Technology Nuts and Bolts for a Smaller (Library) World

Welcome to Olin College Dee in Second Life

Dee in Second Life

Where did the idea for Olin come from? ♦ More than a decade ago, the NSF and the engineering community began calling for the reform of engineering education, recommending: hands-on learning global awareness entrepreneurial thinking interdisciplinary learning.

♦ More than a decade ago, the NSF and the engineering community began calling for the reform of engineering education, recommending:

hands-on learning

global awareness

entrepreneurial thinking

interdisciplinary learning.

Idea, Part II To kick-start reform, the F. W. Olin Foundation pledged more than $460 million, one of the largest grants in U.S. higher education, to create and fund an innovative engineering college and provide full-tuition scholarships to every student in perpetuity. Franklin W. Olin Engineer, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist

To kick-start reform, the F. W. Olin Foundation pledged more than $460 million, one of the

largest grants in U.S. higher education, to create and fund an innovative engineering college and provide full-tuition scholarships to every student in perpetuity.

Olin College Quick Facts Chartered: 1997 Location: Needham, MA, next to Babson College Setting: 70 acre suburban campus – 14 miles from downtown Boston Program: Undergraduate engineering Student body: Approximately 300 (about 75 per incoming class) Scholarship: four-year full-tuition (valued at $130,000) awarded to all Funding: F. W. Olin Foundation (in excess of $460 million)

Chartered: 1997

Location: Needham, MA, next to Babson College

Setting: 70 acre suburban campus – 14 miles from downtown Boston

Program: Undergraduate engineering

Student body: Approximately 300 (about 75 per incoming class)

Scholarship: four-year full-tuition (valued at $130,000) awarded to all

Funding: F. W. Olin Foundation (in excess of $460 million)

Olin’s Mission “ to prepare future leaders through an innovative engineering education that bridges science and technology, enterprise, and society. Skilled in independent learning and the art of design, our graduates will seek opportunities and take initiative to make a positive difference in the world.”

“ to prepare future leaders through

an innovative engineering

education that bridges science

and technology, enterprise,

and society. Skilled in independent learning

and the art of design, our graduates will seek

opportunities and take initiative to make a

positive difference in the world.”

Olin’s Library

Olin’s Library Our Mission: The library furthers Olin College's mission by selecting, developing, deploying, and managing resources and services that foster learning, discovery, and innovation. We strive to embody Olin's philosophy of continual improvement by leveraging emerging technologies & practices to serve Olin and the broader learning community.

Our Mission: The library furthers Olin College's mission by selecting, developing, deploying, and managing resources and services that foster learning, discovery, and innovation. We strive to embody Olin's philosophy of continual improvement by leveraging emerging technologies & practices to serve Olin and the broader learning community.

Our Physical Space Designed to foster Thought Discovery Serendipity Play Tranquility Inspiration A break from temporal exhaustion… Available 24/7

Designed to foster

Thought

Discovery

Serendipity

Play

Tranquility

Inspiration

A break from temporal exhaustion…

Available 24/7

Our Virtual Space Access to cutting edge electronic resources and tools Anytime, anywhere via Wireless campus VPN All students own same laptop

Access to cutting edge electronic resources and tools

Anytime, anywhere via

Wireless campus

VPN

All students own same laptop

What about Web 2.0? Story I First job ~ 15 years ago Printers (dot matrix, oh my!) & copiers Computer layout

Story I

First job ~ 15 years ago

Printers (dot matrix, oh my!) & copiers

Computer layout

What about Web 2.0 cont.? Story I, cont. Today Wireless laptops Databases accessed across network from any machine Many personalization features available Printers/copiers same machines and networked

Story I, cont.

Today

Wireless laptops

Databases accessed across network from any machine

Many personalization features available

Printers/copiers same machines and networked

What about Web 2.0 cont.? Story II Later job ~ 13 years ago with early Internet instruction Telnet, FTP, Archie vs RSS, Google commands, personalization w/in databases

Story II

Later job ~ 13 years ago with early Internet instruction

Telnet, FTP, Archie vs RSS, Google commands, personalization w/in databases

What about Web 2.0 cont.? Story III Summer reading ~ 5 years ago Where we are now Kevin Kelly’s vision Links Tags Annotations

Story III

Summer reading ~ 5 years ago

Where we are now

Kevin Kelly’s vision

Links

Tags

Annotations

Olin Library’s Tech Reality Current operating scenario: Decreased or squeezed budget(s) Increased expectations for service & speed Annual shifts in priorities toward more online content 3 full time staff + 38 hrs/wk student staff Where can technology assist?

Current operating scenario:

Decreased or squeezed budget(s)

Increased expectations for service & speed

Annual shifts in priorities toward more online content

3 full time staff + 38 hrs/wk student staff

Where can technology assist?

Olin Library’s Tech Reality We care about technology mostly for the functionality. Technology & new vendor relationships Improved back-end workflow tools Tutorials and handouts Online training NELINET sandbox to transition tech from play/trial to productivity tool(s)

We care about technology mostly for the functionality.

Technology & new vendor relationships

Improved back-end workflow tools

Tutorials and handouts

Online training

NELINET sandbox to transition tech from play/trial to productivity tool(s)

Olin Library’s Tech Reality Some of our current tools IM reference (no reference desk) Self check-out Wiki – http://silversmith.olin.edu/staff/FrontPage SurveyMonkey – http://www.surveymonkey.com Facebook – http://olin.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2214475979 LibraryThing – http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php?view=appropriatetech LibGuides – Only in review stage; will enable changes across guides, compatibility with web site & Facebook – http://www.springshare.com/libguides/index.html

Some of our current tools

IM reference (no reference desk)

Self check-out

Wiki – http://silversmith.olin.edu/staff/FrontPage

SurveyMonkey – http://www.surveymonkey.com

Facebook – http://olin.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2214475979

LibraryThing – http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php?view=appropriatetech

LibGuides – Only in review stage; will enable changes across guides, compatibility with web site & Facebook – http://www.springshare.com/libguides/index.html

Olin Library’s Tech Reality Experimented with blogs early on Did not have staff to keep information relevant and current Will circle back as ability to feed info to blog develops further RSS Teach database RSS capabilities Do not maintain library RSS Two staff members on Second Life Very low key presence at this point Olin has presence via Sloan Consortium

Experimented with blogs early on

Did not have staff to keep information relevant and current

Will circle back as ability to feed info to blog develops further

RSS

Teach database RSS capabilities

Do not maintain library RSS

Two staff members on Second Life

Very low key presence at this point

Olin has presence via Sloan Consortium

Olin Library’s Tech Reality Each of our tech tools helps with one or more of the following: Staff productivity Service delivery Access quality Information currency and flow Outside of our daily jobs, these and other technologies are creating a larger library impact

Each of our tech tools helps with one or more of the following:

Staff productivity

Service delivery

Access quality

Information currency and flow

Outside of our daily jobs, these and other technologies are creating a larger library impact

Beyond us and workflow: A Global Library Village Libraries, and especially public libraries, have been great centers for Democracy in the US as well as many other countries, allowing self-education, access to wide assortment of materials, literacy training, etc. Impact of Glocal ? Web 2.0? Expanding partnerships amongst library types as well as museums, schools and other institutions?

Libraries, and especially public libraries, have been great centers for Democracy in the US as well as many other countries, allowing self-education, access to wide assortment of materials, literacy training, etc.

Impact of Glocal ? Web 2.0? Expanding partnerships amongst library types as well as museums, schools and other institutions?

A Global Library Village I Back to Kevin Kelly’s essay: Scan This Book! New York Times Magazine . 2006 What can be the impact of the scanned book/publication with links, tags, annotations?

Back to Kevin Kelly’s essay:

Scan This Book! New York Times Magazine . 2006

What can be the impact of the scanned book/publication with links, tags, annotations?

A Global Library Village I “ Some of us have thousands of books at home, can walk to wonderful big-box bookstores and well-stocked libraries, and can get Amazon.com to deliver next day. The most dramatic effect of digital libraries will be not on us, the well-booked, but on the billions of people worldwide who are underserved by ordinary paper books.” Bill McCoy, general manager of Adobe’s e-publishing business

“ Some of us have thousands of books at home, can walk to wonderful big-box bookstores and well-stocked libraries, and can get Amazon.com to deliver next day. The most dramatic effect of digital libraries will be not on us, the well-booked, but on the billions of people worldwide who are underserved by ordinary paper books.”

Bill McCoy, general manager of Adobe’s

e-publishing business

A Global Library Village I Open Content Material The original…Gov Docs Wikipedia & Citizendium Wikibooks PLoS Jamendo And so on

Open Content Material

The original…Gov Docs

Wikipedia & Citizendium

Wikibooks

PLoS

Jamendo

And so on

A Global Library Village II The $100 laptop project http://laptop.org/ Give 1 get 1 ($399) Software open source Library of basic material – encyclopedia, dictionary, etc. + ability to link out to material Combine power of Kelly/McCoy’s digital library with attainable hardware

The $100 laptop project

http://laptop.org/

Give 1 get 1 ($399)

Software open source

Library of basic material – encyclopedia, dictionary, etc. + ability to link out to material

Combine power of Kelly/McCoy’s digital library with attainable hardware

A Global Library Village III Open Source & the web Open tools for writing, spreadsheets, databases, presentations, project management, etc becoming a reality Zoho -- http://www.zoho.com/ Google Docs -- http://www.google.com/google-d-s/intl/en/tour1.html

Open Source & the web

Open tools for writing, spreadsheets, databases, presentations, project management, etc becoming a reality

Zoho -- http://www.zoho.com/

Google Docs -- http://www.google.com/google-d-s/intl/en/tour1.html

A Global Library Village III Open Source & the web Noodlebib – http://www.lib.utexas.edu/noodlebib/ Audacity – http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ LibraryThing – https://www.librarything.com Wiki & blog sites And so on

Open Source & the web

Noodlebib – http://www.lib.utexas.edu/noodlebib/

Audacity – http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

LibraryThing – https://www.librarything.com

Wiki & blog sites

And so on

A Global Library Village IV Expand the community center definition of our physical space Web 2.0 technologies + library access to hardware + learning = Safe places for intellectual exploration Interact with Kelly/McCoy digital library Use Open Source tools & software Remix and produce new material (zines, blogs, videos and beyond) Create and/or print own book (PoD)

Expand the community center definition of our physical space

Web 2.0 technologies + library access to hardware + learning =

Safe places for intellectual exploration

Interact with Kelly/McCoy digital library

Use Open Source tools & software

Remix and produce new material (zines, blogs, videos and beyond)

Create and/or print own book (PoD)

A Global Library Village V Odd shadows Amazon.com’s Mechanical Turk http://mturk.amazon.com “ Complete simple tasks that people do better than computers. And, get paid for it.” Technology creates opportunity, humans supply labor. Matching colors in products, transcribing podcasts, programming, writing, etc. Wages range from $.01 – several dollars per assignment. Most are pennies. Fun hobby? Dark labor exploitation?

Odd shadows

Amazon.com’s Mechanical Turk

http://mturk.amazon.com

“ Complete simple tasks that people do better than computers. And, get paid for it.”

Technology creates opportunity, humans supply labor.

Matching colors in products, transcribing podcasts, programming, writing, etc.

Wages range from $.01 – several dollars per assignment. Most are pennies.

Fun hobby? Dark labor exploitation?

A Global Library Village V Mechanical Turk and Libraries? Tagging? Book reviews? Bibliographies? Simple reference? Quality control? Ability to create filters of qualified “Turkers” Take a social stand with pay? Stay within established system and view as extension of hobbyists & volunteers? How to pay within institutional budgeting processes?

Mechanical Turk and Libraries?

Tagging?

Book reviews?

Bibliographies?

Simple reference? Quality control?

Ability to create filters of qualified “Turkers”

Take a social stand with pay?

Stay within established system and view as extension of hobbyists & volunteers?

How to pay within institutional budgeting processes?

Where do YOU think we’ll go tomorrow? Add your thoughts to the Smaller Library World wiki at: http://smallerlibraryworld.wiki.zoho.com/HomePage.html

Thanks! Questions? Dee Magnoni E-mail: [email_address] Phone: 781-292-2389 IM: dmlibrarian Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/p/Dee_Magnoni/214500346 Second Life: Ani Petrov

Dee Magnoni

E-mail: [email_address]

Phone: 781-292-2389

IM: dmlibrarian

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/p/Dee_Magnoni/214500346

Second Life: Ani Petrov