Competency H:
Emerging Technologies
“Hello, IT. Have you tried turning it off and on again?
Well, have you tried unplugging it and plugging it back in?”Roy Trenneman, The IT Crowd, “Yesterday’s Jam”
Introduction
Emerging technologies are a vital part of the library and information science landscape. One can scarcely imagine entering a library, once filled with only books, newspapers, and magazines, as now having primarily computers, libraries of things, and internet-based study rooms. Truthfully, this ePortfolio and its accompanying evidence, even the entire MLIS program, would not be possible with these new and exciting technologies that we so often take for granted in our modern society. However, there is a huge difference between barely scooting past on email and Zoom versus using new and innovative (even complicated) technologies. I will discuss a few of those below.
The Emerging Technology Landscape
Emerging technologies of note that have cropped up in recent years include Virtual Reality (VR), Extended Reality (XR), Artificial Intelligence, (AI), and Augmented Reality (AR). All of these amazing advances in modern technology are already being used in libraries nationwide, however, not every librarian or information specialist knows how to use these complex tools and technologies. Not only do we require librarians who understand these marvelous tools, but we also need more information professionals who can assist in enlightening the mainstream with pedagogy. Much of this research goes hand in hand with other topics of study, such as User Experience (UX) Research and Design, which includes card sorting, user testing, and think-aloud protocols.
The stereotype persists that elderly technology users are not skilled at things considered technologically complex, due to a lack of familiarity or problems related to aging, such as dementia. However, a group of students who are interested in video game design intends to change that by studying the evolution of so-called “serious games” using bibliometric data (Huang et al., 2024). By looking at the healthcare field’s use of serious games and comparing the use in the elderly to their level of cognitive decline, studies can be incorporated into the design of future games for the older population.
Artificial Intelligence and Higher Education
Another important technology being increasingly used in the classroom (particularly academic classrooms) is Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI has been proven to be an invaluable asset in the classrooms of higher education, particularly for the instructors teaching the classes. It can streamline administrative tasks for both teacher and student and foster creativity in the classroom (Kahki et al., 2024). While there are considered to be downsides to the technology, such as student plagiarism, Khaki et al. (2024) state that much of the provided results are positive when it comes to the use of artificial intelligence, and that surprisingly, many of the tasks outsourced to AI have proven to be mundane and unnecessary to complete by hand.
Finally, the adoption of technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) can be crucial to technological ecosystems, especially in libraries. However, cost is one major factor, and privacy, is another. Kuaban, et al. (2024) describe a rapidly developing urban landscape in which IoT systems have been or are currently being rolled out without much concern for privacy and safety. In a library environment where people come for vital and private information, sometimes related to health and safety, it seems problematic at best that this increasingly common network of interconnected “smart objects” would be so vulnerable to privacy gaps.
Conclusion
While new technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), serious gaming, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and User Experience (UX) Design and Research are all incredibly exciting, this new frontier of technology comes with a downside and is essentially a double-edged sword. One must proceed with caution to navigate such a trailblazing and rapidly changing technological landscape. Libraries and information centers must make difficult decisions about how and when to use these technologies for their benefit.
Artifacts and Evidence
Artifact 1
Assignment:
Course: INFO 202 Information Retrieval System Design
Description:
This group project sought to determine how and why the website for the Santa Monica Public Library could potentially be redesigned to make the site more user-friendly, accessible, and intuitive to use. Along with my classmates and colleagues, I used card-sorting exercises and think-aloud protocols to redesign the main menu of the Santa Monica Public Library website. Each student not only did their card sorting exercise individually, but also called upon friends and colleagues of their own to get a robust sample size. All students participating in the project were happy to review data together and come up with a more user-centered focus for the website redesign. While this project was not implemented at the Santa Monica Public Library in reality, we would like to think that this system would have been implemented had we been working as a team at the library itself. While I would come to do many more card-sorting exercises throughout my time at San Jose State University, this was the first that I was asked to create.
Artifact 2
Assignment:
Course: INFO 204 Information Professions
Description:
This project is a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis of what was at the time my local public library (I now live in Aurora, Colorado and the Aurora Public Library is the system that I currently use today). I ultimately decided that the weaknesses, opportunities, and threats generally outweighed the strengths, as I was unable to see much in the way of community engagement or accessibility located throughout the site. Having once lived in the community where the library is located, I can confirm that the library system does not do much (if anything) to provide community services or community help outside of the standard behavior of loaning books and other materials. While it is obvious that there are many developmentally disabled and differently-abled individuals living in the Santa Clarita area, not much information was available on the strategic plan and a long-term plan did not seem to be prepared for implementation. I can only hope that since this project was completed, the strategic plan and accompanying website design have been changed.
Artifact 3
Assignment:
Course: INFO 298 User Experience (UX) and Virtual Reality (VR) in Libraries
Description:
As mentioned in Competency J, this project was a think-aloud protocol of Unite Against Banned Books (UABB) Virtual Reality (VR) Metaverse. While I talked in Competency J about information-seeking behavior, this project also falls into the realm of emerging technologies, making it an appropriate piece of evidence for Competency H as well. The process of helping to create and view this metaverse assignment was a valuable insight into the pros and cons of emerging technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR). I was previously unaware before taking this class that browser-based VR environments could be so easily made by the layman. This skill can easily be transferred to a library system and would engage both young and old in the library environment, particularly those children under the age of 10. In the age of Minecraft, Roblox, and other interactive games for all ages, such as Fortnite, having this skill available at my disposal is extremely crucial. Other library professionals would be wise to try their hand at this amazing new technology at their earliest convenience.
References
Huang, X., Ali, N. M., & Sahrani, S. (2024). Evolution and future of serious game technology for older adults. Information, 15(7), Article 385. https://doi.org/10.3390/info15070385
Kakhki, M. D., Oguz, A., & Gendron, M. (2024). Exploring the affordances of chatbots in higher education: A framework for understanding and utilizing ChatGPT. Journal of Information Systems Education, 35(3), 284–302. https://doi.org/10.62273/UIRX9922
Kuaban, G. S., Nkemeni, V., Nwobodo, O. J., & Czekalski, P. (2024). Internet of Things adoption in technology ecosystems within the Central African region: The case of Silicon Mountain. Future Internet, 16(10), Article 376. https://doi.org/10.3390/fi1610037