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The ALA honors five local libraries for offering cutting-edge services

Posted on January 22, 2013 by | 3 Comments

Cutting Edge Technology in Library Services

Today, the American Library Association (ALA) recognized five libraries for offering cutting-edge technologies in library services, honoring programs in Boston, New York, Tucson, Ariz.; Orlando, Fla.; and Le Roy, N.Y. Libraries or library service areas selected will be highlighted through various ALA publications and featured in a program at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, June 27-July 2, 2013.

  • Mobile Digital Learning Tools, Boston College High School’s (BCHS) Corcoran Library, Boston. The Corcoran Library is “meeting students where they are” through their mobile initiative designed to showcase the library’s online resources through mobile sites and apps optimized for mobile searching. BC High adopted a new cell phone policy which allows students to use their cell phones for research purposes in the library.
  • German Traces NYC, Goethe-Institut New York Library with Pratt Institute School of Information and Library Science, New York City. The Goethe-Institut and Pratt Institute teamed up to develop German Traces NYC. This mobile experience uses an augmented reality app to allow learners to explore German cultural heritage in New York City. After downloading the app, users can simply hold up their mobile phones and view archival photos layered on top of the images visible through the phone’s camera. More than 19,000 people visited the website in the year since launch.
  • Guide on the Side, University of Arizona (UA) Libraries, Tucson, Ariz. With the launch of Guide on the Side, the UA Libraries turned 12 years of lessons learned developing e-learning tools into an open-source software package that librarians worldwide can download and use to quickly and easily create online, interactive tutorials based on principles of authentic and active learning. The key: a WYSIWYG interface that reduces or eliminates the need for programming assistance and provides considerable time savings.
  • Right Service at the Right Time App, Orange County Library System, Orlando, Fla. OCLS’ Right Service at the Right Time (RS/RT) mobile optimized website addresses a growing need in public libraries to aid library patrons seeking government assistance, which increasingly is accessible only online. RS/RT uses a database-driven decision-making engine to connect people in need of government and non-profit public services with the appropriate provider.
  • WEBOOKS, Genesee Valley Educational Partnership School Library System, Le Roy, N.Y. Genesee Valley addressed two needs of rural schools with its crowd-sourced WEBOOKS: improved access to digital content and a way to do this at a time of devastating budget cuts. The library system created a website that allowed librarians across 22 school districts to pool together a portion of their individual library materials aid while maintaining control over spending through a participatory selection process.

The recognition, which is presented by the ALA Office for Information Technology Policy and the Library & Information Technology Association (LITA), showcases libraries that are serving their communities using novel and innovative methods. Additional information is available at http://www.ala.org/offices/oitp/cuttingedge.

About Jacob Roberts

Jacob Roberts is the communications specialist for the ALA Washington Office.

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OITP, LITA Extend Deadline for Cutting-edge Technology Nominations to November 16

Posted on November 5, 2012 by | Leave a comment
A library patron passes by a Contra Costa County Library "Snap and Go" poster. The library was recognized earlier this year for its cutting-edge technologies.

A library patron passes by a Contra Costa County Library “Snap and Go” poster. The library was recognized earlier this year for its cutting-edge technologies.

The American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) and the Library & Information Technology Association (LITA) are extending the deadline for submitting nominations for best library practices using cutting-edge technology to November 16.

“We know libraries of all types are serving their communities with novel and innovative methods, and we want to collect as many examples of this work as possible,” said Patty Saidenberg, chair of the Cutting-edge Technology in Library Services selection committee. “We’ve kept the nomination process simple so we can focus on the content, and we hope a little extra time will encourage more libraries to share their work with us.”

Last year, a record number of libraries vied for the esteemed recognition. Four libraries were cited for their work: Contra Costa County Library in Pleasant Hill, Calif., New Canaan High School Library in New Canaan, Conn., New York Public Library in New York, and Scottsdale Public Library in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Members from the subcommittee on America’s Libraries for the 21st Century (AL21C) and LITA will review all nominations and may conduct selected interviews or site visits to identify those libraries that are truly offering a best practice or most innovative service.  Libraries or library service areas selected will be publicized via the OITP and LITA websites, highlighted through ALA publications, and featured in a program at the ALA Annual Conference in 2013.

“Cutting edge” refers to tested and successful implementations of technological advancements used in services such as:

  • Improvements in traditional services and processes by inventing/re-inventing/twisting technology
  • Introduction of new, innovative services that are flexible and responsive to community needs
  • Methods for connecting libraries to their communities
  • Funding initiatives or organizational models that ensure library information technology will remain current

Additional details, including submission information, for the nomination process can be found on the OITP website.

About Jazzy Wright

Jazzy Wright is the Press Officer of the American Library Association's Washington Office. Email her at jwright@alawash.org.

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Digital Revolution and Libraries Featured in 2012 Bowker Annual

Posted on July 6, 2012 by | Leave a comment

The first three articles in the just released 2012 Library and Book Trade Almanac (formerly The Bowker Annual) feature authors affiliated with the ALA Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) writing about the digital revolution and libraries. These articles examine the contemporary challenges and opportunities for libraries enabled by technological advances and institutional and social change.

My article “The Future of Libraries” opens the volume. By using a big picture perspective, it “takes an in-depth look at the future of libraries as the digital revolution progresses.” The article is based on the Policy Briefs and other work from OITP’s Program on America’s Libraries for the 21st Century, which was founded in 2008. Perhaps the key observation is that libraries were in a digital revolution and are now in a revolution—period.

Robert Bocher (OITP Fellow) and Bonnie Tijerina (Chair, OITP Advisory Committee and Member, ALA’s Digital Content & Libraries Working Group) investigate “the burgeoning e-book phenomenon.” Their article entitled “E-Books and Their Impact on Libraries” provides a summary of current issues, examples from the field, and a review of ALA advocacy activities through early 2012. Though the rise of e-books now is receiving considerable press attention, Bocher and Tijerina explain how e-books are a part of a much larger digital evolution.

Finally, in her article “A Holistic Look at Digital Literacy,” Kristin Fontichiaro (2011-12 Member, OITP Digital Literacy Task Force) “examines the concept of digital literacy and its growing importance across society and the information world.” Though digital literacy is based on the concept of the library as a learning hub, it has come to have diverse meanings. The article explores how deeper understanding of digital literacy can lead to articulating more effective actions for promoting it in libraries.

We appreciate the guidance from Betty Turock, who served as Consultant Editor to Information Today, Inc., and also is a member of OITP’s Subcommittee on America’s Libraries for the 21st Century, and volume editor Dave Bogart.

Alan Inouye
OITP Director

About Alan Inouye

Alan S. Inouye is the director of the Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) of the American Library Association (ALA). Based in Washington, D.C., he is also program manager of ALA's Digital Content Initiative. Alan completed his Ph.D. at the University of California at Berkeley.

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ALA recognizes four library programs as top cutting-edge services in third annual contest

Posted on January 23, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Cutting EdgeThe American Library Association (ALA) Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) and the Library Information Technology Association (LITA) have selected programs at Contra Costa County Library in Pleasant Hill, Calif., New Canaan High School Library in New Canaan, Conn., New York Public Library in New York, and Scottsdale Public Library in Scottsdale, Ariz., as the winners of the association’s third annual contest to honor cutting-edge technologies in library services.

In November 2011, a joint OITP and LITA subcommittee serving under the OITP Program on America’s Libraries for the 21st Century (AL21C) issued its call for nominations for best library practices using cutting-edge technology to showcase libraries that are serving their communities with novel and innovative methods. Last year, four libraries were cited for their outstanding work.

“This year’s winners represent thoughtful and creative engagement with technology trends including QR codes, open-source software, social media, GIS, and mobile applications,” said Christine Lind Hage, Director, Rochester Hills Public Library, who chaired the selection subcommittee.

“The selection committee received nearly double the number of submissions than in previous years, so competition was very strong from around the country and all types of libraries. We are excited to recognize ‘the best of the best,’ and increase awareness of these innovative initiatives.”

About the Winners:

  • Snap & Go, Contra Costa County Library, California
    Using QR (Quick Response) codes, Snap & Go serves as an innovative delivery mechanism for traditional library services. From local transit ads to posters to newspaper ads, Contra Costa County is delivering instant access to library materials and services to cardholders with mobile phones. By scanning the code with a reader on their phones, users are directed to downloadable e-books and audiobooks, virtual museum passes, interactive reference service, account and catalog search, and readers’ advisory tools. QR codes placed on popular titles take readers to “read-alike” lists created by library staff. Usage of the library’s mobile site has increased 16 percent since Contra Costa implemented Snap & Go. http://guides.ccclib.org/qr
  • Participatory Platforms for Learning, New Canaan High School Library, Connecticut
    New Canaan’s Participatory Platforms for Learning program strives to cultivate curiosity throughout the learning community and encourage experimentation with new tools for content creation, publication and participation. The program includes deploying the full complement of Google applications; advocating a culture of intellectual freedom; using Twitter for current events research; and using Facebook groups for students to record their research process and provide feedback to others in the group. The program enmeshes learning and the “real world” to teach students digital citizenship by encouraging them to become responsible information consumers, creators and contributors in the public domain. Their online portal is at: http://nchslibraryannex.blogspot.com/
  • Map Warper Toolkit, New York Public Library, New York
    The Map Warper toolkit allows staff and the public to virtually stretch (or geo-rectify) historical maps onto a digital model of the world à la Google Maps or OpenStreetMap, transforming old atlases into interactive spatial environments. Participants also can go deeper, tracing and transcribing specific map features into a growing public database. The project adds to the historical and scholarly record while engaging library patrons in building digital resources. The service is managed by the NYPL Labs group, developed in collaboration with EntropyFree, an open source geospatial software firm. The tools are in the process of being published to an open code repository for other libraries, scholars and cultural heritage workers to use and build upon. http://maps.nypl.org
  • Gimme Engine, Scottsdale Public Library, Arizona
    The Gimme Engine mobile website helps customers find a great book to read based on a library staffer’s recommendation and review. Gimme combines library catalog MARC data, content enrichment service images and descriptions, and library staff book reviews on Goodreads.com to create a unique experience. Gimme, which was developed with monies received from an LSTA grant, was created to meet a need stated by both library and non-library users; they wanted book recommendations powered by library staff. The Gimme engine is a creative solution to meet these customer needs. You can use Gimme for yourself by visiting: http://gimme.scottsdalelibrary.org

AL21C Associate Director Larra Clark said ALA OITP will host a program about these four services during the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim (June 21-26) and will make detailed descriptions of each available online in order to share successful models for delivering quality library service in new ways. Additional information is available at www.ala.org/cuttingedge.

About LITA
Established in 1966, LITA is the leading organization reaching out across types of libraries to provide education and services for a broad membership of over 3,000 systems librarians, library administrators, library schools, vendors and many others interested in leading edge technology and applications for librarians and information providers. For more information, visit www.lita.org, or contact the LITA office by phone, 800-545-2433, ext. 4268; or e-mail: lita@ala.org

About ALA OITP
The Office for Information Technology Policy advances ALA’s public policy activities by helping secure information technology policies that support and encourage efforts of libraries to ensure access to electronic information resources as a means of upholding the public’s right to a free and open information society. It works to ensure a library voice in information policy debates and to promote full and equitable intellectual participation by the public. For more information, visit www.ala.org/oitp.

About Jacob Roberts

Jacob Roberts is the communications specialist for the ALA Washington Office.

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Digitizing Hidden Collections: Success Stories from Small and Medium-sized Digitization Projects [webinar video]

Posted on November 2, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Although large-scale initiatives receive the lion’s share of the attention when we talk about digitization projects, countless small and medium-sized digitization projects provide invaluable access to hidden collections from North American libraries, archives, and museums. Spurred by the OITP Perspectives paper, “Digitizing Hidden Collections in Public Libraries, (pdf)” this 90-minute webinar aims at sharing success stories, best practices, and the lessons learned to encourage other successful projects.

Panelists include:

Panelists address the following topics:

  • Real-life, practical strategies for initiating and managing projects and how those strategies could be applied more broadly
  • Where to find best practices for a variety of digital project needs (conversion, metadata standards, storage, access etc.)
  • How to create a successful collaborative project between multiple institutions
  • Short survey of initiatives aimed at providing increased access to collections (via portals, directories, etc…)

About Jacob Roberts

Jacob Roberts is the communications specialist for the ALA Washington Office.

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Posted in OITP, Telecommunications, Webinars

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