By Sharon Whitfield

As a technology librarian, I am always questioning library practices. I am constantly asking why, what purpose does that serve; how does that benefit our patron population/library staff, etc. This questioning of library practices began when I was a volunteer at the Carnegie Public Library in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I would spend hours removing stickers to put on new stickers. Finally, I asked why. Did anyone notice the stickers? Does the cost of the stickers outweigh the benefit of the sticker and Goo be Gone (which was really gross to work with)?

When I became a librarian, the questioning did not stop. I started thinking about how I could utilize my previous technology/computer programming knowledge to make library practices more efficient. After library school, I moved to Newport News, Virginia to become the Multimedia Director at Christopher Newport University. I would observe how things would break down at my service desk and find ways to fix them. One of my best solutions to a problem was the equipment reservation system, which allowed me to leverage technology to enhance our lending service. Patrons would peruse available equipment on our webpage. They would click a button, which took them to a Google form. After the Google form was completed, I (and the service desk managers) received an email notifying me about the reservation request and the reservation request was entered into a Google Spreadsheet. I would then go into the spreadsheet and would approve the request by typing a ‘Y’ into a cell. By typing that ‘Y’, it would trigger an event being added to the Google Calendar and also sending the patron an email approving their request. If I typed ‘N’, the patrons received an email denying the reservation.

In my current role as the Emerging Technologies Librarian at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, I still look for ways to be more efficient. I scour library websites looking for technologies that may just help to improve our services and make us more efficient. One that I implemented in August 2016 was JavaScript developed by Grand Valley State University Libraries. With a few edits to the Javascript and the html, our chat service (using LibAnswers chat) was ready for our patrons. The Javascript allowed patrons to search our LibAnswers FAQ prior to entering a chat session with a librarian. If the patron typed a question into the box, the answers would auto populate with potential answers or the patron may just skip and enter the chat. To date, this implementation of the chat service has answered 103 questions without any human interventions. (Try it at http://www.lib.rowan.edu/cmsru. Simply click the Ask a Question button)

Another technology that CMSRU Library is in the beginning stages of the implementation process is Bluetooth low energy or BLE. The library was funded by the National Library of Medicine to implement use of BLE technology via the BluuBeam vendor. Our library is hoping that this technology will allow the librarians to reach students in their active learning groups. Librarians will “beam” information, articles and tutorials to student as they work through case based instruction. Our desired outcome is to keep students engaged in using library resources when we are not physically present to assist them. Again, BLE technology is being leveraged to extend services to our patrons when we physically may not be available to offer instruction or assistance.

Honestly, I can’t wait to identify the next problem, the next technology or the next service that our library may role out. Each innovation allows us to continue to stay connected to our patrons and expand their access to information. As our library evolves with technology so will our patrons; therefore, how we leverage technology will never cease to be explored.

Sharon Whitfield is the Emerging Technologies Librarian at Rown University.