Competency H:  Technology

demonstrate proficiency in the use of current information and communication technologies, and other related technologies, as they affect the resources and uses of libraries and other types of information providing entities;

 

Introduction

As much as in any field, the continued growth of technology, and the new ways information and records can be stored, accessed, indexed, and distributed is rapidly changing.  As tempting it is to focus on books, printed journals, and printed flyers, librarians and archivists must be familiar with current technologies, and keep abreast of those technologies; what’s “current” becomes outdated, and new ideas, methods, and concepts become the new “current.”

It is incumbent upon these information professionals to stay current in technology.  Not only should they be able to understand their patrons who discuss such new ideas and developments, they should be able to take advantage of these new techniques, software programs, and technologies to provide the most productive resources to communicate with their target audiences.  This current technology may not only provide new methods to reach their clientele, but do so in ways their patrons prefer to be reached.  For patrons who thrive on Twitter and Facebook, a stack of flyers near the check-out or Reference Desk may not be the best method of communication.  Today’s users communicate with a wide range of information and communication technologies; so must libraries and other information centers.

In what we, with hindsight, are calling “web 1.0,” (the internet as it has been), information flowed from the creator to the user, in one direction.  While a user could send information to the creator, it was a separate transaction, such as sending an email.  Now, users can participate in the internet experience, and contribute directly in information creation and sharing, with interactive sites and tools.  Users are no longer impressed by the mere ability to access content via the internet or World Wide Web.  They expect to be able to work with it, harness it, manipulate it, and access precisely what they need.  According to Tim O’Reilly (2005), the difference between the traditional internet (Web 1.0) and Web 2.0 is akin to the difference between the Encyclopedia Britannica and Wikipedia, between personal websites and blogging, between publishing and participation.  Web 2.0 harnesses collective intelligence.

Information science professionals, including librarians, archivists and record managers, who can create this type of content as well as use it offer a greater depth of understanding of their patron needs, demonstrated by creating tools and sites which meet those needs.  A public library can offer book review wikis, RSS feeds for upcoming events, and incorporate “widgets” on its pages to provide additional content to its users.  A university library can offer customized searches and pages.  A historical archive can create mashups to link its various collections in different ways, or to demonstrate the relationships between the individual collections.  Any of these information centers could create “apps” for mobile devices which enhance the user/repository relationship even further, such as “Ask a reference librarian.”

Additionally, the process of collaboration within libraries, and between information centers, can be enhanced with the use of such tools as GoogleDocs, virtual archives, and digital exhibits and collections.

As the use of the World Wide Web and the internet continues to grow and change, information professionals can take advantage of their superlative knowledge of how to find and use information, and help their clientele access the tremendous store of knowledge that is available.

As in many other aspects of the information science field, those who use innovative technology tools must be aware of the laws of copyright, fair use, and common licensing.  As librarians, we cannot “just use” images or content found elsewhere on the web without making certain we have the right to do so.  If we do that, we would be challenged to dissuade our users from doing the same thing.  We can, however, promote the use of such tools as Creative Commons licenses, which allow more open use of material than traditional copyright.

 

In my pursuit of this Master’s degree, I explored and worked with several different types of technology tools and applications.  I also explored how different types of libraries and repositories are using these technologies, with an increased awareness of the possibilities of what can be done in the future.  My primary source for exploring these myriad tools was LIBR 240, as a technology tools course.  From this class, I was able to use those skills and tools in other classes for collaborative group work, as well as for teaching, and creating professional level presentations.

While any website must, first and foremost, communicate the information it contains and is there to present, the more easily it can make that information available to the greatest number of people, the more successful it will be.  Technology tools have been created to make collaboration and communication easier.  It behooves us, as information professionals, to use those tools to reach our audiences.

Evidence

For this competency, I chose a variety of projects, assignments, and tools I created or compiled.  They represent a wide range of skills I’ve acquired for working with websites and other technology tools, and communicating information to target audiences, whether they’re patrons, co-workers, staff, or the general public.  Links within the prose will open in new tabs/windows.

 

Evidence #1:  Website for the Los Angeles Jewish Archives

The first evidence is a website I created for LIBR 240, Information Technology Tools and Applications.  It’s designed to be a virtual archive, linked to real and physical archives and repositories with real collections.  I call it “The Los Angeles Jewish Archives,” and if implemented, would be “an online database of archival materials and collections, from separate physical archives, related to Jewish life and history in the Los Angeles area.  This archive will exist in cyberspace only; all artifacts will be retained, housed, processed, and/or displayed by their originating repositories (Henkin, 2010).”  Currently, collections related to this topic are located at several individual repositories and libraries, with no communication or linkage.

It would have several purposes and/or goals, including to:

Its intended audience is adult researchers, both professional/scholarly and amateur/hobbyist, interested in learning specifics about Jewish life in the Los Angeles area.  This would also include genealogists, historians, and writers.

This site demonstrates my proficiency in the use of current information and communication technologies in several ways.  I created and included several technological tools and devices designed to increase interaction between the site and the user, and to make the user experience more effective and meaningful.  These include basing the site on CSS styling, creating a form for users to suggest additional archival collections for inclusion; a site map to help users find what they’re looking for; JavaScript to make a particular table more readable and usable, and server side includes to allow pages to load faster and simplify the process of making site content changes by the creators.  Some terms have pop-up definitions and explanations. 

I included several examples of graphics and multimedia which enhance the user experience, including embedding content from other sites such as Youtube.  The images were used with permission from the rights holder (the Los Angeles Public Library), and the multimedia were linked directly from YouTube, which is permissible.  Each of these tools can be found by use of the Site Map.

Other than the embeddable code supplied by YouTube, I hand-coded all the code on all the pages, without external software programs.  The embeddable code initially displayed the videos in a size which didn’t mesh with the look of the pages, so I modified that code as well.

 

Evidence #2 - Archives in the Los Angeles area – a ZeeMap mashup

For my second evidence for this competency, I’m including an interactive map which I also created for LIBR 240, using software called Zeemap.  It merges GoogleMaps with content I created, to display locations of some archival repositories in the Los Angeles area.  Clicking on any individual map point displays information about that repository, including a brief description of the holdings and a link to their home website. 
The legend area can be made wider or narrower by dragging the left dividing bar, and the map itself can also be dragged to display different geographical areas in real time.  Additional repositories could be added, descriptions could be modified, and map points color-coordinated for types of collections or types of repositories.

For this tool, I determined which repositories to include, wrote the descriptions, researched their locations and plotted them on the map, and included the web links, all tasks which demonstrate my proficiency is using this and similar tools.  A “mash-up” such as this could also be used in any geographical area with multiple repositories, and could be included on the websites of each of those facilities, “for further research.”  For example, libraries could make use of such a tool, to provide graphical representation of their several branches and operating hours.

 

Evidence #3 - Blog

For my third evidence, I chose a blog I created for LIBR 240, with individual postings showcasing other techniques and tools.  For this blog, which I named, "And Then I Thought,..." we were given the topics on which to write, and specifics on what to include in each posting.  This was an exercise in using WordPress, a common and very successful blogging software program.  We were to choose a theme, add a plug-in, and write posts on specific topics.  In some postings we were required to include images; while in others I added the images on my own to explore different aspects of using the software, and to enhance the postings.

One posting includes two pictures I took of my avatar in Second Life.  The first displays the technique of turning the viewpoint to take a self-photo, and the other showcases a T-shirt I “made” with available techniques and components.

The benefits for a library to create (and use) a blog are many.  Particularly for smaller libraries and archives, blogs can provide a means of communication on a more personal level, and a way to share current news, events, and acquisitions.  The only challenge is that a blog must be maintained; there’s nothing more discouraging that a blog in which the most recent posting is months old.  A well-maintained blog, will draw patrons back to the website repeatedly, and when they revisit the site, they’re more likely to fine new information elsewhere on the site, and to explore it further.  When patrons do such activities, they become more vested in the library or repository, more participatory, and more supportive, all of which enhance the library-user relationship.

 

Evidence #4 - Spreadsheet of widgets suitable for libraries – created with GoogleDocs

For my fourth evidence for this competency, I included a spreadsheet done in GoogleDocs as a group collaboration.  This project, for LIBR 240, required us to research “widgets” (web-based tools) which libraries could incorporate into their own websites.  We were to include certain information:  Tool/Widget name, URL, Details, Example of a website which used the tool, and our initials as creators.  The number of widgets/tools needed was not specified.

Once each member of our team researched their own widgets to contribute, and entered them into the spreadsheet, I organized them by theme or topic, added visual interest and clarity with color and font variations, and alphabetized each individual section. I also locked the heading rows so they would remain visible as users scrolled through the list.
The response from our instructor was:  “What an impressive document! So much content and organized too. [Note sent to all team members – this team was the best!]”

This document could be distributed via a library listserve or email discussion group for sharing with individual librarians, who could then use its information to enhance their repository’s website.

 

Conclusion

While librarians, archivists, and other information professionals will continue to work in an analog, paper-based world for quite some time, the growth of web-based information transactions, tools, and technologies provides a means for them to substantially increase user access to their collections and materials.  In the archival field, access is one of the core tenets and goals: “Archivists select, preserve, and make available primary sources that document the activities of institutions, communities and individuals. (SAA, 2011)”  Whether the technology is an online catalogue, an EAD-based finding aid, a blog or RSS feed, or the website itself with included technologies such as JavaScript, Flash, CSS styling, and div-based layouts, the user will find the information they seek with less effort, and may find additional information they hadn’t expected.

An information professional who can use these tools and technologies with skill and confidence is one who will bring his or her organization additional value, and in turn, bring value to the users/patrons/clientele.  I feel that I’ve definitely demonstrated proficiency in these skills, using current information and communication technologies as they affect the resources and uses of libraries and other types of information-providing entities, such as archives, special libraries, and records management departments.

 

References:

Henkin, H. (2010, Oct. 8).  Proposal for 240 final project. 

O’Reilly, T. (2005, Sept. 30).  What is Web 2.0: Design patterns and business models for the next generation of software.  Retrieved Feb. 7, 2012 from http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html

Society of American Archivists, (2011, May).  Core values of archivists, SAA Core Values Statement and Code of Ethics.   Retrieved February 7, 2012 from http://www2.archivists.org/statements/saa-core-values-statement-and-code-of-ethics#core_values (Purpose)

 

Evidence for Competency H

(each link will open in a new tab or window)

1. Website: "The Los Angeles Jewish Archives" (deleted for privacy reasons; please contact me if you'd like to read this document.)

2. Zeemap mash-up: Archives in the Los Angeles area

3. Blog: "And Then I Thought...."

4. GoogleDocs spreadsheet: Widgets suitable for library websites