrons face a learning curve?
3.) What are some negative results that will come from Web 3.0? What are some positives?
4.) Will the transition to Web 3.0 go smoothly? What challenges might librarians and patrons encounter when trying to implement this new technology?
References
Abram, Stephen, & Luther, Judy (2004). Born with the Chip. Library Journal, 129 (8), p. 24-37.
Evans, Woody (2008). Embryonic Web 3.0. Searcher, 16 (1), p. 12.
Fox, Vanessa (2008). The Promise of Natural Language Search. Information Today, 25 (1), p. 50.
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26 comments:
1.) As these new search engines become prevalent, in what ways do you think librarians will still be necessary to help patrons find materials? How do you see our role changing?
After reviewing your review 3.0 and comparing it to several articles that I located Web 3.0 is a good thing with much potential. There is one point that Web 3.o does not address. How will it be able to weed out authoritive sources of information versus results that are generated by web master pluging in the right key words?
This is where the role of librarian comes in, librarians are trained to recognize authoritive sources from crap. Yes the internet world has expanded by leaps and bounds in very little time, but at the same time so has adware and spyware sites that can also have key words that will lead people to view their site.
I see future librarians as Information Specialist that give direction to the untrained patron. Librarians are not going away but their platform is definetly changing. As students in this time we have an advantage because most of us are being trained for this being a standard and we do not have any professional experience to compare it to. Web 3.0 may be easier to embrace for new professionals entering the field that professionals that have been a librarian for 20 plus years.
The semantic is designed to help existing technology and information(Sure, 2005). I am looking forward to working with advancing technology and being a great asset to my patrons and future library.
York Sure, Rudi Studer. (2005). Semantic Web technologies for digital libraries. Library Management, 26(4/5), 190-195. Retrieved March 4, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 867910791).
I could see a revolutionized search engine further condensing the variety of resources that students use. After google, there was a huge increase in electronic, web based resources, and if we improve upon an already efficent system, then it could be possible that the librarian's role will be diminished by the search engine.
There will always be a role for librarians in collecting and disseminating information, but I think that the reference librarian's effectiveness may be harmed by Web 3.0. As a grad student , I can't imagine using web sources to the degree that they are used now. But as an undergrad, the luxury of searching for sources at home could prove to be too great.
1.) As these new search engines become prevalent, in what ways do you think librarians will still be necessary to help patrons find materials? How do you see our role changing?
I agree with Deaidre that librarians will be needed to assist patrons in "cutting through the crap" as they do their research. Furthermore, many patrons will still need basic assistance in using Web 3.0 tools, and librarians will be necessary to fill this role. I think that, as future librarians, we need to make every effort to acquire technology skills, because this is where the jobs are going to be.
2.) How do you think NextGen patrons, who are accustomed to keyword searches like Google, will adapt to Web 3.0? Will it be a smooth transition, or will even seasoned NextGen patrons face a learning curve?
Honestly, I think that most NextGen patrons are going to adapt fairly well. I don't anticipate that the shift to Web 3.0 is going to be abrupt- I think that it will be more of a gradual change. It seems like new technologies are coming out at a rapid pace,(IPhone, Kindle,etc.) and people seem to pick them up without too much effort. With one exception- people who for whatever reason (usually economic)do not have access to technology. These individuals are at risk of being left behind by the Information Age, and libraries will continue to serve as a resource for them.
3.) What are some negative results that will come from Web 3.0? What are some positives?
On the negative side, research skills may become a thing of the past as a result of Web 3.0. We have already seen a gradual "dumbing down" because of Google- people are getting used to fast, easy answers. In a Web 2.0 or 3.0 environment, it is easy to forget how to "dig" for information and pick out reliable sources. However,the convenience of these search engines is a big plus!
4.) Will the transition to Web 3.0 go smoothly? What challenges might librarians and patrons encounter when trying to implement this new technology?
As with any transition, we can anticipate that there will be bumps in the road. Funding may pose a problem, as well as organizational and directional challenges in implementing the transition. Training will be a huge issue. Of course, there will always be people within and outside libraries who are resistant to change. Lastly, library schools need to graduate future librarians who are equipped with the skills to handle the technological challenges ahead.
1.) As these new search engines become prevalent, in what ways do you think librarians will still be necessary to help patrons find materials? How do you see our role changing?
It might make librarian's jobs a little bit easier when people are able to find the citation of the document they want. Refining searches would still be the librarian's job. People are often uncertain of the words to search precisely what they are looking for. Librarians can teach people to use these search engines and applications.
2.) How do you think NextGen patrons, who are accustomed to keyword searches like Google, will adapt to Web 3.0? Will it be a smooth transition, or will even seasoned NextGen patrons face a learning curve? That's where the librarians can help. Pandora is a great site. Encore helps people easily refine their searches. I think patrons will adapt quite easily to the changes. The changes are user-friendly, so there's no challenge.
3.) What are some negative results that will come from Web 3.0? What are some positives? Librarians might find their job descriptions change. Cataloging will require a sea of subject tags.
4.) Will the transition to Web 3.0 go smoothly? What challenges might librarians and patrons encounter when trying to implement this new technology? With seminars on how to use the new technology, both librarians and patrons will become more comfortable. I think it will go very smoothly. It might be too much information at once for older users. Too many boxes to tick, too many choices, etc.
I think the way in which librarians' roles changed when encountering L2, will just be intensified with the influx of web 3.0 technologies.
I am not certain a learning curve is necessary. I think that is the draw of these web 3.0 technologies.
There is a great example of these technologies starting to be used is in the NCSU library system . It is a catalog system that anticipates user need with a sidebar of subjects, and is easy! allowing for the addition and subtraction of search terms with a mere click on he X positioned after the word.
As these new search engines become prevalent, in what ways do you think librarians will still be necessary to help patrons find materials? How do you see our role changing?
I agree with De aidre. Librarians will still be needed to help put meaning full information onto library websites. They are the skills to know what information is authentic and what is not. Although not as many people may not come into the library, librarians will still be advocates for patrons rights to have access to government documents and proceedings.
I too see librarians as a link between patrons and information that is available on the Internet. Yes there may be many search engines but not all of them will lead you to the type of information that you are looking for. Therefore people will still need to see librarians. As time goes on many librarians will be trained in the newer technologies as they come out, such as Web 3.0.
Will the transition to Web 3.0 go smoothly? What challenges might librarians and patrons encounter when trying to implement this new technology?
The transition to Web 3.0 will most likely go smoothly due to the many past interactive technologies that have been implemented such as e-mail, instant messaging, and detailed Google searches. I think that most of the people who will use it will already have the skill set to handle the new technology. The problem will be for those that do not use these types of resources to gather information. Librarians may encounter problems because they have to learn what key words will work to find specific information in order to guide patrons on how to use Web 3.0.
1. I think in this fast changing technology there will always be a need for a librarian to assist those that do not know how to use the technology. Yes, I do think our roles of librarians will change to being more knowledgeable about searching the web and using the technology. I have problems thinking of the right word to use when searching for a specifics item and see others struggling with it also. I am hoping that this new 3.0 will be a better tool to search the web.
With all these new search engines and other new ideas that are developing, I personally don't think that librarians won't be needed but the profession will change as these new things come out. In an article by Saw and Todd titled, Library 3.0: where art our skills? the authors say "the librarian of the twenty first century must be a researcher, counselor, planner,
manager, assessor, team member, problem solver and computer-printer repair person." Librarians of the future will still have a job but the description will change. Instead of helping to find books all the time a librarian will have to also help the patrons search for materials on the Internet using search engines. Some of the patrons that come into libraries are not going to know how to search online especially with the technology changing. The library profession is no longer the stereotypical job but more of an information technology profession. Now is a time of change in the profession and I feel that its a good time to be learning and going to school for our degrees. We are able to learn all about the new technologies out there in school and will have a step up on new technology.
Saw, G. & Todd, H. (2007) Library 3.0: where art our skills? Reference and Information Services. Retrieved on March 5, 2008. pp. 1-15.
As mentioned in the original post, patrons will need help with operating the new technologies. Librarians will play a larger role in the technology aspect than with books.
I think that NexGens will adjust very well. They are very tech savvy and many of them want the latest and greatest. To adapt, they will familiarize themselves with the new technologies by whatever means necessary.
I agree with Sylvia, librarian job descriptions will change. As mentioned above, they will focus a lot more on the technology aspect. A negative aspect of Web 3.0 would be the cost. Would libraries have to update their computer systems?
As with any change, users will become frustrated when familiarizing themselves with the programs. Once users have adjusted, I think all will go well.
Those of you who said that librarians will be needed to help differentiate between authoritative and amateur sources bring up a very valid point. This will be necessary as a response to the large volume of information being electronically published.
Has anyone considered the downside of automation? For example, what if the semantic search malfunctions and misreads the patron's intent, and absolutely will NOT bring back the info the patron wants?
Also, if anyone has tried Pandora or eVision's demo, will you please post about your experience?
Pandora is awesome. I've been using it on and off since 05; it tends to play a lot of artists I already know and like that I'd consider similar to my seed artist, and it's provided me with some good "recommendations". I like looking at the reasons why it selected songs, and often find myself wanting more detail (though there may not be any more detail to be had). It's definitely worth a listen if you have broadband, though when mixed with DRM-free music downloads from Amazon.com, it has the potential to get kind of expensive. So watch yourself.
I find the 'semantic web' stuff very interesting. It's worth mentioning that the searches we do now are getting better, but they're mostly getting better because of metadata tags that get embedded into all sorts of media. Webpages and pdfs have metadata, but so do pictures (which is how your photo album software knows the date you took that digital picture, its dimensions, and more), sound files (how iTunes knows the title, album, and artist for that song you *legally* downloaded), videos, and so on. But with a good semantic web search, you do a web search for pictures that look like [this picture], or (as with Pandora), things that sound like [that sound].
I agree with Sylvia that, at least in theory, semantic web searches will be easier than the sorts of searches we do now ... You'll finally be able to type in a question and get an answer. Keyword searches would still work, they'd just work better. I think even cataloging could get easier; I imagine you should be able to enter a couple descriptive paragraphs, rather than string together an endless number of subject tags. The idea is to empower the machines to recognize natural language after all. Similarly, searches should be simpler as well. Like a Google's search, a plain old box, but with much better results.
I believe librarians will still be needed to assist patrons with the new Web 3.0 technology and which ever technology comes next. There are many patrons that are very behind when it comes to technology. I work at a college library and I am frequently asked questions about how to type a paper in Microsoft Word and even how to use a mouse let alone use advanced search engines. Please keep in mind that these are intelligent people, they are just not comfortable with using computers. I think we are still a long way from all patrons being comfortable with using technology.
1. Our Changing Role:
It appears that Web 2.0 and 3.0 will create an even greater demand for Information Literacy. Our role as educators will be in even greater demand, as people seek guidance and instructions regarding these new search capabilities. Somebody other then the designers and programers, need to understand and teach people how to best use these new formats. The librarian is perfectly placed with access to the community to be that teacher.
2. NextGens and Web 3.0:
I believe this group will make a smooth transition as these new technologies begin to blend with current standards. The skills they already have will help them to understand the new stuff.
3. Positives and Negatives:
The idea of staying relevant in the face of new technology is not a new concept for librarians. I believe if we stay current and keep finding ways to assist our patrons in the best way possible, then we will continue to find worth and relevancy in our profession. Librarians have been working to incorporate Web 2.0 tools into the library system with a great deal of success. I believe that we will do the same with Web 3.0.
Web 3.0 will not replace librarians, but will certainly change our role. If we want to stay relevant (and employable) we need to be on the cutting edge of technology. Patrons may start to have more technological questions and fewer actual reference questions. This of course does not mean we can abandon our reference skills - there will still be a need for us to help people understand what sources are reliable and what information is accurate. We will definately have to really listen to our patrons to figure out exactly what their needs are and what specific types of skills we must develop in order to better serve them.
The web 3.0 is actually sounds interesting. First of all with all of the changes in library technology it is meant to make the search for information easier. However, personally I will be happy to type in a word or words in to a search engine and have the information analyzed and narrowed down. The prevalence of this search engines only threatens to kick out librarians, but which is impossible. Librarians will always be necessary because the is a limit to what a machine can do. The librarians first of all have to be there to teach patrons how to use this new technology. Even if all patrons become acquainted to the new search engines, the information has to be updated regularly, and this will obviously be done by the librarian. The librarian is indispensible; our role only changes in that we will not have to physically encounter too many people. All will be done on the computer. Hence sooner or later librarians will become semi technicians. They will be caring more for the functioning of machines and search engines as well as how these computers give out information.
I think the NextGen patrons, who are accustomed to keyword searches will adapt pretty fast. On like Google which brings out all information on a particular word. Web 3.0 cuts down this information to its selected context. It most probably will be exposing a context that a patron had never thought of, the by teaching them something new. I think the patron will adapt quit fast to the web 3.0 because it would be making search easier. The curve will only be at the beginning, as the beginning is always difficult.
As for negative effects, print will definitely be shifting out of relevance, though that is where the computer information originated from. Also at some point librarians will be sort of idle, as checking out and checking in books will slow down. I think the rate of reason will drop also even though the is a limit to what a machine can do. That is having the machine do all, especially analyzing before bringing forth requested material. On the other hand time is saved doing search on the web 3.0 search engines, as cross referencing might not be necessary. Going to the library will only if absolutely necessary and research will be less cumbersome. Moreover, the visual part of this change will make information assimilation easier with images.
The major problem the librarians will face in y opinion is the different groups of people who use the library. The older generation will still prefer their books. It will take longer to teach them how to do their research on the computer worst still using these new technologies that are new to them. The young people will on their part use these technologies for mischievous purposes, which librarians have to fight. However, just like every new thing has its pros and cons the web 3.0 transition will have its impact. Patrons might also have the problem of updating their software to be able to accommodate these new technologies.
"Has anyone considered the downside of automation? For example, what if the semantic search malfunctions and misreads the patron's intent, and absolutely will NOT bring back the info the patron wants?" ~ Kimberly e.
That was one of my concerns when I was reading through this post. Anytime there is a program that is suppose to anticipate what I want and make my life eaiser there is a chance that it will not work correctly and could become very frustrating, especially when it first comes out. My thougths travel to all of my bad experiences with Microsoft Word's atuoformat function and how sometimes it seems impossible to just get the thing to do what you want instead of what it thinks you want.
However, I do think that this is something that, if it works, could be very beneficial. I think the nextgen patrons that are already using and comfortable with goolgle will not have too much trouble adjusting to the web 3.0 semantic searching, but there are still a large number of patrons that do not know how to search for things online or in databases or catalogs or simply trust the librarian to do a better and faster job. As someone mentioned librarians will still serve an essential function in weeding through all the search results and identifying what sources are good and credible and which are not. This service will not put us out of business, although it could enhance our reference services by giving us results that better reflect what the patron is looking for and in less time.
Web 3.0 called also Web Semantic, is an extension of web 2.0 in which you make links and cross references, so that a person or machine can explore the web of data. “Semantic web Helps computers understand the meaning behind the webpage”. It doesn’t replace the librarian; however it switches the role of the librarian. In a web environment, users will need to find the most relevant information they are looking for. Users can put direct queries to search engines but they need the librarian’s help to guide them to the best results. As a reference librarian, I will play the knowledge interpreters or information analyst role and help patrons to find the exact result which they want.
I think that NextGen patrons will not find any difficulty in the shift, because they are already packed with the technology. You can see how easily people get adapted to using the technologies especially the young people. Older people may find some difficulties or can be slower in grasping the technology incorporated in web 3.0
Here is a very helpful video that helps you understand what is Web 3.0:
http://weblogs.elearning.ubc.ca/googlescholar/archives/044346.html
1.) As these new search engines become prevalent, in what ways do you think librarians will still be necessary to help patrons find materials? How do you see our role changing?
I think as long as librarians keep up the the variety of technologies out there, they will still have jobs. There are always going to be patrons that need help in this area.
2.) How do you think NextGen patrons, who are accustomed to keyword searches like Google, will adapt to Web 3.0? Will it be a smooth transition, or will even seasoned NextGen patrons face a learning curve?
I think they will adapt nicely as they have some level of background in technology already. Like all of us, they will have to be taught, but I do not think the gap will be as large for them as it might be for other groups.
3.) What are some negative results that will come from Web 3.0? What are some positives?
It will leave some patrons and librarians behind. That being said, it will make searches easier for most.
4.) Will the transition to Web 3.0 go smoothly? What challenges might librarians and patrons encounter when trying to implement this new technology?
I think it will probably do as well as other forms of technology. it has to be taught and learned by those who use it. it will take time and money and most of all patience.
I think the roles of librarians will change I think it has already changed slowly in the years since I was younger. Patrons are a lot more independent when it comes to finding the material they need. But again there is always a population of people who need help and it is enough to keep librarians arounde. Our roles will change more in the future, we will be pointing people in the right direction, with research.
I don't think patrons will have much trouble adapting to Web 3.0, we know live in a society where new technology comes out all the time. We as humans just adapt.
Some negatives to Web 3.0, well some patrons will have trouble adapting to it and librarians will have to take time and help them. The postitves to Web 3.0 it allows patrons to learn new software.
Challenges of Web 3.0 have to be excepted all new things bring along challenges, as the librarians we hope we can help patrons adjust easily and quickly.
I have yet to test out Pandora, but I use a very similar site everyday called Jango where you create personalized radio stations and they play other artists that you might like as well. I couldn't tell from Pandora, but Jango is also more of a social networking site where you create a profile, have messaging abilities and can search people with similar music interests. It's my favorite! I have found so many other great artists that I have never heard of.
www.jango.com
I agree with others, it seems on the surface semantic web searches will really focus in on keywords, but time will tell. Librarians, no doubt, will be riding the crest of the web 3.0 wave. It seems as searching gets "smarter" librarians will spend more time discerning the bulk of information available as a result.
1.) As these new search engines become prevalent, in what ways do you think librarians will still be necessary to help patrons find materials? How do you see our role changing?
I agree with everyone who's indicated that we'll still need to help patrons weed out questionable sources. This has always been part of our job, but I can see it expanding with the Internet becoming more collaboration-based. In addition, if we're well versed in new search engine technology, we can help patrons structure their queries more effectively to get usable results (much like we always have).
2.) How do you think NextGen patrons, who are accustomed to keyword searches like Google, will adapt to Web 3.0? Will it be a smooth transition, or will even seasoned NextGen patrons face a learning curve?
3.) What are some negative results that will come from Web 3.0? What are some positives?
I think the main negative will be the potential for patrons to think they won't need librarians or face-to-face human interaction to get the information they need. One potential positive could be that some librarians' time could be freed up to plan events and outreach programs.
4.) Will the transition to Web 3.0 go smoothly? What challenges might librarians and patrons encounter when trying to implement this new technology?
The challenges will probably be similar to those we're facing with Web 2.0 and what we faced with Web 1.0--learning new technology and making it work to our advantage.
I see the new Web 3.0 technology as something that works in concert with librarians not mutually exclusive. For example "How does the search engine distinguish between good information and bad? How does it determine which parts of the sum of human knowledge to accept and which to reject?" are questions raised by Steve Spalding on in his article http://howtosplitanatom.com/news/how-to-define-web-30-2/ Search engines are really good at going out and getting an abundance of information. The problem is that the information quality has dramatic differences and there is just so much information. What the librarian hopefully brings to the table is knowledge, or at least the knowledge to lead someone else to knowledge.
They say change is the only constant, but it is also the most fought. First, i never even heard of Web 3.0 and found this to be quite informational. As far as there being a change in what librarians do, I guess. i think initially, librarians will be the ones to demonstrate and even organize the materials. If this is the case then i guess library work will become more digital. That will mean a shift in training and learning that will help those of us in the profession become relevant.
I like the example of MS Word's autoformat feature and how the idea of technology reading user intent can sometimes go awry. I think that "fixing" these Web 3.0 malfunctions is going to become part of our job, so one of the things I want to learn is how to fix them.
Has anyone tried Pandora? I had been using it for a long time before I identified it as being Web 3.0 technology. At first I thought it was just a gimmicky thing but I've come to appreciate the technology the more I've learned about it. Even so, I have the sense that Pandora still relies on the "genre" tag too heavily. For example, if I type in the name of a song by Zero 7, one of my favorite bands, Pandora returns mostly clubby music, probably because Zero 7 is "electronic," though they don't sound that similar. Human tagging, in my opinion, will always have the pitfall of bias.
For those of you interested in information policy, like we've read about this week, I'd encourage you to read about the legal challenges Pandora has faced. Though radio stations have bought playing rights to songs for years, the future of media on the Internet is much foggier, something that will undoubtedly become an even more heated issue as Web 3.0 blossoms. Take a look if you have the chance.
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