Cloud Computing in the Library

Computers are a very important part of the library especially to library patrons. They must be working, they need to be working, or the library has failed. Failure is a Library is not an option. In order for the Library to provide the best service to its customers, the library must rely on computer systems and their system providers. "In recent time, the management of library systems has changed dramatically," gone are the days were the library personnel are updating and installing it's own library system (Breeding,9). The complex management of this type of technology is sourced out to Library Service Platforms, that now handle these details and fix issues.

Computersat the library" by Julie70 Joyoflife is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0  

In the Article, Managing Tech and the Impact of Cloud Computing on Libraries author Marshall Breeding describes "The three Trends of Centralized Enterprise Computing, Vendor-Hosted Services and Subscriptions to SAAS-Based Library Services Platforms..." and how these trends "have shaped the realm of Library computing support." This transition has allowed vendors to provide better provide and "...to manage many instances of applications they created for their customers at sufficient scale to gain efficiencies in operations and costs" thus reinventing and providing a new and better wheel, as well as continuing to provide constant updates (Breeding, 10). These new systems are able "to solve data problems...and create new services", while providing better service then what libraries previously had. According to Breeding, "the basic mission of a systems librarian, or other professionals working with technology in libraries has not fundamentally changed," it is just become better with the assistance of better technology.              

Works Cited:

Breeding, Marshall. "Managing Tech and the Impact of Cloud Computing on Libraries."
     Computers in Libraries, vol.39, no.2, Mar. 2019, pp.9-11. EBSCOhost,search.ebsco
      host.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=135486413&site=ehost-live&scope=
      site. (Accessed 28, April 2020). 

Cloud Computing by BarneyMont

Library Access to the Cloud

by Jeanne Marie Bredestege

What is the use of using library public access computers to get your work done if, for the sake of privacy, the memory is wiped between log-ins? Many patrons formerly faced this conundrum before the advent of cloud computing. The Lexico web dictionary (powered by Oxford publications), defines cloud computing as “The practice of using a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process data, rather than a local server or a personal computer.” In other words, storing, and in some cases, creating your work on a platform other than the one you are using locally. For the average person who uses library computers to access the internet and get work done, such as creating word files and spreadsheets, cloud computing is a godsend.  

Perhaps the most popular cloud computing platform for this type of work is Google Drive. Google drive was an outgrowth of the wildly popular Gmail, which many people adopted as web-based email when it was released. Everyone with a Gmail account automatically had access to the various components of Google Drive as they became available. Very functional apps, such as word processing (Google Docs), spreadsheets (Google Sheets), and presentations (Google Slides) can be used much the same way as their familiar Microsoft Office counterparts. Work is automatically saved every few minutes, and it will all be there the next time you log in. As I mentioned above, since library computers are set up to wipe out all memory between user log-ins in order to protect privacy, this is a key feature of cloud computing in a public setting. 

Apps are great, but if a library user is familiar with the Miscrosoft suite and does not wish to use anything else, there is an alternative. Most library public access computers are equipped with a basic set of apps, such as Word, Publisher, and Excel, which can be used by patrons. The documents can then be saved on a remote server in the cloud, such as Dropbox, in order to be accessed again in a subsequent session. Platforms such as Dropbox also allow for easy file sharing, when the account information is shared with other users. 

It would behoove the library worker to become familiar with all the facets and possibilities of cloud computing in order the assist the library computer users in doing their work. Knowing about such issues as privacy and data mining can help us protect the unwary against data breaches and other dangers. It also opens up a whole world of possibilities for the library user to not only do work, but also save data such as photos and memories, journal entries, create digital art, and other recreational uses.

  

Work Cited: 

“Cloud Computing | Meaning of Cloud Computing by Lexico.” Lexico Dictionaries | English, 2019, www.lexico.com/definition/cloud_computing. 

A Deeper Understanding of the Makerspace

by Jeanne Marie Bredestege

What does it mean to be a maker? If you had asked me this ten years ago, considering my personal background as an artist and craftperson, I would have given an answer involving low-tech activities, such as knitting, glasswork, carpentry, and the like. However, the term has been co-opted by an entire movement, and while lower-tech activities are still part of it, the connotation has become almost exclusively high-tech. Think robots, coding, and home-built computers. Has the swerve toward high-tech “making” left some people behind? Almost certainly. Does the public library have a role in democratizing this aspect of the maker movement? Absolutely. 

I took a deep dive into some key makerspace movement ideas by reading the research paper “Democratizing the Makerspace Movement” by Alexandra Lakind et al. from the Summer 2019 issue of Reference & User Services Quarterly. It is a great read with a wide range of insights into the makerspace phenomenon. For another perspective, read “Making the Difference” by Marva Hinton from the May 2018 issue of School Library Journal. 

The public library makerspace evolved from the idea of commercial community makerspaces which were membership organizations. These spaces pooled the resources of members who were then able to share and use technologies that would have otherwise been out of reach individually. Public libraries saw an opportunity to take the “membership” factor out of the equation in order to make makerspace technology and resources available to a wider audience. This process also allowed library values to infuse into the makerspace movement: not only access equity, but also community building and inclusive programming. For many public libraries that have taken up the challenge of creating makerspaces, it is not just about the spaces themselves. Hardware can be expensive, but people power is something they already possess. If not all library branches can be supplied with equipment, libraries can bring the people and the programs to the branches in the spirit of the maker movement. 

Some examples of library values which are evident in the profusion of library makerspaces across the country include inclusivity, multidiscipline/intersectionality, and professionalism.  

Makerspaces welcome people representing a diversity of ages, genders, income levels, functionality, and life experience. The emphasis is ideally to expose people to a wider set of experiences that they may otherwise not have access to. While the ability of makerspaces to inspire people to learn and, for example, help youth with career paths or older adults in changing careers, the focus need not be goal-oriented. Libraries are place of self-directed exploration and learning, and makerspaces should reflect that value. Let community colleges and adult education programs handle the specific career development and training. Makerspaces should be allowed to be open-ended places of enjoyment. 

As such, the makerspace is ideally suited for people to discover how various disciplines and practices can intersect and form new ways of doing things. Sewing, robotics, computer programming, 3D printing, growing and preserving food, toymaking, and you-name-it may all be experienced in the makerspace in ways that generate new combinations and possibilities. Again, the freely accessible and open-ended nature of the makerspace is what makes this possible. 

Finally, the staff who program the makerspace activities and events are foundational to making it all work. Staff may have specific knowledge and skills to share, but mostly they are able to find community members to come and share their knowledge and skills. These community connections exponentially expand what is possible for the makerspace to host. It’s not about the “stuff” that the makerspace can provide, but about the people and the experiences that those people can facilitate.   

Works Cited:  

Hinton, Marva. “Making the Difference.” School Library Journal, vol. 64, no. 5, May 2018, pp. 25–27. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=129347373&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Accessed 26 April 2020. 

Lakind, Alexandra, et al. “Democratizing the Maker Movement: A Case Study of One Public Library System’s Makerspace Program.” Reference & User Services Quarterly, vol. 58, no. 4, Summer 2019, pp. 235–245. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=139336739&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Accessed 26 April 2020. 

Bring Your Own Device, or Borrow One From Us

by Jeanne Marie Bredestege

The emergence of the internet has prompted massive changes in libraries in the past 3 decades. Libraries were already in a process of digitizing catalogs and making them available for library users to search on fixed computer workstations within libraries. The internet made it possible for catalogs to go completely online so that connected users could search library collections from home. The next step was to make computer workstations available for library users, similar to the internet cafes that were so popular in the 1990s, but free to use. The next evolution was the development of wireless internet access and library users being able to bring their own laptops, smart phones, or tablets to the library to access the internet. All these innovations remain essential and very popular technology features in libraries to this day.  

Even with our current situation of library buildings being closed to the public, you may still notice users outside the building, tapping into whatever WiFi signal may be emanating through the walls. Connectedness is obviously a vital library service that should not be forgotten as we move forward through this crisis. I have even felt the impact of library closures (aside from not being able to do my normal work), since I use the printer at my local branch frequently.  

The availability of free, public WiFi in libraries (in most cases, you don’t even need a library card to access it, though you may need to ask for the password at the information desk) has been a neat way to address issues of access equity. The digital divide is multi-faceted. These days, most people (81% in 2019, according to Pew Research Center), even if they have nothing else, have a smart phone. Whether they can afford enough data to get them through a month is another matter. For these folks, free library WiFi is there. It can be difficult to fill out certain forms, such as job applications, on a smart phone. For folks who don’t have access to a connected computer, the library public access computers are there (more on our current situation below). For folks who don’t have reliable internet or any internet at home, they can bring their laptop to the library and work there. At my branch, there is a gentleman who spends pretty much his entire workday at the library, which is his “work from home” solution. Others have come in to take online licensing exams because the library WiFi is more reliable than what they have at home (or they have no internet at home). Others, such as retirees who are excited for access to eBooks and eAudiobooks, need help to set up their tablets or eReaders in order to check out the library’s digital collections.  

The above are all great examples and opportunities for library staff to provide “tech support” and education to library users. It’s an opportunity we, as library workers, should be ready to embrace. With the current state of libraries being closed, the San Diego Public Library is doing its best to provide some services to our most vulnerable patrons. Many of the folks who spend their days in the library, either using the public access computers, or accessing the WiFi using personal devices, are our unhoused patrons. About 1,000 of these folks are currently staying at three shelters operating at the San Diego Convention Center, with Library and Parks and Rec staff there to help with many tasks, supplementing the regular shelter personnel. Within the past week, the library has innovated a program of bringing the Chromebooks that we check out in-house at some branches (formerly for students to use for homework) to the convention center and staffing tables with library workers who then assist the residents with anything they may need internet access for but can’t achieve easily on their own devices (they have access to the public WiFi at the convention center). So far, the results are good. We have a steady flow of residents who come to use the computers. Most of them need to fill out the IRS form that will allow them to get their stimulus payments. Many are looking for housing. Many are looking for jobs. Having the computers there for them to use is definitely an important service and having library staff on hand to help is crucial. There are quite a few people who are just not comfortable using technology, so we are able to assist and even do the keyboarding for them. Of course, infection prevention is observed with everyone wearing masks and cleaning the devices and workstations between each user.  

It’s not possible at this point to say how libraries will operate going forward. A public place with resources that circulate in the community will have to make significant changes in procedures in order to be a part of the infection prevention solution. It may be possible that public access computers will need to be abandoned altogether and everyone will need to “bring your own device” in order to use the internet at the library. With everything we may be losing to this pandemic, and all the sudden change and uncertainty, I think there will remain the reliability of the library to innovate and find new ways forward without losing our core values.  

Works cited: 

“Mobile Fact Sheet.” Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, 12 June 2019, www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/. Accessed 26 April 2020.