TOOLS, PROCESSES, AND PRODUCTS

Technology in Academic Libraries

Technology Topics2

Systems & MethodsResources & ServicesDevices & Device Related IssuesSocial Networking & User-Generated ContentPolicy Issues

Purpose of Technology3

The ends? Increased productivity for both user and staff 24/7/365 access and availability

The means? Application of evolving technologies evidenced

by modernization transformation decentralization

Life Cycle4

We employ life cycles to implement and manage IT as an infrastructure:

Planning Strategic and long term plans Technology plan

Budgeting Initial Costs

Cost models and financing, such as buy or lease? Recurring Costs

Life Cycle5

InvestigationNegotiation/AcquisitionInstallationTrainingEvaluation

Does it work? How do we know?

Upgrade, migrate, or replace

Life Cycle6

Operations Staffing

Increasingly skilled Internal relationships with other campus information

technology providers Licensing of access and availability

Use of proxies

Accountability How do you measure and report a “hit”?

Life Cycles7

The most important aspect of the life cycle is the ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness and efficiency of the system must be aware of when it is time to consider upgrade,

migrate, replace or abandon Keep a technology beyond its usefulness and you lose

both effectiveness and efficiency As a result: accountability and credibility suffers

IT: Modernize and Transform8

Modernization and transformation important and visible concepts

Modernization Use of computers to replicate tasks

such as acquisitions, cataloging, circulation Idea is to improve efficiencies

Transformation Fundamentally altering the nature of the organization

and/or the services it provides

IN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

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History of Technology

Historical Overview: 1960s-70s10

Libraries offered some of the first public access to technology: Dummy terminals connected to mainframes which

supported workflow of backroom operations or created systems of local inventory

Development of databases that could store massive amounts of information centrally which could be accessed worldwide. Dialog becomes first commercial online database in

1972

Historical Overview: 1970s-80s11

• Local inventory systems built on ordering, acquisition, and cataloging of materials= move to integrated library systems

Commercial development of library systems Library systems became “off-the-shelf”, using

parameter tables to locally customize systems to modernize applications, such as circulation

Historical Overview 1980s12

Minis and Microcomputers Use of CD-ROMs for bibliographic data by a librarian

(Murphy – BiblioFile) Networking

OS appears – UNIX Serial internal from muxes to terminals

Computer labs became common on college campuses Productivity software leading to office suites

IT: Transformation13

1990s: Transformation BeginsTransformation

Fundamentally altering the nature of the organization through these capabilities

Examples: Providing user access to full text content stored remotely

from the library Distance education opportunities

IT: Transformation14

Microcomputers and supermicros Now called multiprocessors

Internet to colleges via NSF grantsGUIs (Macs and Windows)Web browsers (Mosaic Firefox)ISPs (dialups such as AOL)Full text availability

IT: Transformation15

E-everything (books, journals, reserves, etc.)Wireless networksMobile ubiquitous phonesClient/servers

Simple definition: client requests and server provides over standard communication protocols

IT: Transformation16

Hand heldsDigital librariesCustomized access

My library portal

Movement of reference into virtual

Transformation = application of learning/user centered technology

IT: Transformation17

We could not achieve transformation without:

Standards NISO Z39.2: Bibliographic Information

Interchange Format (MARC) NISO Z39.50: Information Retrieval Application

Service (interoperability) TCP/IP: Terminal Control Program/Internet

Protocol HTTP SGML (HTML and XML)

IT: Transformation18

Integrated Library System All modules share a single bibliographic database Share a common command language Changes in one module are immediately reflected in

all other modules which use that informationThe OPAC is an example of a transformational

application to “user centered” technology.

IT: Decentralization19

Movement from automating staff and backroom functions to providing direct services to end users through technology

Reduce staff mediation and replace with end user empowerment

IT: Decentralization20

As a result of decentralization:The library is “virtual”

Resources available 24/7/365 Not the same as a digital library

Reduced or, in some instances, eliminated barriers and boundaries of geography and time Distance education (Asynchronous) Digital reference

IT: Decentralization21

Decentralization also impacts:Instruction technology

Becomes much more complicated Transformational to learning and teaching

Information literacy Skills are needed by users to effectively access,

retrieve AND evaluate information, especially its quality

IT: Decentralization22

Authentication Need to authenticate remote users to comply with

information vendor licenses Often done through proxy servers, many mounted on

ILS (use of patron records)

Security Application of firewalls Why? To ensure continuity of services to end users

Times, They Are A Changing …23

Because of modernization, transformation and decentralization, the academic library has changed, evidenced in part by its: organizational structure staffing

fear of the unknown and uncertainty position descriptions

communication methods services offered (remote access; proxies, etc.) cooperation with other information services

IT: Change24

Management issues and challenges must be dealt with or we will become extinct Accountability and evaluation Assessment of student learning outcomes Perceptions:

University administrators really think that everything is on the Web

Also think that libraries are becoming ghost towns

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

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It trends & Challenges

Trends and Challenges26

Systems and Methods Catalog- Next generation catalogs

http://sccl.bibliocommons.com/ http://cat.danburylibrary.org/

Discovery-to-delivery tools Customization/personalization

Devices Smartphones/handhelds/ebooks Location-based services (privacy issues) Pushing content to mobile devices Designing (webpages, apps, etc) for mobile devices

Trends and Challenges27

Resources, Publishing, & Services Libraries as publishers Digitization opportunities and challenges OpenURL (connecting to accessible material) Metadata harvesting Metasearching

http://www.dogpile.com BC Library Holmes (

http://library.bc.edu/F?local_base=BC_CATALOG) Automated Reference Semantic Web

Hakia (http://hakia.com) Gaming Technology

Trends and Challenges28

Social Media and User-Generated Content Preservation of new media (end-user content) Citizen journalism Participation- e.g. tagging library content

Trends and Challenges29

Policy Issues Digital divide Privacy is dead (?) Open source/content/access Copyright Self-publishing Openness, sharing content DRM

The Future30

The so what: focus has, and will continue to shift from the place (the library) to providing services directly to the clientele (in anyplace)

IT is Cyclical ….31

Modernize Transformation

thenWe modernize a transformation

an example: PDFs over full text ASCII

That, in turns, leads to another transformation.

Therefore, the ultimate future is:32

Virtual Reality Sit at home and physically browse a book remotely

stored Eliminates the criticism “well, I can’t read it in bed

…” Contextual experience 3D reference chats

We may never leave home ……. except for the need of the “human moment”

IT: System33

Information technology is a means to an end, not the end in itself. It is a tool to improve efficiencies and to increase effectiveness