Teaching Others About Technology (LT130)

Book Bans and Censorship by Michelle Amundson School libraries are facing several different difficulties these days ranging from budget cuts, transition to online sources and eBooks, to increasing controversy over books in collections. There has been a spike in books being challenged in both public and school libraries, ALA says an increase of 65% for individual titles, and a whopping 93% increase in public libraries alone (NPR). This is an incredible increase that challenges not only the books but the staff who curate the collections that these libraries hold. Mark Liberman states that “librarians have faced verbal abuse, online harassment, calls for criminal charges, and death threats” based on inclusive and diverse choices for their library collections. This is something that no library staff should have to face because of a disagreement in policy regarding provided library resources. Despite this increase in opposition regarding specific resources provided, there is still a fight f...

  Libraries have always played a huge role for student success. They provide a multitude of resources for students, free internet and technology access, quiet places to study, tutoring, and more. Libraries contribute to student success in terms of helping students progress in their knowledge and persistence as university students. Lisa Massengale, Pattie Piotrowski,  and Devin Savage published a study that Identifies and Articulates Library Connections to Student Success. Their findings report “the library fills a unique role for students and provides a trusted network of people, spaces, and resources that help set the stage for students to succeed in terms of persistence and providing a sense of community. The role of the libraries may be that of facilitators of a scholarly community. qualitative research revealed four themes from the students in terms of how libraries help them succeed: space, people, place, and resources and service”.  Works Cited EBSCO and Library plu...

  Every year the Department of Housing and Urban Development does a report to get an accurate  understanding of the homeless situation in the United States of America. As of January 2023, about one in every five hundred Americans are experiencing homelessness. This is a 12.1% increase from the same report done in 2022. Throughout the United States, nonprofits and programs are created to help the homeless and ensure they have access to technology and opportunities.  The Education for Homeless Children and Youths (EHCY) program aims to ensure that all homeless children and youths have equal access to the same free, appropriate public education provided to other children and youths. The DeKalb County Public Library provides a suggested guide on how to establish library services for homeless youth. Steps to establishing services include: (1) clarifying the purpose of the effort; (2) doing the homework to have adequate background information; (3) developing a plan of action; a...

Social Networking and libraries go hand-in-hand. At first glance, it may not seem this way but there are two big factors that play into how they relate to one another. The first factor is that libraries offer internet usage and computer access to its patrons. With a library card, a person can use the internet, email, and social media platforms for free. Secondly, librarians and library support staff use social media platforms as a tool for their libraries. With the use of social media marketing, a library can get their information, collections, and events out to the general public. By creating a social media account across different platforms, it allows the library to keep the community updated on what’s happening.  The library has always been the center of a community. Until technology advanced, it was typically an in-person transaction to use physical resources. Librarians are now creating applications and social media platforms to allow its patrons to have resources from whereve...

All over the world, libraries have become a social hub for their local demographics. Public, academic, and private libraries all offer a space for patron’s to connect, learn, and express themselves.  A study done through Michigan State University reported findings that suggest that “non-classroom settings function as social hubs, help make intellectual and creative work visible to the larger learning community, and provide access to important resources''. This study also states that non-classroom settings help facilitate community formation and identity. Public libraries offer a variety of events to the local community. The events offered will vary depending on the library. The San Marcos branch of the San Diego Public Library offers baby story time, crafting for ages 9-14, art & culture crafting, free English classes for adults, family story time, crochet and knitting club, toddler time, Japanese story time, bilingual story time, chess club, and more. These are all free re...

 Christina Erb                                                                                                                      The Demise of School Libraries and how it effects low-income students.    Are schools shutting down their libraries? If so, why? Could it be because during the pandemic schools learned they could function without them? That maybe the library isn't as important to students as they were once thought to be? Has the funding been cut so much, that there is no room in the budget for a functioning library and staff?      In 2019, there were 20% fewer school librarians tha...

  I added a link to the Palomar College Library LibGuides that are available to some of the courses. I felt this link is very helpful and can provide help for research and getting through the course.  Palomar College LibGuides

 By Angela Naranjo       Many academic libraries have LibGuides that focus on “point-of-need research,” that help guide students through using the databases and properly citing your research (Burchfield and Possinger 2). These LibGuides have easy to read step-by-step instructions on how to plan your research and use the databases to find peer reviewed works with proper evidence, other forms of LibGuides help with citing your found article correctly in the format needed. These LibGuides are created by librarians and are created to focus student success and guide them in making the research process easier.  Although these LibGuides have been created for students to have an easier time doing their research, statistics have shown that librarians who are subject specialists in their areas may not have all the necessary skills to translate their knowledge in ways students can understand (Burchfield and Possinger 2). In order for more student success with LibGui...

 By Angela Naranjo  Digital storytelling is storytelling through media, stories can be told through photos, audio, texts, videos, and at times social media elements or interactive elements. The key to digital storytelling is to keep a good pace throughout the story and allow your voice to personalize the story so the audience can understand and relate. Some of the benefits of digital storytelling, is the positive effects it can have on social emotional health, has shown to develop emotional intelligence, and develop important 21st century literacies (Xu, et.al. 2). Reminiscence is another form of storytelling with the same benefits that has been used with digital storytelling to help older adults reminisce about events in their lives and especially helps older adults with dementia or Alzheimer's.  Various research studies were conducted with older adults to determine how effective using digital storytelling and reminiscence is. Some studies paired older adults with an...

By Angela Naranjo    Many libraries over the years have tried their hardest to keep up with the growth of technology and their trends. Some libraries have now added a 3-D printer and allow customers to design a project and a librarian will create it for them, and then it can be purchased by how much material they use. However, many libraries in rural areas are being affected by the digital divide, due to lack of technological equipment and funding.   In 2012, a survey was conducted by Public Library Funding and Technology Access Survey (PLFTAS), finding that rural libraries have weaker technological infrastructure and fewer support services (Real, et. al.7). Because rural libraries are the only free internet or computer access points in many of their areas, they provide about 70.3% of services to their customers. And in present time, public libraries, especially libraries in rural areas are still the primary source of internet and device access. These issues stem f...

     By Angela Naranjo     BYOD or “Bring your own device,” refers to allowing individuals to bring their own devices or use their own devices to school or the workplace rather than using the devices provided. Over time, these practices have grown in the education system and the workplace.       BYOD in the classroom has created many opportunities for students to grow their learning but has also raised some questions about security. Some opportunities that teachers have stated about BYOD are that students are now able to interact with other students worldwide through skype (Bruder). It also allows teachers to create more interactive assignments in which students use their microphones and cameras to communicate (Bruder). Then there are the questions about security, whether the internet can be overused with so many devices connected, causing it to slow down and the concern of storage for devices. Many schools have created their own policie...

  Cloud Computing in Libraries by Michelle Amundson Cloud computing refers to computer services that are not located locally, but are instead offered over the Internet, or the “Cloud”. Some of the services that can be provided are storage, software, servers, and networking services. Libraries are beginning to use this service, but as with anything, there are pros and cons to cloud computing for libraries. One of the positives brought about by cloud computing is the flexibility in services, as well as lower cost as it is more cost effective than having these sorts of services locally. A negative can be issues of privacy. As with anything hosted online, information can be vulnerable to hackers and data leaks, but there are options that address these points.Third party services are available at a lower cost but there are more at risk for issues of privacy, private cloud servers can be the solution for this, but of course, at a higher cost. Somewhere in between is a hybrid cloud model,...

 The gadget I added to our blog is a "contact form". I chose to add this gadget because I think it's a great resource for the people viewing our blog to contact us regarding information, questions, or comments. 

What is cloud computing, and what does it mean for libraries? Let’s start by defining cloud computing. Cloud computing is the method of setting up a computer system that, rather than running locally, runs over the Internet. For an example, we will look at the difference between Microsoft Word and Google Docs. Both are word processors, allowing their users to write, edit, and save documents. However, Microsoft Word operates on your personal computer, and the documents are saved only to your personal computer. If you need to access a document on your home computer while you are at work, you are out of luck. However, Google Docs operates “in the cloud”, or over the Internet. When you create and save a Google Doc, it does not save to your computer, but rather to a server somewhere in a Google building. When you access it, you are using the Internet to connect to that server. This means you can access it from any computer where you are logged into your Google account, so long as you ha...

  How to Make Your Presentation POP! We all know about Powerpoint - but what are some other types of presentation software when you can't access Powerpoint or simply want to use/learn new technology?   As library support staff, one of the most important things we can do is to keep up with new technology as a way to support our students and staff.  The school library is where many students go to research and create their assignments, which may include presentations.  New and experienced teachers both may have times when they need something different.  Being able to support their needs is one of our most valuable roles.  Let's look at some of the platforms available: Powerpoint - the most commonly known presentation platform.  This is a part of the Office 365 suite and is often available to students or staff with their educational email accounts Canva - this platform originated in Australia in 2012 but has become incredibly popular since 2020....

Assistive Technology in the Library You've ensured that there is handicapped parking in the lot, a ramp to tackle any stairs or steps, well-marked signage, and wide enough aisles - what other things can library staff do to ensure that their library and materials are available to all patrons?  Assistive technology! While the mention of assistive technology might bring to mind the most advanced technical services, assistive technology can cover items peripheral devices such as large print books, headphones in varying sizes and styles, tables that can accommodate wheelchairs or motorized scooters, chairs of varying sizes and heights, etc. Providing these types of materials and resources can help ensure that all library patrons are able to access the reading materials, technology and resources that are available in the library. According to the American Library Association, libraries can also provide the following higher tech solutions for their patrons: Screen reading technology ...