EDITOR'S NOTES
Preparing for Just About Everything
by Dick Kaser
As schools plan for their grand reopening this month, let’s all take a deep breath and wish them well. In her EDTECH feature, Carolyn Foote reflects on the some of the many challenges that students, teachers, and librarians will be facing. However, she prefers to see them as opportunities to build a better tomorrow.
Likewise, Terence Huwe devotes his column this issue to the topic of future readiness, observing that many librarians are not just looking to reopen, but to come back with a fresh purpose and a long-term focus.
It’s future readiness that dean of libraries Dawn Kight (Southern University and A&M College) advocates in her article about the programs her library has launched in collaboration with the local community to promote digital literacy, digital inclusion, and digital equity at the college and in the community at large.
Following upon a pandemic that raged for a year and half—and all the contingencies it entailed—there’s also an emphasis in this issue on future-proofing library systems and services. Director of collections and digital services Ray Uzwyshyn (Texas State University) shares his blueprint for planning long-term digital preservation initiatives.
Library consultant Liz Breed (assistant director at Jackson District Library) and Sonya Schryer Norris (Michigan State Library) share their techniques for developing video training modules that provide library staffers statewide with a uniform and engaging learning experience.
And science librarian Jean Cook (University of West Georgia) provides her advice for standardizing library tutorials and seamlessly embedding them in the course management system to assure long-term usefulness.
As life returns to normal, put on your future-ready thinking cap and join us for Internet Librarian next month.
Dick Kaser, Executive Editor
kaser@infotoday.com
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