It’s staggering how much we’ve learned.

Earlier this month I was asked to put together a timeline of the technology my library has introduced since 1995. We want to get a clearer picture of all the things library staff have had to learn, absorb and incorporate in their daily work lives. I’ve been able to put a basic timeline together that shows a lot of library initiated technology. Things like introducing public access computers, teaching computer classes, introducing an online public access catalog and much, much more.

I’m running into a problem though…

I’m not sure how to show all of the things library staff has had to learn because of the introduction of public access computers.

The different versions of Windows and Microsoft Office would be a lot by themselves. Add to that the changes the internet has introduced and it’s staggering how much library staff has had to absorb. Changes in search engines (remember AltaVista?), and email to the social web (blogs, Facebook, Twitter etc.) have progressed very quickly and library staff has had to keep up in order to answer the most basic questions (How do I sign up? etc). These are all changes we didn’t institute. They are changes that came from outside the library. The items listed on the timeline are all initiatives launched by the library.

So, what’s a good way to reflect the knowledge library staff has gained and shared by the introduction of public access computers in 1995?

One thought on “It’s staggering how much we’ve learned.

  1. Stickynotes all over those nice new windows in the entry way at your new place? Create a massive google spreadsheet and let people contribute (crowdsource)? It seems like things out to be weighted — changing ILS is a huge and essential learning curve, while figuring out email providers is just scanning the screen for keywords.

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