1. The document discusses the author's admission to liking bright and shiny new web tools, but recognizing the need to ensure they actually meet user needs before investing significant time and resources. 2. It references an article that warns about getting distracted by new features without considering if a technology enhances an institution's mission and objectives. 3. The author acknowledges a condition called "Bright Shiny Object Syndrome" that affects a desire to try new things but recognizes the need to carefully evaluate tools to avoid wasting time on things that don't help users.

1. I admit it! I like bright shiny things!<br />I admit it. I like bright shiny things, especially bright shiny web tools. I love them! I scour blogs, listservs, and library journals for the latest and greatest sites! And I get sucked in fast. I see so much potential and get frustrated by how little time I have to master them. It’s probably for this reason that a couple of lines in Betha Gutsche’s article “Coping with Continual Motion” really struck a cord with me. She was talking about the struggles we face trying to remain focused on competencies and how easy it can be to get off target. <br />“Technologies easily lure people into focusing on the features of a system and all the cool things it can do. If it doesn't enhance the mission and objectives of the institution, then it probably is not worth pursuing. Toward this, all technical competency statements should end with an explicit “to better meet the needs of the user.”” (2010, Gutsche, para. 15)<br />She pinpointed a real problem. So many times we see something “cool” or “shiny” and want to add it to our collection or website but we have to slow down. Will it better meet the needs of the user? How? These are questions we have to ask, before investing too much money or (perhaps more importantly) time. I can think of many instances in which I invested a ton of time in a “cool” “shiny” web app only to find it doesn’t meet our patron’s needs. (Google Wave – anyone, anyone? – Maybe some day, but definitely not now.) <br />So… how do we determine if a new technology will “better meet the needs of the user”? I think answering a few questions can do this. <br />Is there a place for it? (a need it can meet)

2. Can it work with our current technology set-up?