COMPETENCY H

“Demonstrate proficiency in identifying, using, and evaluating current and emerging information and communication technologies.”

Statement of Competency H

We live at an exciting point in history today, where access and use of technology has grown in such a huge way that it penetrates many aspects of our culture, society, and everyday lives. Over the last 25 years there have been dramatic changes in computer and storage technologies, bandwidth availability and capacity, and the Internet, which have affected “the knowledge base required by those planning to create new information services and instructing others in their use” (Miller, 2014, p. 26). What this means is that today’s library users expect libraries to effectively use current and emerging technologies to enhance their library experience (Chow & Bucknall, 2012). This does not mean that libraries must abandon their foundational values or their traditional societal purpose to connect people with information; rather the utilization of these new technologies allows libraries to serve this purpose in an even bigger, better, and faster way (Chow & Bucknall, 2012). Indeed, the proliferation of Web 2.0 technologies, which allow for greater user participation, means that libraries have an opportunity to use these technologies to facilitate outreach, to increase participation with the community, and to also improve current practices (Miller, 2014). Thus, the challenges for libraries and information professionals today are to identify and distinguish the technologies that will form that next framework for library services from those that are just passing fads (Miller, 2014). This requires that librarians be able to identify, use, and evaluate the current and emerging information and communication technologies that will continue to shape our world.

Identifying

The first challenge that library professionals face is identifying both current and emerging information and communication technologies that have the potential to change the library landscape. These technologies can be geared for use by either library users or library staff. Identifying new technologies can be difficult for information professionals due to the large size and scope of this field. It is difficult, if not impossible, for librarians to keep up with every new technology and tool that is conceived. The task of identifying current and emerging technologies may seem daunting, but librarians must remember that doing so can help to improve current services, identify new services for users, and to help users sift through and understand these technologies (Spina, 2014). Carli Spina (2014), an Emerging Technologies Librarian at Harvard University, suggests that the best way for librarians to keep on top of current and emerging technology trends is to create a clear strategy to approach the identifying process. The benefit of creating such a strategy is to make the process methodical in nature, which helps to make the task more manageable. There are many sources of information that library professionals can use to identify both current and emerging technologies.

The first source that many library professionals can use to find information about current technologies is through what authors Jennifer Koerber and Michael P. Sauers (2015) refer to as “library sources.” These include the many types of publications and other writings produced by groups such as professional library organizations. For example, the American Library Association (ALA) publishes the magazine American Libraries, which librarians can scan for information about the use of current technologies in libraries today. Though these publications are good sources of information about current technologies, they often aren’t the best places to learn about the newest, emerging technologies (Koerber & Sauers, 2015; Spina, 2014). Instead, library professionals should expand their scans to publications from other fields, such as the digital humanities, which will produce more up-to-date information about new technologies (Koerber & Sauers, 2015). Examples of such publications are the Journal of Digital Humanities and Digital Humanities Quarterly. Though these publications may not have information on specific library applications for new technologies, librarians can think of innovative ways to adapt these for use at their own libraries.

Web 2.0, a term coined by Tim O’Reilly of O’Reilly Publishing, describes “a transition of the initial Web, consisting primarily of content housed in static HTML pages on isolated servers, to a more dynamic and interactive computing platform supported by new technology and protocols” (Miller, 2014, p. 37). What is notable about Web 2.0 is that it allows for greater collaboration, interaction, and social networking between users of the Internet (Miller, 2014). Now, more than ever, librarians can share resources and information, and connect in new and exciting ways; they can take advantage of social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others to learn about new technologies, how they are used by people, and how other libraries are using them. Other great Web 2.0 sources of information for identifying technologies include blog posts, wikis, and listservs.

Another great source of information are conferences, both in and outside of the library field (Koerber & Sauers, 2015). There are hundreds of library conferences that occur at local, state, regional, national, and international levels every year (Koerber & Sauers, 2015). Of course, time and financial constraints make it impossible for an information professional to attend all of these conferences. Many of these conferences make available their schedules, and sometimes even provide access to handouts, slides, and other presentation materials to non-attendees on their websites. Librarians can scan these schedules and proceedings to identify up-and-coming technologies and potential applications of them at their libraries. Even if conferences don’t make their materials available, Web searches about presenters can help librarians find articles or blog posts by them to learn more information about new technologies and tools. Scans of conference information shouldn’t be limited to only library conferences, because as noted earlier, these forums often are not on the cutting edge of new technologies. Instead, librarians should also look to technology industry, manufacturing, and gaming conferences to learn about the newest technologies (Koerber & Sauers, 2015). Casting a wider net can help keep librarians up-to-date with information on the latest technologies that may have future applications at their own organizations.

Lastly, librarians should consider both mainstream and nontraditional sources to identify current and emerging technology. Mainstream, popular sources include major newspapers, major TV stations, news magazines, and online news websites. Tech news sources such as Mashable, Wired, Gizmodo, and TechCrunch should also be reviewed for the latest technologies making headlines. Nontraditional sources can help librarians draw information about new technologies in unlikely sources (Koerber & Sauers, 2015). These include crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter, where new and revolutionary technologies that users want are being funded. Such sites are good places for librarians to see early prototypes of technologies that may be more widespread in the future.

Using

Jennifer Koerber and Michael P. Sauers (2015) argue that librarians should, whenever possible, get their hands on new pieces of technology to try them out, because “to truly learn a gadget or an online tool, you have to get your hands on it and play” (p. 203). They (Koerber & Sauers, 2015) provide the following suggestions for learning about a new tool or device (p. 204):

Read about it online. Before you pick it up, see what others think of it and what you should be on the lookout for.
Read the screen. Many devices come with only the most basic of print instructions now, any everything you need to know about it is available somewhere on the device itself.
Push the buttons. Just looking at a device will tell you very little about it how it can be used or what its potential is. Start pushing buttons, especially on display models, and see what you can do.
Take your time. This is professional development, just like your reading and training are. Give it the time it deserves and really put the gadget through its paces.
Don’t be afraid. Be respectful of others people’s property, but realize that you can’t learn a new tool if you’re afraid to use it.
Do the “driving” yourself. You get a much better sense of how something works when you use it with your own hands. Don’t just watch someone else—get in there and use it yourself.
Write about it. Whether you blog online, write an internal e-mail, or simply jot down your own thoughts, express what you’ve discovered about the technology to someone else and put your ideas into words. If you can talk or write about what you’ve experienced, you’re more likely to understand what it is you’ve learned.

Today, there are many opportunities for librarians to perform field research about using current and emerging technologies out for themselves. Many of these can be explored for free online, or through trial runs. For example, during my collection development internship at the Oakland Public Library (OPL), I was tasked with evaluating the online streaming video service IndieFlix. Though I’ve used other similar streaming video services in the past, I was unfamiliar with this particular new service. The service was provided to OPL staff members for a free, 3 week trial run, so that we could experiment with it by using it ourselves. In using the service myself, I was able to figure out how the site is organized, and if it was compatible with streaming video devices such as Roku or Google Chromecast—aspects of which will be important to our library users. Of course, not every library or librarian has the financial capacity to purchase and play with current and new technologies. Instead, information professionals can creatively find ways to try these technologies out. For example, many companies have retail store locations where consumers are encouraged to try out their devices and technologies (Koeber & Sauers, 2015). This is a great way to try out new technologies, without actually having to purchase them.

Evaluating

Lastly, evaluation is an important part of assessing current and emerging information and communication technologies. Evaluation of these technologies requires information professionals to think critically about the criteria they will use in determining the potential usefulness of a particular technology or tool for library users and staff (Spina, 2014). Of course, these specific criteria will vary from library community to community, and should be tailored to the needs of users. Carli Spina (2014) notes that there are several general criteria that most technologies can be evaluated on, and that librarians should consider these when determining the value of a new technology or tool. These criteria include price, platforms, user interface, flexibility, security/privacy, age level, and competitors/alternatives (Spina, 2014). User interface evaluation of a technology or tool is especially important because it can reveal how useable a tool is, how easy it is to learn, and how appealing its layout and design are. Additionally, evaluation of a user interface by librarians should include a review of the accessibility of the technology for those who use adaptive software or devices, because this type of information is not usually readily available elsewhere (Spina, 2014). Another evaluation criteria that is especially important to the library field is that of security and privacy. Technologies should be evaluated by how much information they collect from users, and how this information is used and stored (Spina, 2014). Librarians have a professional obligation to ensure the privacy of users, and should not implement technologies that may put this security in danger. Working through the evaluation process can help information professionals continue to learn more about the landscape of available technology.

Evidence

Evidence 1: Berkeley Public Library- QR Codes for Book Displays

This is a document that I created for, “Read Local”, a book display I created for the Berkeley Public Library. Traditionally book displays at libraries are made up of physical items that can be used and checked out by library users. For this book display I wanted to highlight electronic materials available through our eBook vendor, Overdrive. The challenge was to connect the physical display I created, with its physical artifacts, to item records on the Overdrive website. I had the idea to make a printed flipbook to highlight cookbooks from local chefs and authors, and which would live on a shelf of the Read Local book display. In order to connect the physical flipbook to the digital, I created custom QR codes, which when scanned bring library users directly to the Overdrive record for that item. Quick Response (QR) codes are “a new type of 2D matrix bar code that can be scanned with a mobile device camera to bring up additional linked information, make a call, initiate a text message, or activate other phone apps” (Miller, 2014, p. 413). As Miller (2014) notes, QR codes can be a useful part of mobile and social Webmarketing because they can link library users to specific items or information. In this instance, I used an emerging technology to break away the library display outside of its traditional role of highlighting only physical materials to connect users to digital items in a novel way.

Evidence 2: LIBR-200- Can Access Be Meaningful Again? YouTube Presentation

This presentation was created for LIBR-200: Information and Society, as a visual and narrated overview of my final term paper on prison law libraries. The first thing I had to do for this presentation was create Powerpoint slides related to the topic of my final paper. Then I created a written script for each individual slide. Because this course met asynchronously, I needed to find a way to be able to share my slides and script with my fellow classmates. To aid my task, I used a screen-capture tool, Screencast-O-Matic, that also has audio recording capability. There are several similar screen-capture tools available on the Web, but I chose this particular tool because it doesn’t require a program download to use, and there is not a time limit on recording length. Additionally, the tool also allows users to automatically upload their recordings directly to video sharing sites, such as YouTube. Using this tool helped me to share my presentation about prison law libraries with all of my classmates, even if they are geographically located far away from where I am. This tool may be useful for me as a library professional in the future as I can use it to record presentations and instructional videos for library patrons that can be accessed at later times.

Evidence 3: LIBR-289- Internship Final Report and IndieFlix Evaluation

This evaluation report was created for LIBR-289: Professional Experience: Internships. During my collection development internship at the Oakland Public Library (OPL), I was tasked with evaluating a digital resource to determine if its purchase would be beneficial for the needs and interests of the Oakland community. For this activity, I was in charge of evaluating the online streaming video service, IndieFlix. The main purpose of this activity was to determine if the content available through this service was also available elsewhere on the Internet for free. Because there is so much content available on IndieFlix it was impossible for me to evaluate every single movie available, so I had to construct a methodology to make the evaluation process more manageable. Focusing my sights on film festival content, which library in Oakland users would especially be interested in, I evaluated these movies to determine if they could be accessed for free elsewhere. My findings are presented in this evaluation report, which provides a description of the service and its layout, charts about film content, calculations about the percentage of films available for free elsewhere, and my evaluation conclusion about the resource. When I completed my evaluation, I presented my findings and evaluation report to the digital resources committee, which is comprised of staff from various departments of the OPL. The information I presented helped these staff, who hadn’t personally evaluated the resource themselves, to decide if it should be purchased by the OPL. This task helped me to better understand the importance of evaluating new technologies and tools in terms of the needs and interests of library users.

Evidence 4: LIBR-260A- Reference and Readers Advisory Websites

This assignment was created for LIBR-260A: Programs and Services to Children. For this assignment, I was tasked with choosing five websites for children’s reference and five websites for children’s reader’s advisory to evaluate. The websites chosen are those specifically designed for children to use for homework or information. In my paper I discuss my experience with using the website and any problems or issues I encountered. The most important aspect of this assignment was to evaluate the websites, not from the eyes of an adult user, but from the perspective of child library user. For each website, I provide an evaluation of several criteria including usability, website design, user interface, security, and quality of information. Evaluation of such websites is a skill that I must be well versed in as a future library professional because library users will depend on my expertise to recommend them to the very best information technologies and tools to meet their needs. This assignment allowed me the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with creating a technology evaluation process based on criteria related to a potential audience/user group in order to assess usefulness and utility.

References

Chow, A. & Bucknall, T. (2012). Library technology and users services. Oxford, UK: Chandos

Publishing.

Koerber, J. & Sauers, M. P. (2015). Emerging technologies: A primer for librarians. Landham,

MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Miller, J. B. (2014). Internet technologies and information services. Santa Barbara, CA:

Libraries Unlimited.

Spina, C. (2014). Finding, evaluating, and sharing new technology. Reference & User Services