It's not important that libraries "lead the way" in technology -- so long as they adapt it eventually to their own needs. A great example is Bookspace.org by the esteemed Hennepin County Library.

It's a Reader's Advisory on steroids. It takes all the great lessons about social networking and books (read: Amazon, LibraryThing, etc.) and builds on them to produce its own unique site.

You can create your own account whether you've got a library card or not (!!!). You can create your own lists of favorite titles. You can comment on other people's posts.

On the surface, this is just like any number of commercial sites. But mixed in -- and what makes this site unique -- are all the events and services that a public library traditionally has to offer. This means reading clubs, special events, research tools -- the whole gamut.

Certainly this is a wonderful example for all those libraries lucky enough to be in a similar position.