ABSTRACT
As the virtual world unfolds and Web capabilities expand, libraries and information services must undergo radical change to survive and grow. The online or virtual world is challenging basic assumptions in economies, societies and lifestyles and leading to paradigm shifts in service delivery. For example, Web 2.0 allowed users to interact with and create resources with one another through crowd sourcing, social media and online resources such as Wikipedia. Web 3.0 enabled online shopping that has created a global market place, basically free of import duties and no longer reliant on built infrastructure. This presents an alternative model for library and information services, where the physical presence, the high street library, is being replaced by the virtual presence, e-services. Once ordered via a smart phone application, books and other materials can be shipped from library warehouses direct to the consumer’s location, which is itself identified through geospatial technology loaded on the smart phone. Even at the ordering stage, e-services can offer a chat component where questions can be answered about products and services by a library or information expert online. This global market place offers greater convenience, variety and choice, often at a cheaper price.
