Bring Your Own Device, or BYOD, refers to having people supply their own phones, tablets, computers, etc, rather than an institution providing them. In his article “Top Ten School Library Game Changers of the Past Twenty-Five Years”, Doug Johnson lists BYOD as his #10 game changer. He wrote about the shift away from library patrons using library-provided computers and towards using their own personal devices, and how it would require adaptability on the part of the library workers. They will have to ensure services and platforms function on a much wider variety of systems, provide better wireless networks, and establish guidelines for using personal devices.
BYOD is an appealing option for a lot of school libraries, as it lessens the cost of providing devices for students. It also lessens the rate at which devices need to be repaired and allows for greater availability of provided devices, as the demand for them is lower. Additionally, as someone who brought my own device to school throughout high school, it was extremely convenient to be able to use a system that I was already familiar with, rather than one I only accessed once in a while.
As a final note, public libraries are also frequent participants of BYOD, by often providing free public Wi-Fi for their patrons. They also sometimes have BYOD tech support events, where members of the community bring in their cell phones, tablets, laptops, etc., to ask questions. For example, the Oceanside Public Library has Drop-In Tech Help, the San Diego County Library has numerous similar programs at branches in La Mesa, Solana Beach, Jacumba, and more. These events promote digital literacy at all ages by allowing people to learn the answers to simple questions.
Works Cited:
Johnson, Doug. “Top Ten School Library Game Changers of the Past
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