Reflections on Week 1 & 2 Readings

The choice between using print and digital materials is one that anyone who consumes information--which is EVERYONE--makes on a regular basis.  A few of the many factors that may inform this decision include:  (1) How voluminous is the material?  You may not want to waste ink and paper printing the 80 page article assigned by the professor, or pack four books in your suitcase for that two week business trip.  (2) Is it easier to consume in print or electronic form?  Material that provides links to other information, or that you are merely browsing, may be easier to consume online.  Material that requires focus may be easier to consume in print (at least it is for me, so long as I keep my electronic devices out of hand).  (3)  Cost.  Digital is often, but not always, less expensive.  In Library Services in the Digital Age, the Pew Research Center examined how modern library users are making these decisions in the context of libraries (Zickuhr, Rainie, & Purcell, 2013).  Like much research in library and information science, the study was geared towards public library use, and as a student concentrating on law librarianship, I would be eager to read similar articles focused on law library users, but the research is no doubt useful to librarians in all specialties.  The key findings?  People use both print and digital resources.  And people like using new technologies, but there is still a role for traditional library services.  This is good for librarians, job security! 

But it also means that librarians should play an important role in designing systems for their libraries that meet patron expectations and needs.  Now I feel comfortable jumping in and using well-designed technologies, but the thought of developing them turns me to stone--I went to law school to avoid just such things.  So when I picked up A Software System Development Life Cycle Model for Improved Stakeholders' Communication and Collaboration (Cohen, Hann, & Dori, 2010), well, I could feel my eyes glaze over just reading the title.  I was pleasantly surprised to find the article accessible to the lay person and though it did not specifically discuss library software, felt it provided an overview of the software lifecycle (specified, developed, acquired, implement), and analysis of important factors for success (expertise, teamwork, experimental culture, and real time information and communication), that would aide any librarian involved in adopting new technologies in their institution.  Given how much value librarians can add to their organizations by contributing to these processes, it is important that we gain a basic understanding of these concepts, even when the jargon is scary!

Sources:

Cohen, S., Hann, U. D., & Dori, D. (2010). A software system development life cycle model for improved stakeholders' communication and collaboration.  International Journal of Computers, Communications & Control, V(1), 20-41.

Zickuhr, K., Rainie, L., & Purcell, K. (2013). Library services in the digital age. Pew Research Center.  Retrieved from http://libraries.pewinternet.org/.