School of Information News

Team Awesome: Jennifer Balaco, Gaurav Bhatnagar, Lisa Wheeler, and Greg Grossmeier

A personalized library interface using Web 2.0 technologies won the first Library 2.0 Student Design Competition sponsored by the University Library and the School of Information.

Team Awesome members Jennifer Balaco, Gaurav Bhatnagar, Greg Grossmeier, and Lisa Wheeler displayed their “Papyrus” project ideas to an audience of students, faculty, and librarians at the Hatcher Library on Friday, April 17. The master’s students’ project features various feeds and tags, the coming MCommunity identity management system, existing library tool integration, the ability to import content from anywhere on the Web, and an open platform structure that allows users to share their information with others.

Each winning team member shared in a $2,000 cash prize provided by SI and the University Library, plus an iPod Touch donated by Apple, Inc. All students who entered the competition were challenged to develop conceptual designs that would potentially contribute to how the University of Michigan Library can use emerging technologies to connect with and serve patrons in the future.

Second place went to Team MGateway members Jeremy Canfield, Chris Hanrath, and Rahan Knozein. They each received a gift certificate to Borders.