Library Technology

Here is a video game I made for my Preparing Instructional Media class: Eat Your Veggies!

These three pdf's show various ways of visualizing data in the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District.

The first figure showcases the size of the audience reached for the library system, and compares it to the size of the state of Connecticut. The size of the audience of patrons is bigger than the state. 

http://craftybeedesigns.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/visualization-for-instruction-1.pdf

The second figure shows how a small the patron size is in comparison of what is being circulated, along with the size of the collection. None of the numbers are close to being the same.

http://craftybeedesigns.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/visualization-for-instruction-2.pdf

The last figure gives you  a scope on how big the collection is and compares it to the number of slot machines located in Las Vegas. The collection size is about 14 times the size of the number of slot machines housed in Las Vegas. 

Below is a link to a PDF created by me on how to find science resources using the University of South Florida Library database. It's a simple, step-by-step guideline on how to find an article using the basic search bar provided by the library's main website.

James Paul Gee’s 2003 paper, "What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy", sets forth a handful of arguments on how video games can be thought of as educational tools. Examples of good instructional games that are not advertised as such incorporate different skills and learning tools in such a way that keeps players attention and once they are done, the ideas stick with them.

Massive Multiplayer games teach collaboration with others, involving many different skill sets. Action-role playing games with open-world themes allow players to be innovative and create scenarios based on their own choices throughout the game. Gee states that these games “allow players to be producers, creating their own world”. Players are often posed with ethical scenarios throughout the game. The Elder Scrolls series (all platforms, first release 1994, latest release 2012) and Black and White (PC-game, 2001) are games that enlist these qualities.

Simulation games should be included in library collections as well. Players build their game from scratch. Civilization (PC, Playstation, Nintendo, 1991) is a game where players can learn economics and scarcity of resources, and the two themes are interconnected.

 Real-time strategy games, such as Age of Empires: Age of Mythology (PC-game, 2002) are games where you are learning as you are playing. The Age of Empires game has real history embedded in it that can spark players to become invested in the content outside of the game. A field study shows players making an effort to learn what about the history after they are finished playing. I think that any game that motivates players to learn about the content is something that should be included in a library’s collection.

  A 2007 paper by Katrin Becker of University of Calgary entitled “Digital Game-Based Learning Once Removed: Teaching Teachers” talks about the graduate-level course the author taught on digital game-based learning. The class was devoted to understanding the potential use of video games as learning tools. The study posed the idea that most teachers are ill informed when it comes to commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) video games and current technology. It was an introduction to digital games and gaming as instruction and learning. The study played off the fact that teachers need to be familiar with games that have the potential to be used as learning tools.

Two main ideas for the class were used. Students could either design a game that could be used in a learning situation or make use of an existing video game for learning purposes. Games that were seemingly used for entertainment purposes only took on new light. Black & White was viewed as a way to examine ethical choices and The Simswas put in the category for language learning. The outcome of the class was clear. Teachers who participated in the course realized that there is potential for learning skills and ideas in commercial video games. It will take some time before these commercial games are seen in this same light, but there is growing evidence of the positive use of video games as learning tools.     

Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff and County Commissioner Sergio Rodriguez unveiled...

The first ever book-less library will open in San Antonio, Texas. According to BiblioTech, the end goal of library technology is to completely remove physical books from the library and have everything in electronic form. They will still have a building complete with study spaces, meeting areas and a children’s area, but no physical books will be available to check out. 

This blog is dedicated to the latest trends in library technology. This is an area in the library field that will always need attention. Technology integration in the library is imperative when it comes to engaging patrons, accessing information, and building collections. There are so many areas of technology in the library. Digital collections and the cloud, mobile internet, social media, electronic books, journals, and databases, and even gaming are just a few areas that can be touched on in this blog.

 The focus will be on public, academic and school libraries. Public libraries tend to focus on ways to create an environment that can be used by all patrons, no matter the education level. Academic libraries are looking for ways to enhance the student’s learning experience with mobile technology and digital collections that are accessible outside of the library.  School libraries engage their students by collaborating with teachers on ways to promote what they are currently learning. All of these libraries are able to achieve these goals by incorporating technologies.

 American Library Magazine made a list of the ten best technology initiatives to use in the library (You can access the list at this link: http://www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org/article/10-great-technology-initiatives-your-library). Public, academic and school libraries can use the initiatives mentioned in the magazine. Creating a mobile-friendly website should be top priority in any library, along with having a social media presence and hosting a cloud-based collection. Digital archiving is an increasingly popular trend among libraries, and technology is at the root of this movement.