the ratcheting up of academic library technologystevenbell.info/pdfs/tblctechprogramslides.pdf ·...

Are You Feeling The Pressure?

The Ratcheting Up of Academic Library Technology

Steven Bell, Associate University Librarian

Temple University

bells@temple.edu

Tampa Bay Library Consortium

February 1, 2008

Four Parts To This Workshop

• Technology trends, change and the rachet

• Strategies for technology adoption in library

organizations

• Creating better library user experiences

• Keeping up with technology

Part I

• Technology trends

• Technology change

• The technology ratchet

Forces of Change

Librarians

Demographics

InstitutionPolicy

Technology Socio-Econ

Only The Paranoid Survive

Andy Grove, Founder of Intel, wrote this book

about surviving competition and change

Wrote about the “inflection curve”

We have no control over the “forces of

change” but we can control our strategy

Source: BusinessWeek IN Supplement June 11, 2007 http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_24/b4038404.htm

Source: BusinessWeek IN Supplement June 11, 2007 http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_24/b4038405.htm

Source: Sharing, Privacy and Trust in Our Networked World, OCLC, 2007

Source: Sharing, Privacy and Trust in Our Networked World, OCLC, 2007

From: Curran, Murray and Christian. “Taking the information to the public through Library 2.0.” Library Hi-Tech

Vol. 25. No. 2, 2007 pp288-297.

The Ratchet Metaphor

1.What is a ratchet?

2. Think of it as a spiral – pressure

increases on the center

Technology Ratchet

What Technologies Make You Feel

Pressured?

• Web Technologies • blogs, wikis, rss, aggregators, social collaboration

tools, social networks, flickr, tagging, folksonomies,

gaming, podcasts…

• Library Technologies• link resolvers, federated search, institutional

repositories, open worldcat…

• Academic Technologies• courseware, hardware/software, learning objects

screencasting…

Part II

• Strategies for technology adoption

• Bandwagon jumping and shiny toys

• Tips for technology adoption

• A thoughtful approach - design change

Technology Implementation

Wiki Case Study1. Identify problem – possible solutions

2. Wiki identified as technology with potential

3. Learn more about wikis

4. Practice editing a wiki

5. Obtain a wiki account for experimentation

6. Show staff but allow time for acceptance

7. Identify compassionate pioneer

8. Allow pioneer to experiment and discover

9. Develop strategy for implementation

10. Incorporate staff training/learning

11. Implement

12. Evaluation

Reverse The Technology Ratchet

Consider the opportunity costs

Balance experimentation (play) and investment of time

Pick your edge – lead or trail

Identify your compassionate pioneers

Reverse mentoring

Make a plan and let it guide – but there are exceptions

• Creating better library user experiences

• UX Trends

• The experience economy

• The design approach

Part III

The Age of User Experience

What Defines It?

• Make it simple

• Complexity/Confusion are

deal breakers

• If you have to learn it – we

have a problem

• Good design is critical

• Features get used if they

provide a good user experience

Source: EWeek.com - http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1914495,00.asp

• Simple

• Satisfies instant

gratification

• No unnecessary

features

• Millennial seal of

approval

• Complex

• Takes time to learn

• Many features

• Added value

• Better quality

• Personalized help

Google Experience vs. Library Experience

GOOGLE LIBRARY

Simplicity – Complexity Conundrum – how to resolve

the tension between the two yet encourage quality

research and education

What Do Libraries Offer?

Fear of Complexity

Designing A Better Experience

The Experience Economy

• Book about designing user experiences

• Moving from commodities to experiences

• Make it memorable

• It has to work

Word Association

What comes to your mind when you hear the word

DESIGN

Question

Do you think librarians are

designers?

Yes or No

What is Design Anyway?

What They Have in Common

The Design Approach!

empathic thinking

identifying the problem before the solution

brainstorming process

prototyping process

formative/summative evaluation

• Identify the problem before the solution

• Understand the users

•Work creatively to identify and develop the solution

• Bottom Line – it’s how designers approach challenges

Key Points:

Design Thinking

• Approaching library problems the way designers approach design problems.

• “Librarianship by Design” draws mostly from

instructional design for influence

• How is it different?

– Thoughtful process to create new services

– Integrates needs assessment and evaluation

– User-centered not technology-driven

Thinking Like A Designer

Stage 1

Reflect, Analyze,

Diagnose & Describe

Stage 2

Imagine &

Visualize

Stage 3

Model, Plan &

Prototype

Stage 4

Action &

Implementation

DT vs ISD

• In what ways are design thinking and instructional systems design similar

• Compare ADDIE and the IDEO Method

ADDIE IDEO

Analysis Understand/Observe

Design/Develop Visualize/Brainstorm

Implement Implement

Evaluate Evaluate/Refine

Design Thinking

• Empathic Design

• Prototyping process

• Formative and summative evalution

•Design for local audiences

• Design for personal experiences

• Design for outcomes not features

• Design for success stories

• Design for user education

Design a Better Library User Experience

Add Your Voice To The Conversation

Discussion / Questions

How might design thinking impact on you?

Do you have a story about a new product or

service where design thinking could have

helped?

What can Steven do to create “sticky”

messages about design thinking?

NOTE: go to http://stevenbell.info/design.htm for a 5 minute video on DT

• Strategies for keeping up and keeping

found things found

• Professional development

• Going beyond librarianship

• Coping with technology change

Part IV

What Are Keep Up Needs

Three Types

1.Databases/Systems – have to learn

new features, interface changes, upgrades;

formal training may be needed.

example – RefWorks, VR systems, etc.

2. New web technologies – social collaboration

tools; learn by playing/experimenting

example – scholar; jing; facebook apps

3. New developments in peripheral fields -

computing; instructional technology

Challenge And Opportunity

Challenge: Time constraints and cost

Opportunity: Use technology to learn

about technology

Leverage Tech For Training

Resources:

WebJunction – discussion lists / online training

Sirsi Dynix - webinars

OPAL – online training

ACRL E-learning

Blended Librarian – webcasts

College of DuPage – Soaring to Excellence DVDs

TBLC Play Days?

Sponsor an online technology summit

Base it on PLCMC’s 23 Days program

Staff development works bests when

library staff are learning together

Opportunity for reverse mentoring

• Keeping up promotes technology awareness and innovation

• Keeping up keeps you “change ready”

• Journals, newsletters, TOC alerts, RSS and aggregators, webcasts, and more

• Develop a personal strategy for personalprofessional development – visit the Keeping Up Web Site for more ideas

Keeping Up With Technology

1. Read Journals – 174

2. Attend Local/Regional Conferences – 149

3. Attend National Conferences – 147

4. Exchange Information With Colleagues – 147

5. Follow a Discussion List – 136

Then:

Regularly Visit a Discipline Specific Website – 77

Read a Discipline Specific Blog – 27

N=174

How Are We Keeping Up?

Less Than 1 Hour Per Week – 21%

1-3 Hours Per Week – 58%

4-6 Hours Per Week – 15%

7-10 Hours Per Week – 4%

10+ Hours Per Week – 2%

N=174

Time Spent On Keeping Up

•Maintain professional skill level

• Stay abreast of new technology and applications

• Follow emerging trends in profession

• Exchange information with colleagues

• Career growth (seek new opportunities)

Rapid technological change demands

that we invest time in keeping up!

Why Keep Up?

• E-Newsletters

• Web Pages (change detection)

• TOC Alerts

• News Aggregators

• Personalized Alert Services

• Organizing What You Find

Key Keeping Up Technologies

• Pay attention to societal/cultural change

• Question how demographic trends will impactlibraries

• Follow recent technology developments and reports for coming innovation

• See Trendwatching.com and others

• If you haven’t yet, start with OCLC’s environmentalscan and other reports of this type.

Get Better At Spotting the Trends

Change: Learn To Evolve

Example One – Jim Carroll’s squirrel experiment

Example Two – David Bishop, retired University

Librarian at Northwestern U.

We’d Like To See Better Research…

And Help Students Take The Right Path…

Final Thoughts

Be open to new technology but resist

pressure to do it all

Allow opportunities for staff development and

time for play

Before you go too far connect new technology

to your library plan

As always, keep up, talk to colleagues, visit

other libraries, share with co-workers

Questions…

Discussion…

The Intersection of BL & DT

What do Blended Librarianship and Design Thinking have in common?

• Similar approach to identifying problems and developing solutions

• Boundary Crossers:

A boundary crosser is someone who blends multiple skills into one

profession. Pink says “while detailed knowledge of a single area (e.g., traditional librarianship) once guaranteed success, today the top rewards go to those who can operate with equal aplomb in starkly different realms.”

• Work collaboratively with others in peripheral professional areas

Organizing What You Find

Sarah Long’s “The Daily Herald” August 13, 2006

David Bishop

Retired University Director

Northwestern University

Mashable.com – waves of technology