Tag Archives: library technology trend

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, Resources, School Media Specialist, Special, Tech

Check out some fun library apps: Boopsie, Gabbie, and Remind

Technology is even better when it can help you and your library! We are investigating three apps that are supposed to support communication with patrons, promote your library, and connect your services with the community.

boopsieBoopsie for Libraries is probably the most well-known library app, and is useful for all types of libraries, from K-12 to Special Libraries. According to their site, the app has been downloaded 3.4 million times, with 500,000 app users per month. The app enables libraries to provide patrons with constant access to digital and print collections and services. It also features a “Library locator” to help users find a location close to them. The app can connect patrons with their library’s social media and event calendar. Click here for more information on Boopsie.

gabbie-redNext up is Gabbie, which is a two-way texting app with auto-commands. Some of the features are providing patrons with free texts for overdues and reserves, the ability to add an “Ask a Librarian” link to your website or newsletters, and a console to communicate with patrons with visual and audio alerts. For some examples, check out these libraries in Iowa that have taken advantage of the Gabbie app: the Wilton Public Library and the Earlham Public Library. For more information on how to get Gabbie for your library, click here.

remindFinally, Remind is an app that was included in the 2015 AASL Best Apps for Teaching & Learning. It’s a messaging app that allows schools or libraries to communicate with large groups or just an individual. It also allows you to set reminders. To see how it can be helpful for libraries, check out this free webinar from AASL. If you don’t want to watch a whole webinar, the presentation slides are also available.

Do you use any of these apps in your libraries, or do you have other ones that you have found helpful? Share your experience with us!

 

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Did you miss any of these? Ed Tech Trends of 2015

Think bigHow many of these notable tech trends have you looked into or possibly implemented in 2015?  No worries if you haven’t used some of these yet or even heard of them.  These resources can stir your thinking to dream big in 2016!

Just a couple of the ideas and available resources touched on:

  • 3D printing
  • Combining tactile toys with iPads
  • Rethinking delivery in the classroom
  • Staying social among educators

Educator tech trends of 2015

Image credit: https://unsplash.com/ (Drew Hays), licensed under CC0 1.0

 

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

What I Learned at the Library Technology Conference

time_alone2_hiresLots of people wanted to go to this year’s conference, but registration closed crazy fast when the 450 seats were full within 30 hours! Macalester College is the conference site, and as is typical, the crowd at this conference is a mix of library types; maybe a bit more of the academics. However, this year I saw an increase in the number of K-12 school media/tech integration people too, which was great!

I could bore you with reporting on sessions I attended, but rather, I include some themes and observations.

Makerspaces

  • One common theme I saw, was that no matter what kind of librarian, maker spaces and 3D printing were far and away most prominent.  However, one thing remained clear in the breakout sessions. While it was acknowledged across library type how much library users enjoy maker spaces, presenters were admittedly a little short on data to support how maker spaces were tied to, or supportive of, curriculum. Everyone was in agreement that more work is needed on that issue. In the K-12 setting, leaps in self confidence were cited as good enough for now, with hopes of deeper integration with curriculum in the future.

Short on space? You don’t necessarily need dedicated space for makerspace activities. What you do need is space for tubs of materials to pull out when it is makerspace time! Seems obvious now!

New Maker Space resources I learned about include:

Theme Two: Social Media and Librarians

For the first time this year, there was no printed conference schedule, but rather the entire conference was on the mobile app, Sched. As attendees had their morning coffee, they created their schedule for the day and mixed it up with  Facebook and Twitter friends at the conference too.

Both in sessions, in hallway conversations, and even  at dinner, I am reminded of how social media has put a fresh new face on how librarians network and stay up to date.  A number of people I talked to said they had never used Twitter until they came to this conference and decided to give it a whirl. Now, they have no idea how they ever “kept up” professionally before Twitter. The people they follow online keep them up to date and sometimes, when they are excited about new discoveries, they share those discoveries too! This is called collaboration.

Breakout session materials are located here and are being added every day as presenters make them available. Videos of all keynote presentations will also be added to this repository site shortly. Please check back often to see what’s new on the site.

Patricia-

 Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/qzmpeb2
Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Sneak peek at four library tech trends!

Do you have a sense of where library technology is heading in the next few years?

Reading in the Digital AgeIt is always an interesting conundrum to consider which emerging tools and technologies to pay attention to, in order to be ready when the time is right to adopt them! A new ALA publication titled,  The Top Technologies Every Librarian Needs to Know (Facet, 2014) is now available. This publication goes into detail about the eight trends that the authors deem worthy of watching.

Editor Kenneth J. Varnum highlights four of the eight trends in his recent blog post at 4 Technology Trends Every Librarian Needs to Know

Hint: The tags for this post offer a sneak peek of the four trends!

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/ldbxhp3, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0