First Year Seminars

Agnes Scott does this awesome program called a First Year Seminar.  This course connects with the library for one session and allows the librarians to teach first year students how to navigate the library, as well as, some information on searching materials available in the library.  So far I've been able to sit in on one of these sessions and help run the scavenger hunt.

I learned that it is best to explain to students all of the instructions before separating them into groups and I learned that some students might be more knowledgeable of library practices that one might think, especially searching the catalog.  I also learned that remaining too long on one subject might lose students.

A final thought from my first encounters with this course is how great would it be to have a similar course for students each year that included progressive searching and information to help them as they moved along in their studies?  This can really open up a whole discussion on specialists and funding and reference librarians, but I think it could be something to consider in the future.

A New Opportunity and the Agnes Scott College Library

August has now mostly come and gone, and so has the beginning of a volunteering experience I believe will be my most valuable yet.  I've been given the outrageously amazing opportunity to volunteer at the Agnes Scott College library, assisting the highly respected librarian, Casey Long.  Our current plan of action is that I will assist in teaching the First Year Seminar classes in the library.  The objectives of these classes is to help enable students to locate information they need efficiently; develop users' critical ability to select, evaluate, and analyze appropriate information sources; increase the use of the library and its resources by faculty, students, and staff; decrease anxieties about using the library and technology in the library; and to support the academic program especially in encouraging individual responsibility for learning.  In the beginning, I will be mostly observing and assisting students as they go through activities.  The end goal is to possibly teach one of these classes, or a portion of these classes, myself.  There are other opportunities later in the fall, but I am currently truly enjoying this experience and the absolutely wonderful and kind people at the McCain library..

That's a Wrap

Well, it looks like I've finally completed everything for this Maymester class!  Discussion posts done, Twitter account tweeted, final paper written and poster created, and everything submitted.  I really enjoyed learning about so many new technologies in libraries.  The amount of reading and work put into three weeks was an awful lot but completely manageable.  My only suggestion would be dropping the interview in future Maymester classes because it is simple too hard to track down a librarian for an interview and get a paper written in the same week.  I'm taking away a lot this semester, and definitely more than just a headache, and that's awesome.  Off to the summer break!

3D Printers in the Academic Library

3-D Printing in the Academic Library

Jessica Cohen

MLIS 7505

4 June 2014

Introduction

            Imagine looking at a picture of a shoe from the 1600s and being able to create a small-scale replica of said shoe for display.  Imagine researching the history of the Triceratops and being able to see and hold a hard plastic version of the skeleton.  Imagine preparing for an anatomy exam and having in your hands a small model of individual organs to use while studying the name of each part.  This, and more, is all possible in an academic setting with the use of 3D printing.  A continually improving technology since the1970s, 3D printing creates a physical object using what is called an additive process, the successive layering of materials laid down in different shapes, controlled by a computer (3D Printing 2014).  Printers are available for anyone from hobbyists to large corporations, costing between 400 hundred and many thousands of dollars (WestpotPubLib 2013). 

In the news clip from CBS Channel 3’s Dan Kain report, 3d Printers at the Wesport Library, librarian, Maxine Bleiweis calls 3D printing “disruptive technology,” stating that “disruptive technology means it’s going to make a big difference in our world.”  She also states that “probably in the 80s you didn’t expect to find personal computers either, but libraries are the perfect place.”  While certainly exciting and still relatively new, to the public, form of technology, the question remains, how can 3D printing be used in an academic library and is it worth purchasing a mid to high quality 3D printer for students and faculty?

Literature Review

            Currently there is very little literature on 3D printing in academic libraries.  Certainly, 3D printing is seen as an exciting and successful technology for our future, but as the video, Leaders of the 3D Printing Evolution, created by The Creators Project, suggests, 3D printing is currently seen as a medical tool, fashion creation instrument, or simply an artist’s drawing board.  There is little information provided on how 3D printing can benefit and even help evolve the academic setting, however, what I have been able to find, has been useful and encouraging. 

            Some articles have looked to the future to predict the success of multiple types of technology in library settings.  Marshall Breeding, in “The Systems Librarian; Library Technology Forecast for 2014 and Beyond,” suggests that “3D printing has gathered considerable attention in the library arena, with many including these devices within their services for promoting patron creativity and collaboration.”  Breeding makes note of makerspaces and the use of this new open-access type of technologies encouraging patron participation and library use. 

Other articles spoke specifically to the ability for 3D printers to excite and improve (even in some case financially) person’s futures.  Marcia Goodrich discusses a “3D future, without special glasses” in her article “It’s Not Just a New Way to Make Cellphone Cases. 3D Printing Could Change Everything.”  Goodrich discusses the financial savings even homeowners can find, as well as, the numerous innovation possibilities outside of simple plastic 3D printing.  Using the example of a Michigan Tech scientist creating an affordable 3D metal printer, Goodrich touches on the importance of open access in the positive relation to the success of such devices. 

Numerous articles discussed the rollouts of 3D printers in personal academic libraries; the planning, rolling out, evaluation, and future planning.  The Dalhousie University Libraries, in the article “Exploring New Dimensions,” found the process to be fairly simple and worth ordering multiple printers to offer more access to users.  They found that the printers were being used, “approximately three hundred models for more than 150 people,” and that users covered fields including “engineering and architecture […], chemistry, biology, and history” (Comeau 2014).  They, along with all other articles, view 3D printing as an asset and a great fit for the academic library.

Use of 3-D Printing in Libraries

As I initially considered 3D printing, I believed that it might be harder to find a use for such a printer outside of a science department.  Further reading and watching of videos, I’ve determined that this form of technology can be so useful for all sorts of disciplines.  Design students would have the obvious ability to create tangible displays of drawings and ideas.  History students and faculty can see visual representations of clothing, weapons, and buildings.  Even students of the arts and writing can print and see a tangible form of their work, leading to further creative pieces or added emphasis on the 2D presentation (Kurt 2012).  By bringing 3D printers to the library, you essentially bring learning back to the stacks.  Though learning has been ever present in libraries, as time goes on and students have more access to materials and information on what they are studying online, the desire to go to the library shrinks, the need for dusty books or reference assistance wanes.  3D printing could lure students back in, creating relationships and expanding research. 

Application in Today’s Libraries

In today’s libraries, 3D printing can most commonly be found in makerspacers.  Makerspacers, also known as hacklabs, hackerspaces, or hackspaces, are workspaces operated by the community and consist of people with common interests, typically science and technology or computers (Makerspaces 2014).  Though still fairly new to the library scene, a makerspace, and ultimately 3D printing, are perfect fits for libraries; “libraries have been in the ‘making’ space for a long time.  We have supported writers and learners with writing labs and training […]” (Abram 2014).  Makerspaces are a perfect location for 3D printers as they can bring together people of all ages with all backgrounds and interests in the name of learning and hands on experimenting.  3D printing has the ability to also allow physical displays of student and faculty work, which could lead to even more exposure for the entire institution.

Challenges and Issues

The obvious challenges and issues with 3D printing is cost, maintenance, and use.  While a hobbyist could save and purchase a $400 self-made printer, libraries will typically want to purchase a mid to higher end model for shear endurance through use alone.  The printer at the Wesport library, mentioned previously, owns a 3D printer which cost $2,500.  Most budgets simply don’t have the room for one single $2,500 printer and it will take great convincing and proving of worth (or enticing) to gain this funding.  Schools with strong programs in the sciences might not think twice about purchasing this technology, while smaller colleges or those with heavy focuses in the arts might question the need.  Another monetary related challenge is whether or not to charge students for use of the printer.  While charging students would help keep regular costs of running the printer down, it might also deter actual use. 

Maintenance and regular instruction can also be a problem.  Staff and librarians should be trained on how to use the printer, and preferably how to do general maintenance, however, how much time will most librarians have to walk a student through a full tutorial on use?  This lack of instruction could lead to fewer patrons wanting to actually try the printer, connecting to the other challenge 3D printing might face: actual use of the technology.  Though 3D printing can be an added bonus to any field of study, “many students still may not see how the technology can help their scholarship or be used in their research” (Pryor 2014).  This last point brings us full circle, if students aren’t using the 3D printer, how can the printer be justified for funding?

Conclusion

3D printing absolutely fascinates me.  Once this semester ends and time is again on my side, I plan to find one close to me so that I may see it in action.  While I struggle to see this type of printing entering the personal homes of users in a mainstream fashion, simply because of cost and today’s economy, I do believe that in the next 5-15 years or so, many universities will have their own printer(s) that will be sought after by faculty and students.  The research shows that even though it is a slow moving phenomenon in the academic setting, there is justification for its use and an interest in the technology.  Funding challenges will forever be present regarding anything new in a library however; this technology could in fact bring financial success through use, expanding research to broader audiences, and obtainment of grants due to forward thinking missions and programs. 

References

3D Printing. In Wikipedia. Retrieved June 2, 2014, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_Printing.

Abram, S. (2014). The Maker Movement and the Library Movement: Understanding the

Makerspaces Opportunity. Feliciter, 60(1), 11.

Breeding, m. (2013). The Systems Librarian. Computers in Libraries, 33(10), 18-21.

Comeau, M. (2014). Exploring New Dimensions. Feliciter, 60(1), 28.

Goodrich, M. (2014). 3D Revolution. Research (Michigan Technological University), 8-11.

Kurt, L. (2012, July 17) 3D Printers in the Library: Toward a Fablab in the Academic Library. 

Retrieved from http://acrl.ala.org/techconnect/?p=1403.

Makerspaces. In Wikipedia. Retrieved June 2, 2014, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makerspaces.

Pryor, S. (2014). Implementing a 3D Printing Service in an Academic Library. Journal Of

Library Administration, 54(1), 1-10.

The Creators Project. (2013, January 13) Leaders of the 3D Printing Revolution [Video File].

Retrieved from http://youtu.be/IS4Xw8f9LCc.

WestportPubLib. (2013, March 16) 3D Printers at the Westport Library – Dan Kain – CBS –

Channel 3… [Video File].  Retrieved from http://youtu.be/sA0uz36D_RM.

Show Me the Money?

We recently read the article "A Job by any other Name," written by Stephanie L. Maatta.  This article was an overview on the successes and challenges faced by 2011 LIS graduates in the job market.  After entering this program, I began to feel some tension in my decisions as I was concerned I'd be putting myself even further into debt for a second masters that wouldn't provide me with employment or an above-lower classed income.  The article was encouraging as it showed some increases in salaries, available jobs, and a market that is still generally thriving.  The expected downside seemed to be that job searching must become a full time job by itself, but that is not disheartening to me.  I feel more confident about a field with a bright future and am looking forward to finishing this last semester.

The Calm Before the Next Storm

Maymester has been quite the experience.  I knew it would be stressful and fast-paced, cramming an entire semester into three weeks, but I don't think I really took into account just how stressful or how fast-paced.  In two weeks and three days, I've submitted three assignments, read a ton of articles, struggled with, I mean, navigated a new (for me) technology (Joomla!), assisted in moderating two discussions, and posted to nine other discussion boards.  Needless to say, it's been a busy two weeks!  With just five more days to go, we've got three more discussion boards, some more blogging and tweeting, and one more assignment.  I've learned a TON of awesome stuff in such a short amount of time but I won't be sad to see this semester go away!

Assignment Three: Option One

Introduction

Content Management Systems (CMS) are an active part of the new future of libraries.  They will bring efficiency, ease of access, ultimately lower costs, and user appreciation to each library who invests.  In reviewing websites for the multiple local public libraries and a handful of college libraries around me, I was unfortunately unable to find many who appeared to use a CMS.  I proceeded to return to previous academic librarians I had interviewed in earlier classes and reached out to them for an interview regarding their own CMS.  The librarian I had engaged with early in this program at a local college law library did not have much experience with the school’s CMS and was unable to assist me.  However, my second contact finally led to a discussion about a school’s CMS and I was provided some great information.

I reached out to Ms. Amanda McKenzie, the library director at East Georgia College and whom I’d previously communicated with during my management course.  This small state college serves primarily students and faculty while being open to the community with a borrowing policy as obligated by the state.  Most students and faculty served are a part of a two year program while some are connected to the brand new four year Biology program.  Ms. McKenzie shared that there is an archival collection; however, it does not get circulated to students or members of the community, and rarely to faculty.  Due to the small size of the college, the small size of the collections compared to larger four year universities, and the few library staff, this library is not departmentalized; certain staffs do certain things.  There is one other librarian who handles most reference questions and is at the desk almost all day.  There is also a library associate who is about to finish a master’s in industrial design and who is working toward professional standing in the library due to her experience and upcoming degree completion.  The associate handles Interlibrary Loan and most of the circulation desk.  Lastly, for full time staff, there is also a library assistant. 

The Interview

At the end of this paper is the actual email responses to my inquiry and questions about the school’s CMS.  However, for be more easily followed, I’ve broken up her responses in a question and answer form.

How and where did your library hear about CMS?          

We [the library] have had little input on our current CMS—it was all determined by our IT department at the institution level for the entire institution.

What was your motivation to adopt CMS for its current use (library website or any other purpose)? / What was your decision making criteria?  What is the name of CMS you are using now?           

The CMS that EGSC uses is called Expression Engine and it was adopted right at two years ago.  I can tell you that the reason that the institution adopted it was because the platform that they were using before required the webmaster to update all facets of our institution’s website for everyone—Expression Engine is more of a “gooey” interface that is easily trainable, so the IT department has been able to turn over department pages management to the individual departments, which was the goal.  I do not know what the old system was called, but it was very simple in design compared to Expression Engine.

What are the important benefits or advantages of CMS you are using now over the old system or another CMS system you’ve used in the past?        

I can also tell you, however, that this particular CMS does not necessarily work well for the library portion of the site and is difficult for our users to navigate—the design locks you in to particular templates that you have to choose from, and none of those templates make our types of information be able to be organized in a way that works particularly well for our users.  Our web designer is currently trying to write some new code that will allow the library portion of the site to look different from the rest of the site in order to address our specific needs, but, because we only have one web designer for the entire campus, this is taking some time.  Also, certain types of code will crash the site, such as PHP. But, the institution as a whole really likes it because it is easy enough for each department to manage and not mess up the entire website, which was the goal, and the use of templates lend the website a homogenous look, which was another goal.

How was the learning curve?

 The learning curve for my library staff with using Expression Engine was not very high, but we were all experienced in using blogs, Libguides, and other web tools.  Expression Engine works in a similar way in the back end.  And, in the HTML edit mode, you can write code very simply if you have experience with writing code, but we have not had do that yet ourselves.

Reflection

While it was encouraging to see the institution was able to find and use a CMS that would add efficiency and ease, it was disappointing to see how little input the library had in the decision process.  It was also disappointing to read how many struggles the library has with this system.  Crashing, few ways to customize the library page to fit specific needs, a single web designer for the whole school, and difficult to use for library patrons makes me sympathetic for staff and students.  The positives, however, seemed to be that the system is easy to train on and that the library staff are fairly knowledgeable in Web 2.0 technologies in general, making basic use of the site easy enough. 

Email response #1 from Ms. Amanda McKenzie:

I hope that you are doing well! I do not know of how much help I will be to you on this particular project as we have had little input on our current CMS—it was all determined by our IT department at the institution level for the entire institution. The CMS that EGSC uses is called Expression Engine and it was adopted right at two years ago. I can tell you that the reason that the institution adopted it was because the platform that they were using before required the webmaster to update all facets of our institution’s website for everyone—Expression Engine is more of a “gooey” interface that is easily trainable, so the IT department has been able to turn over department pages management to the individual departments, which was the goal. I do not know what the old system was called, but it was very simple in design compared to Expression Engine. I can also tell you, however, that this particular CMS does not necessarily work well for the library portion of the site and is difficult for our users to navigate—the design locks you in to particular templates that you have to choose from, and none of those templates make our types of information be able to be organized in a way that works particularly well for our users. Our web designer is currently trying to write some new code that will allow the library portion of the site to look different from the rest of the site in order to address our specific needs, but, because we only have one web designer for the entire campus, this is taking some time. Also, certain types of code will crash the site, such as PHP. But, the institution as a whole really likes it because it is easy enough for each department to manage and not mess up the entire website, which was the goal, and the use of templates lend the website a homogenous look, which was another goal.

Email Response #2 from Ms. Amanda McKenzie:

I don’t think I addressed the learning curve part—the learning curve for my library staff with using Expression Engine was not very high, but we were all experienced in using blogs, Libguides, and other web tools. Expression Engine works in a similar way in the back end. And, in the HTML edit mode, you can write code very simply if you have experience with writing code, but we have not had do that yet ourselves.