Convening an Emerging Technologies Working Group in an Academic Library

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Convening an Emerging Technologies Working Group
in an Academic Library

• Debra Riley-Huff, Erin Ellis and Tami Albin
• University of Kansas

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Emerging Technologies

• Introduced at a phenomenal rate
• Relevancy in higher education
• Relevancy in Instructional Services
• Expectations and new modes

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Instructional Services At KU
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Administrative Go Ahead

• Must have administrative endorsement
• Communicate and connect with stakeholders
• Prepare for resistance
• Variety of definitions
• Various ways of creating, implementing and
  holding accountable an ET working group

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Administrative Go Ahead

• Have rationale ready for justification
• Be clear (be very clear, be crystal clear) about
  focusing on user needs and enhancements
• Discuss possible collaborations or impacts on
  other campus services
• Full administrative support for ET working group

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Convening the Working Group

• Contemplating Group Composition

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Consider Library Size

• Are you from a small library?
• Are you from a large library?
• Interested and Qualified

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The Core Group

• Select experts
• Potential testers
• Splinter groups

• Appointments and volunteers
• Rotating members
• Experts and novices
• Give opportunity!

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Avoid Clique-type Behavior!

• Transparent
• Open
• Supportive

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Research Methods

• Lets take a look at some tools that can help us
  keep abreast of what is going on!

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Two pronged approach

• Core members of your group.
• Instructional Services person
• Web development person
• Instructional Technology person
• Geek

• Identify others
• Know who your experts are in certain areas
• Blackboard, games, blogs, etc.
• Programming, scripting
• Web services

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Specific needs vs. Horizon awareness

• Specific needs will generate a charge
• Horizon awareness will most likely be more casual.

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Tools of the trades

• There is much overlap between LIS tools and
  Instructional Technology tools.
• Libraries are a place of learning
• Journals, websites, blogs and conferences

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Journals

• Library Science
• ACRL News
• ITAL
• Computers in Libraries
• Reference and User Services Quarterly

• Instructional Technology
• AACE Journal
• IJIM
• Learning, Media and Technology
• Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks

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Emerging Technologies Knowledge Base
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Library Technology Now
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ACRL Emerging Technologies in Instruction
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PRIMO
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Tame the Web
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Slashdot
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InfoToday Newsbreak
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LITA
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Conferences

• LITA
• Educause
• Internet Librarian
• Computers in Libraries

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Testing and Discussion
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Looking at the technologies

• Need based choices
• Research based choices
• They both need to be well informed.
• Be sure you are not missing anything viable.

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Develop a testing plan

• Make sure you have covered your bases
• Security/Administration
• Who else needs to know?
• Prevent shut downs by writing that into your
  group charge!

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Four possibilities

• Lightweight Instant Messaging Clients (LIMs)

• Massive online role playing games (MMORPGs)

• Podcasting

• Voice over internet Protocol (VoIP)

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Lightweight IM client

• Helping students on their terms outside the
  reference structure.
• Collaborative use.

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MMORPG

• 3-D learning and lecture environment
• Interactivity
• Using existing environments
• Waiting for off the shelf solutions.

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Podcasting

• Literacy instruction
• Self guided tours
• Assignment support

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VoIP environments

• Method of synchronous instruction
• Collaborative tool
• Presentation tool

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Other benefits of testing groups!

• Team building opportunities
• The chance to collaborate across departments.
• Working with colleagues you many not normally get
  to work with.
• New perspectives and understandings.
• Different learning styles and ways of knowing

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Implementation

• How to get these new technologies implemented to
  benefit your users!

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So you think you have a winner

• Before you approach your administration
• Have you done all your homework?
• Costs
• Training
• Support

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Capitalize on your foundation work and your
charge!
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Presenting your findings

• May depend upon the size of your organization.
• May depend upon the project.

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Present to win approval!

• Live presentation
• Demonstration
• Vendor visit
• Q and A
• Discussion Website or Blog.
• Be Honest!!

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Things to present

• Costs and Benefits
• Security Issues
• Learning Curves and Training
• Timelines
• Marketing strategies
• Stakeholders
• Againbe honest!

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Assessing failure

• Remember your charge and the work you have done
  gives you permission to assess failure.

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What is holding up the project and why?

• Power struggle by an individual or group?
• Confront it because it is a barrier to service.
• Competence issues?
• Find ways to get the necessary help or shift
  duties.
• Pooh-Poohed and later resurrected?
• Commit to confronting ethical dilemmas as a
  group!

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Getting it implemented!

• Get those team and testing participants on the
  bandwagon.
• Support of past participants.
• Support of the users with need.

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Thank You!

• Created Spring 2006 by Tami Albin, Erin Ellis and
  Debra Riley-Huff for LOEX (Library Orientation
  Exchange)
• University of Kansas Libraries