Library/web 2.0

The concept of Library/Web 2.0 is great in perhaps the academic or public setting, but in the business of healthcare there are some issues that prevent make using of the its features.

The big issue of course is privacy. From a HIPPA and business standpoint there are things that the powers that be will not easily allow. Public collaborations via wikis are currently not allowed. Things that aren't easily monitored such as IM, Twittering, etc.pose confidentially issues for Info management people.

Access to sound is surprising frowned upon at where I work. There is limited access to usable CD-ROM drives, streaming of audio/video, and having speakers attached to PCs. There the those whose jobs allow them access to these capabilities, but for the vast majority of staff, "on-demand" is not an option. These things have to be arranged in advance, not allowing staff to access these tools when there is sudden down time.

I'd like to expose our staff to Library/Web 2.0, but it's going to be a long drawn out road.

RSS feeds is perhaps one of the most useful things in keeping people up to date. Hospital staff are often busy, but RSS seems like a great tool for keeping them up to date. Again however, not everyone has access to PC's, so the management staff are the ones who stand to benefit from RSS feeds.

Tagging seems like a good way to provide more access to say the library's catalog, though I don't know if our software allows tagging without screwing up our MARC cataloging and MESH subject access. Something to look into.

Time is an issue also that prevents people in Hospital settings from really taking advantage of Library/Web 2.0. The line staff have a hard time making time even for 15 minute required inservices. Making time for learning new web technologies might be impossible in the normal work time. I suspect that education days such as in conferences are the only way to introduce it to them. Clinical and Management staff perhaps have more of an interest, but only as far as getting them started and then only if it doesn't take a lot of time. It's amazing how often I get calls on one specific issue and people don't want to take the time to learn things in depth. Sometimes it's an occasional thing like a webcast, so they want someone else to set it up for them.