Demonstrate proficiency in identifying, using, and evaluating current and emerging information and communication technologies.
Introduction
I grew up using computers and am generally comfortable with new technologies, but when I started my career in librarianship, I began to adapt and use them differently. For example, I had been using Google Drive as a cloud backup system for my own personal documents, but in the process of getting my MLIS I learned that it was a great way to share work with the various groups I worked with. Likewise, I found that Google Hangouts was useful for much more than exchanging instant messages with friends and family and I used it often to communicate and share my desktop and computer screen with group members. Beyond using technology for collaboration, I have learned to use the WordPress content management system for managing a website, along with CSS and HTML for designing and styling it. Social media has been a part of my life for almost as long as I can remember, and I have even been using that in new ways, especially the bookmarking site delicious.com which I had never before viewed as a collaborative tool, but it works remarkably well.
Each of these programs or applications I currently use has the potential to be put into use in a library or other information center. The conferencing software could be put to use presenting tutorials for classes or other user groups, while a messaging program or application like Hangouts could be employed as a type of live virtual reference desk. Most libraries have websites by now, but I believe that web programming is a useful skill in any industry. Perhaps it is because I live in Silicon Valley, but I find it surprising when a business does not have even a basic website. Social media such as Facebook and Twitter are great for libraries to get the word out about their programming but what really excites me is finding new ways to use the tools we have. I love the idea of using sites like Pinterest, Delicious, or even a microblogging platform like Tumblr to provide suggestions for reading lists. I believe that this is a very exciting time for libraries and information centers. New technologies are appearing so quickly and we have the opportunity to leverage these for our places of work. Doing this requires some creativity and an open mind, but I am very much looking forward to seeing how technology will affect the future of library and information science.
Evidence
My first piece of evidence is an application letter I wrote on behalf of SJSU’s SLA Student Group. As the former Vice Present of the group, I worked with advisor and SJSU iSchool lecturer Cheryl Dee to describe the ways which our group took advantage of the electronic resources available to us.
The process for gathering the information to be included in the application letter involved making a list of every electronic resource we used, no matter how insignificant it seemed. We then made lists of what we used each resource for. Since our executive committee and advisor live on opposite coasts, this had to be done using electronic resources as well. In the end, the hard work paid off and our group was awarded the certificate of merit from SLA.
My second piece of evidence is a website I designed using CSS3 and HTML5. As I stated in my introduction, I think the ability to design a website is important and though this site was made about one of my non-information science related interests, it is the elements used in the making of the site that are important.
I made the site responsive so that it will display correctly on a regular computer screen as well as a mobile device. Since so many people access the internet on their phones or tablets, responsive design ensures that they can see everything without having to adjust display settings or zoom in or out. I also took great care in making the site easy to navigate. Being able to find your way around a website is just as important as the content it contains. After all, what good is content if you are not able to access it?
Professional Development
As a librarian I believe it will be important to be able to identify technologies which might be useful in my line of work. It can be hard to keep up with all of the new services, applications, and programs and even harder to figure out how to get them to work in our libraries. Something I do now that I believe will allow me to keep up with the trends in technology is creating custom news searches so that I can see the major news stories related to topics such as libraries and social media or archives and technology. By reading the stories related to these searches and others, I can see which libraries are employing new strategies for using technology and determine if those strategies are right for my own library.