Nicolet Federated Library System - TechBits

The Gates Library Foundation: How Digital Inclusion Came to the Libraries (TechSoup blog by Jim Lynch's)

2/1/2019

The TechSoup blog post below is not just interesting on its own, it also references numerous other organizations and programs worth looking into like: Edge Benchmark project; Pew Research Center; Rising to the Challenge: Re-Envisioning Public Libraries; Public Library Association (PLA); International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA); Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA).

Here is the beginning of the original post:

From 1997 to 2018, the Gates Library Foundation (a program of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) invested $1 billion over 21 years in public libraries both domestically and globally. Its investments have ensured that millions of people around the world have better access to digital tools that can help improve their lives. The program has left a powerful legacy, nothing less than bringing digital inclusion to many thousands of public libraries and their patrons around the world. TechSoup is deeply proud to have had the chance to work with the Gates Foundation to empower public libraries everywhere.

In 1997, Bill and Melinda Gates created the Gates Library Foundation to bring computers and digital information to public libraries in the United States and Canada. When the foundation began this work, less than a quarter of U.S. libraries were connected to the Internet, and fewer provided Internet access to patrons. Today, nearly all U.S. libraries are not just connected, they've been transformed into critical community resources for today's digital world by supplying public-access computers, software, and training to their communities.

Read on...

Upcoming Snipping Tool Change from Andrew at SCLS

1/25/2019

I would like to mention a few things before getting to Andrew's post:

This tool update only affects Windows 10 computers, and only after a large Feature Update (1809) that has not yet made it to most of our Windows 10 computers. We still have plenty of Windows 7 computers in our NFLS libraries and they will never get this updated version.
For those of you who are not familiar with what a snipping tool does, it allows you to copy part, or all, of what is showing on your monitor. (This is so much better and more versatile than the Print Screen key on your keyboard that limits you to only copying the entire contents of the monitor.) You can then paste that image into an email, word document, PowerPoint slide, etc. This is how the picture below was captured and pasted into Andrew's web post.
The Snipping Tool comes pre-installed on any Windows computer but there are many other similar tools out there. I personally use Jing, which is also free.

Andrew...

Microsoft is changing the name and functionality of the Snipping Tool for Windows 10 in an upcoming update. I use the Snipping Tool regularly to include screenshots in documentation. After the 1809 Feature Update was installed on my laptop, I noticed a warning the first time I opened the Snipping Tool. The warning basically states that the tool is moving, it will have improved features, and it will be called "Snip & Sketch."

Microsoft hasn't announced when the new version will be forced or what update will make the change permanent. After you get the 1809 Feature Update, you can still use the tool in its basic form. You can also click "Try Snip & Sketch" to start using the new features.

Here is the rest of Andrew's post...

Google Doodle Contest!

1/17/2019

Here is something for your younger patrons:

Doodle for Google contest has launched
Calling all K-12 artists! The Doodle for Google contest kicked off January 8th and will close on March 18th. This year's theme is "When I grow up, I hope..." Visit doodle4google.com for lesson plans and details on how to enter.

Make sure to scroll down on the website for a cool introduction to the contest!

Get Smart About News through the News Literacy Project

1/11/2019

I recently read a piece about the News Literacy website in my WiLS Community Chronicle e-newsletter:

The News Literacy Project is a national education nonprofit offering nonpartisan, independent programs that teach students how to know what to believe in the digital age. Check out their website for more information, their professional development opportunities, the Civics Connection blog, and to subscribe to The Sift, their newsletter in which staff “sort through recent rumors, hoaxes and other misinformation to bring you the best teachable moments in news literacy.”

I then explored the website, finding it to be an interesting mixture of educational snippets and opportunities for educators to take classes in preparation for guiding/teaching others. It is definitely worth checking out, especially since it has such a wonderfully constructive goal of helping all of us to better navigate the often manipulated news and views found through any form of media.

How Can We Be More Active Citizens in the Digital Age? (TechSoup blog)

12/26/2018

Technology continues to integrate into our personal and work lives on a daily basis. And as this happens, institutes like Stanford University's Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (PACS) are leading individuals and communities in conversations related to digital engagement.

The Digital Civil Society Lab within PACS is specifically investigating "the challenges and opportunities for civil society to thrive in the digital age." Recently, the lab initiated a series of talks, guided by input from Stanford undergraduates. These events delve deeply into how technology can simultaneously help and harm civically motivated initiatives to increase mobilization and representation.

Two TechSoupers went to a recent lab event titled "The Active Citizen in the Digital Age: Mobilization and Representation." Let's look at some key takeaways from their experience.

The Persisting Success of Human InteractionDigital Civil Society Lab executive director Lucy Bernholz opened the talk by sharing her own background. Her mother was an elected official and on the state board for the professionalization of teachers. Her father was on the state mental health board.

Her parent's district (CA-District 10, which encompasses an area in the northern end of the Central Valley) was home to a hotly contested congressional race in 2018. By the time of election day, every door in the district was knocked on — twice — and a Democrat newcomer and venture capitalist won out over the four-term incumbent Republican.

This story underscores a motif throughout the talk: Even in this age of digital connectivity, person-to-person interactions and proactive engagement continue to play a huge role in the mobilization of an idea. Throughout the talk, Lucy and the panelists continued to highlight how technology may help, but it certainly cannot replace the value of human-to-human interactions.

Lucy facilitated questions between the three panelists to explore technology's impact on digital engagement in terms of infrastructure, information, and action. The three speakers each represented one of those areas.

Click here to continue reading about the different areas the speakers covered...

Plan Effective Meetings Through Google's Applied Digital Skills Program

12/13/2018

WATCH THE INTRO

Who's Listening? Who Has Access? (by Kerri at SCLS)

12/6/2018

The shopping season is underway! The ACLU's article "The Privacy Threat From Always-On Microphones Like the Amazon Echo" about the privacy implications of “always-on” recording devices came across my path yesterday, and it got me thinking and looking for a good video or two that would highlight some of the current concerns about "smart," internet-connected devices. I found these two, which I think are definitely worth a view.

(9 min) "What your smart devices know (and share) about you"- Once your smart devices can talk to you, who else are they talking to? Kashmir Hill and Surya Mattu wanted to find out -- so they outfitted Hill's apartment with 18 different internet-connected devices and built a special router to track how often they contacted their servers and see what they were reporting back. The results were surprising -- and more than a little bit creepy. Learn more about what the data from your smart devices reveals about your sleep schedule, TV binges and even your tooth-brushing habits -- and how tech companies could use it to target and profile you. (This talk contains mature language.)

(17 min) "Internet of Things Security" - Ken Munro shows us how insecure Internet of Things products are and how easy it is to hack them. The big question is: how can we use these products in a safe way?

The takeaway for me from the videos was not that IoT devices = BAD, but that users of these devices should be aware of the privacy and security implications. If you are considering purchasing devices that connect to the internet (and there are a lot of them these days!), make sure you know what you're getting into and weigh the potential loss of privacy (and security risks) with the benefit these devices will bring to your home.

And if you opt for smart devices, here are some of the security recommendations from the second video:

use long, STRONG passwords
use PINs that are longer than 4 digits on smart phones
apply patches and updates to your devices
don't buy products for which you're not sure about the privacy or security

I'm still looking for some good articles about IoT devices and their uses in libraries. So far I've found a couple that talk about the potential (people counting, program attendance, etc), but none that really weigh in on what patron privacy concerns there may be. (If you have any recommendations, please let me know!)

What internet-connected smart devices have you added to your home? Your library? What do you love or hate about them?

(Original post)

Library Extension App

11/29/2018

A thoughtful library director shared a great internet tool with me (thanks, Joan!). It is called Library Extension and it is only available for the Chrome web browser. It will allow you to see if any book/item you find on Amazon or Goodreads (or wherever) is available at a library or within a system without having to switch windows to check your catalog.

For some reason, it only has a few NFLS libraries listed - a couple InfoSoup and Brown County. This app can still be beneficial as you can pick any library as a placeholder in order to see if the title is somewhere in your catalog.

To get this app, go to Library Extension on the Chrome Store website and select the blue Add to Chrome button on the right.

Once installed, select the Library Extension icon (three stacked books) in the upper right corner of the window. (If it is not there, open a new Chrome browser window.) This will open a settings window that allows you to customize your experience.

Choose your state and library then select the Add button when done. Repeat if you want another catalog or library included in the search.

You can also review and customize the websites that are represented with this tool if you select the Sites heading under Libraries. When done, select Close.

You can now proceed to Audible, Barnes & Noble, etc. and select a book. The Library Extension tool will appear on the right side of the browser window (see image on the right of this post), displaying the library search results.

I may not work with the catalog but it seems pretty dang cool to me! According to my library insider, it really helps her staff save time/effort. It is free and easy so why not check it out?!

Solid State Drive - What the Heck Is That?

11/14/2018

A Solid State Drive, known as "SSD", is simply a variation of the current, traditional Hard Disk Drive (HDD). It is the part in a computer (laptop, tablet, etc.) that stores data, programs, and the operating system. An SSD is the same thing as a flash drive (a.k.a USB stick, thumb drive, memory stick), just larger. The defining difference between the SSD and HDD is how the information is stored and retrieved.

Let's first clarify some terminology. Two words of note are read and write. When information is first sent to the drive to be stored or to change existing data, you are writing to the drive. When we "retrieve" data to look at it and/or it use we are reading it. The important difference here is reading changes nothing whereas writing affects the drive by adding or changing something.

So, one difference between an SSD and an HDD is that and SSD can only be written to a limited number of times while an HDD can be written to indefinitely. With that being said, normal use of an SSD will still give you 10, 15 or even 300 years of service. Not only is this way beyond the normal lifespan of a computer, but it is significantly based on how much the drive is written to since that is what wears it out. Keep in mind, however, that our public computers never get written to except for an occasional update. Also know that an HDD is not bullet-proof as parts of it (known as sectors) can become corrupted (go bad) and eventually cause the drive can fail.

Another more pertinent difference is how quickly data is read/written; this is where the SSD blows away the HDD! The HDD is a metal box about the size of two decks of cards and is filled with about five or six platters, which are basically double-sided CDs. They are stacked on top of each other with just a little space between them. There is also a mechanical arm (like on an old record player) in there. This arm literally swings in and out of the stack of platters reading and writing information through a needle-like sensor on its tip. An SSD, on the other hand, is made up of little processors and has no moving parts. Thus, the HDD is much slower at both reading and writing because it is limited by its mechanical movement. This makes the SSD noticeably faster at all aspects of the drive's operation - like having a 5-10 second boot-up time!

The technology in the SSD is newer and therefore more expensive but, as we have seen with the smaller flash drives, it continues to drop in price. Though still more expensive than an HDD, it has finally become affordable in smaller sizes. One option some people choose is to have a small-ish SDD (128 GB) with the operating system installed on it but then also have a larger HDD for their main file storage. This is a nice blend of the two drives but, unless you store huge amounts of data, I would think you could spend a little extra on a 256 GB (or larger) SDD to enjoy its benefits across your entire computing experience.

Here at the libraries, the HP 400 G5 computer we are now offering with the 256 GB SSD option also comes with 8 GB of RAM. Random Access Memory (RAM) is the memory that the computer uses while working on tasks. The combination of this larger quantity of memory and an SSD makes for a really fast machine. I believe it is definitely worth the $60 up-charge.

Robots, AI, VR, IoT, and more! (by Jean Anderson at SCLS)

10/25/2018

Earlier this week, SCLS along with 10 other library systems,co-sponsored our annual Tech Days workshopsin Fitchburg, Appleton, and Franklin. Financial support was also provided by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Public Library Development Team with support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Jason Griffey was the keynote speaker for this year's event and he spoke on Preparing for the Future: Technology to Watch. We learned about the Internet of Things (IoT) and how ubiquitous some of these products have become. For example, you can get "smart" light bulbs, thermostats, outlets, door locks, security cameras, and even stickers! Jason also talked about all of the "voice assistants" like Google Home, Amazon's Alexa, and others. You can now get Alexa for your car with Amazon's Echo Auto and also for your microwave - who knew? Jason talked about the application of these technologies for libraries and some of the problems they present.

Jason shared lots of ideas and information about Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, and robots. There are some really cool VR applications (and we have a VR kit that SCLS libraries can borrow). Jason explained the blockchain and talked about cryptocurrency. I understand it a little better but am still learning about the implications of this emerging technology.

The AI and machine learning part of the presentation was probably the most interesting and the most scary to contemplate.For example, you've all heard about the driver-less cars and trucks that are coming soon. There are also robots that are providing security services, helper robots in the hospitality industry, and even a robot barista in San Francisco.

There were afternoon breakout sessions at each workshop and you can find the handouts and slides for all the presentations here. Hope to see you at Tech Days next year!