Beth M. Whittaker and Lynn M. Thomas. Special Collections 2.0. Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited, 2009. xxiv, 150p. alk. paper, $45 (ISBN 9781591587200). LC 2009-013451

All libraries, regardless of patron base, are grappling with the opportunities and challenges of changing patron expectations in an increasingly digital world. Special collections libraries face their own set of challenges in this arena, particularly with regard to increasing collection visibility. Special Collections 2.0 presents an overview of the ways in which Web 2.0 technology can be utilized by special collections libraries, archives, and other institutions that present and preserve cultural heritage materials. The authors acknowledge that there are numerous books and articles discussing Web 2.0 technologies in general, and that this book focuses on those that can play specific roles for special collections libraries, archives, and museums. The book is an expansion of a survey (included as Appendix 1) distributed to cultural heritage and special-collections professionals via the listservs EXLIBRIS-L (for rare-books professionals) and Archivists, and the Facebook groups for Rare Books Professionals and Archivists intended to gauge knowledge of and interest in Web 2.0 technologies in this community. The book is divided into six chapters, each of which addresses a Web 2.0 technology of specific interest to the special-collections professional and how it can be used to create, promote, and manage materials and find new audiences for them. Chapters range from a basic outline of various social-networking and communication tools and how they can be used for networking, promotion, and community-building (chapters 1–4), to specific library-related issues and tools (chapters 5 and 6). Chapter 1 provides an outline of social networking and collaboration tools, ranging from Facebook to SecondLife to ALAConnect. Chapters 2 and 3 move beyond basic social networking to more actively collaborative technologies. Chapter 2 focuses on blogs and RSS feeds, providing an overview of how (and why) to blog and follow blogs, noting that blogging can facilitate professional conversation and allow the development of collaborative projects. A further note on the preservation and archiving of blogs highlights the convergence of Web 2.0 technologies and cultural preservation. Chapter 3 illustrates how wikis can be used with an internal focus: to make documentation available, note the history and peculiarities of specific collections and items, document local cataloging practices, and serve as basic internal communication; and with an external focus: communicating with donors, patrons, and other professionals in the field, promoting collections. The authors provide an example of the use of a wiki as a collection development and enhancement tool: the Edward T. LeBlanc Dime Novel Wiki Project …