1. Connecting the Human and the Digital: How 21 st Century Library Technologies can Enhance the Experiences of Remote Users T. Eloise Stevens Presented at the University of Alabama October 15, 2013

2. Companion Website webapplicationspresentation.wordpress.com Download presentation to follow along or revisit Find more thoughts and resources on these subjects View an infographic introducing RefWorks that I’ve created

3. The Question Posed The University Libraries are continually looking for ways to increase access to its resources, especially to remote users. Can you explain how technology enables libraries to provide these services and how the Web Applications Librarian would build the bridge between these technological advances and instruction?

4. The Question Posed The University Libraries are continually looking for ways to increase access to its resources, especially to remote users. Can you explain how technology enables libraries to provide these services and how the Web Applications Librarian would build the bridge between these technological advances and instruction?

5. Library Mission Support the University’s mission, vision, and goals by anticipating library information, technology, and service requirements; by providing timely access to needed resources; by responding to changing user needs; and by promoting effective use of information by students, faculty, and staff. The University Libraries strive for excellence in service, instruction, and building collections. We seek new and better ways of serving the academic community.

6. The University of Alabama: Mission Statement To advance the intellectual and social condition of the people of the State through quality programs of teaching, research, and service.

7. Digital Library Instruction Alabama University of Alabama University of Alabama Libraries The United States The World

8. Technology, if used thoughtfully and in collaboration with traditional and emerging methods of library instruction, can enable libraries to provide exceptional service and access to remote users.

9. Library Resources Books, Articles, Databases, Archival Material Academic Support System that grows from a combination of that “Stuff” and Library Services.

10. The Special Needs of Remote Users Remote Users, are primarily distance learners. Older than traditional students Part-Time Growing number of full time, and/or traditional-age students in distance learning programs- or maybe just taking a class from home Just like on-site users, these students have varying levels of technological savvy and comfort with library materials. Unlike a traditional classroom, the community is not “built-in” and automatic

11. New Remote Users Remote Library Users and distance learners have existed for years, technology givers us the opportunity to create a more synchronous and in-depth learning experience Asynchronous is often used, as it allows for the busy schedules of many remote users, however synchronous enhances the sense of community among users

12. Technology Creates Possibilities Source: Paleofuture.com

13. Digital Tools For Instruction Chat sessions With Instructors With Librarians With Peers E-mail Web-Guides Dealing with information literacy Subject Specific Videos, including Screencasts Cannot rest on laurels, constant changes Blending broadcast and communicative, synchronous and asynchronous

14. How technology can help Technology makes many traditional tasks much easier. Communicating Editing Proper Citation However, requires a more comprehensive way of thinking and instructing, focus on developing good habits, adaptability and critical thinking Digital tools can help us teach these skills, however we must be adaptable, we must have good habits, we must think critically Constant learning alongside our users

15. Information Literacy Instruction Stress accessibility- A library’s competitors are becoming Google, Wikipedia, yahoo answers etcetc. Need to teach this at multiple levels Include copyright instruction Subject Specialized Instruction Stress Collaboration Provide support and instruction to faculty as well Awareness of resources, ensure assignments are do-able Collaboration on assignments, library resource integration, web tutorials

16. Form Influences Function It’s important to keep in mind that when providing digital service to users, particularly asynchronously that the design of our tools must support their functionality Need to keep the user’s experience at the center of our design Motivate through multi-media and interactive tools Establish clear objectives for users and review Provide guidance and feedback Accessibility

17. The Need for Assessment Changing nature of the needs of users, requires constant assessment Marginalized groups, and groups that may not have the characteristics of the “digital native” Proactively reaching out to users

18. The Role of the Web Applications Librarian “As Jeffries (1997) notes, "educational change is technically simple and socially complex." While this may be true, most administrators will find the demands of creating an infrastructure and developing online courses to be a challenging endeavor. Although any professor with some knowledge of HTML and a little technical support could develop comprehensive courses without a management system, and several already do, institutions want a centralized system to assure uniformity of appearance and, if possible, to manage many other aspects of the course and overall administration.” - “Why do Educators Embrace High-Cost Technologies” Anna C. McFadden, Ph.D., George E. Marsh II, Ed.D., and Barrie Jo Price, Ed.D. The University of Alabama, College of Education

19. The Role of the Web Applications Librarian Coordination to facilitate collaboration Ensure that there is proper outreach to both students and faculty Keep ahead of current technologies, understand them well enough to communicate them Understand the changing needs of remote users through various methods of assessment Ensure high-quality and up-to-date material and guides Humanize technology

20. Review Technology helps us reach out to students, particularly remote users Cannot lose sight of multiple intelligences/learning styles, no one-size-fits-all in any form of instruction Stress accessibility and the fact that there are people willing to help, specifically for non digital-natives Web Applications Librarian plays a role in ensuring the quality of web-based instructional tools, while being mindful of the “socially complex” aspects of this disruptive technology

21. Selected Bibliography Clayton, Susan J. "Going the distance: Library instruction for remote learners." The Journal of Academic Librarianship 33, no. 4 (2007): 519. Harmon, Charles, and Michael Messina, eds. E-learning in Libraries: Best Practices. Rowman & Littlefield, 2013. Jacobson, Trudi E., and Helene C. Williams. "Teaching the new library to today's users." (2000). McFadden, Anna C., George E. Marsh, and Barrie Jo Price. "Why Do Educators Embrace High-Cost Technologies?." Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration 2, no. 4 (1999). Smith, Susan Sharpless. Web-based instruction: A guide for libraries. Chicago, 2006. SPEC Kit 286: Collaboration for Distance Learning Information Literacy Instruction, http://www.arl.org/focus-areas/statistics- assessment/1790http://www.arl.org/focus-areas/statistics- assessment/1790