Technology Plan
SALISBURY UNIVERSITY
BLACKWELL LIBRARY TECHNOLOGY PLAN
2010/11 – 2014/15
Introduction
Libraries were early and remain ardent technology users. Long before
enterprise systems supported financial and student services, the library’s
catalog and operations were online. Today, the library has a second generation
integrated library system, ExLibris’s Aleph system, which facilitates direct
access to more than eight million items in the University System of Maryland and
Affiliated Institutions (USMAI) libraries. On campus, the library provides the
only publicly available accessibility workstations and software, including a
portable NEMO reader. It also offers not only federating searching—the ability
to search multiple databases simultaneously—but a link resolver (SFX) that makes
full-text information immediately accessible. And students, faculty and staff
can request interlibrary loan items directly, track their progress, and often
receive electronic copies.
Yet this is Blackwell Library’s first technology plan. While it incorporates
elements of library department’s three-year plans, the technology plan is being
and will continue to be developed to coincide with the University’s Information
Technology Plan. The intent is broader than sharing information. It should also
pave the way for future collaborations.
The Horizon
While technology presents a fluid landscape, librarians’ working knowledge of
trends, intimate understanding of student research habits and needs, and a
number of ongoing national studies help to identify issues, concerns and
potential directions. In addition to Pew Foundation, OCLC, and ARL studies, the
annual Horizon Report is particularly important. A joint publication of The
Educause Learning Initiative and The New Media Consortium, it pinpoints the
technologies of greatest interest to education in the next five years. Based on
studies and experience, the factors most likely to affect the library’s
technical landscape and planning include:
- use of mobile technologies for tasks PCs once performed;
- use of cloud computing, a boon for collaborative projects;
- expectation that a web experience will be personal and
customizable;
- more precise access to information on the web, moving beyond
tags to technologies that identify context (the semantic web);
- use of visual tools to enhance learning (gaming, media); and
- gap between students’ perception of their research and
technology skills and their actual understanding of how systems
work and how to use them to do research effectively
- role of library in facilitating and creating new scholarly
materials
Related to a more customizable web experience and the integration of Web 2.0
technologies is a mandate that: “New relationships must be formed with library
users to support rapid shifts in research and teaching practices.”
This plan acknowledges that advances in all areas may not be possible in five
years, but outlines areas where definite growth is both possible and planned.
Goal 1: Provide a transparent, seamless landscape between the
library’s computing environment and the campus computing environment.
In an age of rapid technological advancement and change, new information
systems, and information overload, the library takes seriously the need to
simplify that landscape for students on all levels. On the most basic of levels,
this includes coordinating with campus Information Technology (IT) to ensure
that basic PC configurations, hardware, and available software are the same in
campus labs and in the library.
Accordingly, the key initiatives will be to
Maintain equipment and current technology with IT support
Coordinate equipment purchases & type of equipment supported
with IT
Goal 2: Enhance access to research and information resources,
including use of Web 2.0 technologies
Now more than ever, researchers need multiple levels of assistance to
navigate what has become a challenging information landscape. While the
library’s traditional role of acquiring and developing these resources remains
seminal, it is just as important to employ the technologies students rely on to
help them connect in meaningful ways with those resources.
Accordingly, the key initiatives will be to
Evaluate and implement WorldCatLocal, which integrates
searching for books, articles, and e-resources
Maintain and update a Delicious account and incorporate these
into subject guides and other applications
Identify metadata sources for research collections on
microform (LEL, PCMI, SSM, etc.) and load records into the online catalog
Explore the public relations and teaching effectiveness of
Facebook
Customize Iliad interlibrary loan software to enhance resource
delivery to students at distance learning sites
Promote and enhance chat research services
Promote, further develop and continue to evaluate the
effectiveness of blogs on the library’s home and on other web pages
Goal 3: Implement additional Aleph functionalities for greater staff
efficiency and coordination with other campus units
Because the library’s online system is shared by sixteen institutions in the
University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI), taking full
benefit of the system capabilities requires coordination between multiple
offices on campus with the Information Technology Department (ITD) at College
Park, the host site for the shared system. Since all sixteen institutions
compete for ITD resources, moving forward presents challenges. That
notwithstanding, campus IT has always stepped up to the plate and plays a major
role in advancing these functionalities.
Accordingly, the key initiatives will be to
Implement EDI (e-invoicing of book orders) with Baker & Taylor
Implement the Bursar extract report, which will electronically
transfer all fines/fees unpaid after 30 days to the Business Office for payment
Goal 4: Provide Technology Support for Accessibility Services
Because the library provides the only publicly available accessibility
workstations and software on campus, it is committed to maintaining the currency
of available accessibility resources.
Accordingly, the key initiatives will be to
Support Kurzweil & Nemo software and hardware
Build ADA-accessible websites and web-based materials
Monitor new technologies in the field for possible purchase
Goal 5: Provide Technology Support for Student Services
For the libraries, technology is a means to an end. The question is not what
technologies to employ, but rather to identify which technologies and
accompanying landscapes will have the greatest impact on students’ ability to
understand the information landscape and to do research effectively. As a
result, technology support is interpreted broadly.
Accordingly, the key initiatives will be to
Monitor usage of laptops in library to determine long-term
support of program
and other mobile devices as replacements for laptops
Build services for increase in mobile technologies
Coordinate with IT on Information Literacy/Technology Fluency
requirements
Incorporate library services into MyClasses course management
software
Take a lead in building and experimenting with collaborative,
technology-rich working spaces
Monitor new discovery tools, including the evolution of open
ILS
Goal 6: Provide Technology Support for Faculty Services
Apart from acquiring essential resources, the key to preparing students to
become knowledgeable researchers is to collaborate with and support the faculty.
Accordingly, the key initiatives will be to
Support citation management software (Zotero/EndNote) & teach
faculty to use it for personal research as well as for coursework
Incorporate library services into MyClasses course management
software
Collaborate with faculty on web-based class/assignment guides
and learning tools
Technology Plan PDF
