Top Ten List: Number Four

From the Library Technology Conference, in reverse chronological order:

4. Things in a Flash: The Latest Web 2.0 Tools, Amy Springer, St. John's University/College of St. Benedict; Jenny Sippel, Minneapolis Community and Technical College; Martha Hardy, Metropolitan State University; Diana Symons, St. John's University/College of St. Benedict; LeAnn Suchy, Metronet

This session gave an overview of six Web 2.0 technologies that may be used in libraries.

• Prezi was presented by Amy Springer. While I was glad this technology was included, and some great points did come up when attendees were asking questions, the presentation of Prezi was somewhat lacking. Prezi, like any presentation software, is just a tool. The important message you are trying to convey is that of your lesson content. Some are hesitant to use Prezi because of the "sea sick" factor. When presenters get lost in the excitement of flipping, turning, outlining, and the seemingly infinite zoom, the audience looses the message and is concentrating instead on keeping their lunch down. I think Becky Canovan describes it well--Prezi should tell a story. As I mentioned earlier, there were some good questions that came out of the attendees. Prezi can be embedded into another webpage, downloaded as a flash file (should you need to present somewhere where internet is not accessible, and the flash file is only editable if you purchase Prezi Pro or Edu Pro licenses), and the recent upgrades make embedding a YouTube video a snap!
• QR Codes, presented by Jenny Sippel, was a great introduction for those unfamiliar with QR codes. QR codes originated in Japan and are the trademarked name for a 2D barcode. The codes are scanned with a device (usually a smart phone with a camera and scanner app). This can be very useful for connecting users with polls (i.e. Google Forms), facilitating library tours, linking to electronic versions of handouts or slides (making information accessible in a variety of formats), instant ask a librarian link, and when you use bit.ly to create the QR code (by adding ".qr" after the created short link) allows for analytics when you add "+" to the end of the shortened link.
  
• Dropbox, presented by Martha Hardy, is a user-friendly cloud storage account that comes with a desktop client. It not only provides cloud storage, but also performs auto back-up and version control for your files. Any file type can be stored, including photos and music, and you can easily share work (it syncs documents through multiple computers for those files in your shared folder). I have been using Dropbox since the conference and LOVE it--especially since now I no longer have to carry around a flash drive (and/or lose said flash drive). Currently storage for the free account is limited to 2 GB, with expansion possible when you invite new users or when you purchase additional storage (up to 100 GB). Dropbox works with Windows, Mac, Linux, iPad, iPhone, Android, and Blackberry.
• Diana Symons spoke about Diigo, a bookmarking/annotating tool with social networking possibilities. It allows you to highlight, add sticky note comments, choose whether your content is public or private, download the Diigo toolbar, and tag websites. You can take screenshots of just the content you would like to share. The annotations stay every time you return to the same page. You can upload a snapshot (to make sure you have the information, even if the site disappears in the future) and it is saved as html and as an image. A great tool for those who do a lot of online reading or for those just wanting to keep track of information they find online.
• Posterous is one of the easiest blogging tools around today, and was presented by LeAnn Suchy. You set up your account (it can be either a group or individual blog), add the email accounts that can update the blog, and ready, set, blog! Just send an email to post@posterous.com, or you can use the web interface. If posting via email, the subject line is the post title and the body is the text. If you send an attachment, the file becomes embedded within the blog; you can even attach mp3 files. You can set up your account so you have to click to approve a blog post (particularly helpful when having a class post to a group blog, as it gives you a chance to proof the post to make sure it is appropriate).
• Last, but not least, is Topicmarks, also presented by LeAnn Suchy. Topicmarks allows you to log in using an existing account (i.e. Yahoo or Google) or you may create an account specific to Topicmarks. New since the end of 2010, this program summarizes documents you upload (i.e. Word documents, PDFs), text you paste into the box for analysis, or web links (and there is a bookmarklet you can use to have Topicmarks analyze the website with one click instead of copying and pasting the link url). Your uploads are automatically visible to "friends" you have added on Topicmarks, but keep in mind when you upload a copyrighted document you have to remember to change the security settings to "private." While this tool is still very much in the beta stage, it can be a helpful tool for analyzing your own writing, and for identifying key words and basic facts (though, keep in mind, just as is the case with citation tools, the final result may be far from perfect so users have to keep in mind this is a tool to help them understand the item they uploaded, not an authority or necessarily accurate interpretation of the work).
  

More information may be found here: http://libtech2011.pbworks.com/w/page/37057543/FrontPage

Top Ten List: Number Six

From the Library Technology Conference, in reverse chronological order:

6. E-learning: Tips, Tricks, and Tools of the Trade, Susan Kane, Harvard Office of Information Systems

• Susan Kane presented a wide range of tools and approaches to online instruction. She began with a brief introduction, asking which tools attendees had used in the past (see list below), to get a sense of our backgrounds/levels of experience. Then she dove into the "why?" questions. While there is nothing wrong with teaching face-to-face, particularly if instruction is an accepted and promoted part of your institution's culture, there are sometimes barriers to instruction delivery. They include scheduling conflicts, poor attendance at sessions when offered independent from a class (particularly when not tied to grades), and users may prefer to have things available online to be viewed and reviewed at their convenience. The benefits of online instruction are the flexibility of when the content is delivered (at user's convenience), reusability of tutorials when applicable, users may go a their own pace (supporting multiple learning styles when well done), instructor consistency (when delivering in-person instruction to multiple sections, some information may be accidentally excluded, creating inconsistency), and ease of standardized scoring, and that these technologies and the way information is presented is becoming more and more native to today's users. Drawbacks include a disconnect between students and librarian, potential for learner distraction (i.e. checking other web pages or doing other things while the instruction session is happening), watching tutorials can be boring, high-speed internet is usually required to successfully run online tutorials, computer proficiency, software updates "fix" or cement content (making it harder to update content). There is a trade-off between face-to-face instruction and online instruction. Face-to-face may require complex scheduling, man power, and cooperation from faculty, etc. Online instruction may be perceived as time-saving; however, production and maintenance is quite costly when examining the staff time it takes. An interesting figure presented was, for every hour of training you are trying to convert to online presentation/format you will spend between 49-127 hours in production. 49-127 production hours/1 hour of product. Making content reusable can help alleviate some of this strain, but then you risk lowering the relevance or context which may make it less valuable to the user. Kane recommends being as specific as possible within your goals for reusability. By determining what does and does not need to be taught in context, you are allowing for the potential of greater reusability.

Planning and Pre-production

• Determine what you are starting with. Notes from an in-person lecture? PowerPoint slides? A website or other documents? Nothing?
• Determine your goals. Does everyone agree (what are others' expectations)? What are your limitations on staff time or policy objectives? Service objectives? How much content is presented and how interactive will it be? What are the key objectives (choose one or two).
  
• Do you have the tools to accomplish what you want? The hardware, software, staff time (assumption is that this will save time, but people often forget about the behind-the-scenes work in producing the content), expertise, and delivery platform?
  

Other helpful things to keep in mind when producing online instruction content

• Will you need to convert the files to another format in order to deliver the content (i.e. post to Moodle, etc.)?
• Why reinvent the wheel? Will some of your older content work with your new software (i.e. pulling in PowerPoint slides)?
• How easy is it to add audio, what is the quality like, and how can you edit as necessary?
• What are the costs associated with what you are using? Several options are free or quite reasonable, but do the free products offer you the flexibility you need? Are the more complex programs too complicated and clunky? Find that balance.
  

Resources mentioned throughout:

• Snag It
• Jing
• Adobe Presenter
• Adobe Captivate
• Articulate Engage
  
  • Example Articulate tutorial from UW La Crosse
• Audacity

Week 9: Humanities, Technology, and Presentation Preparation

The week of March 7th was filled with great discussions, observations, and reference work, and instruction experiences. Monday I observed additional RES104 Humanities sessions and worked with the students to understand the Humanities in relation to their next paper. In Humanities Day 1 the students worked in groups to find resources to provided questions. They then gave an informal presentation demonstrating how they found a resource containing the requested information.

I taught the "Q" section of Research 104 and we discussed finding credible resources to be used for their Humanities paper (we focused on web evaluation and finding relevant articles/books for their annotated bibliography, due shortly). The students submitted their website examples and, as a class, we discussed what aspects of the website made us think it was credible, and what aspects made us hesitant to use it to write papers. I also showed them a couple of databases and where to find humanities resources on the library's website. The students came up with great topics and I was excited to hear their paper ideas.

We had another Web Committee meeting, discussing more details of the changes we would like to make on the "How do I?" page. There are lots of pieces we'd like to see incorporated (embedding Jing videos, mobile interface, continuing to tweak/modify language and categories for tutorial content and other questions). In addition to technology related to the website, we are looking at bigger-picture issues such as the use of QR codes, computing in the cloud, and other software and technologies that can help UD grow in terms of technology offered to help students, faculty, and staff be their most effective.

The rest of the week was spent tweaking my ILA/ACRL presentation, "Cultivating Future Librarians: Turning Students into Colleagues Through Mentorship." I got a call from one of the ILA/ACRL Awards Committee members informing me that I was selected as the 2011 ILA/ACRL Spring Conference Scholarship recipient! I am very excited to not only be attending and presenting, but to also have received this award!

Tech Blog Discussion: What is Your Library Doing about Emerging Technologies?

Jeffries, C. (2010, July 6). What is your Library doing about Emerging Technologies? LITA Blog. Retrieved February 15, 2011, from http://litablog.org/2010/07/what-is-your-library-doing-about-emerging-technologies/

Courtney Jeffries summarizes the LITA panel presentation from the ALA 2010 annual conference. Group 1 tackled the question “What are emerging technologies and how should they be adapted for libraries?” Rather than emphasize the (growing and changing) technologies, I loved one of the panelist’s responses (Elisabeth Leonard from Western Carolina University) who emphasizes the users. “Leonard suggested that as librarians we should “think through the eyes of our users.” Who are we trying to meet and where do they want us meeting them? What’s the context? An example given was social networking. Facebook, Twitter, and other similar platforms, while considered emerging to many librarians, have seemingly always been present for younger library users/college students. (This is something I’ve been struggling with in exploring emerging technologies. What is considered emerging? Much of the professional literature emphasizes technologies that have become a part of my daily life, i.e. Facebook, Twitter, chat, online videos, course management tools, wikis, RSS feeds/readers, blogs, etc.) The summary article also notes that Leonard “added that the reverse could be argued for another user group.” This is particularly timely now that many non-traditional students are returning to collegiate studies. While it would be easy to heavily rely on emerging technologies and social networking, it’s also important to consider the learning curve for these returning students. Not only are they making big changes in their professional lives; they are also encountering many new technologies they likely did not have to use before they began their professional careers (i.e. course management software, electronic databases, online forums, online course registration, even email).

In the session summary Jeffries note’s the reaction of Frank Cerone’s (Purdue University Calumet) to including social networking under the umbrella of emerging technologies. Cerone “argued that social networking sites are not emerging technologies for any user group.” He instead directs us to examine commercial technologies. Cerone gave the example of 3-D television as an emerging technology, though Leonard considers it a “leading edge technology,” as opposed to an emerging one. I am hesitant to embrace these commercial “leading edge technologies” (mostly based on my frugal nature), questioning how they can be used to further the educational goals of the institutions, students, faculty, and learning communities we serve. Keeping in mind how these technologies can supplement and improve our communication or other services we provide is key (are we purchasing/using just to feel more technologically advanced?).

Group 2 discussed the “daily tasks and skills required of emerging technologies librarians.” Those who contributed for this session were Amanda Margis (Warren-Newport Public Library), Danielle Whren Johnson (Loyola/Notre Dame Library), Darcy Del Bosque (University of Nevada, Las Vegas), Elisabeth Abarbanel (Brentwood School, Los Angeles), and Rebekah Kilzer (Drexel University Libraries). Many of the panelists emphasized the changing roles of librarians, no matter the populations served. Embracing flexibility, being involved, sharing technologies with colleagues, introducing new terms and programs to those around you. Kilzer shared a bit about her beginnings as Emerging Technologies Librarian at Drexel University Libraries. A wonderful suggestion for anyone beginning a new position is to take note of those technologies that have already been utilized. Also, visiting with “colleagues about their expectations of and suggestions for emerging technologies at their libraries” is a great way to gauge where the library is, where the librarians are, and where to start (what sort of things can be introduced? What will support the mission of the university/library?). Particularly relevant were the answers to the question “ How can librarians sty current when it comes to emerging technologies?” Tech feeds and blogs like:
Mashable (mentioned in my last blog post)
Lifehacker
Wired
In the Library With the Lead Pipe (one I really like and have subscribed to for a while now)
ReadWriteWeb
Non-profit Tech Blog
Museum 2.0
Margis suggested (and I agree), “if you want to stay up-to-date, play with the technology...Even if you don’t have it, just get your hands on it...Experiment, test, and reevaluate.” This is something I’ve been working with throughout the semester. I also think approaching the technology from a different perspective (thinking of it from a student’s perspective, a faculty perspective, a patron from the greater community with borrowing privileges) is key to effectively incorporating it into your library. Whren emphasized attending conferences, particularly those not library related to see what new things can be incorporated.

The next question addressed assessing emerging technology projects. Del Bosque suggests not just looking at what other libraries are doing, but rather looking at your local population. How is success defined? She suggests “Usability testing, surveys, and focus groups.”

Group 3 consisted of Cynthia Johnson (University of California, Irvine), Jacquelyn Erdman (East Carolina University), Kathryn Munson (Southeastern Louisiana University), and Marissa Ball (Florida International University). Assuming the responsibilities associated with adopting emerging technologies requires management and can be quite a commitment. Will you have an emerging technologies librarian? Are there librarians who have expressed interest in emerging technologies? How might responsibilities be shifted to assume the tasks associated with emerging technologies? At UC-Irvine, Johnson says her position is a consulting role (in addition to their web services department). Erdman works with a committee at East Carolina University. Florida employs a team-based approach, and has incorporated the following two tools in instruction and collection development:
Jing
LibX (an extension for Firefox and Explorer... Lately I have been using Chrome, so I may have to switch back to Firefox to experiment with it).
I have enjoyed creating simple, easy (and free!) screencasts using Jing, but have not used LibX, though I can definitely see its usefulness (I’ve just not had occasion to use it yet).

It was good to hear Erdman talk about emerging technologies while still keeping (restricting) budgets in mind. At East Carolina University they hosted “an in-house conference that focused on emerging technologies.” Sharing these tools with your local colleagues can not only help with the technologies presented that day, but can also cultivate a continuing dialog that can benefit everyone in the future. I like Munson’s suggestion of documenting what you are (and are not) doing and why. The key to this is finding a simple, efficient (i.e. not time consuming) way to do this in addition to the many duties librarians perform. Making sure your emerging technologies mission mirrors that of your university and library is important (otherwise, why are you doing what you are doing?). Johnson collaborated with other departments (educational technologies and web services) to achieve some technology goals. Right now I am interning at a small university library where collaboration is key between areas of the library, technology departments, and the larger campus.

One use of Twitter that I found somewhat surprising was what Johnson reported. “After setting up the library’s Twitter account, Johnson watched as it evolved into a virtual suggestion box. Johnson welcomed this unforeseen use of Twitter. Despite the suggestion box that had lived at the library for years, user feedback flooded the library’s Twitter account.” This emphasizes meeting the library users where they are.

David Ratledge (University of Tennessee), Gwen Evans (Bowling Green State University), and Rebecca K. Miller (Virginia Tech), made up the last group and discussed libraries and risk taking with emerging technologies. Evans utilizes Computer Science students, working with them to develop new technological offerings. By partnering experienced CS students with new CS students, there is some peer training that happens but, as can be expected, there are always unexpected challenges associated with this. Enthusiasm can sometimes overshadow practicality when it comes to taking on new tasks, so being sure you do have the resources to commit to new technologies (both man power and financial) is important to keep in mind. Making sure there is a long-range plan in place is important for maintaining new technologies.

Ratledge had a good point when he said, “Your users might be on Facebook, but, do they want you–the library–on Facebook?” When students are looking for assistance, is the first place they will look Facebook? Or will they automatically go to the library web page? What platform is best for supporting your library’s users’ needs? Another idea for discussing and experimenting with new technologies is a brown bag technology lunch series in which ideas can be exchanged (and technologies demonstrated or tried by participants).