Lied Library
It may be a few years old, but the challenges discussed here are still very real. Having worked in IT before, simply reading about the 2003 PC upgrade plan made me break into a cold sweat--what a logistical challenge!
I also found the discussion of their current equipment's service and maintenance both interesting and troubling. There always seems to be money when biggest, brightest, fanciest facilities are being built, but what happens 5 or 10 years down the line when the equipment starts aging out of warranty or even stop being supported by the manufacturer altogether? I think Lied is definitely doing the right thing with the redundancy they've built in, but the discussion of the future in this particular arena didn't sound very confident to me.
Information Technology Literacy
Also an older article, but with some good ideas. I agree wholeheartedly with the author that we need to be teaching everyone (not just children) how to learn new software, rather than memorizing keystrokes. Anyone who's helped a friend, family member or coworker navigate the switch from Office 2003 to 2007 knows exactly what I'm talking about.
OCLC
One of the first things I noticed about this article is that it was written by OCLC's marketing staff, so it wasn't too suprising to see them referring to consumers rather than patrons. This was an intriguing perspective from which to look at the landscape of information consumption, as many of us are usually very focused on service and programming.
Courtney, I think you've highlighted a great point from the Lynch article: the need to teach or perhaps instill the ability to learn new programs, to adapt to new software formats. It's an interesting concept-- teaching someone how to learn.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what the best method would be, but I'd assume that a good start would be to offer in-depth tutorials about certain programs (much like those offered through Apple's AppleStores for many of their products) that allow for users to familiarize themselves with programs under the supervision of 'experts.' Such opportunities over time, I think, would foster a user's ability to recognize (even if in a tacit fashion) the underlying logic of the software in question, and possibly of future iterations of the same and similar software.
Hi Courtney,
ReplyDeleteI like your Lied Library post which touches on the fact that libraries are not corporate entities, self sustaining sources of revenue are harder to come by. Libraries function with smaller budgets and grants which might pose a challenge for making technology upgrades. I’m not sure how the library community should address this issue besides lobbying for continuing monetary resources for information technology.
Stacey Kinsel