The increasing complexity of organizations, together with the growing scale of information activities, puts new demands on business corporations. It is believed that investing in social values based on mutuality, trust and respect could yield long-term benefits such as corporate well-being and innovativeness. The benefits are believed to be based on better knowledge sharing, lower transaction costs due to a communicative spirit, and a greater coherence of action. However, the concept of social capital in the field of information behaviour in organizations is new and needs a more solid theoretical framework. The objective of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of how social and informative aspects are anchored to each other and to explore the mechanisms behind knowledge sharing. Possible measures and contexts for this kind of research are suggested.

PurposeThe focus of this paper is to study the influence of social media on scholarly communication. The aim is to provide an overview of researchers' use of Web 2.0 techniques, and discuss a possible change of information behaviors in the context of scholarly communication.Design/methodology/approachA web survey was distributed to a targeted sample of university staff (professors, teachers, researchers, and doctoral students). SPSS was utilized as a main tool to synthesize and analyze data, and present the results.FindingsWeb 2.0 tools are well‐known to researchers. Most researchers are familiar with blogs, wikis, social networks, multimedia sharing, and online document. Social media provide a convenient environment for scholarly communication. Depending on different aims within the scholarly communication process, researchers choose appropriate modes of communication in their research work.Research limitations/implicationsA combination of content analysis with survey and/or interviews may highlight other aspects of Web 2.0, which is not possible using a single method of content analysis.Originality/valueThere are few studies on the changes of scholarly communication in the context of Web 2.0. This study provides new insights for exploring the effects of Web 2.0 tools on scholarly communication and the development of new information behavior to match the scholarly environment of social media. This understanding can aid the researchers to keep abreast of new characteristics of scholarly communication and help the librarians to develop the correlative services in the scholarly environment of social media.

The aim of this article is to both theoretically and empirically define the concept of Library 2.0. Design/methodology/approach Written answers to question "What is Library 2.0?" given by practitioners and researchers (n=29) interested in Library 2.0 issues were analyzed by using co-word analysis to map the underlying elements of the concept. Findings This study resulted in a model of Library 2.0, containing seven building blocks of the phenomenon: interactivity, users, participation, libraries and library services, web and web 2.0, social aspects, and technology and tools. Research limitations/implications (if applicable) The model provides a basis for framing Library 2.0 as a research object and to map central themes of future research. Practical implications (if applicable) A comprehensive model enables both researchers and practitioners to frame the phenomenon more clearly, evaluate existing and planned services and their proximity to what is Library 2.0. Originality/value Unlike earlier proposals for a definition of the notion Library 2.0, the present study presents an empirical and consensual crowdsourcing approach of defining the concept. Library 2.0 and provides basis for discussing the future evolution of the notion and its implications to library and information science research and library practises.

PurposeSecond Life is a user‐created online virtual world, which is a place where people with shared interests can meet and be together and share information. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether Second Life communities foster and nurture social capital, whether social capital within Second Life is related to social capital outside the virtual world, whether some characteristics affect the likelihood of users having social capital, and whether some existing measure of social capital can be modified and used to study social capital in Second Life.Design/methodology/approachThe study was based on a statistical analysis of data gathered in a web survey of a convenience sample (n= 67) of Second Life residents. The social capital measure used was based on Bullen and Onyx.FindingsSecond Life is an environment that fosters the emergence of social capital. Residents who consider themselves producers have higher levels of social capital than those who consider themselves non‐producers. Having social capital within Second Life is unrelated to having social capital outside the virtual world. The consistency of the instrument proved to be excellent for measuring social capital within Second Life and good outside the virtual world.Research limitations/implicationsThe small sample size and the composition of the research population limit the ability to generalise the findings.Practical implicationsSecond Life is a potent environment for community building and collective action. However, communities and collective action within Second Life cannot be based on social activity outside the virtual world.Originality/valueThe present study is the first systematic investigation of social capital in Second Life.

Much research has been done on the favourable influence of social environment and social networks on knowledge production. The aim of this article is to design a theoretical framework where both information behaviour (IB) research and social capital (SC) research are integrated. Integrating these areas is seen as an advantage when focusing on the social construction of knowledge, and a model is proposed to illuminate sources and consequences of social capital and knowledge sharing. This framework will function as a basis on which to build when the authors proceed with a number of empirical studies involving the university context, social networks of the unemployed, and virtual networks of young people.