iPhones for Students

This article in the New York Times, Welcome Freshman, Have an iPod, indicates that several universities are giving students iPhones or iPods, as they enter the university. The schools believe that the students can use the devices to research in class,use the devices to prepare presentations or download podcasts of lectures. Predictably, there is some concern that students will not use the devices positively but instead will use the devices in class when they are bored. But, hasn't this always been the case that some students will be bored in class and not pay attention (doodling?) but it seems a high price to pay to deny these devices to everyone.

Stanford has asked a student-run company to develop special applications for the devices including a map and a directory. And, this seems to me the better approach--to use the devices to elicit a program from students and faculty for their best use in education. Computer science students can develop specialized applications, the college newspaper can set up an RSS headline feed, the library can send alerts when new items are available and old ones due. Library students can help organize the podcasts or video downloads available. Professors can produce podcasts or ask their students to make oral presentations via podcasts. In other words, the device can be part of the education experience because mobile devices are part of our world and this is excellent preparation for students.

I am in a distance learning program now and when I was accepted I asked whether an iPod was required. My advisor was taken aback by the question--she said that no one had asked it before. But I had assumed that a distance learning program would take advantage of technology to enrich the experience for students.

We communicate via a bulletin board system and post to that or to some collaborative space such as wiki or Google Documents. I have only had one professor (and I have taken 10 courses) use screencasting with audio. There have been no podcasts, no video lectures, no creative use of existing technology.

Earlier, this year, there was consternation among some in the library community because non-librarians (specifically, people without a Master's) were named in Library Journals annual list of Movers and Shakers. Many people were exercised by the folks upset at the naming of non-librarians because they thought those people were treated with disrespect by the degreed people. And, that is true but is missing the larger point--in my previous field we looked outside our own field to find improvements or new services. This was routine. We actively sought ideas from others that we could use--they did not always work but we tried them and analyzed what worked and what did not so we could learn from that experience.

We have been asked to write about the future of library automation (although I am probaby doing the alternate assignment) but it seems to me that libraries lag behind other industries in implementing new technologies and routinely examining other industries would help libraries adopt technologies quicker and more effectively.

Library Automation Class

I am nearing the end of my Library Automation course (a week and a half to go) and we just got a new assignment. We can either use the data on a specific library site to investigate something or we can write about the future of Library Automation.

So far, I am doing both. I spent a lot of time with the data and there is quite a bit that I am not able to access without a login (which we do not have). I had a number of interesting things in mind to test but I cannot access data that addresses it. I came up some things to test but I am not sure whether they are really appropriate for the assignment.

I am working on the Future of Library Automation essay so that has involved reading about technology trends. I have several lists I am working from and once I identify the trends that I think are relevant to libraries, I am gathering more information on them. Yesterday, I researched more about Service-Oriented Architectures and today is my mobility day.

I will only turn one in--just not sure which one I will submit yet.

Market Electronic Availability

I have been continuing my research for my Library Automation Vendor Analysis and have discovered that SirsiDynix is adding a Books by Mail feature. A patron can specify whether they want to pick the books up in the library or have them delivered to their home or office. Now, clearly there are implementation issues that libraries will need to grapple with, but this feature is a terrific step forward for libraries and should be marketed as being part of an end-to-end electronic capability. Patrons can now request books on-line, track their status, renew them and have them delivered to their home without needing to step inside the library. They can also ask reference questions online and access reference materials from home.

It is not that I think coming to the library is a bad idea, but this recognizes the fact that many people do not use the library because they do not have the time. When I worked at my previous job (a way more than 40 hrs a week job), I seldom used the library because I could not get there often. I travelled a lot and going to the library took time,I often did not find books that interested me and if I did take something out, I had to worry about whether I would be around when it was due so it was easier to go to the bookstore than go to the library.

For years, I have kept a notebook of books that I wanted to read; the notebook was organized by month so I would know when books were coming out and I kept another couple of pages for books that might be older but had attracted my interest. Now, that I can request books online I seldom use the notebook because I can read about something and add it to my library wish list immediately whether the library is open or not.

I often read articles about the importance of marketing libraries and their services and while I agree that is important it has often seemed to me that these articles focus on getting people into the library, but seldom treat those users who do not come to the library but would still be interested in the services of the library--I think of this as the virtual service population.

This is simply a terrific marketing opportunity--you can use all of the services of the library from home now including getting the items delivered to your home. There have been a number of articles about how libraries should work on creating open spaces and be more like bookstores, but I have always thought that the secret to a successful library is in the service and 24/7 electronic access is a winner.

We recently had a discussion in my class about library blogs and whether they make sense for a library. I think that they do but as part of an electronic presence for the library. Patrons like to come to librarians for suggestions about books, they can come to the blog to get those. I have also seem library blogs featuring things like website of the day which is also useful for your virtual service population and it shows that the library is embracing the electronic world. A library blog part of the electronic strategy of the library and an important component of marketing the new virtual 24/7 library.

Vendor Analysis

I am mid-way through my Library Automation course and have been researching the final project, a vendor/product analysis paper. I have chosen SirsiDynix Symphony. The research is going well and I have started writing the paper.

Symphony is the product that we use in my library and I have a much better understanding of the features, the migration necessary to move from Unicorn to Symphony and a greater understanding of the information that is avaialable to SirsiDynix customers. For example, they produce detailed Release Notes so you can find what has changed or been added in each new release. I have always asked for Release Notes whenever we had a upgrade and none were ever provided to us but now, I can find them myself.

All-in-all a very worthwhile project.