This tag was created by Curtis Fletcher.  The last update was by Sarah Tribelhorn.

Sarah Tribelhorn Portfolio

Program Goal H

Information science professionals should understand how current technologies are being used within information organizations, and what the future trends of these technologies are. It is necessary to use these technologies effectively to provide essential services to stakeholders. As communities evolve and develop, so do community needs; therefore, it is necessary for new technologies to evolve with changes in services and programs and information requirements to meet these community needs. Therefore, information professionals should remain current with new and emerging technologies that will enhance their ability to provide information and services to their stakeholders and determine the most effective tools required to provide this information need. In several courses in the Master of Management in Information and Library Science (MMLIS) Program, I had the opportunity to learn current and emerging technology trends that are fundamental to providing effective services to stakeholders. Examples of these are related to digital access in libraries and metadata organization to enhance information accessibility to these communities.

Digital Access in a Public Library

In LIM 562: Library and Information Technology Management, my team and I assessed the technology needs of a public library, first by assessing the technology already in use, and then through community analysis, determined an emerging technology that would enhance the mission of the library by supporting information literacy. The program proposed suggested enhancing digital access through the provision of loanable laptops and Wi-Fi hotspots, enabling the community with no personal access to this technology to remain current. This program involved extensive research into emerging technology trends within Library and Information Technology professions to determine the most effective way to meet this technology need in the community.

Metadata Organization

In both LIM 503: Information Description, Organization, and Retrieval (LIM 503) and LIM 522 Metadata and Taxonomies (LIM 522), I had the opportunity to explore various metadata schemas and the technology associated with them to enhance information accessibility. For my final paper in LIM 503, I chose to focus on the application of Dublin Core (DC) to catalog a periodical and justified my choice of DC. To choose this schema, it was necessary for me to have a full understanding of different options, including MARC (machine-readable cataloging). In LIM 522, I had further opportunity to understand the role of a diverse range of metadata schemas, with practical applications of DC, Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS) and XML, and how to cross walk, or translate elements from one schema to a different schema. Similarly, I gained in-depth knowledge of how to apply Visual Resources Association (VRA) Core to describe works of visual culture and their images to enhance accessibility. In addition, in LIM 522, my team and I analyzed a digital collection, the community it served, and subsequently designed and a metadata schema to optimize information discoverability and accessibility of this collection.

Conclusions

It is fundamental for information professionals to stay abreast of emerging technological trends, which are constantly changing, to enhance infrastructure and organizational effectiveness, and service delivery. This is an area within Library and Information Science (LIS) that requires continual professional development to remain current. I have demonstrated with these assignments described, and others in my MMLIS coursework that I have mastered an understanding of technological skills in this field, and I am committed to continuously updating this knowledge and acquiring new technological skills to best serve my community in my LIS career.
 

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