Librarians prepare to help patrons overcome the digital divide in Northeast Florida
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/LHTN-12-2015-0081 |
| Published date | 04 April 2016 |
| Date | 04 April 2016 |
| Pages | 6-7 |
| Author | Jennifer O’Neill |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library technology,Library & information services |
Librarians prepare to help patrons overcome
the digital divide in Northeast Florida
Jennifer O’Neill
Introduction
Mobile spaces are where many
library users expect us to be. They are
where retail, banking, health care and
government agencies are headed.
The Northeast Florida Library
Information Network (NEFLIN),
a multi-type library cooperative,
customized and implemented a 23
Mobile Things project to help library
staffs throughout Northeast Florida
claim their space at the forefront of
the mobile future.
NEFLIN’s 23 Mobile Things
encouraged participants to engage
in self-discovery, allowing for
experimentation with mobile trends
and app technology tools. Similar
programs have been successful in
Russia, Singapore, Philippines,
Germany, Australia and Norway. It
was inspired by the original 23 Things
project by Helen Blowers at Charlotte
Mecklenberg Library and The
23MobileTing project by Jan
Holmquist for the Guldborgsund
library system in Denmark.
Jennifer O’Neill, NEFLIN’s
Member Services Coordinator,
customized and implemented the
program. Staff at all levels throughout
Northeast Florida libraries conquered
their fears, overcame obstacles and
moved forward together by
embracing this opportunity. The
feedback has been phenomenal.
When 23 Mobile Things was
implemented, it was for NEFLIN
members only. More than 500 library
staff representing 23 different libraries
(academic, public, school and special)
registered and created comradery
working together to conquer the Things
to better serve their patrons. The 23
Mobile Things project at NEFLIN is
licensed under Creative Commons
Attribution and non-commercial 4.0
International License and is now
available to all at 23things.neflin.org.
Each Monday participants visited
the 23 Mobile Things Web site
created by O’Neill and NEFLIN
Contractor, Diana Silveira of Novare
Library Services. Information about
the program including the FAQ and
the instructions for each “Thing” are
located on that Web page. There
participants could read about the free
app of the week (referred to
throughout the program as a
“Thing”). They would then follow the
instructions and download the app to
their tablet or smartphone.
All of the apps were free,
pre-selected and tested and Android-
and Apple-compatible. Jennifer
conducted a pre-program assessment
and found that of those registered, 51
per cent owned Apple devices, 45 per
cent had Android devices and 4 per
cent did not know what kind of device
they had.
The program was designed to take
one hour a week to complete. Each
Monday morning directions were
posted for participants to complete an
activity using the specific app. Once
completed, participants were asked to
reflect on a few questions and to
respond on the Web site. The activity
and answers were mandatory. O’Neill
also created a private Facebook group
for participants to post some of their
creations.
Heather Sostrom, NEFLIN’s
Continuing Education Coordinator,
contracted with individual trainers to
teach each app and offer in-depth
practice on that Thing via an online
webinar. These training sessions took
place each Wednesday, for one hour,
offering examples and discussion on
ways the app could be used in
libraries. Attendance for the weekly
webinars was not mandatory,
however they were well attended.
Recordings were made available to
all, which many participants who
were unable to attend the live events
appreciated. To date, more than 1,600
attended live webinars or viewed the
recordings.
On Fridays, a virtual Appy Hour
(a casual webinar) was offered for
participants to discuss what they liked
and did not like about that week’s
app. Again participation was
voluntary. This time was used to
celebrate the group’s progress and
congratulate the person who had
finished the activity and completed
that week’s questions first.
Finally, NEFLIN members who
completed the entire 23 weeks of
the program and all of the activities
by the deadline had their names
posted on the virtual Wall of Fame
and received either an iTunes or
Google Play gift card.
It became evident almost
immediately that some library staff
had been able to hide from technology
for a long time. The pre-program
assessment revealed 22 per cent of
those who had registered for the 23
Mobile Things program had Rarely or
Never used mobile apps. One
participant surveyed said, “I have no
idea how to get apps onto my phone.
Basic information would be
GREAT.” This was surprising
because librarians are generally
curious people who like to learn new
things. It was great that they signed
up, and O’Neill was determined to
encourage them over any bumps they
encountered.
She opened accounts and created
original content for each of the
Things. To keep participants
encouraged, she posted 135 times in
the 23 Mobile Things private
Facebook group and liked 479 of the
participants’ posts. She tweeted 131
times and favored 213 of the group’s
LIBRARY HITECH NEWS Number 2 2016, pp. 6-7, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 0741-9058, DOI 10.1108/LHTN-12-2015-00816
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