What do shoppers and library patrons have in common? Three current students in the Master of Library and Information Science program at San José State University and one alum answered this question in their presentation at the 2012 Internet Librarian Conference.

Graduate students Brittany Austin, Elise Polglaze, and Laura ten Pas, joined by SJSU School of Library and Information Science alum Adam Elsholz, shared their knowledge of retail technology trends with an audience of librarians gathered for the annual conference held in Monterey, California.

Their presentation, “Retail and Technology Trends: Service Explosions,” focused on the parallels between retail merchandising and libraries and how libraries can benefit from implementing similar strategies. The four librarians, who work on the San Francisco campus at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, based their presentation on research that was originally presented to retail and interior design students.

Inspired by tactics used by retailers, such as implementing innovative technologies and creating unique in-store experiences, the team presented ways to increase library usage and bring more people into libraries. “Consumers are using the internet to discover brands and make decisions about how to spend their time and money. Libraries need to be sure they are a conspicuous part of this online journey,” said Elsholz.

The presentation outline, including links to original articles cited, is available on the Internet Librarian 2012 Conference web page.

Elsholz graduated from the Executive MLIS program in 2008. Polglaze is in her second year, focusing on web programming and information architecture. Austin and ten Pas began the fully online MLIS program in fall 2012.