Top Tech Trends Archives | American Libraries Magazine

(Left to right) Trevor Watkins, , Hannah Byrd Little, director of library and archives at the Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, Jonathan McMichael, undergraduate success librarian at Arizona State University, Fernando A, and Kate Delaney, public services librarian at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine discuss ChatGPT and other generative AI tools at ALA Annual 2023 in Chicago.

Information Literacy for the ChatGPT Age

By Carrie Smith | June 25, 2023

Delaney moderated the “Core Top Ten Technology Trends: Libraries Take On ChatGPT” panel Saturday, June 24, at American Library Association’s 2023 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago. Four panelists from public, academic, and school libraries shared thoughts on what library workers should know about the technology, how it’s being used, and the potential risks and … Continue reading Information Literacy for the ChatGPT Age →

Libraries and Invasive Technology

By Amy Carlton | January 24, 2021

John Mack Freeman, manager of Gwinnett County (Ga.) Public Library’s Suwanee branch, opened with a clip that appeared to show former US President Barack Obama voicing support for Black Panther movie villain Erik Killmonger. (The clip was actually a BuzzFeed-produced PSA from director Jordan Peele, who imitated Obama’s speech patterns with cleverly synched video.) It … Continue reading Libraries and Invasive Technology →

Top Tech Trends: COVID Considerations

By Amy Carlton | June 24, 2020

Privacy and security Jeremy Kurtz, director of systems and security at Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe, said that as an important part of privacy, information security is important to manage. Kurtz recommended that libraries use the Center for Internet Security’s 20 controls and resources. But, he added, vendor management is also vital. Just because … Continue reading Top Tech Trends: COVID Considerations →

Top Tech Trends Focus on Privacy

By Amy Carlton | January 26, 2020

Moderator Ida Joiner, senior librarian at the Universal Academy School in Irving, Texas, was joined by panelists Victoria Blackmer, assistant director of Robert R. Jones Public Library in Coal Valley, Illinois; Marshall Breeding, independent library consultant; Elisandro Cabada, medical and bioengineering librarian at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and Alison Macrina, founder and executive director … Continue reading Top Tech Trends Focus on Privacy →

The MERGE Cube AR STEM toy works with a smartphone.

Tech Trends

By Alison Marcotte | March 1, 2019

American Libraries spoke with three library tech leaders—panelists from the Library and Information Technology Association’s Top Tech Trends panel at the 2019 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits—about what apps, devices, software, and best practices their libraries have implemented and how others can, too. Explore immersive technologies Libraries haven’t fully explored the potential of virtual reality (VR), … Continue reading Tech Trends →

2018’s Top Tech Trends

By Carrie Smith | June 26, 2018

Independent technology consultant Marshall Breeding moderated the discussion, which focused on upcoming technological shifts such as: Quantum Computing Jason Bengtson, assistant director of library IT services at Kansas State University Libraries, kicked things off by explaining quantum computing. While traditional, digital computers use bits (which store a 1 or 0), a quantum computer uses qubits, … Continue reading 2018’s Top Tech Trends →

Top Tech Trends: Advice for Makerspaces

By Samuel R. Putnam | June 25, 2017

“Makerspaces should meet the needs of your patrons and be built around your budget and staff,” shared Radniecki. Here are some other helpful tips she shared regarding managing makerspaces: Fees are fine. Some libraries cannot comprehend a makerspace model that charges anything, even if they are offering services that commercial services like Shapeways offer at … Continue reading Top Tech Trends: Advice for Makerspaces →

Top Library Tech Trends

By Alison Marcotte | May 1, 2017

American Libraries spoke to library tech leaders—members of the Library and Information Technology Association’s popular Top Tech Trends panel from the 2017 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits—to get the apps, devices, software, and best practices that you can adopt for your library right now and in the near future. 1. Take patrons on a virtual tour … Continue reading Top Library Tech Trends →

Three panelists from Sunday’s Top Tech Trends program. From left: Lauren Comito, Laura Costello, and Nick Grove

LITA’s Top Tech Trends

By George M. Eberhart | June 27, 2016

The panelists were Blake Carver, LYRASIS; Lauren Comito, Queens (N.Y.) Library; Laura Costello, Stony Brook (N.Y.) University; Carolyn Coulter, PrairieCat Library Consortium; and Nick Grove, Meridian (Idaho) Library District. Here are some of the questions: What is the next top tech trend? Comito: Teaching underlying concepts, not specific devices. Costello: Real-time library data: What are … Continue reading LITA’s Top Tech Trends →

LITA Top Tech Trends

By Willie M. Miller | January 10, 2016

The first panelist to speak was Jamie Hollier, co-owner and co-CEO of Anneal, a technology consulting company. Her first trend was an increase in interoperability related to data. She discussed ways that interoperability was important to communication, data standards, and infrastructure. With data standards, Hollier identified that the medical industry is creating standards for electronic … Continue reading LITA Top Tech Trends →

Top Tech Trends 2014

By Sanhita SinhaRoy | January 26, 2014

“We are in the business of making resources available, and we shouldn’t forget that,” said Emily Gore, director for content of the Digital Public Library of America. Gore was one of five panelists speaking to an estimated 200 attendees at LITA’s popular event reporting on changes and advances in technology. Each panelist and the moderator … Continue reading Top Tech Trends 2014 →

Latest Library Links

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Joe Árvai writes: “As artificial intelligence (AI) creeps further into people’s daily lives, so do worries about it. At the most alarmist are concerns about AI going rogue and terminating its human masters. But my own research as a psychologist who studies how people make decisions leads me to believe that all these risks are overshadowed by an even more corrupting, though largely invisible, threat. That is, AI is mere keystrokes away from making people even less disciplined and skilled when it comes to thoughtful decisions.”

The Conversation, Apr. 12
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Tess Prendergast writes: “As someone who teaches contemporary children’s literature, I have been following the surge of picture books about climate and environment topics for several years. While there has been some great scholarly research about such books, I have devised a simple framework for grouping these kinds of books. This four-tiered categorization may help you decided what to read, suggest, or display in various scenarios and for different audiences.”

ALSC Blog, Apr. 11
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Max Eddy writes: “It’s a nightmare scenario: You’ve protected all of your online accounts with two-factor authentication (2FA), but then your phone is broken, lost, or stolen, and you’re locked out of everything. Past You’s effort to protect Future You has made Present You’s life a living hell. 2FA is supposed to keep attackers and scammers out of your online accounts, but what if something happens to your second factor? With a little planning, you can reduce that risk and still keep your accounts safe.”

New York Times Wirecutter, Apr. 12
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Nik Altenberg writes: “About 100 librarians and their supporters rallied outside San Francisco Public Library’s Main Library on April 9 to demand the city hire security guards for every branch. Workers decried a lack of security at most of the city’s branches and said they are often forced to de-escalate volatile situations and step into the role of providing security themselves. The rally is the latest in a series of union actions [from 10 unions representing more than 25,000 city workers across city departments] seeking to draw attention to what they say is a pervasive understaffing crisis.”

KQED-TV (San Francisco), Apr. 9
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“Two years after Brooklyn Public Libraries’ (BPL) launch of Books Unbanned, an initiative to protect the freedom to read for young people, In Their Own Words: Youth Voices on Books Unbanned gives new insight into the impact of censorship on teen and young adults across the US and how restrictions and other barriers to access build upon and reinforce each other. The new report, published April 11 by BPL and Seattle Public Library, analyzes 855 stories shared by young people who signed up for a free Books Unbanned ecard from April 2022 through December 2023.”

Seattle Public Library, Apr. 11
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Samantha Guss, Sojourna Cunningham, and Jennifer Stout write: “Recruitment and retention are both critical to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in academic libraries, and failing to improve retention has and will continue to derail these initiatives. Research that addresses retention tends to focus on proposed strategies, such as stay interviews (structured interviews aimed at strengthening employee and employer relationships) and mentorship programs. But there is no agreed-upon definition of retention that would allow us to assess these strategies. We should recognize that involuntary staying can be just as negative an outcome for the individual and the organization as leaving, setting the stage for legacy toxicity.”

In The Library With The Lead Pipe, Apr. 10
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Jackie Edwards writes: “As spring rolls around, seasonal allergies can flare up among library workers, resulting in symptoms like sneezing; runny or stuffy nose; itchy eyes, ears, and nose; coughing; and asthma. Not only are these symptoms detrimental to well-being and productivity, but they can also mean you’re less able to provide excellent customer service to library users. Fortunately, by purifying the air, preventing mold, and keeping your work area clean, you can improve indoor air quality and combat allergies in your library.”

Library Worklife, Apr.

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