I've been invited to keynote at the first annual conference of the SUNY Library Software Users Group (LiSUG) on Friday. I've been asked to talk about the future of libraries and how 2.0 can shape this future. It's always fun to figure out a topic like this when I have just twenty minutes to speak.

Given that the conference will focus on the Aleph catalog and our Web sites, I've decided to focus my talk on these two areas. Here's what I plan to say:

• In just a few years, libraries have done an impressive amount of 2.0 experimentation. This may not be apparent by looking at individual libraries, but the scene as a whole shows many hopeful signs. 2.0 is gaining traction. This is especially important because the wider networked information culture is going 2.0.
• So far, we've done a very healthy "toe-in-the-water" Library 2.0. It's time to consider next steps, some of which are already underway.
• If we want to thrive in a 2.0 information environment, we need to be thinking about the end of our Web sites and OPACs as closed systems. We've got so much useful data locked up in our sites, data that is not always easily accessible. 2.0 is about open data - XML data - that can be organized and packaged in various ways, pushed out to other applications, mashed up, and pulled in. Data mobility is key.
• While we can spend lots of time enhancing our catalog interfaces, we're enhancing an inventory, an inventory that is very rich in data. There are academic libraries leading the way in exporting catalog data to external applications for the benefit of students. Consider packaging and exporting catalog data as custom reading lists and resource links in the campus Course Management System. The 2.0 idea of "taking the library to users" can happen right on campus.
• We're still thinking about our Web sites in 1990's terms. Reconceptualize your library's site as a community space with, again, open data that can be shared on other spaces. An ideal scenario: hosting sites on affordable or open source content management systems with blog and wiki modules and a native XML database. We're not there yet, but there is plenty we can do in the meantime.
• Some of our sites have undergone years of subject page development, with librarians collecting many thousands of high-quality links and annotations. These can be databased and tagged, and converted to RSS feeds. This creates mobile data and more flexible access. Use tags to create tag clouds for site navigation. This might help increase multi-page visits to sites that have high single-page visit counts, such as the one in my library.
• Also think of library sites as current awareness tools by importing RSS feeds. A terrific CMS natively supports RSS importing, for example, the wiki/blog platform Confluence. Current awareness can create stickier sites.
• Expand blogging to administrators, service points, discussion of scholarly works, consideration of current events. Also consider blogs as a text analysis tool, e.g., CommentPress.
• Wikify parts of our sites to harness collective intelligence on our campuses by inviting edits by members of the campus community. Encourage the campus community to take ownership of parts of our sites.
• Ultimately, our sites will become more important when we make them more sticky, and less important when we repackage some of our data to be sent out to other spaces. The balance between these two trends will be interesting.
• To work toward 2.0 OPAC interfaces, we have two choices: take responsibility for the enhancements ourselves, or outsource the interface.
• Do it yourself: one option is to purchase the enhancement application, e.g., Encore, Endeca. In-house programming is another option. Waiting for open source is yet another option, e.g., Collex is under development at the University of Virginia. But there is a cost involved with all these options, not only in money but in infrastructure, staff, etc. Will this create a situation with haves and have-nots? In other words, will only the larger institutions with bigger budgets be able to enhance their catalogs?
• Outsourcing, for example to WorldCat Local, is generating interest. This interface has seen a lot of interesting development in the last few years.
• And finally I'll ask: What can SUNY librarians do to work together on these issues? This first conference might give us a great opportunity.

Originally, I had also hoped to fit in the topic of social scholarship. Good thing I took that out!