CIRI Blog: Emerging Technologies
Learning to Design, Create, and Evaluate a Database in an Introductory MLIS Course
Published: August 6th, 2024 by Dr. Virginia Tucker
The INFO 202 Information Retrieval System Design course is one of the three core courses required of all students in the MLIS degree program (1) at the iSchool. Each core course has a coordinator, and I have served in this role for the INFO 202 course since 2014. With the immense size of the iSchool’s programs, around 1,000 students take the course each year, and it is taught by eleven different faculty members.
Reflections on Participating in the CPGE Online Student Conference
A Student Researcher's Journey
Published: May 13th, 2024 by Irene Miller
[Irene was an active participant in CPGE Online Student Conference, the annual college-wide conference that aims to showcase student work and provide a space for students to network. She presented at both the 2023 and 2024 conference and her work drew much attention from the CPGE student community. CIRI had the pleasure of interviewing her about her reflections on the conference experience.]
Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Irene and I live in Washington State. After completing a seemingly arbitrary collection of courses including several foreign languages, biological sciences, and
Enhancing the Effectiveness of Library Outreach Programs: A Sabbatical Research Project
Published: March 25, 2024 by Dr. Michelle Chen
[Dr. Michelle Chen completed her sabbatical in 2023. CIRI had the pleasure of interviewing her about her sabbatical research project and her advice for faculty applying for sabbatical.]
1. Can you talk about what your sabbatical project was about?
During my sabbatical, I focused on developing a predictive model to streamline and enhance the effectiveness of library outreach programs. This project involved collaboration with a local county library, an industry partner, and an international scholar
Information Literacy, Disciplinarity, and New Knowledge
Published: January 16, 2024 by Dr. Virginia Tucker
A community of researcher-educators began meeting regularly several years ago for conversations around the disciplinarity of information literacy. The co-facilitators are Dr. Clarence Maybee, Professor and W. Wayne Booker Endowed Chair in Information Literacy, Purdue University, and Dr. Karen Kaufmann, Assistant Professor, School of Information, University of South Florida. The community has come to be called ILIAD, for Information Literacy is a Discipline, as it examines aspects of a discipline as discussed in the literature, such as having a code of ethics, modes of inquiry, scholarly
Computational Preservation vs. Social Preservation: What do Algorithms Require?
Published: April 13, 2023 by Dr. James A. Hodges
The digital technologies that we use every day are controlled by increasingly complex algorithmic systems. These run the gamut from the very banal (say, Netflix recommendations), to the very consequential (say, sentencing recommendations in the criminal justice system). As these systems become more widespread and impactful, there are more and more reasons that we may want to preserve them and refer to them later. Perhaps you’re a software developer and you want to look back at how your
Digital Ethics and Digital Epistemology
Published: February 14, 2023 by Dr. Norman Mooradian
My current research has two central tracks, digital ethics, and digital epistemology. The label digital ethics includes traditional information ethics[1], but also encompasses ethical issues arising from emerging technologies, for example, the ethics of artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Digital epistemology includes areas such as knowledge management and representation, as well as the application of theories of knowledge to computing and information science generally.
Information Visualization in Academic Libraries
Published: September 22, 2022 by Dr. Michelle Chen
In recent years, as data have become more voluminous, versatile, accessible and digitized, new technologies have emerged with the goal of providing advanced analytical capabilities to support knowledge discovery and decision making. Information visualization, the technique of creating “2- or 3-dimensional representations of data that enable discoveries of insights and knowledge” (Soukup and Davidson, 2002), is one of the primary technologies being adopted as an analytical tool to enhance and shape data interpretation. More specifically, information visualization’s unique pattern and
Interview with iSchool Professor Dr. Pat Franks
Published: May 17, 2021 by Dr. Pat Franks
[iSchool Professor Dr. Pat Franks will be retiring after spring 2021. CIRI had the great pleasure to have interviewed Dr. Franks about her research experience and reflections during all these years working at iSchool.]
Please tell us a bit about your role at iSchool.
I was brought on board in 2008–even before becoming a full-time faculty member–to coordinate the Master of Archives and Records Administration (MARA) program. In 2009, I joined the faculty full-time and continued in the role of MARA program coordinator to this day. I have also taught a number of courses in both the MLIS and MARA programs, and I devoted a few years to coordinating the Internship program, where I promoted the concept of virtual internships for all iSchool students.
Future of AI in Libraries
Published: March 15, 2021 by Dr. Souvick Ghosh
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been one of the most transformative technologies since electricity (Ng, 2018). Electricity transformed the world as we see it, making innovations possible in other industries like healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation. Similarly, AI and Machine Learning (ML) solutions have found applications in finance, education, healthcare, and manufacturing. For simplicity, I will use AI to represent all developments in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep neural networks (also known as
Using Blockchain Technology for Private and Secure Health Data Management and Sharing: How Do Users Respond?
Published: February 17, 2021 by Dr. Darra Hofman
“Omics” sciences, including genomics, proteomics, exposomics, phenomics, microbomics, and metabolomics[1], could provide revolutionary insight into human health, unlocking the knowledge hidden in the molecules of our bodies. Indeed, it has been argued that “the new era of omics studies…may lead to a true clinical application of personalized medicine”[2], with each of us receiving recommendations and treatments tailor-made for our unique biology. This research, however, is not without risks. Privacy, in particular, looms large for participants in omics research.
Exploring the Potential of Blockchain in LIS
Published: August 24, 2020 by Dr. Sue Alman
Our understanding of blockchain and its potential disruption to the information professions, education, and employment has gone from zero to warp speed since Sandy Hirsh and I began our investigation in 2017. However, we still are not experts in the technical aspects of blockchain development, but we have a strong vision for potential use cases. Our initial interest was piqued by the expanding literature that
Research Methods Course Focusing on Technology
Published: December 4, 2019 by Jason Kaltenbacher
Beginning this current (Fall) 2019 semester, I started teaching a technology management special topics section of INFO 285: Applied Research Methods. This course is designed to support students who are interested in developing a comprehensive research proposal that relates to a technology interest/issue. Like the other research methods courses, students learn the fundamentals of social research design and how to produce a viable and independent research proposal.
Tribal Connectivity via TV Whitespace
Published: November 6, 2019 by Dr. Kristen R. Rebmann
In 2014, the Association of Tribal Archives, Museums and Libraries prepared a report, Digital Inclusion in Native Communities: The Role of Tribal Libraries, which discusses the challenges Tribal Libraries face in bringing basic broadband access to their citizens in addition to creating public spaces that provide Wi-Fi connections. The report illustrates how Tribal Libraries play a critical role as community anchor institutions (CAIs) in providing their community members with access to the internet (ATALM, 2014).
Data Mining for Service Planning and Management in Libraries
Published: October 3, 2019 by Dr. Geoffrey Liu
With operation being increasingly computerized and services becoming interactive online, libraries – like other business organizations – are accumulating huge piles of data. Such data include not only operational/circulation records and online transactions on web platform, but also textual information generated by library virtual communities and data collected through service programs. In this sense, the “Big Data” movement did not leave libraries out.
Blockchain for Identity Management: Can a Case be made to Begin at Birth?
Published: May 2, 2019 by Dr. Pat Franks
Some of you may be familiar with blockchain technology (learn more about the basics of Blockchain from this CNN post and Dr. Franks’ presentation) because of Bitcoin, but it’s important to understand that Bitcoin was the first generation of blockchain technology with only one use case: financial tra
Staying Current with Disruptive Issues and Technologies: Beacons, Blockchain, Privacy, Wearables
Published: May 26, 2017 by Sue Alman
Urban or rural, public or private, large or small, libraries are living in a moment in which they are juxtaposed between their traditional role as a respected historical institution and their emerging role as a platform for progress. In an age where innovation occurs at the speed of thought, how can libraries embrace technology as well as employ it to build stronger communities? (Excerpt from The Aspen Institute – Libraries in the Exponential Age: Moving from the Edge of Innovation to the Center of Community, 2016.)
Learning to Learn: The Librarian’s Charge
Amidst unprecedented technological change, library staff are faced with an uncertain future but a landscaped filled with rich opportunities. One response has been a focus on continuing education and current awareness programs related to these shifts. Faced with these evolutionary transitions in research and learning, Library and Information Science professionals, are seeking new ways to quickly expand their own knowledge and expertise.
Connected Learning: Evaluating and Refining an Academic Community Blogging Platform
Published: April 30, 2017 by Michael Stephens
Dr. Michael Stephens explores a recent study that investigates the benefits of a community blogging platform for students in an online LIS program.
This post will briefly explore a recent study that investigates the benefits of a community blogging platform for students in an online LIS program. Using a web survey and descriptive content analysis methods, the study empirically addresses how student blogging communities can effectively foster connections amongst instructors and students, and enhance perceptions of learning performance.
The Myriad Issues and Trends of Technology
Published: June 9, 2016 by Sue Alman
The wide range of new and sophisticated technological products impacts us as a society, as information professionals, and as individuals, and it’s incumbent on us to be aware of the issues and trends that will affect our local and global actions. The daily media barrage announcing new technologies makes it difficult, if not impossible, to keep track of developments and to understand their relevance in all facets of our lives.
Exploring A Connected World: Looking Back
Published: May 1, 2016 by Michael Stephens
A confluence of technological advances has led to the new types of learning and information use I discussed in Learning Everywhere. One might argue that the creation of global networks, paired with enhancements to networking technology, and the evolution of the devices that connect these networks has created a perfect storm of change. As we explore new literacies, it is interesting to look back and see what changes and milestones have led us to the current landscape.