EDITOR'S NOTES
We’ve Got That Touchless Feeling
by Dick Kaser
All of the articles in this issue are about technologies that can be used to create that touchless feeling that social distancing has mandated, but that could improve workflows in your library for good.
Librarians Susan Chesley Perry and Jess Waggoner (University of California–Santa Cruz) share the checklist they use to create uniform accessibility and usability across various library and university websites. Their straightforward approach can be adopted or adapted to improve remote access to your own web offerings by following a few simple guidelines.
Michael Hemment shares the results of an experiment he conducted at Harvard Business School to bring executives in training up-to-speed with the help of a voice assistant tied to a knowledgebase.
Chelsee Dickson (Kennesaw State University) discusses RFID, NFC, and smart library technologies that can help patrons access services, check out materials, and conduct other transactions, using their smartphones to complete tasks without librarian intervention.
Librarian Cal LaFountain discusses how blockchain approaches could revolutionize library operations in the years to come. He also shares some blockchain apps that you can put to good use right now.
It’s been a year for distanced and virtual everything. Lorette Weldon, in her EDTECH article this issue, suggests that we all really need a good field trip. And she has an engaging online gaming platform to recommend for helping students get away, learning as they travel back in time.
Hopefully, when we look back on these times, we will see that it could have been no other way. Having been forced into a touch-free existence was just the impetus we needed to streamline services and lay the groundwork for tomorrow’s world.
Dick Kaser, Executive Editor
kaser@infotoday.com
|
