Assignment 6

How will technological trends change the information environment and user behaviour

The information environment is constantly changing as technology advances and user behaviour along with it.

• Information arrives quickly via the internet, but users want it even faster and want it to be relevant.
• Information can be delivered anywhere and that is where users will want to access it, the library will be the last resort
• The form in which the information comes is now diverse, not just the written word. Users will expect to be able to read, look and listen to the information they require.
• Technology invites interaction and collaboration, sharing of information. Users want to be able to engage, create their own space and do what they want in it.

How libraries meet the challenge

• Provide news feeds, RSS and alerts so users don't have to go looking for information, it comes to them.
• Provide e-resources wherever possible so that information can be accessed from wherever the user has a connection to the internet. This can be as diverse as e-journals and e-books to blogs, wikis and interactive websites
• Libraries will need to think about how information via this new technology is delivered, users are often mobile and the hardware needs to be as well. MP3 players and iPODS may need to be bought alongside PCs.
• Librarians will need to be able to offer their users the ability to access social networking and social bookmarking sites which may mean negotiating with IT departments to remove firewalls.

What are the implications for information literacy ?

• The most important implication is the quality of the information which is received and the ability of the user to evaluate it.
• Because wikis are intended to be edited by anyone who can access them, there is the danger of information not being as accurate as it might be, this might be more of a problem for librarians than for users ! Librarians will need to decide what is authoratative and what doesn't need to be.
• There may be an assumption that everyone is able to use the new technology and the social software. Some users may not bother to use the library because they are wary of the new technology or feel threatened by it or even don't see the point of it.

How libraries meet the challenges

• Users need to be made aware of the quality of the information they find. Evaluating and appraising information will need to be built in to information skills training if it is not there already, even at a very basic level.
• The practice of tagging as opposed to cataloguing information may become a difficult thing for librarians to deal with. There should be room for both.
• Libraries will have to make sure that users can use the new technology. Information skills sessions may be run in conjunction with the IT department who may be better equipped to teach about social networking/bookmarking. Less experienced users should not be made to feel unwelcome and tailoring sessions to specialties and departments so they can see the relevance of it may help.
• Librarians may have to rethink budgets. Is it better to appoint another librarian or a piece of equipment ? They will certainly need to be constantly planning and running to stand still. Not joining in is not an option.
• There is a risk that all this shared information, blogging and editing wikis can lose all sense of privacy, librarians should be able to provide an option of complete anonymity when setting up social networking opportunities
• Ultimately librarians need to accept creativity, chill out and go with the flow !