Web 2.0 and Libraries

David Parkes is Associate Director of Information Services at Staffordshire University. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and writes and speaks widely on the provision of information and digital literacy, e-books and emerging technologies to other universities, publishers, academics and other librarians. He sits on the New Media Consortium Horizon Report Project board for 2010, and a number of publisher advisory boards. He has recently undertaken consultancy for the Oxford University Russia Fund to help develop e-book provision in Russian Universities. He is also Head of the Special Collections and Archives and chairs Inspire West Midlands, a co-operative cross-sector access scheme involving all UK primary health care trusts, higher education, further education, public and special libraries in the region.

Geoff Walton is a Subject and Learning Support Librarian and Research Informed teaching (RiT) Project Co-ordinator at Staffordshire University, with specific subject responsibilities for Psychology and Sport & Exercise Science. As RiT Co-ordinator Geoff is involved in identifying synergies between research, teaching, learning, information literacy, e-learning and inquiry-based learning. He is particularly interested in the cognitive processes involved in becoming information literate. His research interests also include developing the online information literacy tool the Assignment Survival Kit (ASK), developing a process for online peer assessment, investigating academic skills needs in undergraduate students and using inquiry-based methods to facilitate learning.