Library Use, collaboration and Web 2.0: The role of JULAC in academic library services in Hong Kong

JULAC, the Joint University Librarians Advisory Committee of Hong Kong, has recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. The foundation of this Committee, established to promote greater co-operation between Hong Kong's academic libraries, therefore predates almost all of the technological innovations which have completely transformed the delivery of academic library services. In the interactive, personalized, collaborative information environment of Web 2.0, with its strong appeal for academic libraries anxious to retain users, are the more traditional forms of collaboration amongst libraries still relevant? This paper reviews the range of collaborative initiatives undertaken by the university libraries of Hong Kong under the auspices of JULAC, and discusses where and how such collaboration fits into the current Web 2.0 scenario, and where collaboration may lead these libraries in the future.