A blog run by a team of dedicated students to learn and spread the word about assistive technologies that impact peoples lives.
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Friday, April 22, 2016
The Age of Google Books
This case is relevant to us because of Google Books’ outreach to libraries. University libraries such as Stanford and Harvard are already adding their collections to Google’s Library Project. Plus Google gives the library the option to exclude titles from scanning. The company responds to its critics and plaintiffs by saying “We believe a tool that can open up the millions of pages in the world's books can help remove the barriers between people and information and benefit the publishing community at the same time.” To me that sounds similar to one of the core values of a library, which is to give people access to information. I see it as a force for good.
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Google Books Right to a 'Universal Library'
Works Cited
Heyman, Stephen. "Google Books: A Complex and Controversial Experiment." New York Times
29 Oct. 2015: NA(L). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.
Mobile Technology: Sweet Tweets From the MSU Library
MangoLanguages Assists and Advances Lives of Users
Library of Congress - National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
If someone with disabilities is in need of assistance and is unsure where to start researching they can visit the official site of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS). The site provides information of library services such as equipment to read, to listen and where they can find these services. If you are unsure of what services your local library offers, you can input your location details and you will be provided all that information.
The NLS does circulate some items on their own, but only to eligible users. They do have an application one must fill out to qualify. If someone does qualify they can receive the items to borrow at no charge, so in some cases people may not even have to leave the house to use some of the offered assistive technology. One thing that I found very interesting offered by the NLS is "overseas services." If you are a United States citizen, but are currently out of country, you can still benefit from these services!! This process does take a bit longer, but it is such an amazing service.
Those who work in libraries truly do want to do all they can for the public, including those who may require some additional help. As I have seen with all posts on this blog, libraries and staff have come a long way. They do what they can to offer FREE services that only benefit lives. For people who have disabilities, they just need the right information so they can take advantage of all that is offered to them. One thing I have learned, by visiting various library websites, is that information regarding disability services is not always evident. Library websites need to have an area that is clearly marked, so users do not have to go searching high and low to see what the library can offer to them.
If you would like to see more information regarding assistive technology, please visit the official page of the NLS provided by the Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov/nls/
Library Outreach via Social Media and Mobile Devices
In a world full of mobile devices, the library as an institution is discovering that such technology is manufactured at an increasingly fast rate. Users don’t just want mobile devices they want the latest and the hottest technologies on the market. They are willing to spend up to a month’s rent (sometimes more) on iPhones and other unique popular gadgets.
So how is the library keeping up with users and making sure every customer remembers that their library is available to supply quality resources to community members they try to outreach? It will be required for staff to go beyond the actual library’s location in order to meet each user's standards of accessibility.
Can local libraries compete with the smart phone’s instantaneous connection? In order to remain memorable libraries must keep up with the times and update social networks, adapt to text messaging, and connect with users regular updates. All libraries should be willing to market themselves in the virtual platform. This direct manner immediately connects social network users with the library.
OPACs should be fully functional on mobile devices because this idea of instantaneous gratification is heavily present within the WiFi generation. Such users are very familiar with the idea behind demanding instant access but they may not be as familiar with the concept of how these materials or information are supplied and provided to them. Chances are this idea is of little interest to the average patron but they may begin to take notice of how developed their library’s collection is if they come across materials that check out virtually.
A library’s mission, vision, and goals all work toward inspiring their community of users and connecting them through smart apps or a simple automated mailing list that connects users with approaching due dates and events.
Social networks great way to get the community to recognize and remember that the library is a great resource that can connect them to many worlds; whether they are virtual, through the power of the written word, or even in real time.
At my local public library, the SDCL Lakeside branch, a contest is currently open to submissions on their https://www.instagram.com/ under the hastag #lovemylakesidelibrary. (See further information regarding this contest below). This is merely one example how the library has tried to keep the younger generations interested in their services.
A photo posted by Lakeside Library (@lakeside_library) on
NFB - Newsline
As I was creating my first post about the different assistive technology available at the San Francisco Library I was intrigued when I came across the service Newsline provided by the National Federation of the Blind. It is a audio newspaper service that offers access to over three hundred publications!! Most of the publications are in English, but they do have a handful of Spanish publications.
Those who have access to this service, can use it free of charge and at any time. When people use the service they have the ability to change settings such as speed, voice settings, and section of the paper they would like to hear.
To use this service one does have to submit an application, but it is offered to those who are unable to read printed newspapers. To register for this service you can download an application from the National Federation of the Blind's official web page, call the NFB or you can call your state's Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.
When I visited the website for the San Francisco Public Library I was easily able to find the area of their website dedicated to their assistive technology, which also included information about Newsline. I decided to browse the websites for libraries in Escondido and the city of San Diego. On the Escondido website, the audio newspaper service is not specifically mentioned, but they do provide a link to the page of the California State Library with information regarding services for the blind or visually impaired. On that page, there is information about the newsline service. For the San Diego Public Library it was a very different experience. They did not provide a link, or mention this service. Under their page titled, "OliverMcMillan I CAN! Center - Services for Persons with Disabilities," they only have services they offer for disabilities.
I think it is amazing a service like this exists, and it is quite sad not all libraries advertise information regarding the service. Now, it is very likely users may be referred to the service after speaking with a librarian or other library staff, but it would be very helpful for all to have some information provided online.
If you would like to view more information you can visit the official page of the National Federation of the Blind at the following website https://nfb.org/audio-newspaper-service.
Refreshable Braille Tablet
Google books
Mobile technology and libraries
The only up and coming competitor to Overdrive is 3M and their Cloud Library. This service platform is already available at the San Diego Public Library. One great distinguishing feature 3M offers is a tool to write notes and bookmark them to any page. 3M looks competitive with respect to ebooks but, unfortunately for me, the audiobooks are lacking immensely. My experience shares similarities with the results of a study conducted by Xianjin Zha for the Journal of Librarianship & Information Science. Zha collected surveys from 306 diverse university students and concluded that “The data distribution suggests that there are more users who think digital libraries are both easy to use and useful whereas mobile digital libraries are neither easy to use nor useful. The mean comparison of ease of use and usefulness shows that web digital libraries significantly exceed mobile digital libraries.” One other service worth mentioning is boopsie.com. Boopsie prides itself on being the one stop mobile platform for everything a public or academic library patron will need. These benefits include ILS Integration giving patrons the ability to manage their accounts including placing holds and renewals, catalog searching, calendar of events, social tools and even claim to be able to customize anything else a library might need. I hope that Boopsie seizes an opportunity to use their capital to compete with Overdrive because one private company having the lionshare of a national service is never good.
Assistive technology and libraries
Libraries and the digital divide
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
The Digital Divide and What It Means for College Students
So I am ending this post with many questions. What more can or should a library do? Can an academic library do things a public library can’t do and vice versa when it comes to closing the digital divide? And if the library gets to the point where it can go no further, who needs to step in and close the gap? Laptop initiatives can be a step in the right direction for computer access, but what about internet access? Has the time finally come to start talking about universal public wi-fi?
Assistive Technology offered from the San Francisco Public Library
Makerspaces for Everyone: Assistive Technology and Libraries
Here is a 17-minute presentation by DIYability founders Holly Cohen and John Schimmel:
Bridging The Digital Divide
In the above video TEDx speaker, Karlie Robinson pressures users to be more conscious of their time spent with such advanced machines and consider what these tools were originally introduced to achieve. She shares shocking images of landfills piled with out dated computer towers and technologies that could be refurbished in order to educate a user in need. Today instead of making sure world wide access is offered to children worldwide a digital divide has been instituted.
As a society we tend to classify being technologically literate as a skill but many users today do not consciously think about their actions online. In a world where many societies on our planet still lack essential needs it is unsettling to consider the sense of comfort one may experience when seated in front of their personal computer investing hours of their time on popularized social media pages such as https://www.facebook.com/ or https://www.instagram.com/.
The impact of these technologies is monumental and the rates of use of the tools mentioned above is significant. John J. Burke, author of our course textbook, the Neal-Schuman Library Technology Companion: A Basic Guide for Library Staff, recognizes that younger people are more likely to have exposure and basic knowledge of operation when it comes to these systems(pg. 146). Young people have much to learn from the amount of access the internet, higher education, and their public libraries offer individuals passionate about learning.
In many civilizations today users can not freely surf the world wide web, while others lack running water or a reliable source of electricity. Human beings have the power to treat one another with kindness and respect and the digital environment, although it was created to aid users, it often tears people apart. Libraries are centers for the people. This is why I believe that they have the power and potential to really bring a new style of teaching technology to the people. Young people need to be aware of how these machines operate and perform, therefore they need to experience as many softwares and programs that the systems have to offer. Public libraries today have identified that technology is a resource they should be providing their patrons therefore they will need to be equipped and able to answer any user’s questions in regard to these machines or be able to direct users, bridging the gaps of the digital divide.