Tech
Time
Mashups, Web 2.0, and Your Library
A mashup is a Web application
that combines data from more than one source into an integrated experience.
This term is derived from a similar use in pop music, the practice
of mixing two or more songs. 1
Mashups are an element of
Web 2.0—with the Web evolving into a platform for performing tasks rather than merely
a collection of static Web pages. With Web 2.0, Internet sites are
more responsive by exchanging small amounts of data, increasing interactivity,
speed, and usability.
Most mashups are in
the experimental stage. Developers are combining Web services from
companies like Microsoft, Google, eBay, Amazon, Flickr, Serena and
Yahoo. For example, an application may use Google Maps and Flickr,
enabling users to identify a location, and then view pictures of
that location.
It may be easier to explain mashups by
showing examples. Below are some mashups and a brief description of the application.
Take some time to explore and imagine the possibilities—ways mashups can
help you serve your patrons. There was a Library Mashup Competition sponsored by the Talis Library and Information management company. This site describeds the competition,
with ideas for mashups and actual entries: http://www.talis.com/tdn/forum/82
As mentioned above, most of these are experiments.
So if you review sites listed on the Talis Library Mashup Competition site or the Webmashup.com site, there is a possibility the application does not work. It may also take
a few seconds for the page to load. Be patient, and experiment.
1 Wikipedia. Mashup (Web Application
Hybrid)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mashup_(web_application_hybrid) (Accessed September 14, 2007)
Questions? Comments? Please feel free to contact me
at penny.glassman@umassmed.edu
Penny Glassman, Technoloy Coordinator
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