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Hana Metzger's e-Portfolio

Competency H: Emerging Technologies

Section 1
Demonstrate proficiency in identifying, using, and evaluating current and emerging information and communication technologies.

Section 1A: Competency Description and Scope
Emerging technologies change rapidly, and it can be difficult for even tech-savvy users to keep up with the many innovations and trends. However, librarians cannot simply ignore emerging technologies. Technology, and especially the internet, has become ubiquitous in twenty-first century American life. In order to keep abreast of changes and make decisions that affect libraries and patrons, librarians must learn to identify, use, and evaluate emerging technologies.

Identifying and Using Emerging Technologies
Identifying and using emerging technologies are crucial skills for librarians. Here are a few areas of innovation that warrant attention in the coming years.

     Digital Resources and the Digital Library
Increasingly, patrons expect public libraries to have a robust digital presence that offers access to information, entertainment, and resources just as the physical library does, but online. Gregory and Rudersdorf (2018) write that the digital library "involves information products and services that are organized, described, delivered, and preserved through technology" (p. 120). Digital resources include databases, e-books, aural or visual media for streaming, and more. The pandemic served to accelerate the public's desire for e-books, as demand for them went up by about 50% in 2020 and remains higher than pre-pandemic rates even three years later (Goddard, 2020, p. 1; Cohen, 2023). In the future, librarians will need to stay up-to-date on emerging technologies related to digital resources at the library.

     Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) dominated the news cycles for a good part of 2023 as users experimented with using large language models, a type of text-generative AI, to hold "conversations" with computers. The technology is in its early stages, and early users have caught falsehoods (frequently referred to as "hallucinations") in its answers to queries (Zhang, et al., 2023). Even so, many believe that generative AI LLMs will play useful roles in the public library of the future. Predictions include increased efficiency, better data collection and analysis, and the ability to provide 24/7 chat services to patrons with an LLM responding on behalf of the library (Khan, et al., 2023, p. 2). Even though the use of AI is in its early stages—or perhaps because it is in its early stages—librarians should pay keen attention to the potential benefits and downsides of embracing this technology.

     Social Media and Online Communities
At the library, social media is changing the way that librarians interact with patrons and is a part of "Reference 2.0" (Tunon, 2018, p. 133). Fluency with social media— including blogs, newsletters, Twitter, Tiktok, and Facebook—can help librarians promote programs and to deliver information quickly and easily to patrons. It is considered an emerging technology because it can be difficult to know what social media platforms will rise in popularity and which will sink. For example, quite recently we have seen the unexpected, meteoric rise of TikTok as well as a rapid decline in Twitter usage (Paul, 2022; Dean, 2023; Binder, 2023). Understanding which types of social media are growing and which are not will help librarians reach patrons in the years to come.

Evaluating Emerging Technologies
It is important to strike a balance between embracing emerging technologies and careful decision-making. One issue with emerging technologies is that not all will be adopted. Cervone (2010) identifies emerging technologies as those that are on the "cusp of adoption," with "an adoption rate of 30% or less" (p. 239). It is therefore inevitable that not all emerging technologies will be long-lasting. Evaluation can guide librarians toward embracing technologies with greater longevity.

There are too many technologies to truly consider and evaluate all of them. Spina and Phetteplace (2014) write that the first place to start when considering new technologies is therefore with a thorough study of your community, their demographics, and their current technology tendencies (p. 218). Once that is done, librarians can seek out new technologies suited to their core audiences by reading trade publications, soliciting advice from other librarians, and by reading sources outside of the library as well. When evaluating a new technology, some of the factors to consider include price, platforms, user interface, flexibility, age level, and security/privacy (Spina & Phetteplace, 2014, pp. 218-219). Librarians should also compare technologies to competitors or alternatives in order to make the best decision for their library.

Section 1B: Importance to the Profession
Emerging technologies have the potential to provide greater access to information and library resources. The digital library can be open 24/7, giving patrons more hours in the day in which they can access e-books and databases. In the near future, libraries may rely on AI to assist with reference or with to provide additional services to patrons outside of operating hours. Since the fundamental purpose of libraries is to provide access to information, librarians have a professional duty to embrace technologies that assist in this mission (ALA, 2019). It is increasingly impossible for librarians not to be at least proficient with computers, smart phones, and other technologies.

That being said, emerging technologies must be approached carefully. One issue with emerging technologies is that they are so untested that they can have unintended consequences. For example, makerspaces and 3D printers have been embraced by many libraries across the U.S. in recent years. With their spread, however, has come criticism, as the materials used in 3D printers are environmentally harmful (Farney, 2021, p. 54). Moreover, Mirza and Seale (2017) note that technology meant to make our lives easier often comes with a hidden cost: increased labor for women and people of color (p. 177). Because of this, careful evaluation and a grounding in library ethics and values are vital for the profession as a whole as we adopt and embrace new technologies.

Section 2
Here I will provide three evidentiary items for Competency G.

Section 2A: Preparation
In some ways, it feels that every class I took helped prepare me for this competency since our school is entirely online. However, a few classes were especially helpful in making me competent at identifying, evaluating, and using emerging technologies. I made websites for INFO 240: Information Technology Tools and Applications with Professor Raymond Dean and for INFO 284: History of the Book with Dr. Linda Main. Creating websites gave me a deeper understanding of the internet, which is central to understanding many emerging technologies. Another class, INFO 281: Metadata with Professor David de Lorenzo taught me about identifying and evaluating new technologies for archival work. Even classes that were not aimed at emerging technologies helped prepare me for this competency. In INFO 281: Intercultural Communication with Dr. Debra Buenting, I worked on my skills at making infographics to clearly communicate information.

Section 2B: Evidence

Evidentiary Object 1: Anatomy of Melancholy Website
For this assignment for INFO 284 with Dr. Linda Main, I used Wordpress to create a website about a 1621 edition of The Anatomy of Melancholy. The site is password protected, so I took screenshots of it and attached them with the text to a Google Doc. This website demonstrates my competency at using technology to share information. I had to learn how to edit Wordpress to be used for a website rather than a blog. The website also demonstrates my competency at linking data and websites. Numerous hyperlinks throughout the website demonstrate my ability to connect information via the internet. I also show that I am competent at using and interspersing images with accessible metadata for viewers.

Evidentiary Object 2: Cultural Visit: SF Zen Center Infographic
For this assignment for INFO 281: Intercultural Communication with Dr. Debra Buenting, I visited the San Francisco Zen Center and then made an infographic detailing my visit. My infographic demonstrates my ability at identifying and using emerging technologies. I looked at several websites, including Canva, Piktochart, Visme, and Adobe Spark before choosing to use the latter. My design is colorful and eye-catching, demonstrating my competency at using technology to provide access to information. By using different colors for different sections as well as large numerals, I created an easy-to-follow flow that visually guides readers through the infographic.

Evidentiary Object 3: Comparing XML Editors
For this assignment, I found and evaluated three XML editors, Xmplify, Oxgygen XML, and EditiX. XML editors are used frequently in many different information professions, including in archival work. This assignment demonstrates my competency at both identifying and evaluating emerging technologies. Before selecting these XML editors, I had to do preliminary research by reading trade publications, blogs, and even social media to find the names of different XML editors. Once I had identified a few that seemed like they might be useful, I evaluated them. My essay demonstrates my competency at evaluation. First, I decided upon several criteria, then I researched them, and finally I compared them to each other. For example, for each of the three XML editors I researched what software licensing they offered before evaluating the different licenses against each other and against my needs.

Section 3: Conclusion
Although it is impossible to know what emerging technologies I will need to know in the future, I feel confident in my ability to identify, evaluate, and use them. I will carry the skills that I learned, especially my understanding of xml, html, css, and other internet foundations into my future career. The research that I did in identifying emerging technologies will also be useful. In addition to textbooks such as Information Services Today, I feel confident that I will be able to use search engines and other research tools (including more casual ones, such as word-of-mouth) to identify future emerging technologies.

 
References

ALA. (2019). Access to digital resources and services: An interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/digital

Binder, M. (2023, September 29). Twitter / X is losing daily active users: CEO Linda Yaccarino confirmed it. Mashable https://mashable.com/article/twitter-x-daily-active-users-drop-under-elon-musk

Cervone, H. F. (2010). Emerging technology, innovation, and the digital library. OCLC systems and services: International digital library perspectives, 26(4), 239-242. DOI 10.1108/10650751011087594

Cohen, D. (2023, March 30). Libraries need more freedom to distribute digital books. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/03/publishers-librarians-ebooks-hachette-v-internet-archive/673560/

Dean, B. (2023, March 27). Substack user and revenue statistics (2023). Backlinko. https://backlinko.com/substack-users

Goddard, J. (2020, December). Public libraries respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, creating a new service model. Information technology and libraries, 39(4), pp. 1-4. https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v39i4.12847

Gregory, L., & Rudersdorf, A. (2018). Digital resources. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction (2nd ed., pp. 119-128). Rowman & Littlefield.

Khan, R., Gupta, N., Sinhababu, A., & Chakravarty, R. (2023, September 11). Impact of conversational and generative AI systems on libraries: A use case large language model (LLM). Science & technology libraries. DOI: 10.1080/0194262X.2023.2254814

Mirza, R., & Seale, M. (2017). Who killed the world? White masculinity and the technocratic library of the future. In G. Schlesselman-Tarango (Ed.), Topographies of whiteness: Mapping whiteness in library and information science (pp. 171-197). Litwin Books. http://mauraseale.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Mirza-Seale-Technocratic-Library.pdf

Paul, K. (2022, October 23). From dance videos to global sensation: what you need to know about TikTok’s rise. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/oct/22/tiktok-history-rise-algorithm-misinformation

Spina, C., & Phetteplace, E. (2014). Finding, evaluating, and sharing new technology. Reference & user services quarterly, 53(3), pp. 217-220. https://www-jstor-org.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/stable/pdf/refuseserq.53.3.217

Tunon, J. (2018). Information intermediation and reference services. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction (2nd ed., pp. 129-141). Rowman & Littlefield.

Zhang, Y., Li, Y., Cui, L., Deng, C., Liu, L., Fu, T., Huang, X., Zhai, E., Zhang, Y., Chen, Y., Wang, L., Luu, A. T., Bi, W., Shi, F., & Shi, S. (2023, September 3). Siren's song in the AI ocean: A survey on hallucination in Large Language Models. arXiv. http://arxiv.org/abs/2309.01219 

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