Current cite-ings from the popular and trade computing press: digital education, emerging technologies and productivity

Citation

Trapasso, L. (2013), "Current cite-ings from the popular and trade computing press: digital education, emerging technologies and productivity", Library Hi Tech News, Vol. 30 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/lhtn.2013.23930faa.001

Current cite-ings from the popular and trade computing press: digital education, emerging technologies and productivity

Article Type: Column From: Library Hi Tech News, Volume 30, Issue 6

Lois Trapasso

Keywords: Technology

This month’s column focuses on three very important themes. In education, the digital environment is finally providing important alternatives in terms of textbooks, online courses, and lectures. There are so many new emerging technologies that are coming about at a dizzying rate and only time will tell which ones are important for libraries to experiment with and incorporate into their environments. Finally, productivity includes articles about how to make our web sites more productive as well as how we as librarians can become more productive in the deluge of data, technology, and distractions.

Education

Two major digital initiatives will likely have profound effects on universities and their students and faculty. First, free electronic textbooks offer alternatives to the average cost that each student spends for print textbooks of approximately $1,200. Commercial publishers have much to be concerned and in some cases have brought lawsuits against states such as California where legislators are directing the state to produce free versions of textbooks used in the most popular 50 college courses. The second initiative is on massive open online courses or MOOCS via the web. This has been a particular boon to developing countries and an example is provided for El Salvador, where students would normally not have access to high level courses (Bergstein, 2013). So what is the impact for libraries? First of all, most libraries have policies of not purchasing textbooks, yet students expect them to due to the high cost. For open education courses, it brings into question, what is a university where through these courses and social media, students can take the same courses worldwide and through social media discuss issues with students also on a global scale. If this trend continues, who are the students that libraries serve who take these courses many of which are developed for self-learning and for students unaffiliated with any university. Will this trend put pressure on public libraries that normally are not adequately prepared to provide information support for academic classes and programs?

With more than one billion views, technology, entertainment, and design (TED). Talks have become a major way of sharing ideas and have become extremely popular even as a mobile app. There are now even TED e-books and in some courses complement the curriculum by having access to major thinkers in today’s fast paced learning environment. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, and Sir Richard Branson.

Emerging technologies

PC World provides information on various technologies we are likely to see in the coming years such as televisions that respond to gestures and more powerful tablets that are likely to overtake laptops and even desktops in creating opportunities for more mobile computing, Similarly more powerful smartphones with quad core processing offer many of the options of tablets in a smaller footprint. But, one wonders how can our eyes manage the smaller print and how nimble is our “touch typing”. One thing that is for sure, we will no longer be far from the office, even on vacation. Near field communication where these devices can talk to one another and exchange data or even take data from a code placed on a poster in a two-way mode, such as registering for a conference, have real opportunities for libraries along with many privacy concerns (Case, 2013).

Eye scanning technology or biometrics is another technology to look for. A South Dakota company Blink Spot is marketing an iris-recognition system is a system that can track a user and wherever they go, such as getting on the right bus (Hennick, 2013). Can a technology such as this be useful for web site design and track which parts of a web site that users really notice?

The February issue of Wired Magazine had as its theme big ideas and one of the articles discusses seven ideas that can transform the world including the following: rechargeable airplanes, biologic molecules that can fuel the planet with macro machines, Wi-Fi antennas in a spray can, turning deserts into power plants, adding digital displays to eyes, declaring war on asteroids and turning diamonds into skyscrapers (Levy, 2013). Maybe a little too futuristic? But the recent announcement of Google glasses is not too far off from having eyes seeing digital displays.

Royte’s (2013) article on the printed world discusses the emergence of 3-D printing. Although many are just hearing about the technology, engineers and others have been using such devices for over three decades, in many cases for military applications. But, as the technology has matured and become more affordable, it is now in the reach of entrepreneurs, schools and others and who knows one can design their own smart phone case, jewellery, dolls, etc. And could there be library applications as well. Can special collections come more to life in a digital 3D world?

Productivity

OK, so you have a web site? Well, once your student s and faculty or the public are away from your library environment, how does one drive traffic to your site Garrity (2013) discusses search engine optimization but although that may work for businesses, it may not be a solution for libraries. But blogging and micro blogging may have library applications. Too often libraries put information on their own blogs but again, you are still dealing with pushing traffic, but how about posting library news on other blogs at your institution? Another article (Wicmandy, 2013) discusses how retailers drive users to their web sites and engage with them making using the web site an experience in it. Again, here is another example in which libraries can follow the examples of what works well in the business world.

How can you make your work at the computer more productive? Eliminate bad habits according to Null (2013). Some suggestions are a calendar reminder on your PC, better posture while sitting at the computer, keep your hands in a position parallel to the floor to guard against carpel tunnel syndrome and sometimes it is important to take a time out and put down your laptop or smart phone so as not to get too myopic.

Big data is hot but only because the technology has finally caught up with the data. More storage capacity at lower cost is the answer we have all been waiting for. Seagate will soon be shipping drives that can squeeze more data onto disks by overlapping data tracks like shingle on a roof. The next technology down the road is heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) (Scheier, 2013). Libraries have a responsibility to curate the data from their institution but it is only because the technologies exist that now enable them to do it.

Be more productive with these websites from the Staff (2013) at PC World. Here are a few to take special note of. Track your email using Did they Read It? Or turn cleaning out the clutter of your mail inbox with a game called the e-mail game but unfortunately it only works with Gmail, Google Apps, Outlook and Yahoo. IMO is a new instant messaging client that pulls together all your chat accounts. Prozi is an alternative presentation manager to Power Point but be careful as some say it has dizzying effects. The public domain review monitors books as they are no longer protected by copyright. Courser a provides links to dozens of free courses. And finally take a look at job dreaming a site that will try to match your interests with a recruiter who’s looking for someone with just your talents. A similar article in the February issue (Wawro, 2013) discusses various Windows 8 Apps. Windows 8 is touted on being the operating system that brings together the same interface in desktops, laptops, and tablets.

Our brains were not made for multi-tasking but the digital environment has brought with it a deluge of e-mails, social networks, etc. that are having a profound effect on our lives. The proliferation of devices and distractions (look at the increase in texting while driving) is not good for one’s health and maybe we all need to take an occasional break. Unfortunately the need to multitask is not going away very soon (Staff, PC Today 2013).