Keeping up with emerging technologies : best practices for information professionals

Title:

Author:

Hennig, Nicole author

ISBN:

9781440854408

Publication:

Santa Barbara, California : Libraries Unlimited, an imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC, [2017]

Physical Description:

vii, 177 pages ; 24 cm

Contents:

Gathering information : sources and strategies -- Gathering information : more strategies -- Gathering information : user needs -- Ethics, inclusion and the digital divide -- Evaluating information -- Experimenting -- Moving towards implementation -- Emerging technologies librarians : defining job roles.

Subject Term:

Librarians -- Effect of technological innovations on.

Technological literacy.

Technological innovations -- Information resources.

Information technology -- Information resources.

Libraries -- Information technology -- Planning.

Libraries -- Information technology -- Evaluation.

Public services (Libraries)

Library users -- Effect of technological innovations on.

Local Subject:

LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE COLLECTION

Other Format:

Online version: Hennig, Nicole, author. Keeping up with emerging technologies Santa Barbara, California : Libraries Unlimited, an imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC, [2017] 9781440854415 (DLC) 2017021555

Available:

Library	Call Number	Material Type	Status
Searching... State Library of Oregon	025.00285 HenniK	4-Week Loan	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

The acceleration of technological change demands that today's information professionals and educators not only be constantly acquiring new knowledge and skills, but also that they cultivate the ability to make sound judgments on which technologies to embrace.

Today's librarians and information specialists know it's imperative that they keep up with new technologies. But not all technologies are equally important, either within the library setting or to library patrons. So how does one decide which ones to pursue and integrate into services? In the uphill battle to stay current with new and emerging technologies, deciding which ones to pursue and integrate into services is a major challenge. A secondary problem is simply finding the time to consider the question. Readers of Keeping Up with Emerging Technologies will learn all of the best practices and skills to keep up with new technologies and to analyze the ability of specific technologies to meet recognized user needs--all in this single source.

You'll learn the best ways to gather information about new technologies and user needs, to evaluate and analyze information, to curate technology information for others, to set up experiments and evaluate the results, and to present your findings to persuade decision-makers. Written by the former head of user experience at MIT's library system, this guidebook serves information professionals, educators, education technology specialists, and anyone with "emerging technology" or "innovation" in their job titles. It will also be useful for library administrators and those who manage these positions as well as for students seeking a technology-oriented or curriculum-design career path in libraries.

Author Notes

Nicole Hennig is an independent user experience professional who teaches librarians and educators to effectively use mobile technologies. She worked for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Libraries for 14 years as web manager and head of user experience.

Reviews (2)

Booklist Review

Staying on top of new technology is difficult, even for the most tech-savvy professionals. Hennig (Apps for Librarians, 2014) simplifies for the harried librarian the process of finding information on emerging technology, touching on sources in several formats, along with sharing methods and processes for staying abreast in the field. The purpose of the book is to share techniques, but it also serves as a robust purveyor of information sources, from blogs to Twitter feeds to YouTube channels. Designing, creating, and evaluating experiments to determine user wants and needs are essential components of implementing new ideas, and design thinking plays a large role in Hennig's version of these processes. Much of the text is infused with the understanding that the visionary, who thinks big, and the implementer, who focuses on details, are on two ends of the same continuum. One chapter analyzes Emerging Technologies Librarian job descriptions from both academic and public libraries and provides suggestions on creating job descriptions that attract the specific type of person that the employer is seeking. Overall, a handy guide to keeping up with emerging technologies for those of us with little time to devote to the endeavor.--Winterhalter, Deidre Copyright 2018 Booklist

Library Journal Review

Readers who find it challenging to stay abreast of emerging technologies will appreciate this resource that acknowledges the difficulties of doing so. Aware that focusing on any particular skill or concept would date the book, Hennig (former head of UX, MIT Libs.) instead offers a whirlwind of sources for identifying and learning to use new technologies. At times the work feels like an annotated bibliography, with descriptions and references to dozens of valuable online tools. The first six chapters explores resources useful for gathering and evaluating information, while the next two sections deal with experimenting and moving toward implementation. A concluding chapter helps define the role of emerging technologies librarians and lists sample job descriptions. Hennig refers to herself as a visionary rather than an implementer, and the many ideas and materials presented here reflect her wide-ranging purview. VERDICT Essential reading for all information professionals.-Margaret Sylvia, St. Mary's Univ. Lib., San Antonio © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Chapter 1 Introduction	p. 1
Why This Book?	p. 1
Visionaries and Implementers: Two Roles for This Work	p. 3
Challenges for Libraries: Technology Staffing	p. 5
Endnotes	p. 8
Chapter 2 Gathering Information: Sources and Strategies	p. 9
Introduction	p. 9
Skimming and Scanning	p. 10
Newsletters, Feeds, and Groups	p. 12
Multimedia Resources: Video, Audio, and Courses	p. 22
Conferences and Local Events	p. 31
Trend Reports	p. 35
Books	p. 38
Popular Culture and Science Fiction	p. 41
Dealing with Information Overload	p. 43
Endnotes	p. 48
Chapter 3 Gathering Information: More Strategies	p. 53
Look Outside Your Field or Discipline	p. 53
Categories of Technologies	p. 54
How Far Out to Look	p. 55
Visionaries and Implementers-Strategies for Each	p. 59
Endnotes	p. 62
Chapter 4 Gathering Information: User Needs	p. 63
UX: User Experience Research	p. 63
Types of User Research	p. 64
Examples	p. 66
Endnotes	p. 68
Chapter 5 Ethics, Inclusion, and the Digital Divide	p. 69
Following Ethical Debates	p. 69
Being Inclusive: Diversity, Accessibility, and the Digital Divide	p. 71
Summary	p. 77
Endnotes	p. 78
Chapter 6 Evaluating Information	p. 81
Introduction	p. 81
Letting Ideas Percolate	p. 82
Note-Taking	p. 82
Curating Information for Others	p. 85
Trends versus Fads	p. 88
Summary	p. 91
Endnotes	p. 91
Chapter 7 Experimenting	p. 95
Hands-On Play	p. 95
Designing Experiments and Evaluating the Results	p. 96
Criteria for Evaluating Your Experiments	p. 101
Project Methods: Design Thinking	p. 104
Project Methods: Agile and "The Lean Startup"	p. 108
Ideation Methods	p. 111
Endnotes	p. 116
Chapter 8 Moving Toward Implementation	p. 119
Presenting to and Persuading Decision-Makers	p. 119
Passing on Projects to Implementers	p. 126
Endnotes	p. 128
Chapter 9 Emerging Technologies Librarians-Defining Job Roles	p. 131
Current Job Descriptions	p. 131
Defining This Type of Position for Your Organization	p. 137
What to Do If You Are a Very Small Organization	p. 141
Diversity and "Performance-Based Job Descriptions"	p. 142
Template for Your Job Description	p. 143
Endnotes	p. 147
Chapter 10 Epilogue	p. 149
Chapter 11 Resource Guide	p. 151
Bibliography: Books, Blogs, Articles, Websites	p. 151
Guide to Mobile Apps	p. 167
Index	p. 173

Available:

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (2)

Booklist Review

Library Journal Review

Table of Contents