Homework Help

I'm very excited about another technology product our library is taking advantage of. We've signed up for an online tutoring program called Homework Help. It is sponsored by Tutor.com, which is a nation-wide organization. They provide professionally trained tutors to help kids from elementary to high school. The student can log-in through their library, select a grade and subject, and be connected with a tutor in that field. They talk with the tutor through an online chat system and the tutor communicates how to solve the problems, but never gives the answer to the student. They work throught it together. It is a great system that I'm glad our library is taking part in.

Another great addition to our online databases is Books & Authors. This database allows you to search in so many different genres of books with their own sub-genres. For librarians working in the public setting, this is the ideal database. We cannot possibly keep up with all the genres, let alone all the categories that they can be divided into. This database is an excellent resource for reader's advisory, and again, it's all available online. If someone were interested in historical fiction, but really only wanted to read about the Antebellum American South, this database has that precise category. Many libraries just have one list of historical fiction in their reader's advisory resources. That is why this is so unique and helpful.

New Databases

Since this blog deals with libraries and technology, I want to mention how great useful online databases have become for our small public library. We have recently obtained several databases that provide information to our patrons that we couldn't possibly provide with books. For example, we have access to the Chilton's Automotive Repair Database. This has access to almost any make and model of car within the Chilton's system. Our library couldn't financially afford all those volumes, nor physically store them. So this kind of access is a wonderful contribution of technology.

Time Saver?

While I really enjoy the new RFID system we have, I don't necessarily agree that it's a time saver. The biggest advantage is that the checking in/out of the item and activating/deactivating its security is all done at one time. With our old system we had to check out and deal with the security in two separate steps. But our system is not sensitive enough to scan multiple items. It can, but it is not always accurate, often skipping a book. So the staff and the patrons have learned to scan our items one at a time like always. It's a great system, but maybe it doesn't have the efficiency we thought it would.

RFID

Our library has just converted our entire system to self-checkout. This means RFID! I have to admit, radiofrequency identification is pretty cool because it is both the identification and security of the item. With our old system, there were separate processes for checking out and desensitizing the item. The RFID does it all at once. We still have the circulation desk where people can opt to still have a person check them out, and just one self-check station. Surprisingly, our patrons mostly prefer coming to the desk to check out, and only use the shelf-check for convenience if we’re busy. I’ve received numerous comments saying that the library is a different atmosphere than a grocery store. They still like the human contact when it comes to the library. Call me old fashioned, but I like that about our patrons!

Another Thought

Another thought on how much computers have become consumer-oriented and the incredible convenience of the graphical interface. Not only does the GUI help average people use computers every day, it is also applied in the blogging world (such as this), and in web design. People who know nothing about html code can “create” their own blog through a website like this, where the html code is already written and templates are created for the user. I can update my blog and have absolutely no idea why it works! I just think I have a deeper appreciation for the user-oriented computer world, because it allows even those with limited computer knowledge to participate.

Taking Computers for Granted?

Since this blog is for the purpose of my LIS 636 computer class, I thought I would mention how amazed I am at how swiftly the computer world embraced regular consumers. Being a person who has never known much about computers and how they work, I find that as I learn more I have completely taken for granted their complexity. After recently learning about operating systems and the number of tries it took for companies such as Apple and Microsoft to create the systems that we have today, I am impressed with how sophisticated our personal computers are. We talked about how people who have never used computers without a graphical user interface can't appreciate how wonderful that capability is. I know I certainly took that for granted. It just never ceases to amaze me at how far technology has come in just a few short years.