Students will be able to perform effectively in the library and information science professions by demonstrating competency in the application of technology.
By the conclusion of the master’s degree program, students should be able to:
• demonstrate effective use of current technologies
• explain the impact and potential of current and emerging information technologies for management and delivery of services
• organize and provide digital resources and services
• evaluate and select appropriate technology for specific information services or applications
• analyze issues, concepts, and challenges related to the impact of technology on information ethics and policy
The artifact for this competency is the recorded presentation below. It is viewable within this window or it can be opened in a new window by using this web address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_I61VIVgpHc
I created this presentation explaining the big data trend and libraries for my Ethics, Values, and Foundational Principles class. By making a functional PowerPoint presentation, including relevant text, images, and linked information, and presenting it both in a virtual live environment for class and as a recording uploaded to YouTube, I demonstrated my mastery of the effective use of current technologies. I further demonstrated my mastery of technology by explaining the impact and potential of big data on library services, including resources to learn about big data and libraries. As institutions that can collect, use, and educate communities about big data, the library and information science community has already begun developing big data resources and providing services; big data is already part of the library world and it is important to information professionals to have a basic understanding and awareness of it. I also provided case studies detailing how big data is being used and managed as a service in libraries with information for viewers to access those services and learn more about them. Finally, I analyzed the issues, concepts, and challenges related to the impact of big data on information ethics and policy. It is critical that library professionals and institutions who collect, use, or store data understand the different kinds of personal data, what data is protected and how, and other ways that interacting with other people's data can create risk for the library and privacy concerns for the community.
Using a Powerpoint presentation with live audio for class and uploading a video of the presentation with audio to YouTube were both effective for the respective purposes of this presentation. Narrating a simple PowerPoint presentation allowed me to use visual cues to underscore the most important point of the presentation and share resources with the audience while I verbalized more detailed information. From both a technology and accessibility perspective, the overall presentation is improved when accompanied by closed captions and alternative text. Explaining the complex trend of big data by breaking it into more easily understood components allowed the audience to quickly understand the concept. Following that up with additional resources and examples of libraries working with big data helped viewers to further connect with the material and understand the library's role in using big data. Given more time and a longer presentation, I would have provided additional examples of libraries using big data. Similarly, I would have provided some examples of libraries protecting patron privacy and upholding ethical standards in cases of big data in addition to the provided descriptions of potential issues and library responsibilities.
Being able to use technology and educate others on technology are essential elements of modern librarianship. Creating this project was excellent practice for identifying relevant technologies and technological trends, learning about them, and discovering how they potentially interact with or impact the librarian's role. Presenting my findings, especially assuming that the audience was new to big data, served to further improve my educational skills. I will continue to educate myself on evolving technologies and work to remain current on trends so that I can continue to be a technology resource to my library and community. I will also continue to incorporate technology into my education in ways that elevate the quality of the instruction and improve the audience's experience.