Keynote Speaker

Biographical Note

Early riser, devoted oceanite, and advocate of radical neutrality, Char Booth explores the integration of pedagogy, research, technology, and design in libraries. Char is Head of Instruction Services and E-Learning Librarian at the Claremont Colleges Library, and is on the faculty of the ACRL Information Literacy Immersion Institute. Char blogs at info-mational and tweets @charbooth. Her publications include Reflective Teaching, Effective Learning: Instructional Literacy for Library Educators (ALA Editions, 2011, and winner of the 2012 Ilene F. Rockman Instruction Publication of the Year) and Informing Innovation: Tracking Student Interest in Emerging Library Technologies (ACRL, 2009)

Email: charbooth@gmail.com                  @charbooth

go for it or bail? learning to ride the hype cycle

Augmented reality. The cloud. E-books. Location-based services. Mobile devices, MOOCs, wearable technology, social media, and so on. There has never been a shortage of next big things, and the only certainty is that some prove revolutionary while others flame out. We all work with limited resources, and when we invest in a new tool or service we want confidence our time and funds will go towards scalable programs and useful applications. This presentation will examine the “hype cycle” trajectory of several emerging technologies in order to offer insight into the rise-and-fall process of innovation over the long haul, suggesting strategies librarians can use to evaluate emerging technology decisions critically, creatively, and with an eye toward sustainability.

Breakout Sessions