The Cybrarian's Web: an A-Z Guide to 101 free Web 2.0 tools and other resources. Cheryl Ann Peltier-Davis, London, Facet. 2012. xxv, 486pp.  
ISBN: 9781856048293. £44.95
This newly published guide is a boon to those information professionals who want to expand their services into the ‘Library 2.0’ realm. Cheryl Peltier-Davis is a qualified librarian at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, and thus has an excellent perspective on the practical application of the resources offered in the book. 
The Introduction poses the question ‘Why use Web 2.0 resources in libraries’, and answers this with 5 ‘instant’ benefits, 1) Delivery of highly customised, value added services to tech-savvy clients, 2) Overcoming economic turmoil by integrating web 2.0 services into the library’s economic recovery efforts, 3) Building alliances with patrons and improving communications with staff, 4) Instant implementation and democratisation of the web, and 5) Survival in a competitive landscape. 
Add to this that 61% of 15-34s, and 40% of all adults aged 16+ access Social Networking sites (http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/cmr-10/UKCM-4.2b.html) and you have a massive client base to attract. 
Arranged alphabetically by resource name, it takes you from AbiWord (Word Processing) to Zotero (Reference Management). All of the materials are free of charge, and many engage with the Social Networking aspects of Web 2.0. At the head of each review we are given the resource name e.g. (Facebook), what it is (Social Network), and its URL (www.facebook.com). Some of the resources may now seem a little tired (‘Second Life’ or ‘Myspace’ anyone?), but most are both current and relevant. 
Each resource is reviewed in depth, with an ‘Overview’ giving the context of the resource (where it was developed, who by, and for what purpose), details of ‘Features’ (functionality, design, usability etc.), and, most importantly, ‘How cybrarians can use this resource’ (real-world examples from libraries and librarians who are using the resources). At the end of each review there is an ‘FYI’ box, providing ‘factoids’, for example the ‘Drupal’ FYI states ‘In 2010, Drupal won the Infoworld Bossie Award for best Open Source application’. Each review finishes with ‘Endnotes’ which generally provide links to external reviews and articles about the resource.
The book covers areas including ‘Social Networks’, Productivity Tools’, ‘Search Engines’, ‘Video Production’, ‘Audio Production’, ‘Blogging’, ‘Social Bookmarking’, ‘News Aggregators’, ‘Content Management Systems’, ‘Wikis’, ‘Online Publishing Services’, ‘Digital Libraries’, ‘Photo Hosting Services’, ‘Podcasting’, and others! An interesting aspect is the linkages of some of the resources (such as ‘Aviary’ and ‘Ning’). Some of the resources do appear to be only US based (‘FaxZero’ offers free faxing within the USA and Canada, but not ‘Internationally’), but these are in the minority. 
The book is supported by a website (http://cybrariansweb.com) which provides links to all of the resources, and summaries of these and other resources as they are discovered. 
All-in-all this is an excellent ‘field guide’ to what is available free of charge for the librarian/cybrarian who is ready to offer innovative library services to an increasingly tech-savvy and socially networked clientele. If this is you, you need this book!
4/5
Stephen A Bowman BA(Hons) MA MSc FCLIP FHEA
Deputy Librarian, University of Chichester