Emerging Technologies Section (ETS)

Winter 2017: ETS Events planned for ALA Midwinter 2017, Nominate an Outstanding ETS Colleague, Section Goals, and More //

Geoffrey Morse, Editor

Note from the ETS Chair

Hello, everyone! It’s my pleasure to introduce this pre-Midwinter update from ETS. In it, you’ll find information about upcoming discussions and events planned for this January’s meeting in Atlanta, updates from ETS committees, and even a peek into what we have planned for the ETS Chair’s Program at ALA Annual next June in Chicago. I also want to take this opportunity to share the section goals for the year with you. With the overall goal of increasing efficiency while still maximizing the opportunities and programming available to members, in 2016-17 the Emerging Technologies section will focus on the following:

• Investigate new models for managing the work of the section including reviewing roles and duties of elected members;
• Explore opportunities for increasing existing collaboration with the Reference Services Section and other RUSA sections and interest groups;
• Establish online documentation to clearly outline and support the work of Section leadership, committee chairs, and committee members.
• Implement new section branding to reflect name change.

I welcome your input and suggestions as to how the section can best serve you. What are your professional development needs and interests? What emerging topics pique your interest? Contact me and share your thoughts (crgreene at indiana.edu).

Soon, ETS Vice-Chair Beth Boatright (beth.boatright at ipfw.edu) will begin appointments for the 2017–18 year. We look forward to working with new and continuing members on a variety of projects. Interested in beginning or continuing your involvement with an ETS committee? Review our current committees and their charges, feel free to contact me or Beth with any questions, and – most importantly, don’t forget to submit your volunteer form. I look forward to working with all of you over the coming year, and hope to meet many of you in person in Atlanta.Cheers!

Courtney McDonald, ETS Chair, 2016-2017

Nominate an Outstanding ETS Colleague through December 9th

The ETS Awards committee is accepting nominations for the ETS Achievement Award, recognizing outstanding service to the section. We encourage you to nominate an ETS colleague through December 9, 2016.

This group will also be focusing on the following major goals for the coming year:

• Explore the possibility of bringing to reality a new award to be titled “Best Emerging Technologies Award”, or “BETA”
• Start the process of a formalized awards manual for use in the coming years

Questions about the ETS Achievement Award or the work of the committee can be directed to committee chair, Matt Torrence (torrence at usf.edu)

Plan to Attend ETS Events at ALA Midwinter in Atlanta

The following events and meetings sponsored by ETS highlight the enthusiasm and diverse interests of ETS members. We look forward to discussing emerging trends in library public services with all of you.

Saturday January 21st:

• 1:00- 2:30pm: The User Experience Design Committee will be hosting a discussion forum session titled “Managing UX Change in the Library” in the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) room B310. Dive into a participant-led discussion of ways that libraries are incorporating UX principles and design thinking to create better experiences for our users, both online and in our buildings. We will also discuss up and coming trends in library technology.

Sunday January 22nd:

• 1:00 – 2:30pm: The Services for Systems and Discovery Committee invites attendees to engage in our “Unconference on First Year Experience and Technologies,” to be held in GWCC A309. We hope to bring together a community of information professionals who are interested in sharing and discussing important developments, challenges, and workflows associated with user experience for first year students at their institutions. No preparation or prior experience is necessary.
• 3:00 – 4pm: The Hot Topics in Electronic Reference Discussion Group will be hosting a discussions session titled “Now You See It: Using Video and Virtual Technologies to Enhance Reference Services.” What do GoPros, Pokemon Go, Oculus, and Google Cardboard have to do with reference services? Let’s find out! Whether your library already utilizes these technologies or is interested in adopting them, we want to hear about your experience. Join the ETS Hot Topics in Electronic Reference Discussion Group for a 3-part conversation on video reference services and virtual/augmented reality. Use #etsreftalk on Twitter to join the conversation during this session.

We also hope to see you at the RUSA Membership Social on Saturday January 21st from 5:30 – 7:00pm in the Omni Cottonwood Room.

Our website lists the full schedule for ETS Events at ALA Midwinter, with links to the Scheduler.

Virtual Reference: Updates from the Committee

The joint ETS/RSS Virtual Reference Committee is presently pursuing final approval of the Guidelines for Implementing and Maintaining Virtual Reference Services, revised and submitted to RUSA Standards & Guidelines last year, and considering other past projects which may need updating, such as the Virtual Reference Companion. We welcome opportunities to partner with other committees or groups with an interest in virtual reference to develop potential programs for future conferences. Please contact ETS committee co-chair Hilary Kraus with questions, suggestions, or collaboration ideas (hilary.kraus at umassd.edu).

Mark Your Calendars: Sneak Peek of UX Programs Planned for ALA Annual in Chicago

Though Thanksgiving is surely on everyone’s minds now, summer will be here before you know it. We’ve been planning a great slate of programs for Annual and we want to share a sneak peek with you.

The ETS Chair’s Program for the 2017 Annual conference in Chicago titled, “The intentional library: creating a better user experience with service design and design thinking” promises to be an exciting and informative program. As the field of UX expands and libraries adopt a more user-based way of designing services and solving problems, the techniques, and subsequently, the jargon associated with the field has expanded. Join us at ALA Annual as speakers Julka Almquist (IDEO), Carolyn Li-Madeo (Wikimedia Foundation), Annie Downey and Joe Marquez (Reed College) explore the intersection between design thinking, user experience, and service design. Their discussion will clarify each approach, and provide the audience with practical applications for developing user-centered services to implement at their own institutions.

Also in Chicago, the UX Design Committee will be presenting a pre conference entitled, “We Are All User Experience Librarians: Creating Change from the Trenches.” Tune into the next ETS update for more details about this program!