Despite its title, this book is not about “catalogue 2.0” in the traditional sense. That term usually describes the implementation of Web 2.0 concepts in the library catalogue, such as allowing patrons to share items via Facebook or Twitter, create their own keyword tags to describe resources, and post reviews of books they have read. These features are easy to add to a catalog, but as Anne Christensen points out in the first chapter of Catalogue 2.0, they are not a high priority for library patrons who are most interested in finding needed resources. Fortunately, the rest of the book examines the features users do prioritize, such as better search and ranking algorithms, mobile access to the catalogue, and improved access to digital resources. The book also describes back-end features that can provide a more streamlined experience for users, such as the use of FRBR’s framework and linked data.

Catalogue 2.0 begins and ends with a broad look at the purpose of the library catalogue in the modern world. In the first chapter, “Next-Generation Catalogues: What Do Users Think?” Christensen discusses recent studies of what users want in a library catalogue. Lorcan Dempsey ends the book by presenting his view of the modern library catalogue and where it is going in “Thirteen Ways of Looking at Libraries, Discovery, and the Catalogue: Scale, Workflow, Attention.” Each of the six remaining chapters examines a specific development in library catalogues, covering topics as diverse as improvements in searching and ranking algorithms, implementation and development of discovery tools in Europe, mobile library catalogues, FRBRization of the catalogue, linked data, and digital scholarship.

In the book’s forward, Chambers writes, “The idea behind ‘Catalogue 2.0’ is to provide an overview of the current state of the art of the library catalogue and then to look to the future to see what the library catalogue might become” (xvii). The book meets that standard without exceeding it. While the volume’s contributors are experts in their field, they are writing for a broader audience. As a result, they discuss concepts at a basic level, providing definitions of terms and general explanations of issues involved with a particular development without delving into much detail. Some of the contributors do a particularly good job of explaining difficult concepts; Emmanuelle Bermès, for example, provides an excellent explanation of the Semantic Web and linked data for readers who have never before heard the terms, and Rosemie Callewaert includes a fascinating visualization of FRBR. This approach makes the content accessible to novices, but anyone who has much experience with or knowledge of the content of a chapter is unlikely to pick up new information from it. A few of the chapters offer practical advice and suggestions for libraries that are considering updating their catalogues, but anyone serious about implementing the ideas found here will want to review a more in-depth work on the topic. Even the references provided after each chapter include mostly examples, websites of vendors and organizations, and Wikipedia articles. On the other hand, the variety of topics covered will allow most readers to find some subjects with which they are not familiar. Furthermore, that variety nearly eliminates redundancy from the volume. Rarely is a topic mentioned more than once, and no topic is explored in detail in multiple chapters. This also allows a reader to select specific chapters that will be useful.

Though the book’s topic is timeless, technologies come with expiration dates. Consequently, Catalogue 2.0 will likely be irrelevant within a decade, with most of the innovations it examines either commonplace or abandoned. The multitude of examples throughout the book, while wonderful demonstrations of the utility of the ideas presented, will be useful for an even shorter period than the technologies on which they are based. Many of these examples are accompanied by links and screenshots that could be outdated within months or even weeks.

For now, however, Catalogue 2.0 certainly has its value as a snapshot of where the library catalogue is today and an exploration of where it may be headed. While sections of the book are particularly relevant to technical services and systems librarians, it is certainly worth a read for anyone interested in both a summary of recent developments in and forecast for the library catalog. It could also serve as a reading for a course on library systems, and some of the individual chapters may be appropriate for other library courses as well.