Thanks to technology, research is now just a mouse click away.
With smartphones, tablets, and accessible Internet connections, the staff of the Alvin Sherman Library has found new systems and applications that keep the library relevant in this technological age, while still staying reliable for educational purposes.
Nora Quinlan, director of reference, said that when she was a student at Queens College, finding the same information that students find in mere seconds today took her much longer, involving far more steps than just searching online.
“I think the modality being used is what has changed, but what you get is still the same. We would be using the same information and reliable information sources, but we just did it more physically,” said Quinlan.
To find scholarly journals and articles now, all students have to do is look them up through online databases.
Before such databases were created, students found journals and scholarly articles through index books. The student would have to pull the books off the shelf, look up the subject through the alphabetical index, write out the citations of the journals and articles, and find the journal on the shelf.
Now the library is finding new ways to deliver information, including implementing an application for tablets, smartphones and laptops called Socrative that helps teachers engage their classrooms through educational exercises and games. The library has been using the application during instructional lectures and librarians are preparing to conduct a virtual conference introducing the application to the university.
The library also belongs to Ask A Librarian, a state-wide, government-funded program based in Tampa. This program provides Florida residents with virtual library reference services via live chat, text and emails, which are answered by the user’s local librarians.
Quinlan said that the library is always finding ways to connect with its patrons and continue advancing along with the university’s growth.
“NSU has always been adapting. We are not a traditional institution. We have always been considered innovative, and we are always trying new things to support a better education,” said Quinlan.
The library has also created a website called LibraryLearn where patrons can find instructional videos made by the library to answer any questions that patrons may have. To access the site, click the LibraryLearn icon on the top right corner of the Alvin Sherman Library home page.
“Sending webpages wasn’t cutting it because not everyone has time to sit and read a whole webpage. The videos can be seen anywhere and that has become popular,” said Quinlan.
The library has made progress in adapting to today’s educational process but technology can still be unpredictable. Quinlan said that users still need to understand and learn to work in both mediums of technology and print.
“You have to put one foot in paper and the other [in technology]. Technology is great when it is working, but when it goes down, if you don’t know how to handle the paper side, you are in big trouble,” said Quinlan.
