The PLA Blog » technology

A Librarian’s Field Guide to Near Field Communication

Rick Roche — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 02:48:59 +0000

Librarians Kristen Yarmey and Sheli Elizabeth McHugh of the University of Scranton reported on the potential use of near field communication (NFC) tags in public libraries in their presentation “A Librarian’s Field Guide to Near Field Communication.” NFC refers to new technology that allows the passing of data between two very close objects. Typically the objects touch or are otherwise within two inches. NFC is a refinement of radio frequency identification (RFID). NFC tags cost between 39 cents to $1.50 each and may be programmed to custom uses. Typically they are put on objects like posters, walls, or grave stones.

Businesses are begining to use NFC tags to gather data, transfer payments, and issue coupons. The speakers said that it is faster and more powerful than the use of QR codes. The information is passed directly from the devices and the web may not be needed in the exchanges.

The largest use in business so far is in mobile payments. A NFC enabled smart phone can be used as a credit card just by tapping an NFC tag. Money might pass one way and a receipt, coupon, and reward points pass back. Big companies such as Google and banks are looking into making smartphones into digital wallets. Early use seems to be in coffee shops and bars.

NFC smartphones can be used as keys. Given the code, the phone can then be used to unlock doors in hotels or dormitories.

Tapping an NFC tag in a car could provide the driver with needed maintenance and alerts to failing parts.

Mobile marketing is growing as promoters put NFC tags onto posters that provide interactive data about products, services, or entertainment.

Social media companies, such as Linked-In, are investigating how NFC can be used to pass vital information between contacts. FourSquare is using it for place checkins. Gaming companies are looking for ways of incorporating NFC into social games.

Public transportation is seeking ways to use NFC for ticketing, distributing schedules, and informing riders as to next train or bus time. NFC health care bracelets can alert emergency medical personnel of patients’ prescriptions, medical history, and physicians to contact.

Yarmey and McHugh had some ideas for libraries. NFC smartphones could be used to pay for printing or fines. Tapping a NFC tag on a poster could sign a person up to a program. Tags with reviews could be put on book jackets.

Two concerns that have not been totally addressed yet are privacy and security. Users will want to know that all of their vital information is encrypted. It is possible that viruses could be passed by NFC.

The presenters know that is early to adapt NFC to library uses, but if big companies like Apple develop uses, librarians should not be far behind.

Internet Librarian 2009- Meredith Hammons

m.hammons — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:05:06 +0000

The second session was on how technology can either drive initiatives or result in information overload. The first part of the session was led by Lizzy Burns, author of Pop Goes the Library: Using Pop Culture to Connect with Your Community. Lizzy defined pop culture as anything your community is interested in and uses. She pointed out that if your community is texting, but the library demands that staff lock their cellphones in their offices/lockers for the day, we are not relating to our community. She also pointed out that while we may allow users to watch TV shows on hulu, we aren’t truly doing our jobs if we don’t advertise that resource to people who may not be aware of it. Her last point emphasized the need for trendspotters, preferably a committee of people, both comfortable and uncomfortable with technology, to keep the library ahead of trends. She used a great example of not being afraid to be betamax (the video cassettes that were supposed to better than VHS, but lost the popularity war way back in the 80s). What she meant by this was that betamax set the stage for the concept of watching TV and movies when you wanted to, which is a concept we continue today, though the technology has changed. This idea repeated the theme I’d heard earlier in the week that technology is going to continue to change, but the needs it meets will not, so changing technology is not a reason not to start using these tools.
Sarah Houghton-Jan followed with a presentation on how to avoid information overload. She offered 10 tips:
1) General organization.
2) Filter your input.
3) Use RSS and Twitter wisely.
4) Use “interruptive” technology wisely (i.e. turn off your phone when you need to focus, don’t set your e-mail to alert you every time one comes in, don’t be available on IM if you don’t want to be).
5) Manage your phone and keep work and home calls separate.
6) Manage e-mail (schedule times to check e-mail, keep your inbox nearly empty, delete and archive).
7) Print media – recycle catalogs, weed books you’ve already read. Multi-media- choose TV thoughtfully.
9) Schedule your social network time.
10) Practice time and stress management.
A lot of these things can help save time (and sanity) and it was nice to hear, in the midst of all this technology, encouragemnet to unplug once in a while.

Internet LIbrarian 2009- Meredith Hammons

m.hammons — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:52:12 +0000

This morning, I began my sessions with the awesome title “Selling Tech to Power”. It was a group of tech savvy decision makers advising people on how to persuade administration of the benefits of using new technologies. The first speaker, Danis Kreimeier, Director of the Napa City-County library, pointed out that directors have a large number of people to report to as well, including city/county governments, Friends groups and other donors, etc. She offered a number of questions to ask oneself before beginning any initiative.
What problem are you trying to solve? Whose problem is it? Is it sustainable (i.e. if you leave, is someone else going to be able to run it?) Where does it fit into the library’s goals and objectives?
She also gave a strategy script for communicating to those in power:
1) Tell people where you are headed.
2) Give facts and statistics to support the project.
3) Give the actions you are proposing and show that you have thought them through.
4) Describe how it fits with other plans and strategies (i.e. green initiatives).
5) Take advantage of existing assets and resources.
6) Tell them how and when you’ll know it is successful.
7) Show your passion! Invite them to join you.
Danis said that she had used this script for 18 months in submitting proposals to the board and had yet to be turned down.
The second speaker, Fred Cohn, Assistant City Manager of Monterey, pointed out that technology projects are no different than other business projects. He also offered the point that when times change, we cannot keep doing the same things and expecting different results. He then emphasized the importance of marketing, which he defined as identifying and meeting needs. His primary pieces of advice were to be careful of perspective and make sure you are meeting the community’s needs and interests, not just your own and to see yourself as part of a broader organization.
The last part of the presentation allowed people in the audience to discuss previous attempts to introduce new technologies that hadn’t worked and offer suggestions of how to improve the process. The primary advice was to identify all the stakeholders and speak to their concerns and goals, do research and get concrete information, show how an iniative will save time or moeny, get allies within your organization, focus on activities with low investment and high results.
I’ve been trying to get a Facebook page for our library for several months and this presentation gave me a lot of good ideas of how to get this accepted. It will require some initial research on my part, but will be much more effective.

Cool MS Surface App in Delft

Nate Hill — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:10:14 +0000

Wow! How many library cards can do this? Man, I go away for a month and look at what I missed:

Multitouch Microsoft Surface: Cultural Heritage Browser from Jaap van de Geer on Vimeo.

At DOK, they’ve made an app for their Microsoft Surface table that first reads a patron’s profile off of their library card and then displays images from their photo archive based on their address information. By engaging the user with a slick, seductive interface they make the experience so intriguing that they can’t help but want to search, browse and explore library resources further. Not only is this project an interesting way to explore local history, it is a lesson in the value of designing interfaces for maximum “playfulness”. This interface makes searching and browsing FUN! Sure, that may seem an easy task when you have a sweet MS Surface table to work with, but consider of all of the other interfaces at your library. The reference desk. Signs. The catalog. All of these are interfaces. How can you create a fun, playful, curiosity-envoking user experience at your library WITHOUT some awesome high-end technologies?

I look forward to the next step in reinventing the library card, when it becomes writable as well as readable. Having just a few gigs of storage on the card would allow patrons to “check out” those images or any other materials as well.

LITA’s Top Technology Trends

Rick Roche — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:32:07 +0000

Six panelists from a variety of libraries in the U.S. and the Netherlands mused about the future of technology in libraries yesterday at the 2009 American Library Association Conference in Chicago. What will truly happen, of course, is not clear. They would agree. Libraries are in transformation and in danger of being just left behind. With economic hard times, decision making is going to be increasingly difficult but very important. Roy Tennant of OCLC Programs and Research said it most clearly that administrators need to resist across the board cuts of library services. It may be a good time to pare away services that no longer produce wanted results and concentrate on those that will perform well. Libraries can come out of the crisis better if they choose well.

Other than Tennant, panelists were John Blyberg of Darien Library, Geert Van Den Boogen from DOK in Delft, Clifford Lynch of the Coalition of Networked Information, Eric Lease Morgan of the University of Notre Dame, and Joan Frye Williams, an information technology consultant. Karen Coombs of the University of Houston was ill and unable to attend.

Before the panelists presented their individual forecasts, they spoke together about the three trends posed by moderator Maurice York of North Carolina State University.

In five years everything will be mobile.
In five years everything will be virtual.
In five years everything will be in the cloud.

This may have been somewhat of a set up instead of truly believed statements, for it generated much debate. Understanding the finer points is difficult, not just because of the technical language, but also because of some academic and philosophical jargon. Luckily for us, the entire program is available to view again and again at LitaBlog. Also, David Lee King seemed to understand the finer point a bit better than I did and bullet pointed them on his blog.

Here is what I took away and think is important for public libraries.

There may be many more mobile devices than laptop and desktop computers in the next five years, but that in no way makes the computers irrelevant. The mobile devices have their limitations. Their increase reflects a movement away from text to image, but text will remain important. Many people are more comfortable with larger keyboards and screens.

Joan Frye Williams said that providing information is not the point of the public library. Our libraries serve to transform us through culture, recreation, education, and information.

Many copyright holders have too much to lose for everything to become free virtually.

The use of the “cloud” is enticing because it is free of costs in many cases. However, it fosters unwarranted trust. Clifford Lynch said that inevitably there will be a crash and data loss. Users must keep their important documents backed up.

When PCs replaced mainframe computers, data became decentralized. Cloud computing is re-centralizing data. This may not be a good thing.

Technology and information vendors will try more and more to go directly to the end user. EBSCO supports NPR News as a marketing strategy. Libraries will have to be nimble to stay in the picture. They will have to market their value-added services. Eric Lease Morgan recommended that libraries create concordance-like tools to the web. (See Eric’s comment which clarifies his recommendation and provides a link to more information.)

Technologies will help libraries become more environmentally responsible.

John Blyberg said that libraries have a vested interest in the survival of news media. Our holdings of the past have reflected the output of newspapers, journals, etc. What will we have if they go away.

Libraries need to move their technological experts out of isolated IT departments and into public services.

There was so much more said at this meeting. If you want to know more, watch the video.

Technology and Unions in the Public Library

Nate Hill — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 05:11:38 +0000

Here’s a well-stated call to action from Chris Maisano of Brooklyn Public Library. Is your union working for you? Can you make it work for you?

We all know that our profession is in the midst of a transitional period from an older conception of librarianship grounded in print culture to…well, we really don’t know what yet, do we? It’s no secret that libraries and librarians are struggling to define their roles in the new technology-centric climate. Unfortunately, many in the field who are wary about the potential effects of the new technologies on librarianship are often depicted by some advocates of “Library 2.0” as being “resistant to change.” But often such people are not resistant to change per se. What they are resistant to are changes that they do not have any control over, and that could potentially deskill and deprofessionalize us if improperly implemented by library management. It’s not so much a question of “tradition” versus “change” but rather a question of power relations in the workplace and who gets to make decisions that affect the fundamental nature of our work.

Fortunately, a rather large percentage of public librarians in the U.S. are members of good, old-fashioned organizations that could potentially give them a voice in how technology-driven innovations in libraries are implemented – unions. Unfortunately, the potential role of our unions in positively shaping library innovation in the coming years has been almost completely overlooked.

Union density (the percentage of workers in a given field who are union members) in public libraries is very high. According to a recent report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers in education, training, and library occupations had the highest unionization rate in 2008, at 38.7% (link to the press release: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.htm). In comparison, only 12.4% of the total wage and salary workforce is unionized. We need to use our unions to democratically decide how libraries will redefine themselves in the coming decades. This will help to maintain the professional status and salaries of librarians and improve the quality of the services we offer to the public.

There are a number of potential obstacles that must be confronted if our unions are to be relevant in this regard. Many library union locals are moribund. Members often view the union as external to them, as an insurance scheme that exists only to maintain wages, administer benefits, and handle a grievance here and there. We need to understand that we are the union and that it will only be effective to the degree that we are active and ready to organize ourselves around these issues. Also, decision-making in regard to innovation is usually considered a “management prerogative” that workers cannot bargain over in contract negotiations. This can and must change. The influx of young librarians into the profession can revitalize our union locals. And vibrant, active locals can organize to assert greater worker control over innovation so that management does not use technological innovation as a cover to deskill and deprofessionalize our jobs (and subsequently lower our wages and salaries). Let’s talk more in the comments. I’d love to hear what people out there think about this.

Who is Using Your Computers?

Rose Frase — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 21:34:02 +0000

This session on Sunday afternoon was a discussion forum sponsored by the RUSA-MARS division of ALA. It’s subtitle was “Best practices for managing and serving public computer users.” The facilitators created a list of questions to promote discussion that fell into 3 broad categories: technology, patron behavior & needs, and policy.

Technology questions focused on whether you offered automatic or manual sign-up, commercial or homegrown solutions, guest logins or not, wireless access, and Microsoft Office or other productivity software. Patron behavior/need questions focused on how patrons login, what they do on the computers, how long they stay, with what do they need the most help, what services do they request that you don’t offer, and are there questions about the priority of one patron’s tasks over another’s. Policy questions focused on levels of access, ability to download files and software, whether or not you filter/block some sites, policies for problems with patron behavior, and policies about priority of patrons’ computer tasks.

We were seated at round tables and discussed the answers to these questions with folks at our table. Near the end of the session, we reported on our table discussions to the larger group. While the discussions were useful in some cases, it was up to each individual to jot down any ideas for use back at his/her home system. From the title of the session, I had thought that I would be given a handout with best practices to take home with me. My library system already has automated sign-up for computers and several policies in place for dealing with many of the issues that came up so perhaps other librarians found this session more helpful.

Digital Storytelling: Where Outreach, Local History & Technology Collide

Amy Harmon — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 21:38:10 +0000

Everyone has a story. Being able to turn your story to something that can be shared with others enhances self worth and benefits the community overall. Their story lives on after they are gone. As libraries, we have the training and in some ways, duty to document and archive society’s culture and history. We have the ability to share this knowledge with others that are even outside of our communities through technology. Therefore, I was very excited to attend the PLA sponsored workshop yesterday.

California of the Past is implementing a really great video history program. The pilot libraries: Benicia, Covina, Hayward, Orange County, Sacramento, S. San Francisco. The goal is to capturing slices of people’s lives. What’s really cool is that many libraries or museums have oral histories that have been recorded. These can be paired with historical photographs to create a visual/interactive historical experience. They also have interviews of people that wish to share their stories. The recorded memories of California and local communities enable people to hear others personal experiences and find out what did the community look like, stories that address the recent past or distant past. It promotes intergenerational sharing,

engage aging baby boomers, encourage immigrants to California to share their memories, provide library staff with digital storytelling program skills and encourages library/community partnerships. We watched a number of amazing stories. All of them can be found on their website: digitalstorystation.com

How I See it – California Stories talked about the photography/journaling project that they have implemented for teens. It’s important for teens to know that an important community member enhance status of the library as a cultural place. California’s citizens of all ages and walks of life share their stories to capture a better understanding of what it is like to grow up in CA today.

It is being implemented in libraries and geared for afterschool/summer programming. It’s a packaged program that has a curriculum manual with activities, bibliography, resources, and is supported by the CA state library with equipment, training and a cash grant. Its focus is to utilize photography and writing. There is a method and thought to make this a learning experience using digital technology.

It engages youth to document their community through photographic documentation and writing. It is building a community of writers and photographers that share and communicate their discoveries to peers through exhibits and special events. It is important to keep kids connected to nature and their communities. They explore the area within a mile of the library which not only ties the teens to the community but the area around the library. They focus on the environment and everyday landscape of the community, photo skills, editing and revision of photos and text.

It’s desigined to give youth a feeling of belonging and an outlet for self expression. It (hopefully) improve people’s perception of youth in community and overall strengthens community ties.

I remember discussing something similar to this at my library. I can’t wait to do something like this and get videos up and running to. Something to consider is that it does take time. Overall, the videos from start to completion can take about 10 hours. That is the planning, filming and editing processes. Nonetheless, I’m very excited!

Final 4th (Okay, not that clever of a title but better than nothing)

Rolf Laun — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 19:29:11 +0000

Whew…what a conference. My first PLA and I must say I’m much impressed. And much tired. And much with good grammer too. And to think I was just one of over 9000 Public Library people that attended. Wow! That’s a big kind of number. So here then is the final run down.

After a quick packing and breakfast I attended the first of my last final prgramming sessions, “How to Deal with Difficult Patrons.” Good program, and sadly one I think more and more of us have need of. I work in a big, downtown library and there is no avoiding the fact that dealing with difficult patrons is pretty much a daily task. I liked this program for two reasons: it gave very good advice and it also outlined how you can go about teaching this to your own staff (through the online info the presenters are providing). I will definitely be dong some downloading when I get back to work tomorrow (and yes, tomorrow…no rest for the conferenced).

My final session was “From Hype to Help,” and dealt with ways of helping your organization collaborate using technology. While mostly an overview with a couple of specific samples thrown in, it did present some ideas and places to check out online that I will definitely have to investigate. I enjoyed the presenters enthusiasm and honesty. Using technology to address “communication” issues requires a lot of staff “buy-in” and that is never easy to create.

The final event of PLA was the Closing Session featuring Paula Poundstone. I knew the name, but I don’t think I had ever seen her perform and now I feel kind of bad about that. She is damn funny. I enjoy comedy quite a bit, in all it’s forms and fashions, but I have a soft spot for those comedians who think on their feet and can turn chance statements from the audience into running gags. Paula Poundstone did that and more, and I doubt I will ever look at “Public” Libraries quite the same (sorry, you had to be there).

And so it ends, my first but hopefully not my last PLA. Two years from now I’m going to face a major delimna. Do I try and encourage others in my system to attend so that they can have the experince I had this week? Or do I keep it quiet about it so there might be money left to send me again? Damn…I wonder if any of them are reading this blog?

And speaking of readers, thanks to PLA for letting me do this and thanks to you few who actually read them. I can only hope that some small part of what I experienced I was able to communicate and that two years from now, some of you who have never attended will be in Portland (with me if luck prevails) and will be blogging away about your own experiences. Sure, there are some downsides, but overall it is a fantastic opportunity and well worth the effort.

I keep coming back to one of the first comments that appeared on one my messages. Recharged? Yes I feel recharged. And why? Because being here at PLA helps give me the big picture. I am part of the world of Public Librarians, and they are all facing the same problems I am and there are those, much smarter than me, who are figuring out solutions. The least I can do is take that knowledge back with me to my system, and spread the word.

Thank you!

And before I forget, than you Minneapolis! I had a great time in this fantastic city. Cold? You betch ya! And I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Second Day, Just Like the First (Busy) – part 2

Rolf Laun — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 02:32:55 +0000

Since my last post was so late in the day, that will likely make this post a bit shorter than previous ones. I just finished up my last session of the day, The RA Toolkit III, and it was pretty much everything I hoped it would be. It never hurts to have not one, but three excellent presenters, but when that is coupled with a huge amount of information that I know will be very useful to me, it is undoubtably a case of having your cake and eating it too. If there is any drawback to this type of presentation, it’s the realization of how much work I’ve got waiting for me when I return home to San Antonio. But I’m glad I’ll have the opportunity to share my newly gained information, and besides, nobody said being a librarian would be easy. Well actually a lot of people said that, but they were wrong!

My evening wrapped up with one last vendor event, a lovely laid back affair sponsered by Bowker/Syndetics. For once I wasn’t a total recluse, thanks largely to those sitting at the table, who were extremely social, as were the Bowker people. Thank you all for nice little osasis in the middle of my adventure.

Since I don’t have much to report otherewise, it seems like a good time to do a little reflecting. I love the paperless conference…whoever came up with that idea needs a big raise. Not only is a lot of paper being saved, but the PLA people, through the support of one of the vendors, has created a wonderful onsite printing set up where you can get the printouts you want and it prints in duplex too. So even if you do want to go the paper route, you’re still using almost half as much paper as you might normally use. I think that deserves a big round of applause and I hope it’s a system that other library conferences will adopt.

I think I should also mention that even though I’m not the most gregarious of people, I’ve had some wonderful conversations with other librarians while just waiting in line, waiting for programs to start, or just answering “directionals” (yeah, I’m one of those people that other people tend to ask for directions…even though I usually don’t have a clue where I actually am). No, it’s not really networking, but it a nice affirmation that I and my library system, are not alone. We all face shared problems and even if we’re not finding our solutions here at PLA, just knowing there are others out there does make a big difference. So a big thank you to everyone I’ve met so far and those I meet in the next couple of days.
And finally, a little tech note, and my question for the rest of the bloggers out there. How are you physically blogging PLA? Do you do so throughout the day (even if you only post once a day)? Are you doing it on a lap top, at the internet cafe, or back in the hotel? Me? I’m using a tiny little Nokia internet tablet, and for the most part the free WiFi here at the Conference Center (my hotel’s wireless system has left a lot to be desired). Largely I’m trying to do them as the moments present themselves (between sessions, etc), while things are still relatively fresh in my mind. Thanks to a little foldaway bluetooth keyboard, I’m not having to hunt and peck out my messages. Otherwise you’d be seeing a lot more spelling errors and a lot fewer words. Its not the best solution, but it is small and very portable, and with all the running around I’ve been doing, I’ve appreciated that aspect quite a bit. So, how do you blog?

So that’s it for tonight. Once I finish off this delicious Steamed Chocolate Nirvana at Dunn Brothers (yup, my hotel’s wireless has failed me once more) it is off to some much needed sleep. All this fun and excitement is definitley starting to take it’s toll.