Use and Importance of Technology For Library Science Education |

ABSTRACT:

Emerging technologies, such aspersonal information management tools like Zotero, productivity software likeGoogle Documents, and web-based API's and mashups are important resources forlibrary staff development and productivity. To keep up with rap- id technological change, the University ofMinnesota Libraries developed a staff education program on emergingtechnologies. Begun in 2009, the fun and interactive program called Tech Expo has been a success. Thispaper describes our approach and lessons learned. In recent years, emergingtechnologies and open source software have proliferated in higher education. Inresponse to technological change at the University of Minnesota (UMN), theLibraries created a Technology Librarian position in 2006 with a focus onemerging technologies. However, it became clear that the growing need fortraining was not the job of a single librarian, but must be augmented with anemerging technologies program dedicated to staff education.  (This is especially true at a large researchinstitution like UMN, with a staff of more than 300.) This article describesthe creation and implementation of such a program in 2009.